kl911 From Ireland, joined Jul 2003, 4977 posts, RR: 14 Posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 8426 times:
Hi,
I flew MAD - ACE - MAD last week with Ryanair, and at both airports FR uses jetbridges.
Next week I will fly BUD - BGY - GRQ and i'm wondering if FR also uses them at Budapest T2 and Bergamo.
At which airports in their network do they use jetbridges? I really slows down boarding and deboarding and I hope they will not use them too often.
KL911
" The European consumer would crawl naked over broken glass to get low fares." Michael O'Leary
cipango From Hong Kong, joined Jul 2009, 290 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 8421 times:
Flew FR from BUD a few weeks back and they used a Jetbridge, but had a stairs at the end of the Jetbridge down onto the tarmac and then up the aircraft stairs. A little strange really.
AFAIK They are required to use a Jetbridge in MAD.
MCO2BRS From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2007, 520 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 8374 times:
Primarily, we use jet bridges at Spanish airports such as ALC, AGP, PMI, TFS & ACE. They slow down the turn around process considerably, and are a pain for us crew and pax alike.
The only Spanish airports we don't use them at are GRO, REU, MJV.
I haven't operated a BUD flight yet, but I don't think we use air bridges there. The few pix that are on the database show that we use air stairs at BUD. I don't know anything about our ops at BGY.
GT4EZY From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2007, 1724 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 7738 times:
Easyjet has a very haphazard policy with airbridges. Some airports you can guarantee an airbridge, other places it depends and then somewhere else you might never use one even though there are some. Then at other places EZY buys into the low cost pier concept such as those at AMS, CPH and the new BER. There is also a policy now where at some airports rear steps and airbridge are used.
Alot of people will say it is down to cost but i'm not sure if all airports actually charge for the use of an airbridge. Primarily it is down to the speed of turnaround. I personally, as crew, prefer airbridge and i don't think boarding is that much slower because of it.
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21488 posts, RR: 24 Reply 9, posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 7485 times:
Quoting kl911 (Reply 7): Quoting cipango (Reply 1):
AFAIK They are required to use a Jetbridge in MAD
What is the reason for this?
I expect safety considerations are a factor. Having passengers wandering around busy airport ramps, especially where both front and rear doors are used for boarding/deplaning, is less safe than keeping passengers and ramp operations totally separated as they are when bridges are used.
lightsaber From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 10685 posts, RR: 100 Reply 10, posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 7368 times:
Quoting GT4EZY (Reply 8): Primarily it is down to the speed of turnaround. I personally, as crew, prefer airbridge and i don't think boarding is that much slower because of it.
AT LGB, it is far faster to load without the airbridge (here in the USA). The long 'tunnel' tends to slow the boarding as well as airstair boarding, at least with B6, is two sets of stairs.
skipness1E From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2007, 2376 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 7312 times:
Quoting Pelle (Reply 2): Well I know for sure that they use jetbridges in STN, and I'm prette certain that they dont use jetbridges i BUD.
They don't use them at Stansted.
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 9): I expect safety considerations are a factor. Having passengers wandering around busy airport ramps, especially where both front and rear doors are used for boarding/deplaning, is less safe than keeping passengers and ramp operations totally separated as they are when bridges are used.
There ought not to be an issue, unless someone wanders off completely.
Byrdluvs747 From United States of America, joined Jul 2004, 2147 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 6893 times:
Are we talking about boarding from the front and the rear of the plane? Otherwise, I don't get it. How do jetbridges slow down boarding. Its not like using the tarmac allows pax to board any faster than sequential.
The 747: The hands who designed it were guided by god.
kl911 From Ireland, joined Jul 2003, 4977 posts, RR: 14 Reply 14, posted (1 year 2 weeks 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 6762 times:
Quoting Byrdluvs747 (Reply 13): Are we talking about boarding from the front and the rear of the plane? Otherwise, I don't get it. How do jetbridges slow down boarding. Its not like using the tarmac allows pax to board any faster than sequential.
Quoting MCO2BRS (Reply 12): Yes, we have the built-in stairs under L1 and mobile stairs at L2. It makes turn around so much easier.
It makes a huge difference indeed to board via front and the back compared to just a jetbridge to the front.
" The European consumer would crawl naked over broken glass to get low fares." Michael O'Leary
Burkhard From Germany, joined Nov 2006, 4248 posts, RR: 2 Reply 16, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 5916 times:
Quoting Pelle (Reply 2): I have flewn FR through STN countless times and NEVER used a jet bridge.
I always went through the gate of the bridge, then down the stair, and use to go around the plane and enter the back door, for the fun of walking on the airport and to find a seat quickly without 100 people in front of me who all have nothing better to do than standing in the aisle.
Yes, always, and that makes boarding SO quick. I have the following story to share:
I was on an FR flight HHN-STN departure 6:30 some weeks ago, plane was boarded in time. At 6:28, I saw two mechanics enter the plane and the cockpit, and that was no good sign for an in time departure. At 6:35, the pilot told us they decided to change plane, we should go over to the neighbor plane ( which was scheduled to go to Spain at 7:30), so we all 186 people + crew left the plane through the 2 exists, went around it, to the other plane, boarded through the two stairs, and the last passengers entered the cabin I looked on my clock at 6:43, so 8 minutes for a complete debarking and boarding. We then left at 6:55, which I must say was an extremely good outcome...
