point2point From United States of America, joined Mar 2010, 1961 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 3 days ago) and read 6662 times:
Hmmmmm? I don't know that much about this airport. I googled and it basically seems like a small quiet neighborhood airport.
In the meantime, the thing about London is that they have LHR, LGW, STN, and LTN - that's a total of 4 different airports with 5 runways between them. And let's not forget LCY, with all of its restrictions, and it's 1 runway. So that's a total of 5 commercial airports and 6 runways.
I think that Atlanta has 1 airport with 4, going on 5 runways, and Denver has 1 airport and 6 runways.
Okay, now back to the topic with the London airport situation and doing my best to avoid the semi-sarcasm, but I think that if any new airport is built, it's gotta have more than 2 runways. It appears that the situation with London and its airports somehow work, even thrive... yet - wouldn't there be some sort of economy of scale for a larger airport there with (OMG!) 3, maybe even 4 runways, and a modern big efficient terminal in the middle of all these numerous runways as opposed to a kind of another (please pardon me here) rinky dinky one with only 1 runway?
LN-KGL From Norway, joined Sep 1999, 803 posts, RR: 4 Reply 3, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 6338 times:
flybe did the same Saturday flights to Jersey in the summer of 2009 too.
Boarding BE1113 at Southend
Shortly after take off from runway 24. The famous Southend Pier is just outside the picture frame to the left. The chimney between the propeller blades belongs to Grain Power Station on the River Medway, Kent
bjorn14 From Norway, joined Feb 2010, 2776 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 6286 times:
Quoting BAfan (Thread starter): Is there any chance we might see the likes of Ryanair/Easyjet/Flybe starting up flights from the airport?
That's why the extended the runway...but it's only 5902 ft (1799m). I really don't see 738s or A319s coming in there except for some really close continent locations or UK domestic.
Flybe uses Q400 for the Jersey service. SEN has a catchment area of about 250K and is only about 30mi (50Km) south of SEN.
"An idea has to be incredibly absurd to have any reasonable chance of succeeding" --A. Einstein
speedbird9 From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2008, 228 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 6278 times:
Quoting BAfan (Thread starter): The airport will have a direct train link to London Liverpool Street making it accessible to Central London.
I went to southend recently on the train with some friends from Stratford which is one stop down the line from Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria Station is one or two stops futher than Rochford (close to Southend airport) and it took me roughly 45mins so i would be happy to fly from southend if i took the train and not a car (even though Stansted is closer) and the service is quite frequent so it shows thay can move the passengers even when they dont need to (this was a 2 weeks ago). And i believ there building a new Southend train station to be opening soon which will help.
IIRC theres been several airlines try to start up and fail. Flightline comes to mind. but even i like the idea of expanding LHR and moving towards a smaller amount of London Airports i think Southend could do with expanding
[Edited 2010-08-17 15:53:51]
Is the customer always right? Michael O'Leary: no the customer is nearly always wrong
BAfan From United Kingdom, joined May 2008, 189 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 6071 times:
Southend must have quite a large catchment area, and surely they extended the runway to cater for the 737/A319 in the hope of attracting LCC to the airport.
It's not that far from Stansted, I think if the price was right LCC could be tempted...
shankly From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2000, 1472 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 5927 times:
Quoting BAfan (Reply 6): Southend must have quite a large catchment area, and surely they extended the runway to cater for the 737/A319 in the hope of attracting LCC to the airport.
It's not that far from Stansted, I think if the price was right LCC could be tempted...
Most LCC passengers see only £'s and put little value against convenience...which is why most FR passengers are happy to end up in a field in Scandinavia or Eastern Europe 50km away from their "destination".
In airport terms, Southend is relatively well connected with road and rail and has a potentially huge catchment area embracing North and East London and Essex, which is one of England's fastest growing counties.
The Stobart brand is very well regarded in the UK and that surely must be the key to seeing Southend return to its late 1960's/early 1970's golden era when in 1967 nearly 700,000 pax used the airport
Air West, Flybe and Eastern Airways have proved the viability of the use of smaller UK airports. Suckling Airways at Cambridge operated a superb niche service for many years before being bought out. Flybe in alliance with Stobart might be the answer here.
BrusselsSouth From Belgium, joined Aug 2001, 598 posts, RR: 5 Reply 9, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 5775 times:
Quoting Humberside (Reply 2): BE currently fly to Jersey on summer Saturdays
Quoting speedbird9 (Reply 5): I went to southend recently on the train with some friends from Stratford which is one stop down the line from Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria Station is one or two stops futher than Rochford (close to Southend airport) and it took me roughly 45mins
Quoting speedbird9 (Reply 5): And i believ there building a new Southend train station to be opening soon which will help.
