LondonAkis
First-Class-Member
Friday 25 June, EZY5137, LGW-BCN, Departure: 19:10
Friday early evening and having left work a bit early, I rushing to London Victoria Station to catch the 17:15 Gatwick Express train. LGW is a good 50km away from London and the best way to get there is the 30-minute express journey from central London. All other ways are a logistical nightmare and a big mistake. I arrived at LGW south Terminal at 17:45 on the dot and quickly made my way to check-in area A where Easyjet have their desks. All check-in desks (7 of them) looked quite busy as they were checking in passengers for 10 flights at the same time. One desk was dedicated to the next departing flight – which was to NCE -. The whole procedure took no more than 6 minutes and I was provided with enough detailed information about boarding times, gate and where to go … and a smile! Security check was typical but more organised than LHR. I quickly made my way to the viewing area eager to see the newly-built passenger bridge linking the North Terminal to the new Pier 6 development. Unfortunately, views of the development are not great from the South Terminal but I have the following comments:
The LGW skyline looks a lot more interesting;
The whole structure is quite futuristic with a retro twist (see Thunderbirds The Movie);
It seems an A380 can easily fit under it too since the height of the bridge 32m;
I don’t understand why building a bridge won over the immediate solution of a tunnel (English architects love them);
LGW always has an interesting variety of aircraft to see since it is one of the top airports in the world for charter flights. However, my eyes were drawn to the new 737 of Maersk Air and its new livery. Conservative but such an improvement on the previous one. And – to my surprise and excitement – all EasyJet aircraft on the tarmac are sparkling new A319s. I made my way to gate 14, where boarding had just began and I was again pleasantly surprised to see that boarding was done in order of boarding pass number. Mine was 92…Shock!!! It’s free seating and blood started rushing through my head just at the thought of not being able to get a window seat. Fortunately once in the aircraft, I could see the back rows completely empty so I picked for my self seat 24A. Very nice. The plane can sit 156 passengers and seat pitch was tight but not uncomfortable. Take-off was at 19:10. Surprised? Yes, me too but it was on time. Never happened to me before. The flight was 1 hour 39 minutes long, during which the views of France below were poor due to low cloud. Cabin crew members were polite, unpretentious and went across the plane selling food and beverages as well as duty free products twice. Once we reached the Pyrenees Mountains the cloud started dispersing and you could clearly see the lights of some mountain villages and Andorra. Touch-down was at 21:50 – 25 mins early! Barcelona airport looked busy but the main observations are: the A320 rules in all colours and schemes and EasyJet had the most aircraft present after Iberia. The airport itself looks as good as the last time I saw 7 years ago. Absolutely spotless and nice, efficient and visitor friendly. My luggage was already rolling on the belt by the time I got there. Could a passenger ask for anything more? Flight rating 10/10.
Sunday 27 June, EZY5138 BCN-LGW, Departure: 22:50
I arrived at El Prat airport at 21:40. The EasyJet check-in counters were empty so check-in once again was swift and easy. Once in the transit area, I decided to have a coffee nearby a huge screen showing Denmark being crashed by the Czech Rep. Boarding was announced at gate 54 which is at the very end of the south side of the terminal. Gate 55 was EasyJet flight to LTN and Gate 53 was British Airways flight to LGW. And while I was getting closer to the gate, I though I saw something familiar …yes, it was Zeus that was parked just at the end of the terminal having brought over the Olympic Flame for an overnight stay in Barcelona. Next to Zeus was another 747 which carried no visible signage. It was pure white with a navy blue tail and engines. I presume it is the spare Olympic Torch Relay aircraft. Again boarding was controlled and efficient. So efficient that I managed to get the same seat. Take off was at 22:51 (almost on time). The BA flight to LGW was supposed to take off a good 30’ before us but while taxing towards the runway, I could still see it well parked at the terminal. The views of Barcelona and the coast were great while climbing south and turning west for a full 180-degree turn. The fireworks from the Olympic Stadium looked spectacular even from the ever-increasing altitude. About 15-20’ later we were able to see Bordeaux. Service again was polite (although not for free) and the whole flight as smooth as a flight can be. I have to say that this is my 4th flight on a 319 and every time it felt as if I was flying a big and well-build aircraft rather than a small-medium sized plane. At 23:35 we had landed at LGW – 35’ earlier this time. My God, are these guys racing against time or what? I know I am repeating myself, but for someone that flies at least once a month arriving ahead of schedule is something of a novelty. With only a remote stand available for the aircraft at LGW, the bus took us for a whole tour of the airport before reaching the terminal building. I didn’t complain as that ride provided great views of the new passenger bridge. But of course BAA has to waste your time even if you have arrived early. We had to wait for a good half an hour for our luggage and they showed up on a different belt than the one designated on the info board. Flight rating 8/10 just for the waiting time at the end.
