Random Stuff!

[TheLocalYokel]

Lisbon was just a stopover for the main highlight Azores. An incredibly beautiful island indeed. An espresso and cake for 95 cents. Cant argue with that. There is practically no money grabbing anywhere. The super market on the seafront boardwalk sells bottled water for 17 cents. How can you not like such an honest place. And 4 seasons every hour except the snow of course.

Sounds marvellous. How did the connections go? Presumably separate bookings BRS-LIS, LIS-Azores?

 

[kraktoa]

Sounds marvellous. How did the connections go? Presumably separate bookings BRS-LIS, LIS-Azores?

Yes separate bookings. Azores airport is very impressive. About the size of Bristol maybe a bit smaller. Many SATA and Air Azores planes A330, 310 on tarmac. They fly to Boston and Toronto. The A310 looks positively chubby next to our EZY 319. They have entrances only at 2 ends of the terminal into the tarmac. So you could walk on the tarmac from one end to the other if your boarding gate and plane are at opposite ends. So you walk past all these beautiful planes facing the terminal.

The outbound journey needs a stopover at Lisbon as the Azors leg is next day early am. The return journey does not really need a stopover in Lisbon but the gap between flights is an anxious 4 hrs. So thought it more prudent to stopover both legs in Lisbon.

Lisbon low cost airline terminal is terminal 2. A low budget warehouse type building but very spacious and good air con. Efficient handling of passengers and a food court with Mcdonalds and other local sandwich shops selling at high street prices. No premiums.

 

[Kernow Bravo]

In the eyes of the EU there are no separate nationalities. Everyone is an EU citizen so any visa will be with the EU not the separate countries.

I agree that is the EU's view (and of course one of the stronger pro-Brexit arguments). It does annoy me that even our national news talks about "EU Citizens" when there is no such thing, only citizens of EU member states. The EU is not a passport authority (yet) or indeed a full member of the UN!

As for the Brexit impacts to LCCs, if there is no Open Skies arrangement with the EU moving forward, the impact would be much wider than just LCCs. There would probably be no need for this forum other than the Nostalgia thread!

 

[Sierra3]

I can see reciprocal agreements with nation countries in the EU. Broadly along the lines of if our citizens live in large numbers in your land then your citizens can come here freely and vice versa. So visa free travel with Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, etc etc....ie the wealthier nations with large expat Brits. All the rest will need visas after March 2019 and if brits want to go and visit...well tough....apply for a visa. This can be organised relatively easily. Prague and Bucharest had large UK visa processing centres until recently.

Ofcourse EU can impose on other member countries that they cant have unilateral deals with the UK. Talk to the EU as a whole not individual member states. That may not go down well with some wealthier member states and the EU could open a pandoras box with that one. They could lose out heavily with such a stance.

Can I suggest viewing the following link

https://www.passportindex.org/byRank.php

UK citizens can enter 156 countries in the world 'visa free'. Three years ago we were tied at No 1 (with USA) on 143 countries. 'Visa free' means you pay zero / zilch; an example is UAE where you land queue up (unless you buy an e-card) and get your entry stamp, which if you bother to read it states its a visa, permitting you to stay 30 days; no money changes hands.

Having spent the last 25 years living, working & travelling on the India Ocean Rim (but only having been to Europe 3 times since 1985) you'd be amazed at the countries throughout Africa & Asia you can enter with a British Passport without a paid visa; maybe free visa on arrival, but no money changes hands. Multiples you may sometimes pay something (not a lot) for.

If a country like, say Spain (or any other European country), introduced a paid visa (even on arrival) what would happen to their tourist trade?
Old enough to remember travelling in Europe before the EEC (as it was then), the only places you needed a visa were behind the Iron Curtain, excepting Yugoslavia.

 

[Sierra3]

Double post

 

[Jerry]

If a country like, say Spain (or any other European country), introduced a paid visa (even on arrival) what would happen to their tourist trade?

If they did introduce something, which i can't see happening, i'd imagine it'd be something like the US ESTA. I just renewed mine recently and it cost me $14 lasts for 2 years and means i go through immigration with US citizens. If you are a first time user you don't get to go through the US citizen part but from then on you do.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Thank you for that Sierra3.

