Leeds Bradford: Infrastructure & Construction Updates

[SNOWMAN]

hi countdacash
are you flying out to malaga this year? we dont go seat only anymore we find it cheaper to go on a package holiday,we were on the sun-wing 737-800 this year full both ways.
regards
sm1
p.s.
seems along time since our 9hr delay at LBA.

 

[countdacash]

@SNOWMAN - thankfully have never suffered another delay like that one since. We're flying to Malaga on Jet2 in September as per usual. Flight only costs definitely creeping up but package not really an option for us. Having said that just booked March next year with Jet2 for around about 200 return for 2 and Saturday flights as well so still some good prices to be had out there.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

Unusual to make a package holiday pay, rather then buy the two parts seperately.
My son book a holiday for the family last week end to hotel Bali at Benalmadena, buying the flight through Jet2 and the hotel direct, he saved £700 (30%) on the best package holiday price he could find checking August and september (he can go when he likes). This was like for like, hold cases, seat reservations etc, excluding insurance.
The true saving was £800. but he took off, £50 for taxis to and from the hotel and an extra £50 to ensure his insurance covered for the airline going down and ATC disputes etc. In addition he has reserved and been given the room number he requires, which is not available through, Jet2, booking.com etc.
Once I have located the best price for a hotel through the broker sites, I always ring the hotel direct, advice the price quoted and ask them to meet or better, in the last 5 years , never failed to get a better deal.
Recently stayed at a 5 star hotel in London, whilst the hotel would not budge on the best on line price I found, threw in breakfast for our stay, saving us £70 for the two nights, in addition, as they failed to have the room number I requested available, they upgraded us for no extra charge to a pent house suite.
Hotels today seem incapable of fulfilling your requests nowadays, probably 6 times already this year, we have been upgraded or received free meals because of the failure of hotels to observe our booking requests, this option to negotiate, goes out the window if you have package deal, you have to accept what your providor has booked.

 

[Bigman]

According to the planning applications site, there is an application in for a petrol station at Coney Park (ie not on the roundabout). More info anyone??

 

[lbaspotter]

According to the planning applications site, there is an application in for a petrol station at Coney Park (ie not on the roundabout). More info anyone??

Yeap its on the Leeds City Council Planning site.

Source: https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/o...s.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=PAO9KFJBJPN00

18/03964/FU | Erection of a petrol filling station comprising ancillary convenience store, fuel pump canopy and associated works and services, including access road | Coney Park Harrogate Road Bramhope Leeds

Looks like its going to be a BP filling station just of Harrogate Road (A658) opposite the Avro Hangar. Its actually on the site where SJK Taxis old base use to be.
A new junction (Roundabout) is going to be built so to make access into it a lot easier.

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[Aviador]

It looks like a more appropriate site for a petrol station compared with the old one. It also look like the remainder of the site will likely be used as a future business park, perhaps even a suitable location for an airport hotel. Good find @Bigman !

 

[lbaspotter]

I guess those people whom store there caravans and camper vans on that site are going to be a little annoyed if this planning application for a new BP filling station gets approved. As they'll then need to find somewhere else to store them over winter..
But I actually think its about time LBA had its own Petrol Station nearby. Like you say Aviador lets hope this new access opens up the possibility of a new Hotel as well.

 

[rmac]

For those who rent a car having a petrol station near the airport is very useful if you have to top up before returning.
Also, a new hotel would be great, perhaps a Holiday Inn Express would fit in well. Good news, Hope it gets the approval.

 

[oldendays]

Speaking of petrol stations, Manchester Airport now has none. You have to go to Styal or Wythenshawe to fill up.

 

[leedslad]

Floors and stairs littered with people sitting on the floor unable to find a place to sit. Meanwhile not much evidence of the new benches? If so then there's still room and demand for plenty more...

Not a good look.

 

[White Heather]

Well the good old BBC has reported this morning that according to the latest Which survey LBA is one of the bottom 10 in the UK for customer satisfaction, although they couldn't be bothered to say where in the bottom 10 they were. I mean, bottom is really bad, 10th from bottom would place us just under half way down the list, so not quite as bad considering the obvious problems with the terminal layout - which will hopefully be significantly improved by the proposed terminal extension next year. I am not sure how representative Which is given that you have to be a Which subscriber to comment, suggesting that the overall vote is quite small. However, it isn't the sort of publicity LBA needs and it will hopefully ensure that LBA's owners don't lose any time submitting the planning application to Leeds City Council.
As last year, DSA came top of the poll, and it is easy to see why. A nearly new terminal, plenty of space, and very few flights departing at any one time, so of course the queues are almost non existent.

 

[Aviador]

I do think the survey is a little unfair. I like most people on here on the LBA forum know the airport very well. I don't believe queues at the bag-drop or check-in are any worse than any other airport I've even flown from. I know queues at security can be bad but the airport has worked hard to reduce queues in that area. The prices in shops, the seating availability and the toilet facilities are still very poor and insufficient for the number of passengers using the airport so I feel that part of the Which report is probably fair despite the modest improvements they've tried to make. Rating staff, again I'm not convinced by the Which? rating. I am probably slightly bias as I've worked at the airport, but when I've flown from the airport I have always had a pleasant welcome at in all areas.

