 Poster: A snowHead
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Whats wrong with Chambery? Once had to wait 15 mins for baggage and then 2 min stroll to waiting coach. It was late April though!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@holidayloverxx, I've paid about £8 a day in 'green' or 'blue'. I subscribe to their discount emails which help
It's a good 10 mins walk across the full length of the car park to the terminal from 'blue' but well worth it IMV to avoid the bus to long-stay.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just landed after a nightmare Geneva experience,making us miss the slot, get a last chance saloon slot half an hour later although we had to leave two thirds the passengers in Geneva due to an apparent RTA in Geneva making them late. Absolute chaos in arrivals, way too many people in that old check in place. I shudder to think what would happen in the event of a fire.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@red 27, yes...i would never go to long stay at Stansted
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@RWDLYN, Just out of curiosity, which airport had the absolute chaos in arrivals? And what is a RTA?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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RTA = Road Traffic Accident? I imagine that would stuff up Geneva airport qiute happily.
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@Layne,
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Honestly, airports are bad sh_it. Period.
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Singapore is a brilliant airport. Why can't France, Switzerland, Italy, UK etc have airports that attempt to give travellers a pleasant experience?
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Geneva, it just doesn't have the facilities to handle the number of passengers.
In the last week: incoming. Our take off is delayed 2 hours, no incoming slots due to "snow". No snow is apparent on landing. The plane comes to a stop and the stairs are waiting for us. Unfortunately the driver is not. 20 minutes later he turns up and we disembark. The queue for passport control takes another 20 minutes. Never mind, at least the luggage will be there by the time we reach baggage control. Oh no it isn't. Firstly shown as "delayed" then our flight disappears completely as far as the baggage display is concerned. I'd go and enquire were it not for the fact that the queue to ask is 20-30 deep and the queue for lost baggage more like 40-50. After 45 minutes, my skis appear and 15 minutes later my bag. We finally exit customs an hour and 45 minutes after landing.
Outgoing. My passport is checked at 1. check-in. 2. after security. Why not at security like every other airport? So that's another 20 minute queue 3. at a separate desk at the gate before your boarding pass is checked at a different desk, unlike every other airport where the same staff check both. That's 3 checks to leave the country.
In comparison, I can't say I see too much wrong with Gatwick.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Geneva is one of the worst airports on Earth.
It's like Swiss trains.
Everyone thinks they're great. But, in reality, they're slow and cr*p.
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Geneva - overcrowded and poor facilities, can’t handle the volume.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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When everything is working Southampton is a dream to fly in and out of, but today, today...
Stuck at Chambery (where everything is fine) waiting for our incoming flight from SOU to arrive and take us home. What info do you think has been available from Southampton Airport all morning? Their twitter feed just said look at the website, the website said all flights were "scheduled". That's it, no other information. Contrast that with Bristol Airport whose twitter feed has been active all morning with updates on their runway closure including photos and estimates for the time flights would resume. Poor show, Southampton Airport.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
Outgoing. My passport is checked at 1. check-in. 2. after security. Why not at security like every other airport? So that's another 20 minute queue 3. at a separate desk at the gate before your boarding pass is checked at a different desk, unlike every other airport where the same staff check both. That's 3 checks to leave the country.
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Because of the Schengen agreement. Checks 1 and 2 are airlines and security and nothing to do with immigration. If travelling within the Schengen area then there is no need for an immigration officer to check. So for those travelling outside the Schengen area (ie UK) there needs to be a check of passports just for those passengers. Checks 1 and 2 are for everyone (presumably to check you match who you say on your boarding card) and there would need to be some way of separating out those who need a check by an immigration officer. Obviously with the UK not being in Schengen all passports need to be checked before flying at any UK airport
Its quite common at a lot of European airports. Flights departing to a non-Schengen country often go from a different gate, so there can be a passport check.
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It took David well over two and a half hours to get to GVA to pick someone up on Friday morning. He had allowed extra time for the Motor Show, but there was a RTA in one of the tunnels apparently, so he took a ‘scenic route’ but in the event all was OK as our friend who had landed on time was ages in the passport queue which was so long there was a pile up on the flat non-escalating walkway thing. What do you call that? Travelator?
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You know it makes sense.
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@moosepig, flightradar24 is great for this kind of thing. Look up your flight, get the tail number for the aircraft, then look up the tail number to see where the plane is.