I would make one point about tourism and visas, partly as a devil's advocate because I can't see countries like Spain wanting to introduce visas for UK holidaymakers, which is that Turkey requires a paid visa for visitors (except for those on cruises I believe) including those from the UK, and until other factors diluted the popularity of the country for sun visits tourist numbers there were growing year by year.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

North Bristol Fringe

I went through Filton and the edge of Patchway today - first time for about a year. The redevelopment of the Filton site is proceeding at a pace although the runway is still in place, albeit hacked around a bit.

The construction of the £37 million Airbus Wing Integration Centre, an advanced testing centre for large structural components, is well under way. Parts of the Filton site and huge tracts of adjacent land are now either new houses, shops etc or are being prepared for such.

Having a mooch around shows how vital this part of South Gloucestershire unitary authority is to the Bristol city region. Apart from the many thousands still employed in the aerospace and related industries there is the MOD Procurement Centre with 7,000 employees and a myriad of other companies including Friends Life.

Beyond the Cribbs Causeway regional shopping and entertainment complex at the other end of the former Filton airfield site lies the Severnside coast, much of which sits within the South Gloucestershire unitary area with the remainder within the city boundary.

It is reputedly the largest brownfield site in Western Europe, or perhaps was because so much development has taken place in recent years with distribution centres, warehouses and other industries . The latest giant warehouse being built is that for DHL that follows closely behind the The Range's new mega warehouse nearby. A drive around there, particularly Central Park, reveals almost a town of warehouses and the like. Further along the coast is the largest wine warehouse in Europe that handles 25% of all wine imported to the UK.

With the announcement of a new junction to be built on the M49 this area will be opened up even more.

Some people are surprised that Bristol with a population of around 450,000 is such an economic powerhouse. They forget or perhaps don't know that physically attached to it is this other 'city' (you can't see the join between the two) that pushes the physical unbroken city up to around 650,000. With urban bits of B&NES and North Somerset unitary authorities physically joined to Bristol too the 'city' population rises even higher.

 

[Jerry]

It is reputedly the largest brownfield site in Western Europe, or perhaps was because so much development has taken place in recent years with distribution centres, warehouses and other industries . The latest giant warehouse being built is that for DHL that follows closely behind the The Range's new mega warehouse nearby. A drive around there, particularly Central Park, reveals almost a town of warehouses and the like. Further along the coast is the largest wine warehouse in Europe that handles 25% of all wine imported to the UK.

I regularly collect at the Chep pallets site there and also deliver sometimes at Farm foods and always wonder if the toll wasn't in place how many of those companies may have based in Wales. There is also a new Lidl DC been built there as well.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

What would be the particular advantage of basing around Chepstow rather than on the English side of the estuary? Lower business taxes perhaps?

The Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area is one of a group of strategically important employment locations across Greater Bristol that complements the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone in the middle of the city. Each Enterprise Area has defined incentives for business.

With the ending of tolls next year it will be interesting to see how this plays out with new commercial builds particularly around Chepstow.

The Range actually wanted to build their warehouse near Chippenham, Wiltshire by the M4 but locals kicked up such a stink that the idea was shelved. The new DHL distribution centre is primarily to serve Bristol and Bath. It seems a huge building if it's only covering that area.

The proximity of the Bristol Port also plays a big part in attracting these businesses. There is direct motorway access to both Avonmouth and Royal Portbury docks. Wouldn't Bristol Airport love that sort of connectivity?

A couple of years ago I was walking along St Andrews Road near Avonmouth docks, not the most scenic part of the West Country, and I was amazed at the number of lorries using the road - it was mid afternoon. So much so that I counted them for 15 minutes (yes, I know) and if the flow had continued at that level it would amount to over 400 per hour.

 

[superking]

Was watching main news tonight and they had a piece about the security queues at most airports in the country. When airlines flying back to this country from wherever they know who is on the plane as they have pax lists. Why does the departing airport send a list of who is on the plane, that way they could do all the security checks they like before the plane lands. My thoughts are it would more or less cut the queues in half. But it might be worth looking at this as they already do checks on some pax on aircraft so extend it to all.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Was watching main news tonight and they had a piece about the security queues at most airports in the country. When airlines flying back to this country from wherever they know who is on the plane as they have pax lists. Why does the departing airport send a list of who is on the plane, that way they could do all the security checks they like before the plane lands. My thoughts are it would more or less cut the queues in half. But it might be worth looking at this as they already do checks on some pax on aircraft so extend it to all.