Friday early evening and having left work a bit early, I rushing to London Victoria Station to catch the 17:15 Gatwick Express train. LGW is a good 50km away from London and the best way to get there is the 30-minute express journey from central London. All other ways are a logistical nightmare and a big mistake. I arrived at LGW south Terminal at 17:45 on the dot and quickly made my way to check-in area A where Easyjet have their desks. All check-in desks (7 of them) looked quite busy as they were checking in passengers for 10 flights at the same time. One desk was dedicated to the next departing flight – which was to NCE -. The whole procedure took no more than 6 minutes and I was provided with enough detailed information about boarding times, gate and where to go … and a smile! Security check was typical but more organised than LHR. I quickly made my way to the viewing area eager to see the newly-built passenger bridge linking the North Terminal to the new Pier 6 development. Unfortunately, views of the development are not great from the South Terminal but I have the following comments:
The LGW skyline looks a lot more interesting;
The whole structure is quite futuristic with a retro twist (see Thunderbirds The Movie);
It seems an A380 can easily fit under it too since the height of the bridge 32m;
I don’t understand why building a bridge won over the immediate solution of a tunnel (English architects love them);
LGW always has an interesting variety of aircraft to see since it is one of the top airports in the world for charter flights. However, my eyes were drawn to the new 737 of Maersk Air and its new livery. Conservative but such an improvement on the previous one. And – to my surprise and excitement – all EasyJet aircraft on the tarmac are sparkling new A319s. I made my way to gate 14, where boarding had just began and I was again pleasantly surprised to see that boarding was done in order of boarding pass number. Mine was 92…Shock!!! It’s free seating and blood started rushing through my head just at the thought of not being able to get a window seat. Fortunately once in the aircraft, I could see the back rows completely empty so I picked for my self seat 24A. Very nice. The plane can sit 156 passengers and seat pitch was tight but not uncomfortable. Take-off was at 19:10. Surprised? Yes, me too but it was on time. Never happened to me before. The flight was 1 hour 39 minutes long, during which the views of France below were poor due to low cloud. Cabin crew members were polite, unpretentious and went across the plane selling food and beverages as well as duty free products twice. Once we reached the Pyrenees Mountains the cloud started dispersing and you could clearly see the lights of some mountain villages and Andorra. Touch-down was at 21:50 – 25 mins early! Barcelona airport looked busy but the main observations are: the A320 rules in all colours and schemes and EasyJet had the most aircraft present after Iberia. The airport itself looks as good as the last time I saw 7 years ago. Absolutely spotless and nice, efficient and visitor friendly. My luggage was already rolling on the belt by the time I got there. Could a passenger ask for anything more? Flight rating 10/10.
Sunday 27 June, EZY5138 BCN-LGW, Departure: 22:50
I arrived at El Prat airport at 21:40. The EasyJet check-in counters were empty so check-in once again was swift and easy. Once in the transit area, I decided to have a coffee nearby a huge screen showing Denmark being crashed by the Czech Rep. Boarding was announced at gate 54 which is at the very end of the south side of the terminal. Gate 55 was EasyJet flight to LTN and Gate 53 was British Airways flight to LGW. And while I was getting closer to the gate, I though I saw something familiar …yes, it was Zeus that was parked just at the end of the terminal having brought over the Olympic Flame for an overnight stay in Barcelona. Next to Zeus was another 747 which carried no visible signage. It was pure white with a navy blue tail and engines. I presume it is the spare Olympic Torch Relay aircraft. Again boarding was controlled and efficient. So efficient that I managed to get the same seat. Take off was at 22:51 (almost on time). The BA flight to LGW was supposed to take off a good 30’ before us but while taxing towards the runway, I could still see it well parked at the terminal. The views of Barcelona and the coast were great while climbing south and turning west for a full 180-degree turn. The fireworks from the Olympic Stadium looked spectacular even from the ever-increasing altitude. About 15-20’ later we were able to see Bordeaux. Service again was polite (although not for free) and the whole flight as smooth as a flight can be. I have to say that this is my 4th flight on a 319 and every time it felt as if I was flying a big and well-build aircraft rather than a small-medium sized plane. At 23:35 we had landed at LGW – 35’ earlier this time. My God, are these guys racing against time or what? I know I am repeating myself, but for someone that flies at least once a month arriving ahead of schedule is something of a novelty. With only a remote stand available for the aircraft at LGW, the bus took us for a whole tour of the airport before reaching the terminal building. I didn’t complain as that ride provided great views of the new passenger bridge. But of course BAA has to waste your time even if you have arrived early. We had to wait for a good half an hour for our luggage and they showed up on a different belt than the one designated on the info board. Flight rating 8/10 just for the waiting time at the end.
Btw, η A3 έχει από τις πιο γρήγορες εξυπηρετήσεις σε θέματα παραλαβής αποσκευών (επειδή έχει δικούς της υπαλλήλους) ενώ μια άλλη γνώριμή μας... (λέγετέ με ΟΑ) από τις χειρότερες :evil: 
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