# Ryanair Alicante Airport



## carlnotts (Sep 13, 2012)

I read that Ryanair & Aene have fallen out yet again, Ryanair did propose to increase passenger numbers and routes if Aene would be allowed Ryanair to embark and disembark all passengers on foot rather than using the airbridge at Alicante El Altet airport.

Ryanair already load and unload half of their flights on foot now at the airport, it has obviously got something to do with how much Aene charge Ryanair for the use of the airbridge although Aene are claiming it is to do with safety issues? The people that suffer are the passengers on board who are only able to board / disembark using one door at the front rather than 2 doors one at the front and one at the back, let alone all the tourist businesses in the area that the airport supports .

So will Ryanair rethink and end up using the new airport in Murcia - Corvera, which is due to open sometime in the Spring, instead of El Altet, Aena will be managing this one to so I understand.

Cutting off your nose to spite your face comes to mind, they certainly can´t see the bigger picture surly more passengers equals more spending!


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

carlnotts said:


> I read that Ryanair & Aene have fallen out yet again, Ryanair did propose to increase passenger numbers and routes if Aene would be allowed Ryanair to embark and disembark all passengers on foot rather than using the airbridge at Alicante El Altet airport.
> 
> Ryanair already load and unload half of their flights on foot now at the airport, it has obviously got something to do with how much Aene charge Ryanair for the use of the airbridge although Aene are claiming it is to do with safety issues? The people that suffer are the passengers on board who are only able to board / disembark using one door at the front rather than 2 doors one at the front and one at the back, let alone all the tourist businesses in the area that the airport supports .
> 
> ...


 from what I understand it has as much to do about turnaround time as it does the cost of using the air bridge. Ryanair turnaround their planes extremely quickly – they have something stupid like a 20 minute turnaround time and they claim that if they had to use the air bridge it would extend that turnaround time – more turnaround time equals less flying hours in the day for each aeroplane and Ryanair claimed that this will cost them millions every year.

In my opinion this is just stupid bully boy techniques. Alicante airport is modern and state-of-the-art and no matter which airline you fly with you are embarked and disembarked by an air bridge directly into the terminal. To be honest, although it is done in many airports all around the world I do see the point at Alicante airport are making when they say that it is dangerous on a busy airfield for passengers to be walking tour bus! We have to remember that Alicante are now trying to go international since the completion of terminal three and this will ultimately – hopefully – lead to a much busier airport.

Ryanair is no doubt negotiate the airports down to the very bare minimum cost for handling each flight and I think this has really gone too far. I see this as nothing more than Ryanair throwing their dummy out of the pram and using their enormous power to bully the airport into doing it their way. I read only a week or two ago that Ryanair has now said that they will bring back hundreds of new flights a year – I think it was half 1 million passengers in creating employment in Alicante for thousands of people but again the airport have to oblige and do it their way or no way. They are trying every trick in the book to win this battle.

Personally, after flying with them a number of times and having items of luggage damaged, an enormous row at the boarding gate when they tried to tell me that my bag was too big even though it fitted into the container and they wanted to charge me €50 to take it on the plane claiming that it was not safe to take a bag of that size on the plane – it was just a small rucksack that I take on every flight I go on – but if I paid money then suddenly it became safe – work that one out!

I now try and fly with Monarch who give a much better service, their prices ultimately are almost no different to Ryanair and they genuinely care and if that old-fashioned airport and airline service. Failing that I go on easyJet and I would only resort to using Ryanair if it was a life or death emergency and the only way of getting to where I need to be!


