After one day trip in London, I took the underground to go back from Oxford Circus to Liverpool Street station in order to take the 16:30 Stansted Express to the airport. Unfortunately I don't know very well the running time of the London underground, so I arrived in Liverpool Street few minutes after the departure time and I missed the train. The next one was after half an hours. When I arrived at the Ryanair chek in desk it was 17:58, just 32 minutes before the departure time. I really thought that they didn't accept me, but I had only hand luggage so the lady told me there wasn't problem. The queue at the security check point took 15 minutes, then I ran fast to the train and I arrived at gate 15 at 18:25.
After few minutes they started to board the plane.
In the meantime something funny happened at gate 17 where they are waiting for four pax and an announcement said: " the last four pax who wish to travell today with Ryanair to Cork plaese run to the gate!!"
Then after 2 minutes: " Mr X... and Mr Y..... we will leave to Cork without you if you don't arrive at the gate in 1 minute!!"
Anyway in few minutes we boarded the plane and we were pushed back.
The plane to Cork was still parked at the gate.
I noticed FR doesn't use finger, but only stair. I think it's to save money in airport fee.
On the plane there were about 90 pax, a load factor of only 47%. 4 F/A (three female and one male).
We took off at 18:46.
The flight was fine. They sold snacks and drinks and they were very friendly. I slept for half an hour. Unfortunately there were a lot of clouds in the middle of Europe and it was very difficult to see something.
The B737/800 is a very nice plane, low noise inside and also the 189Y FR layout is not as bad as people use to say.
After 1 hour and 40 minutes as the pilot told us before, we were on the Brescia area. Unfortunately yesterday it was a really bad day in the north of Italy. A lot of fog everywhere. In Milan MXP for example 200 flights were cancelled.
We flight in a circle for a 30 minutes, but the pilot told us that due to the fog it was impossible to land in Brescia. Also the closest Verona airport and Bergamo (or Milan Orio as FR use to call this airport) were closed.
So he decided to go to Trieste (350 Km east of VBS). But after we started to go to Trieste he told us that also this airport was closed, so we turned back to go to Genoa (340 Km south of VBS).
The wheather in Genoa was also bad. The approaching to GOA is fantastic because the runway is built on the sea in the middle of the harbour and it seems to land on the water if you look outside from one side of the plane, or it seem to land on the big ships parked in the port if you look outside from the other side.
The landing wasn't very good cause it was very windy.
In Genoa airport there were a lot of planes deverted from Turin and MXP. I saw:
RG 763
SK M81
BA 757
AF 321 and 320
AZ M82 (4 planes) and 321
G7 Do328
ZS AR8
FR 738 (1 plane more)
All the planes (except 2 AZ M82 and RG 763) were parked in the remote stands. I was very surprise when our FR B738 parked in front of a finger gate and the finger was used. We waited half an hour before going in the terminal. Then we waited 1 hour more before two "not very well maintained" busses took us in 3 hours and half to Brescia.
Finally I took my car and I arrived in my bed at 5 am!!
Airblue From San Marino, joined May 2001, 1823 posts, RR: 16 Reply 3, posted (10 years 3 months 3 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1818 times:
The Ryanair assistance in Genoa was like ZERO!!
After we landed our FR B738 parked in front of a finger gate and the finger was used (unbelievable!! Ryanair in order to save on airport fee doesn't use finger, but the "inside" stair of the plane.).
We wait half an hour on the plane without any announcement, then we went in the terminal and we stay there for one hour. We asked if there were some buses, but nobody knew nothing.
There were a lot of confusion in the terminal cause there were many others flights diverted and, of course, we were in Italy (we use to be very muddling).
I remember there were some pax diverted from Turin that asked to take the bus to Milan and after that the airport agent told them it wasn't possible they started a small brawl.
Then a passenger of our flight went out to check the destination of all the busses parked outside the terminal.
She went back and she called us because she discovered a bus who suppose to go to VBS, but no one of the FR staff came to call us.
We boarded the bus without any FR agent came to check and after a while the driver decided to leave to VBS.
The journey took 3 hours and half.
The airport is small but very nice. The approaching is fantastic because the runway is built on the sea in the middle of the harbour and it seems to land on the water if you look outside from one side of the plane, or it seem to land on the big ships parked in the port if you look outside from the other side.
But when there is too much wind, sometime is easy to find diverted or cancelled flights.
Sponsor Message: 
From San Marino, joined May 2001, 1823 posts, 
From New Zealand, joined Feb 2002, 698 posts, 
From Italy, joined Jun 2001, 238 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2001, 186 posts, 
Sponsor Message: 
Printer friendly format
