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Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2016 12:34 pm
by OFSO
I wish to cancel, withdraw, and annul my post above. Perpignan airport is in the final stages of a massive rebuild and has become a most pleasant place to wait for the big silver harp-tailed bird to come and take you away.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 7:36 pm
by OFSO
OTOH with the withdrawal of the same big silver harp-tailed birds from Girona (due to the city fathers refusing to give O'Leary the money he demanded) Girona airport has become a deserted wasteland. Jet2 promise to move in there in strength next year. Until then all but one of the multi-story carparks have been closed as have many other facilities.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 3:01 am
by Slasher
Madrid. Always a bloody messy affair taxying for dep in very low vis from one half of that friggin' airport to the other.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 7:50 am
by Boac
LEMG - don't start me off................. X(

Source of many ASRs.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:14 am
by Capetonian
I see that yet again the crew on a flight from TLV (EZY this time) have been subjected to the disgusting behaviour of (so-called) Orthodox Jews. They are the type who disgrace the religion by their behaviour and attitude. I have had the misfortune to have to deal with people like them at airport ticket desks, and have observed their behaviour on board flights, although thankfully I have never, from choice, been to Israel.

I can only assume that this type of behaviour wouldn't happen on an El-Al flight as the Israelis take no crap, from anyone, including their own people. I know that airline crews dread TLV rotations over all others, even Nigeria. Whereas Nigerians at least have some charm and warmth even when attempting to board with half a car engine as hand baggage and 300 kilos of overweight CBBG, Israeli Jews can be utterly charmless and most unpleasant.

What never fails to capture my interest is that we are quick to condemn Islamic beliefs and behaviour as 'stone age', but some of these Orthodox Jews are as bad.

When I had businesses in CPT, my absolute worst nightmare clients were Jewish, and some of my very favourite and best clients were also Jewish. 99% of them fell into on of those categories, very few were just 'OK'. Luckily, more were good than bad.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 5:03 pm
by Wodrick
Stansted

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 12:05 pm
by Woody
Looks like mine and Capetonian’s favourite is back on the agenda, not sure why they’ve got pictures of T5 in the article though :-q

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/uk ... s-14797024

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:49 pm
by CharlieOneSix
I can't really compete with you fixed wing guys and your locations but the one I'm glad I won't have to go to again is the most northerly in the UK, Unst (EGPW).

Two week detachments up there operating to the Brent oil field were always difficult - especially if we had to stay in the long demolished Hagdale Hotel - I think it blew down in a winter storm! It was so cold there one winter I slept in my survival suit when the heating failed.

Redeeming features were the bar at the nearby Baltasound Hotel whose rooms were permanently reserved by a competitor operator, plus the Northern Lights were spectacular. I believe they have a small leisure centre at Baltasound now - the sheep must be mighty relieved! :))

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:17 am
by Ex-Ascot
Novosibirsk, middle of the night from FE to Moscow. Parked us in the middle of nowhere for refuel stop. No steps no ground power and no fuel. Stupid girlie from the British High Commision met us. I had asked for the Air Attache to be there. Opened the door and she said 'Is there anything you need?' Stupid bitch. We were there for 3 hours and well out of crew duty time by the time we got to Moscow.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Fri May 15, 2020 9:56 pm
by Dushan
Rwy in Sight wrote:
Sat Dec 12, 2015 5:59 pm
An interestingarticle from the BBC about both the excellent and worst in US airports.

Does any one know what are those structures (chimney like) on top of the mobile lounges in Washington D.C.?
That is where the upper part of the shaft is. The entire bus lifts to the level of the aircraft and at the terminal. So when the bus is in the upper position the part between the ground and the bus floor is equal to the part that protrudes, above the bus when it is in the low position.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Sat May 16, 2020 9:15 pm
by Rwy in Sight
Dushan wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 9:56 pm
Rwy in Sight wrote:
Sat Dec 12, 2015 5:59 pm
An interestingarticle from the BBC about both the excellent and worst in US airports.

Does any one know what are those structures (chimney like) on top of the mobile lounges in Washington D.C.?
That is where the upper part of the shaft is. The entire bus lifts to the level of the aircraft and at the terminal. So when the bus is in the upper position the part between the ground and the bus floor is equal to the part that protrudes, above the bus when it is in the low position.

Thanks Dushan so obvious..