I'll be using the FlyBe service to Jersey later this month, and will go to the airport by train from central London. As I understand, the station at Southend Airport, which was due to enter service in July, 2010, is now set for opening on September 6th.
If you don't mind me asking, did you get off the train at Rochford, and walk to the airport, or did you take a taxi ? If you walked, how much time should I allow from the station at Rochford to the airport ?
speedbird9 From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2008, 228 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 2 days ago) and read 5703 times:
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Reply 10): If you don't mind me asking, did you get off the train at Rochford, and walk to the airport, or did you take a taxi ? If you walked, how much time should I allow from the station at Rochford to the airport ?
i didnt go to southend airport i went to southend on sea but the train PA said to get off for Southend airport so i went though rochford. but from what ive seen and heared its 5min taxi ride away or 1/2 hour walk
sorry i couldnt be more help
Is the customer always right? Michael O'Leary: no the customer is nearly always wrong
Raffik From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2006, 1646 posts, RR: 4 Reply 11, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 5628 times:
Quoting bjorn14 (Reply 4): SEN has a catchment area of about 250K and is only about 30mi (50Km) south of SEN.
Southend Airport is on the border of the town. From the airport to the town centre is not more than a 5 minute drive.
My mother worked for British Air Ferries out of Southend for many years as a FA. Their network covered many destinations in mainland Europe and at one stage, the airline leased out its aircraft and crew to Air Algerie and the aircrafts would be ferried between Algeria and Southend.
The train station is essential- yes, you can get off and walk from Rochford - but if you have cases, it's quite a long way.
Southend Victoria is further away.
The airport was once very busy and ranked as 4th busiest in the UK (I think in terms of cargo or movements)
Perhaps one day it could attract a larger airline that Flybe.
LN-KGL From Norway, joined Sep 1999, 803 posts, RR: 4 Reply 13, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 5400 times:
Quoting Vasu (Reply 12): What is the terminal at SEN like?
This is the land side view of the existing terminal. A new terminal will be ready in 2011 according the planes Stobart Air has shown. The existing terminal can best be characterized as a cafe with airline departures. They have what is the essential for an airport, two check in desks, chairs to sit on while waiting before security, a coffee shop and after security an area to spend the time while waiting to board the aircraft with more and less enough chairs and a mini coffee shop. The staff manning the different jobs flow with the passengers, so each employee is wearing two, three or four different hats during the time until departure of an aircraft. As an example one nice local girl in her mid to late twenties manned the check in counter, did the security checks on checked in luggage (I was picked out randomly for a manual security check and I had to follow her in to a cubicle to go through all my belonging in the suite case - I got complements for my shirt collection though), she later manned one of the X-ray machines in the security check, while boarding she was out on the tarmac guiding passengers clear of the wing. And finally I think I saw her climbing in to one of the two fire trucks before engine start - I can't tell you if it was the Simon or the Javelin.
In other words it is extremely compact and you get to know a friendly and helpful staff. The best part for me was the big clean windows facing the tarmac after security, and it was no problem following the cargo handlers taking great care of the suitcases - no bags thrown around there.
beeweel15 From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 1693 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 5359 times:
Quoting point2point (Reply 1): In the meantime, the thing about London is that they have LHR, LGW, STN, and LTN - that's a total of 4 different airports with 5 runways between them. And let's not forget LCY, with all of its restrictions, and it's 1 runway. So that's a total of 5 commercial airports and 6 runways.
You basically have 7 airport with 7 runways. What they should do is allow either LGW, STN or LTN each to add one runway allow SEN to extend the runway enough to handle at least a B767-300. And improve more all the rail links between the other airports and central London
nwc100 From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2004, 98 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 5277 times:
Its all quite simple really...no room at LTN for anything.....nothing going to happen at STN for many years (waste of money that all was) I dont remember the exact timescale but LGW has some clause not allowing another runway for some years (please correct me if this is incorrect)
Most of this boils down to being no available space....STN has the space but in reality its seen as being to far out from London so it falls on LHR which did look like at one stage it might get ts 3rd runway but I believe that is now on hold due to our new coalition government.
STN provides me with quite a nice job so I cant complain and certainly am not a NIMBY....My personal view is it needs a whole new airport with some serious rail and road links to it....the million dollar question though is where it should go and who will fund it??
Vasu From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2005, 3761 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (2 years 9 months 1 week 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 5251 times:
Quoting nwc100 (Reply 15): the million dollar question though is where it should go and who will fund it??
In my honest opinion, the Thames Estuary Airport was a huge missed opportunity - Though the NIMBYs seemed to have the upper hand, most of the YOUNGER people I spoke to at the time (ie. the ones who would probably have benefited most from its completion) seemed in favour! BTW I lived very close to the proposed site at the time, hence the special interest.
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