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Ryanair are terrible, they expect customers to embark and disembark like cattle, I should imagine the airport at Corvera will have footbridges as well, it is such a shame that there is no more competition for Ryanair to drive them out of a few places.
Maybe someone could pursued Yorkshire Airlines to fly there! nearly as good as Ryanair. Watch the video, apologies to those who may have seen it.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Ryanair's business plan is a money machine and its all about revenue, what they cant screw out of the punter they screw out of the airports they use. Except that in the case of the airports they are talking millions of Euros in subsidies every year or whenever contract renewals are due for renegotiation. Come in at a low-cost, make wild promises about increasing revenue, undercut the opposition, grab the punters, screw them for every cent you can and then when you have a captive audience, jack up your prices. 
Its almost akin to a new drug supplier on the block, introducing his 'service' as a temporary loss-leader then when your punters are addicted and the opposition crushed, jack up the costs up the costs. Cut the price you are willing to pay your suppliers, increase the cost to your addicts, sit back and watch the money roll in.... If the punters won't play or the suppliers go broke as a result of your business plan, pull the plug, and go elsewhere... pastures new and a new set of punters to con.
Ryanair passengers? Airline junkies....


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## carlnotts (Sep 13, 2012)

Ryanair would not be an airline I would choose if there was more competition, there simply isn't anymore the financial crisis took care of that.

I refuse to pay £40 - £50 more for a journey that takes 2 hours 30 minutes, like thousands of others for that length of time I don't actually want all the frills with bells & whistles included.

I would rather spend the money I have saved elsewhere, new clothes maybe or a nice meal some where, much more enjoyable, and much better for the Spanish economy than lining ANY airlines pocket.

Aene do allow a certain amount of Ryanair flights to board/disembark using the stairs at Alicante Airport now so why not all flights? 

Regularly flying with this airline you do notice certain things, while boarding at Alicante the staff (Aena staff) at check in and boarding do seem very aggressive, pulling out passengers in the queue and making them put there bag into the "does it fit" contraption, I'm sure this happens at UK airports but you do notice it a lot more at Alicante.

A 20 minute turn around, couldn't give a damn really as long as I take off and land without to much delay, the delay always seems to occur when departing Alicante.

Whatever the politics are between Ryanair & Aene it is not good news for passengers or businesses, yes Ryanair should clean up its act in certain areas, but then again Aena should be welcoming any company that is prepared to bring much needed €€€€ into the country.

Love them or loathe them millions of passengers each year will continue to use Ryanair because they are cheap with no frills, if Ryanair continue to fly to certain airports that is.

There has to be give and take on both sides!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

We won't use them again unless there is absolutely no choice. They stopped flying to Granada because the local council refused to be held to ransom any more and provide subsidies for flights that were already full. Will use Iberia to UK at not much more by the time you take Ryanair's add-ons into account and their unearhly flight schedules, sometime it is even cheaper!


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## Stuart Woodruff (Mar 21, 2012)

*Ryanair Complainers*

Ryanair is a taxi service. Millions fly with them because they are cheap and have the best on time record than any other. The planes are clean. I have no problem with the flight crew. People complain about hidden costs, where are these? when you press the button you see the price. I cannot see how they can be classed as bullies. Alicante airport wants several more million euros each year to use their disembarkation facility. Ryanair has refused and pulled many flights from Alicante. They have not bullied the airport, they have simply said that they will leave if the airport insists on payment of the additional fees. Unfortunately Spain and passengers are the ones who suffer, and Spain is just obstinate and stupid by causing problems to the tourist who may help them get out the financial pickle they are in. Tourism forms the major part of Spanish wealth. Ryanair also have their own rules and regulations which many complain about. If you don't like them don't fly with them. The more successful an airline, the more passengers they carry, and on the downside, the more complaints they get. Keep flying Ryanair, I will continue to use you several times a year.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I like ryanair - no nonsense and cheap! If it wasnt for the likes of Ryanair, there wouldnt be a cheap alternative.

Jo xxx


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

My son is flying here next week to join me and my daughter in Toledo as a teacher. The cost from Manchester to Madrid on a day flight was 40 pounds including a suitcase a and all charges, how the heck can people moan about Ryanair. In 1970 I flew from Birmingham to Barcelona with Iberia and the cost then was about the same as my son is paying now over 40 years later. It is a cheap people moving service that enables families be together more often than they would without it.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> We won't use them again unless there is absolutely no choice. They stopped flying to Granada because the local council refused to be held to ransom any more and provide subsidies for flights that were already full. Will use Iberia to UK at not much more by the time you take Ryanair's add-ons into account and their unearhly flight schedules, sometime it is even cheaper!