This had never worked with jet bridges. For me, jet bridges are one of the most stupid inventions in aviation, cost the industry millions and block any progress.
gingersnap From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2010, 854 posts, RR: 5 Reply 19, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 4990 times:
Quoting Burkhard (Reply 16): This had never worked with jet bridges. For me, jet bridges are one of the most stupid inventions in aviation, cost the industry millions and block any progress.
Unless you needed to board the top deck of the A380. Some hefty stairs you're looking at there.
idlewildchild From United States of America, joined Nov 2011, 150 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 4685 times:
This became a big issue at ALC where FR has decided to pull many flights because they are forced to use jetbridges now, costing them time and money.
offloaded From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2009, 702 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 4281 times:
Quoting Burkhard (Reply 16): This had never worked with jet bridges. For me, jet bridges are one of the most stupid inventions in aviation, cost the industry millions and block any progress.
Really? You actually enjoy going down the aircraft steps, waiting until the bus fills up, then offloading 180 through the same entrance door at the same time.... or if you've landed in DXB and it's 45ºC outside...
Back to FR though, I am sure they must pay for usage otherwise why, at airports such as FAO, they pull right up to them and then use the aircraft stairs, a 50m walk, then up the stairs at the back of the airbridge and into the terminal.
I do not agree that airstairs slow boarding down. People slow boarding down. Don't know how many people I have seen on carriers like ZB that do assign seats, when the front and rear stairs are down, still want want to board by the front with a seat in row 25.
To no one will we sell, or deny, or delay, right or justice - Magna Carta, 1215
GT4EZY From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2007, 1724 posts, RR: 4 Reply 22, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 3958 times:
Quoting Burkhard (Reply 16):
Yes, always, and that makes boarding SO quick. I have the following story to share:
I was on an FR flight HHN-STN departure 6:30 some weeks ago, plane was boarded in time. At 6:28, I saw two mechanics enter the plane and the cockpit, and that was no good sign for an in time departure. At 6:35, the pilot told us they decided to change plane, we should go over to the neighbor plane ( which was scheduled to go to Spain at 7:30), so we all 186 people + crew left the plane through the 2 exists, went around it, to the other plane, boarded through the two stairs, and the last passengers entered the cabin I looked on my clock at 6:43, so 8 minutes for a complete debarking and boarding. We then left at 6:55, which I must say was an extremely good outcome...
This had never worked with jet bridges. For me, jet bridges are one of the most stupid inventions in aviation, cost the industry millions and block any progress.
To be fair you have everyone onboard and transferring them onto the next aircraft is not a hard task and will be a very quick process regardless.
Quoting offloaded (Reply 21): Back to FR though, I am sure they must pay for usage otherwise why, at airports such as FAO, they pull right up to them and then use the aircraft stairs, a 50m walk, then up the stairs at the back of the airbridge and into the terminal.
I don't know for sure but I'm under the impression that many airports (if not all?) don't charge for airbridge use. The time issue does seem to be an issue. However as I said before, whilst steps are quicker it's only marginally so. If you have passengers pre-boarded onto the airbridge and a pro-active cabin crew then an airbridge isn't that time consuming.
krisyyz From Canada, joined Nov 2004, 1575 posts, RR: 0 Reply 23, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 3894 times:
Quoting kl911 (Thread starter): i'm wondering if FR also uses them at Budapest T2
Definitely not at BUD, I was there last week and saw the metal barriers on the tarmac. One of the news channels even did a story on it... While aviation fans like being so close to aircraft on the tarmac, some travellers are not impressed having to wait on the tarmac at BUD, some have waited for 45 minutes in rain, snow or extreme cold..
AirbusA6 From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2005, 1907 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (1 year 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 3363 times:
One disadvantage of not using airbridges, is that it is a lot more difficult and slow when you have a disabled passenger. Then the front stairs are out of action, as the person is raised on a special lift, and everyone has to go through the back staircase.
Does rain slow down deboarding using the airstairs, as people get to the door then stop to fumble around for umbrellas and coats?
it's the bus to stansted (now renamed national express a4 to ruin my username)
25 flyboyseven: I dont know what the process is at other airlines, but I have seen WestJet board disabled passengers without interrupting the flow at all. They just
26 skipness1E: Industry standard is high lift vehicles use the starboard side.
27 GT4EZY: But it can delay boarding at some of the smaller airports as sometimes you have to accept the highloader as and when it arrives so that it can contin
28 BA777: BCN usually uses airbridges from my experience. With disabled passengers we usually disembark them last using the loader on the starboard side
29 VivaGunners: They used an airbridge on a couple of BGY-CRL flights I took in 2004/2005.
30 tonystan: The one and ONLY time I ever flew Ryanair was MAN-DUB back in 2003....never again....HOWEVER they did use a jetway then!
31 eicvd: I flew in to PMI last night & we didnt use a jetbridge.
32 HullCitySpotter: I kind of had one when I flew on FR a few weeks ago from LBA to KUN. We went from Gate 9 and we had a jetbridge to a certain extent... and then we had
33 ZaphodB: I know FR said that was the reason but I don't take it at face value. Brits and other immigrant groups are leaving the Costa Blanca in droves - not j
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