E.g. I’m at Gva at present due to get a jet2 flight where there’s no info yet, but I can see on flightradar that the aircraft that will be used for my flight has taken off from Stansted and is on schedule, so I should be ok.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Flew out of GVA this morning. No problems at all - took about 30 minutes from dropping off the hire car on the French side to being rid of our hold luggage at the Easyjet bag drop off and our ski bags at outsized luggage. Fantastic experience compared to Turin in January.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Very subjective this topic.
However, I have had several bad experiences at Chambery. It is really basic, but when it works, it is OK. When the fog or snow are in the valley you are facing delays or transfers to other airports.
I prefer Geneva for all of it's faults. Always find a seat upstairs or we head to the gate as soon as the number is on the board. Loads of places to eat/drink/sit near most of the gates.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@snowdave, Your right but in @moosepig, 's case it was a charter which had a completely different callsign on FR24 - BEElnlnl something as opposed to BEnnnn. It took me 2 hours to find it, basically when it gave a take off time from SOU I then clicked on every ac in the vicinity.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@LOTA,
We flew out of Lyon to Lisbon this Summer as it was 150pp cheaper than GVA -LIS.
The new terminal was nearly finished, a bit minimalist and stark, but if it means cheaper flights, then I can handle that.
There were not loads of seats in the waiting area, which is ok in the summer when its 35 degrees outside, sitting on a cool tiled floor is not unpleasant.
Imagine a busy Saturday in February might not be the same.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wouldn't this thread have been shorter and easier if the question "name me a really good ski airport" had been asked?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ah, cool. I was right aswell. About 20 posts, less than a page!
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| Layne wrote: |
Ah, cool. I was right aswell. About 20 posts, less than a page! |
Having a reet good winge is far more satisfying as now proved! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Came home through Turin on Sunday. Have to say it was ok, notwithstanding very few seats at the departure gate, a bit of a security kerfuffle over two wheelchair passengers and an overcrowded cafe in departures. Took off on time and the bags arrived without mishap. And came straight through immigration at Gatwick without having to queue at all - extraordinary! 
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Nearly 7e for a bloody starbucks latte in Geneva. Combined with silly queues in the airport, often silly traffic going through the city.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Gazzza wrote: |
| hawkwind wrote: |
Yes ski and snowboard bags for a few days holiday.
could do a full thread on this!
unless your a professional who is under contract or racing or something like that.
leave the f**King things at home.
go try out the latest model for a week for less than carriage.
I will make you carry your own stuff through the airport, through the crowds, all the way, you bring all that crap, your problem.
Please please please just rent at resort.
snowboarders are the worst btw |
Horse terd.
Any average skier and above will benefit from having their own skis/board, rather than the unknown of what you get each trip if you rent. When you buy kit you take the time to get what is right for you, not what the rental shop has in stock and throws at you when you collect. Having her own skis has transformed my wife's skiing. My board and bindings paid for itself in about 3-4 trips against what rentals would have cost (less if I took the latest model each time). In 10 years I've only ever paid for board carriage once so I'm quids in thanks, I know what edges my angles are set at, I know I have the right length, my board gets lovingly waxed by hand properly before each trip as opposed to being quickly rammed in a machine or given a quick and dirty 3 minute hand job from an underpaid seasonaire.
Na, I'll bring my own thanks, whether it suits you or not. It sounds like you work in the ski industry (doing transfers) yet you object to people bringing "***King skis".... to a ski resort... ??? Interesting attitude. Love to know which company you work for so I can give them a wide berth. Maybe next time you can work in the food industry and you can complain about people wanting f'ing plates to eat off, or in the summer season you can whine about people bringing towels to the beach.  |
plus 1 on that never heard such s**t 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@dogwatch, (I rather like Gatwick)... Geneva (I am presuming you were on a Saturday or Sunday) runs pretty much at capacity all year round as any good and sensible business would want to ... but it has to cope with something like 100% extra traffic at ski weekends.
During the week (other than bank or school holiday weekends) there is more or less no security queuing outbound and luggage is usually delivered pretty quickly inbound. There are usually Easyjet bag check queues as Easyjet maintain minimum possible staffing (also fair enough for a loco).
As above, you don't need passports at checkin or at the gate, just official photoID, e.g. photo driving licence will do. However, if you are travelling to e.g. the UK and thus out of Shengen, you will as you would expect, have to pass through passport control.
Geneva is very efficient most of the time.
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Flew from Gatwick (BA to Venice) on Sunday 11th. Used their app to check in the day before. No queues at bag drop. Sailed through security. We brought our own food so just got a coffee plus water for the flight in the departure lounge. Pretty much walked on without a queue at the gate, pausing on the way for a free copy of the Sunday Times. That's how it should be.