This already happens with flights to/from some countries (the UK is one of them) where airlines have to provide immigration authorities with details of all passengers to/from those countries (Advanced Passenger Information).

The current difficulties arise with the Schengen Area which comprises 26 countries, 22 from the EU with four more - Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Cyprus legally obliged to join. Four EFTA countries make up the present total of 26. Travel into or out of the Schengen countries from/to countries outside Schengen, with the UK and the ROI the only EU members not part of Schengen apart from the four mentioned above that will be joining soon, now sees more detailed checks on these passengers at some Schengen airports.

It seems that some Schengen airports are worse than others for delays and even with those the situation can vary from day to day or within a particular day, apparently often depending on the number of officials on duty.

 

[kraktoa]

Reality is illegal immigration. The schengen countries have never cared who leaves their shores to come to the UK. They infact encourage it as it is a lesser burden on them. For eg. Sangatte and its various guises.

So why this sudden urge to check every passport leaving schengen zone flying to UK. Dont they want asylum seekers to come to the UK?

Its just a brexit grand stand. They want to punish the traveller who voted for brexit. Its just a political game.

The illegal immigrant on a fake passport is never stopped.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Funnily enough kraktoa, the thought had crossed my mind how much this was to do with Brexit rather than security.

 

[Jerry]

Punish the UK for leaving and try and push Ireland into it? Seems a bit petty from the EU that.
Also if they are trying to get illegals and stop them coming into the EU then they are looking in the wrong place as most of them are coming over land via Greece Italy and in increasing numbers Spain and most of them definitely aren't trying to leave by air to the UK!

 

[kraktoa]

Was watching main news tonight and they had a piece about the security queues at most airports in the country. When airlines flying back to this country from wherever they know who is on the plane as they have pax lists. Why does the departing airport send a list of who is on the plane, that way they could do all the security checks they like before the plane lands. My thoughts are it would more or less cut the queues in half. But it might be worth looking at this as they already do checks on some pax on aircraft so extend it to all.

A John Smith on a passenger manifest may not be the John Smith who checks in. It could be that real John Smith lost or sold his British passport at a street corner and the Albanian John Smith is now checking in.

But as i said, the spanish dont really care if the albanian JohnSmith is catching a plane to the UK. They dont mind one less Albanian in their soil.

Its the pesky real John Smith who voted for Brexit and the pesky Theresa May who is taking a hard line with Brussels that the Spanish are targetting.

 

[tpm]

Really guys? I know it's the season, but I think you're all well into silly territory here to be honest.

 

[Jerry]

A John Smith on a passenger manifest may not be the John Smith who checks in. It could be that real John Smith lost or sold his British passport at a street corner and the Albanian John Smith is now checking in.

But as i said, the spanish dont really care if the albanian JohnSmith is catching a plane to the UK. They dont mind one less Albanian in their soil.

Its the pesky real John Smith who voted for Brexit and the pesky Theresa May who is taking a hard line with Brussels that the Spanish are targetting.

The problem with taking that attitude is that the pesky John Smith who voted for Brexit and might not have voted for Brexit may end up taking his custom elsewhere to say Turkey or Tunisia or the US if he's constantly been stuck in queues trying to get home and that will effect the Spanish economy.

 

[kraktoa]

The problem with taking that attitude is that the pesky John Smith who voted for Brexit and might not have voted for Brexit may end up taking his custom elsewhere to say Turkey or Tunisia or the US if he's constantly been stuck in queues trying to get home and that will effect the Spanish economy.

This is s what a section of the population thinks about tourism

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40826257

 

[Kernow Bravo]

The problem with taking that attitude is that the pesky John Smith who voted for Brexit and might not have voted for Brexit may end up taking his custom elsewhere to say Turkey or Tunisia or the US if he's constantly been stuck in queues trying to get home and that will effect the Spanish economy.

He certainly will if there is no open skies agreement between the UK and the EU!