We have a generic non airport specific thread about the Which? report: https://www.forums4airports.com/threads/4674/#post-147845

 

[LBA8098]

Lack of seating has been an issue for some time, the present terminal at capacity, but as WH rightly highlighted, the proposed eastern terminal extension incorporating both arrivals & departures facilities should help alleviate this issue. In respect of staff, I have seen a marked improvement in the general attitude of staff at LBA over the past few years, especially whilst transiting through security.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

LBA got an overall rating of 54%, whereas manchester T1 was rated 46%, T2 51% and T3 44%, so a better result then its nearest rival and who scored badly for queues at security, something my family members have reported as being very bad within the last 2 months.
My son who has changed to LBA after a recent bad experience at manchester, departs LBA on Monday with his family, will be interested to hear his comments, at least will only cost me £3 to drop him off, not the £29 charged at Manchester, I suggest the Which report survey done before the new charges at manchester brought in in July.

 

[AirBingley]

At least the airport where our new management team have come from is in the top 5 🙂
The top five UK airports according to Which?
1. Doncaster Sheffield (87%)
2. London Southend (84%)
3. Newcastle (74%)
4. Southampton (73%)
5. Exeter (72%)

The five worst UK airports according to Which?
1. London Luton (35%)
2. London Stansted (44%)
2. Manchester Terminal 3 (44%)
4. Manchester Terminal 1 (46%)
5. Aberdeen (49%)

Source https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45286347

 

[leedslad]

Anyone having used portacabin gate 9/10 can hardly be impressed Embarrassing...

Also why in earth didn't they resurface before constructing the walkway shelter over rough old tarmac

 

[Britannia94]

It was due to be resurfaced when the construction of the walkway was to take place. Unfortunately I get the feeling that the previous owners didn’t like the idea of spending any more money than needed on it and decided to keep what it was.

Would have been nice instead of the walkway a proper constructed pier over two levels with arrivals lanes on the bottom and departures on the top with gates all along the pier and airbridges out to stands 9-14. But alas that’s wishful thinking on my half I’m afraid, look at the two airbridges we do have, both are out of action and have been for a while now. As for the walkway it’s poor design, now I know I can’t fault the new owners as it wasn’t them who had it built.

 

[Mick_LUFC]

Anyone having used portacabin gate 9/10 can hardly be impressed Embarrassing...

Also why in earth didn't they resurface before constructing the walkway shelter over rough old tarmac

Like nearly every single project there it was value engineered and the cost was stripped as low as possible.

 

[White Heather]

The BBC are still covering this even this evening and are now saying LBA is the worst 'small airport' in the country. Now it may well be that this is because it is one of the busiest small airports. As my dear old Dad always said, you can't get a quart into a pint pot, and that is what we are trying to do with the current terminal footprint and 4m passengers per year, nearly 4 times as many as they have down at DSA. As we have said, the proposed changes next year should go a long way to resolving many of the issues as it will result in no more crossing over of arriving and departing passengers, new, larger security zone and baggage reclaim areas all on the ground floor, more gates, less outdoor walkway, no going up to go back down when arriving, and yet more seating. It can't come fast enough. I can't help noticing though that the 'best' airports include 4 that relatively speaking, are not attracting huge numbers of airlines (and therefore passengers). It is so easy to avoid queues when the numbers of flights/passengers is less.

One area that I do know that LBA have worked very hard on recently is improving the attitude and friendliness of staff, so I wonder whether that might have improved since the survey was done. I do feel sorry for LBA to some degree though, as the queue at passport control will have dragged the satisfaction ratings down, yet the number of staff on the desks are outside of the airport's control. Yes they can make their feelings known to Border Force when they numbers are not sufficient, but ultimately it is down to Border Force, not the airport, if desks are not manned. I do know that Border Force have increased the number of desks being manned this summer as they did a presentation at the last Consultative Meeting, during which they also confirmed that manning DSA was also down to the same team. Hopefully those changes will be reflected in future Which surveys, although I suspect that we will have to wait until the terminal extension is completed and has been in use for a while before we see any real improvement (assuming of course that it IS built).

I can't help but be disappointed though in the BBC. Considering BBC Yorkshire are based in Leeds they seem very happy to stick the knife into LBA at any opportunity and equally happy to extoll the virtues of DSA, without bothering to inform their listeners that, for example, LBA is still scoring better than MAN. As STN is also one of the worst, it suggests that the Manchester Airport Group isn't doing too good a job either, although the Border Force issue will hit them just as bad as it does any other airport. In recent times, it seems that it is BBC York that takes more opportunities to present a fair and balanced view of LBA and they have at least twice this year interviewed David Laws to discuss the airport's development and to answer customer's concerns.

 

[paully]

Look North is the televisual version of the Yorkshire Evening Post. The both employ the same pitiful quality.Stop watching them Heather, your blood pressure will thank you 😉