At least Ryanair don't strike... Iberia is striking again at Christmas,


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## stevec2x (Mar 24, 2012)

We like Ryanair - they can actually be very helpful in some ways. My missus is diabetic and needs to keep her insulin to hand - she rang their helpline and they granted her another 10 kilos in hand luggage to deal with it! She was only asking for her handbag! They challenged her at Prestwick airport, but she waived the paper permit triumphantly at them!

btw - has anybody else noticed the way the captain tells everybody to sit down and put their seat-belts on because there's turbulence coming up - there's never any actual turbulence, but it means that the captain doesn't have to queue for the toilet! Maybe it's the same with other airlines, but I only ever noticed on Ryanair.


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## Navas (Sep 2, 2012)

stevec2x said:


> btw - has anybody else noticed the way the captain tells everybody to sit down and put their seat-belts on because there's turbulence coming up - there's never any actual turbulence, but it means that the captain doesn't have to queue for the toilet! Maybe it's the same with other airlines, but I only ever noticed on Ryanair.


I've noticed this with Germanwings as well as Ryanair (I fly to Germany regularly), only they don't say anything about turbulence.


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## carlnotts (Sep 13, 2012)

Today I read with interest the bad news for anyone holding a Ryanair cash passport, the passport MasterCard cash passport which cost £6 allowed holders to avoid paying the £6 admin fee when booking flights at Ryanair.com.

As of the 1st of December 2012 this will no longer be the case and the £6 admin fee will now be included in the price you see for the flight when booking, the £6 fee is charged each way if booking a return.

The news are quoting the following:

One year on and the budget airline has announced that it ‘regrets to inform [cardholders] that, as a result of decisions by the UK Office of Fair Trading, Ryanair Cash Passport card users will no longer benefit from avoiding the £6 admin fee for transactions made on Ryanair.com.

Anyone who holds a cash passport with funds on the card I understand that you are not able to simply withdraw the funds but will have to spend them in the normal way & pay the admin cost.

Whether its the UK Office of fair trading or Ryanair who have made this decision, yet again it's another SLAP in the face for the general public / passenger who yet again have to pay more.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

carlnotts said:


> Today I read with interest the bad news for anyone holding a Ryanair cash passport, the passport MasterCard cash passport which cost £6 allowed holders to avoid paying the £6 admin fee when booking flights at Ryanair.com.
> 
> As of the 1st of December 2012 this will no longer be the case and the £6 admin fee will now be included in the price you see for the flight when booking, the £6 fee is charged each way if booking a return.
> 
> ...


Knowing Ryanair it has nothing to do with OFT, it is just another Ryanair ripoff and they are, as usual, blaming somebody else


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## Stuart Woodruff (Mar 21, 2012)

*Ryanair*

If Ryanair are a rip off how come they are still the cheapest budget airline available. I don't follow the logic of that remark. It is obviously a personal thing, so tunnel and clouded vision apply to the author.


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## Stuart Woodruff (Mar 21, 2012)

I suggest people separate fact from fiction in relation to Ryanair, and look at other carriers. Quite right. When, if they ever have, did Ryanair ever go on strike.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Stuart Woodruff said:


> If Ryanair are a rip off how come they are still the cheapest budget airline available. I don't follow the logic of that remark. It is obviously a personal thing, so tunnel and clouded vision apply to the author.


If I fly to UK with a suitcase, etc. by the time I get to the paying part of Ryanair's booking procedure it is €15 more than using BA. With BA my luggage is included and I don't have to pay extra, I get an allocated seat, I don't have to pay more to join in the rush to get a decent seat, I get a meal rather than some bit of rubbish for which I have to pay extra, the flight arrives at a reasonable hour rather than at midnight after public transport has ceased so I am forced to take a taxi at an astronomical fare or stay overnight in a hotel (for just a few hours).... need I add more?