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 10:42 pm
by tango15
Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport/PMV/SVMG on Isla Margarita in Venezuela. There were a couple of demo flights to be done before we departed the following day for Antigua to do another demo to LIAT, so while they were performing, the guys left me all the details and I went into the planning office in the control tower building to fill in the flight plan. The one thing they hadn't given me were the ICAO codes for Antigua and Barbados (the alternate). I asked the guy behind the counter if he had a code book, but of course he didn't, so I asked him if he knew the codes for Barbados and Antigua. I speak fluent Spanish, but it quickly became clear the bloke was about to extract the last drop of urine he could from the gringo. The following conversation (translated from Spanish) ensued:

Me: I'd like to file a flight plan please.
Him: Where are you flying to?
Me: Antigua
Him: There is no such place! Antigua in Spanish means ancient.
Me: Yes, I know, but it's also an island in the Caribbean.
Him: I've never heard of it. What was the alternate airport?
Me: Barbados
Him: (stroking his chin) Barbados means bearded.
Me: Yes, I know that as well, but it's the name of an island which is only about 500 km from here.
Him: Never heard of it. Are you sure?
Me: Yes. OK, is there anyone around who speaks English?
Him: No, sir.
Me: I then remembered that when we had this problem once before, we had called the office in Dulles and got them to file the flight plan. I asked if I could pay for an international call and after about 20 minutes of huffing and puffing and form-signing, I was allowed to make the call.
Me: Hiya, I'm in Isla Margarita in Venezuela and I'm trying to file a flight plan to Antigua with an alternate to Barbados - do have the ICAO codes handy?
IAD: Yeah, sure, don't they have a code book?
Me: Apparently not... (I explained a little more, but was being very diplomatic because I was damned sure the guy in PMV spoke good English).
IAD: Tell you what, it sounds like you're on Devil's Island. Why don't I file the flight plan for you? We'll do it with Caracas direct - they'll give us the necessary clearances.
Me: Great idea! Can you leave me a message at the hotel later? ( I gave him the details of the hotel), and when I arrived back there was a fax waiting with all the necessary details on it.

Whether the guy wanted a backhander or some other consideration, I never established, but he was one of the most unpleasant characters I have ever met and did little to improve my impression of Venezuelans in general.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2020 5:21 pm
by 1DC
I doubt if I will ever get mrs 1DC to Bali again, when we were departing and she realised that all the crunching under her feet were cockroaches she nearly took off without the aeroplane!

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2020 10:52 am
by Ex-Ascot
Anywhere in India, Bangladesh or Pakistan.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 8:01 am
by EA01
I don't care to ever go to WBSB again.....

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 11:37 pm
by ExSp33db1rd
Are we talking about pax. experience or operating crew experience ? If the latter then Istanbul would be my first ( last ? ) choice, followed by CDG - flying into CDG was OK, but then I always got lost taxying to the gate !

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Tue May 11, 2021 10:38 am
by Ex-Ascot
Actually Lisbon used to take some beating, the ground handling was appalling. An aside, our Flt Eng was dead drunk on a night stop. I manged to get him into a night club past the bouncer by explaining that he was a spastic.

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Tue May 11, 2021 11:33 am
by tango15
Ex-Ascot wrote:
Tue May 11, 2021 10:38 am
Actually Lisbon used to take some beating, the ground handling was appalling. An aside, our Flt Eng was dead drunk on a night stop. I manged to get him into a night club past the bouncer by explaining that he was a spastic.
It wasn't the Elefante Branco by any chance, was it? A very upmarket night club not too far from the airport, which was one of the best night clubs I've ever been to. I do concur though, that on my visits to Lisbon with unscheduled arrivals, we were usually stuck out in the bundu somewhere and largely forgotten about.

There's a story attached to the Elefante Branco (White Elephant). Our agent in Portugal was a shareholder in it, and he said that when the guy who ran it first proposed the idea, everyone said it would be a white elephant, hence the name. It was anything but, always packed with talent, a lot of it Brazilian, and a very pleasant atmosphere. I confess to having fallen out of it in the early hours on several occasions. It closed down IN 2016, following complaints from the neighbours, because it was in a largely residential area, but I heard recently that it has now re-opened, with the emphasis as a restaurant.

https://portugalconfidential.com/elefan ... ub-lisbon/

Re: Airports you don't want to fly to (again)

Posted: Tue May 11, 2021 2:49 pm
by Ex-Ascot
T15, no it was in the middle of the city. No idea of the name. Probably wouldn't have been able to read it anyway.