Also Venice is much improved with their front extension, did they use Polish or Romanian builders?
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You know it makes sense.
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| under a new name wrote: |
During the week (other than bank or school holiday weekends) there is more or less no security queuing outbound and luggage is usually delivered pretty quickly inbound....Geneva is very efficient most of the time. |
Unfortunately as I can only rent an apartment in the building I want Sat-Sat, that really does me no good at all.
"As above, you don't need passports at checkin or at the gate, just official photoID, e.g. photo driving licence will do. However, if you are travelling to e.g. the UK and thus out of Shengen, you will as you would expect, have to pass through passport control."
I expect to go through passport control. I am not so sure why I need my passport checked 3 times or why the gate staff cannot do the final check and instead I need to queue twice at the gate, once for the final passport check and again (a few feet away) for the boarding card check. I have never come across another airport where it is done that way.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Many holiday homes in Cornwall rent Friday to Friday or Thursday to Thursday to avoid the weekend traffic. I’m amazed tour ops, charter flights and chalet businesses haven’t caught on to this idea, not only would it save all the hassle but also probably be cheaper off peak. As with skiing where the best skiing is where the best snow is and the least people. So the best airports are the most convenient at quiet times. You can’t change the location, but you can choose the time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If I go on holiday Wed to Wed I have to take off 6 days. If I go Sat to Sat I take 5 and still have a day to recover.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@dogwatch, as I said, you don’t need your passport checked 3 times, just once.
When did you last fly? For a while, flying into the UK you needed a passport precheck. Haven’t seen that for a while
I have no idea what you mean about boarding pass and separate ID check? I flew out of Geneva 3 times last week and that never happened.
I’m flying out today, sitting having a drink, security was really busy, it took all of 10 minutes including putting shoes, belt and watch back on... I won’t have my passport checked, and my ID and boarding pass will be checked as one at the gate.
Saturdays out of the cattle shed, I appreciate can be different, but that’s not the airport’s fault... I’m afraid your argument is a bit, “I fly through on the busiest days of the year and it’s really busy so it’s crap”.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Have avoided Chambery for years - it cannot handle bad weather, be it wind or fog. Lovely little toy town airport if all’s well but too often it ain’t.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| PeakyB wrote: |
@Layne,
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Honestly, airports are bad sh_it. Period.
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Singapore is a brilliant airport. Why can't France, Switzerland, Italy, UK etc have airports that attempt to give travellers a pleasant experience? |
What is so good about Singapore Airport?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Fridge03 wrote: |
Grenoble is a cow shed.
Fortunately, we have never been delayed there but just the standard waiting time is painful enough. |
We were delayed by nearly an hour at Grenoble last Saturday simply because security could not spit passengers direct to the plane fast enough. Fortunately, Ryanair played it sensibly, and waited until everyone was through. And the crew gave priority to serving food and drink to passengers (including me) who had not been able to feed at the airport. So much-maligned Ryanair came up trumps - and Grenoble airport was a nightmare.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just boarded an Easy, didn’t even check my Id at gate when boarding, was told not necessary...
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| under a new name wrote: |
@dogwatch, as I said, you don’t need your passport checked 3 times, just once.
When did you last fly? |
Two weeks ago, from Geneva to Gatwick on Swiss and I can assure you I did need to have my passport checked multiple times.
"I’m afraid your argument is a bit, “I fly through on the busiest days of the year and it’s really busy so it’s crap”"
Good grief. I'm not making an argument, I'm expressing an opinion.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 22-03-18 9:20; edited 1 time in total
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@dogwatch, I don’t believe so. I could be wrong. My understanding is you needed your passport once (maybe twice if pre-checking) and photo ID twice.
Now... the agents may have asked for a passport, but you technically only need it at passport control.
I flew out of GVA yesterday and didn’t need my passport once...
My wife has French nationality and when it was still valid used (quite rightly) her ID card around Europe.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thank you but I cannot see any benefit to me in alternating between passport and another form of photo ID. All I actually care about is the number of queues I have to stand in.
You seem very keen to deny what was my actual experience. Why is that then?
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@dogwatch, I’m just curious (and nosy (and pedantic)).
I fly in and out of Geneva about 50 times a year, albeit very rarely on a Saturday and I rarely find it anything other than super efficient.
So tarring it as a worst airport strikes me as odd.
Did you depart from the charter terminal?
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FAQ