Ryanair is one of the most expensive ways to travel unless, of course, you are on an extreme (no-food) diet, into just travelling in a tracksuit and running to and from the airports.

So who has tunnel and/or clouded vision?


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> If I fly to UK with a suitcase, etc. by the time I get to the paying part of Ryanair's booking procedure it is €15 more than using BA. With BA my luggage is included and I don't have to pay extra, I get an allocated seat, I don't have to pay more to join in the rush to get a decent seat, I get a meal rather than some bit of rubbish for which I have to pay extra, the flight arrives at a reasonable hour rather than at midnight after public transport has ceased so I am forced to take a taxi at an astronomical fare or stay overnight in a hotel (for just a few hours).... need I add more?
> 
> Ryanair is one of the most expensive ways to travel unless, of course, you are on an extreme (no-food) diet, into just travelling in a tracksuit and running to and from the airports.
> 
> So who has tunnel and/or clouded vision?




You get a meal with BA? Last time I flew with them I got a glass of orange and a packet of nuts.. Glasgow to Paris


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Sorry I also got a packet of biscuits.. choice between sweet or savoury plus a cup of tea


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## Stuart Woodruff (Mar 21, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> If I fly to UK with a suitcase, etc. by the time I get to the paying part of Ryanair's booking procedure it is €15 more than using BA. With BA my luggage is included and I don't have to pay extra, I get an allocated seat, I don't have to pay more to join in the rush to get a decent seat, I get a meal rather than some bit of rubbish for which I have to pay extra, the flight arrives at a reasonable hour rather than at midnight after public transport has ceased so I am forced to take a taxi at an astronomical fare or stay overnight in a hotel (for just a few hours).... need I add more?
> 
> Ryanair is one of the most expensive ways to travel unless, of course, you are on an extreme (no-food) diet, into just travelling in a tracksuit and running to and from the airports.
> 
> So who has tunnel and/or clouded vision?


Suggest you fly with BA then and continue to convince the many thousands that fly with Ryanair that they are getting a bad deal. As I said 'a personal issue'. I travel in casual gear and as far as having to walk (not run) to and from airports, I call that excercise!! It is supposed to be good for you.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Stuart Woodruff said:


> Suggest you fly with BA then and continue to convince the many thousands that fly with Ryanair that they are getting a bad deal. As I said 'a personal issue'. I travel in casual gear and as far as having to walk (not run) to and from airports, I call that excercise!! It is supposed to be good for you.


Maybe, but not for 50 miles!


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## Nigeljay (Dec 1, 2010)

Stuart Woodruff said:


> If Ryanair are a rip off how come they are still the cheapest budget airline available. I don't follow the logic of that remark. It is obviously a personal thing, so tunnel and clouded vision apply to the author.


I don't wish to comment particularly on whether Ryanair is good or bad but I did wish to comment on the assertion that Ryanair is the cheapest airline. We regularly travel from Manchester to Alicante and we are often lucky enough to have a choice between Ryanair, Monarch, Easy jet and Jet2. While I agree that occasionally Ryanair are the cheapest, more often one of the others is cheaper. I have also had similar experiences to other destinations and have concluded that in terms of cost there is not much between the budget airlines. I'm sure that a specific day could be chosen to show that Ryanair is cheapest but truly to get a fair picture you have to look over a longer period for any route, typically a month or more.

If you were to accept this point, which you probably won't, then I have to say that the service on some, if not all, the other budget carriers beats Ryanair in my opinion. By the way Baldilocks, I hate to say it but my worst flying experiences have been with BA.

Like all these things, we speak as we find.


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## samthemainman (Aug 15, 2012)

For me now, I use Easyjet where I can. They fly daily from Valencia to Gatwick (easy access to central London on the Gatwick Express) and they have no weight limit (just a size limit) on hand luggage (reasonable usage applies though - but its far better than the 10kg limit on Ryanair which is enforced in more and more airports now). They now have allocated seating on a aircraft that feel like planes should rather than the naffness of Ryanair's plastic grubby seating, trumpet fanfare on landing on time (I almost hope my plane is 5 minute late so they don't play it), the relentless selling of scratchcards, magazines, electronic cigarettes (who buys them??) and in my experience, lousy attitude by many of the staff. As I fly a lot I have the Easyjet Plus card which gives me speedy boarding on all flights, choice of seats with extra leg room at no extra cost etc. and more often than not a dedicated check in. They also offer flexi fares. Food onboard has improved - they do gorgeous little snack boxes for about a fiver (can't remember whether its £4 or £5) and a less stressful boarding procedure.

Ryanair are useful to me in offering a seasonal flight to Manchester where i'm from- otherwise the website frustrates me (the cynicism is unreal in trying to force you to select options you don't need and doesn't store your passenger details for subsequent flights), their experimental approach to flying to new routes before dropping them quickly because they fall out with airports over airbridges, charges etc., their CEO's relentless pursuit of bad publicity, their 'clever' presentation of statistics (like adding on 15 minutes to a flight time to claim they are punctual). 

As far as I'm concerned you pay for the experience (whether that's fancy or cheap) and we all know exactly what we're going to get with Ryanair - they get us from A to B - even if B is 50 miles from where we thought we were flying to. The problem now is their size, their market domination and relentless pursuit of what I'd call 'bad profit' - i.e. pushing customers to pay for one extra after the next or punishing them unreasonably when they slip up (e.g. forgetting to print their boarding pass). They would do well to look to Southwest and JetBlue in the US or even AirAsia - with Southwest and JetBlue in particular doing 'low cost' so much better than the competition and actually lead the field in consistent customer experience in a way that even national carriers would struggle to match.


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## mayotom (Nov 8, 2008)

baldilocks said:


> If I fly to UK with a suitcase, etc. by the time I get to the paying part of Ryanair's booking procedure it is €15 more than using BA. With BA my luggage is included and I don't have to pay extra, I get an allocated seat, I don't have to pay more to join in the rush to get a decent seat, I get a meal rather than some bit of rubbish for which I have to pay extra, the flight arrives at a reasonable hour rather than at midnight after public transport has ceased so I am forced to take a taxi at an astronomical fare or stay overnight in a hotel (for just a few hours).... need I add more?
> 
> Ryanair is one of the most expensive ways to travel unless, of course, you are on an extreme (no-food) diet, into just travelling in a tracksuit and running to and from the airports.
> 
> So who has tunnel and/or clouded vision?


In the past I spent a two year period of time where I averaged 3 flights per week using dozens of different airlines throughout Europe, they all had their pro's and con's, The only consitent aspects were with Flyglobespan(always late ), Air France (losing bags) and Ryanair - On time, cheap, simple. I had and still have no interest in the so called frills, I'm one of the few who can easily sleep on flights, don't eat or drink on flights making Ryanair one of my favoured airlines in that time. There were many pleasant airlines to fly with, Ryanair is not exactly a pleasure, but I know exactly what to expect, an A-B airline, the biggest competitor Easyjet were sometimes great, sometimes terrible, Flying with them from Manchester is very different to flying with them from Gatwick rules seem to vary from base to base. 
As for your comment about Ryanair always arriving at midnight is complete and utter BS, their aircraft are on the move all day therefore having arrivals and departures at anytime from 6am to midnight, they wouldn't be very profitable if all flights were arriving at midnight and the aircraft remained on the ground for the rest of the day. BA are ok to fly with but nothing special when it comes to short haul. Long haul is hard to beat. But these are completely different markets


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

mayotom said:


> In the past I spent a two year period of time where I averaged 3 flights per week using dozens of different airlines throughout Europe, they all had their pro's and con's, The only consitent aspects were with Flyglobespan(always late ), Air France (losing bags) and Ryanair - On time, cheap, simple. I had and still have no interest in the so called frills, I'm one of the few who can easily sleep on flights, don't eat or drink on flights making Ryanair one of my favoured airlines in that time. There were many pleasant airlines to fly with, Ryanair is not exactly a pleasure, but I know exactly what to expect, an A-B airline, the biggest competitor Easyjet were sometimes great, sometimes terrible, Flying with them from Manchester is very different to flying with them from Gatwick rules seem to vary from base to base.
> As for your comment about Ryanair always arriving at midnight is complete and utter BS, their aircraft are on the move all day therefore having arrivals and departures at anytime from 6am to midnight, they wouldn't be very profitable if all flights were arriving at midnight and the aircraft remained on the ground for the rest of the day. BA are ok to fly with but nothing special when it comes to short haul. Long haul is hard to beat. But these are completely different markets


My point about Ryanair is their flights to the destination I want get in around midnight and on one occasion, we had to sit out on the pan waiting for some staff to be found to see us into the slot, then we were kept outside waiting for someone to be found to open some doors so that we could get into the terminal building and it was 2 a.m. before we got out of the airport. Because they no longer fly to and from Granada (Council subsidy withdrawn for flights that were invariably full), I have a 340km round trip to Málaga to fly either Ryan or Sqeezyjet, plus pricey parking.

I prefer to fly from Granada (70km away) booking with BA but flight operated by Iberia at a reasonable time of the day. Málaga is an awful airport with queuing up to check-in several hours before departure, then wait for luggage to come out on the return. Using Granada I can (if I wish) turn up less than half an hour before the flight, have inexpensive parking and when I return, my cases are there to be picked off the carousel within five minutes.

From Granada I have a choice of 4 flights a day and even with the change of aircraft in Madrid, it is quicker when one takes into account the time to travel to and from Granada than flying from Málaga and check-in times. Price-wise, I have the exact fare right from the start with no adding on like with Ryan where final fare can often be double or more the advertised (come-on) price.


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## mayotom (Nov 8, 2008)

baldilocks said:


> My point about Ryanair is their flights to the destination I want get in around midnight and on one occasion, we had to sit out on the pan waiting for some staff to be found to see us into the slot, then we were kept outside waiting for someone to be found to open some doors so that we could get into the terminal building and it was 2 a.m. before we got out of the airport. Because they no longer fly to and from Granada (Council subsidy withdrawn for flights that were invariably full), I have a 340km round trip to Málaga to fly either Ryan or Sqeezyjet, plus pricey parking.


That would be an issue with the Airport management, not the airline



baldilocks said:


> I prefer to fly from Granada (70km away) booking with BA but flight operated by Iberia at a reasonable time of the day. Málaga is an awful airport with queuing up to check-in several hours before departure, then wait for luggage to come out on the return. Using Granada I can (if I wish) turn up less than half an hour before the flight, have inexpensive parking and when I return, my cases are there to be picked off the carousel within five minutes.


Couldn't agree more, after spending so much money on that terminal its still probably one of the worst airports in the country from a user perspective. I've never used Granada but it sounds like a dream of an airport to use, like Knock my local airport in Ireland, or the likes of Exeter in the UK, so easy and hassle free. I have been to both where I have gone from touchdown to my car in less than 10 minutes



baldilocks said:


> From Granada I have a choice of 4 flights a day and even with the change of aircraft in Madrid, it is quicker when one takes into account the time to travel to and from Granada than flying from Málaga and check-in times. Price-wise, I have the exact fare right from the start with no adding on like with Ryan where final fare can often be double or more the advertised (come-on) price.





baldilocks said:


> From Granada I have a choice of 4 flights a day and even with the change of aircraft in Madrid, it is quicker when one takes into account the time to travel to and from Granada than flying from Málaga and check-in times. Price-wise, I have the exact fare right from the start with no adding on like with Ryan where final fare can often be double or more the advertised (come-on) price.


Are you far from Almeria or the new corvera airport, it looks like Corvera will be great if they eventually get around to opening it


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## mayotom (Nov 8, 2008)

well I just looked at the Map, you are not in an airport friendly location.. Are there many flights to Cordoba


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

mayotom said:


> well I just looked at the Map, you are not in an airport friendly location.. Are there many flights to Cordoba


Only if you have private aircraft. Afaik it has no scheduled services.

As far as airport friendly is concerned, Granada is quite close enough - we get hardly any aircraft noise here which is a relief having lived a mile from Southend airport in the fifties (Bristol Freighters and Superfreighters at 150 ft above the house every ten minutes or so) - don't laugh it was second only to Heathrow in aircraft movements what with the Channel airbridge and trooping flights to Cyprus (DC4 at 4 a.m.) and many tour companies using it as the link to places like Ostend for coach-air tours (Vikings, DC3s and DC4s, Argonauts, Hastings, Viscounts etc.) plus test flights for the ATE Accountant. It was also a diversion airfield for aircraft in trouble such as a Super Constellation.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Cordoba Airport has only one runway and that's only 4700 feet long; even biz jets struggle under anything except ideal conditions.
Corvera? Bit like flying into Leeds / Bradford when you want to get to an address in Kent...
Almeria? Do-able but definitely lo-co operations and still a long way to travel.
Seville again do-able but principally lo-co operations and again a long road trip.
For people in the Granada -Jaen area the only airport of convenience has to be FGL Granada Jaen in Granada.
Malaga Airport is a nightmare; it's marginally better than it used to be, but only just it is still a cattle-market on a par with LGW in the UK. We are fortunate where we live in that we have a decent coach service from Granada to Malaga that services the villages to the west of Granada and two of the coaches each day go through to Malaga Airport the rest terminate in Malaga City then its a short hop on the train to the airport.

HOWEVER... this week a new Spanish start up airline commenced operations from Granada. Hispania Airways is based at Granada and is initially offering flights to London LGW, Rome FCO, Paris CDG and Barcelona and Madrid. It remains to be seen whether it can be a viable operation however... they have no aircraft of their own, instead chartering from former Eastern Bloc companies like Medallion Air based in Romania. They stress that their operation will not be a low cost but a return to traditional airline values... 
Hispania's website leads one to believe that the operation will be based on two Airbus A320's but... for their first flight yesterday to Rome, what was trotted out was a very sorry looking MD83. Given that this aircraft was painted in Hispania's livery it looks as if the new company may be having trouble sourcing A320's. Its all a bit wishy-washy. I wish them every success; Granada's expats and its population deserve a decent service to cities outside of Spain. 
What we need is for one of the majors, BA, Vueling, Iberia to establish a twice weekly service to the UK. It Is highly unlikely that Monarch will ever come back, they shot themselves in the foot big time by pulling services in 2008. They cannot be seen to lose face by returning. I would like to see Flybe operating from Southampton to Granada instead of Malaga. As for Ryanair... no thanks... they have done the dirty on Granada and I doubt any application to re-establish operations here would meet with any enthusiasm from either the punters or the local regional authorities They impose death-wish blackmail conditions on all airports they operate from and frankly I am surprised that AENA haven't imposed a blanket ban on all Ryanair flights within Spain.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Have just checked out Hispanair and it looks good.. Only flights on Mon and Fri direct to/from LGW at about €350 all in (including baggage). BA (operated by IB) is a bit more expensive and has a change at MAD. I too hope Hispanair make it. It would be my choice if I was going. Paddy's planes are cheaper by a long way but they use Málaga and STN, neither of which is my favourite airport.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

...And just 15 days after starting operations, Hispania-Airways is no more!
Flights to Rome and Paris took place as planned, but the flights to Barcelona and Madrid were cancelled after just one week. The planned flights to Gatwick literally never got off the ground...
So, another one bites the dust!


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