 Poster: A snowHead
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| dunc999 wrote: |
| EmiLondon wrote: |
| dunc999 wrote: |
| I'm flying through tomorrow - 11:55 out of Heathrow and back Monday 15:30, so I'm hopeful the non-weekend off peak times will mean less carnage! Will report back on here. |
Hi - how was your experience flying into Geneva? I am due to travel next week midweek, and was wondering whether it would be better than some of the weekend experience stated on here... Cheers! |
BA LHR-GVA On our way out last Wednesday 16th we were out of the airport within 40 mins of the plane touching down (we were row 12, so one of the first at passport) longest wait was for my ski bag that seemed to not be in with the rest of them, so i was beginning to think it might not arrive.
Coming back yesterday my gut feel that our transfer was a little early, allied to the fact he was rapid, but perfectly safe, got us to GVA 3 hr 15 before departure. After a short wait they let us check-in, no queues. We got through security very quickly and went and sat in the very inefficient BA lounge. Queues for passport control was about 25 mins, slow moving as they only had 3 desks open (Brexit dividend!!) but boarded OK and flight left on time.
Heathrow on the other hand on arrival - shambles. Landed at 3:55 but sat waiting to be allowed to "dock" for 15 mins. Then took another 15 mins to get a bridge to the plane. Passport queues were long and typically chaotic. Never mind, at least the luggage would have come through by the time we were through all that - nope! (Although reading of the problems at the weekend again we were lucky to get it at all) Another 20 mins or so it started coming through. Touch down to getting in taxi - 1 hr 35 mins.
But I would say, in conclusion, for GVA the midweek flights seem to avoid any issues.
And I didn't really mind too much about any of it, as it was so bloody lovely to be out on the slopes again! |
Great to hear that you had a good trip! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Missus landed at GVA yesterday. Took just over 1.5hrs from landing to arrivals hall (hand luggage only) mainly due to very slow third country passport queue.
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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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Landing on the 12th at GVA to getting bags took approx 2.5 hrs (Saturday evening, super busy). No real issues at passport control, it was the oversize luggage took 2 hrs to come through and led to our transfer driver getting really grumpy (and us not getting to Avoriaz until about 1am)
Coming back on the 16th March (late afternoon flights / approx 2pm arrival) we joined the massive Easyjet snake (1 queue for all flights) and it took approx 1.5 hrs to get checked in. What made it worse was that despite the boards telling all passengers to check in, no matter what time of departure, they wouldn't let me complete check in as my flight left in 3.5 hrs, not the 3 they recommend. It was a real computer says no moment. Thankfully they let me cut back in half an hour later. Security was its normal shambles with too many people in too small a space, and probably a 30 min queue.
Safe to say I missed the other guys from our trip as they had been called to the gate, then my LTN flight was delayed.
Oh, and it was 8 bucks for a baguette, and 6.50 for a can of Terry Heinekken 
Will still go back again though...
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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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My last flight from Geneva with easyJet (Saturday 12 days ago) was quite unbelievable. I had had warning emails from easyJet saying to arrive 3 hours before the flight. When I arrived I found the easyJet queue to drop baggage wound in and out of any spare space through the terminal, then out through the door and 400 yards alongside several airport buildings. In all it took three and a quarter hours to get to baggage check in !!!
Of course by this point my flight should have departed half an hour before and I still had security and passport control to go through. Finally the flight left 90 minutes late (Several people got through after me) and I assume something similar must have happened with all the easyJet flights. The problem was exclusively easyJet. I saw no queues for other airlines.
On the way out my flight was also 90 minutes late (waiting to board we watched the passengers coming off our plane, so I assume the plane had previously been held up at Geneva). There was another half hour delay having passports checked and then the luggage carousel were completely full with nobody taking bags off our one so no new baggage could come onto it. I missed the last shuttle bus by 20 minute ( they had waited 20 more minutes before leaving) so I had to spend the night in Geneva.
Now I am I’ll in bed at Grimentz, unsure if I have COVID and getting easyJet messages to arrive 3 hours before the Geneva flight. ( It was all booked months ago). Is it going to happen again? Should I change to an earlier flight or another airline (I am booked on the late flight)?
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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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Sounds like a horrendous experience. Is there any reason or just incompetence?
We're departing GVA tomorrow afternoon (17:20 to LPL) and trying to decide on what time to arrange our pick up from VT.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A friend flying Easyjet from GVA today confirms the warning texts are still coming out. My missus flew Jet2 today and she sailed through everything having arrived just shy of 2 hrs before her flight. Not heard yet how the friends actual flight experience went, she was only cabin baggage so would have been spared check in, but that's no help if the rest of your flight are all in a queue not on your plane so you're sat waiting for them.
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@snowball, OK intel from this morning is that despite warning texts there was no drama for a hand luggage passenger leaving GVA on Easyjet. No actual experience of the check in queue, but the flight left on time so wasn't held waiting for delayed passengers.
This was however a Friday, and as we all know a winter Saturday is a whole different kettle of fish.
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@midgetbiker, half hand, thanks.
However it is now confirmed I have COVID so I have to find a hotel to stay at for a few days while I isolate - the Alpina is full from tomorrow. I am absolutely wiped out and coughing all the time. I had to go down to Sierre in a taxi to get an official test (NHS one not enough) which cost me 240SF and around 160 for the test, and wiped me out even more. Happy days!
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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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I flew out from Geneva on Thurs late afternoon/evening. I also received the message from Easyjet in advance saying it would be busy, but upon arrival there was no real queue at all at Easyjet bag drop and we only queued for about 10 minutes to get through security. Passport control just before the gate was also great - there was a tiny queue of about 3 people for the EU passport holders and zero queue at all for the UK/everyone else! This was in the new C Gates section of departures.
Definitely the fastest we've ever navigated an airport.
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@snowball, that is really bad luck for you, really sorry.
The cough can be exhausting, we both had Covid back in early February, on our return from Austria. Felt fine leaving on Saturday, we didn’t have to do any tests to travel by that stage, just knew we had to do 2 day tests when we got home, but as Sunday progressed, driving up to Calais, we both started to have sore throats and the NHS LFTs that evening were positive for both of us. Eventually our 2 day tests did arrive, but not till day 3.
We had no temperature, loss of taste etc, just felt a bit tired and the cough which made me feel as if I had been kicked in the ribs. But at least we were at home and the time scale was the same for both of us, which was very convenient. I didn’t have a negative test till day 13, which I understand is often the case with older people.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It seems we have all got quite blase about Covid...
I have hardly given it a thought over the past few weeks ..
I caught it at Christmas and hardly any symptoms at all.
It has been a right phaaf for traveling with all the testing involved.
I thought testing was all forgotten about now ... but is it.
I'm going on the End of Season Bash ...
It looks like all I'll need to get through GVA is The NHS App showing Vaccination certificates.
To get into France I need that silly form and sign it.
To come home, it does not matter, there are no checks.
Or have I got it all wrong?
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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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Arrived at GVA at 13:45. Check in queue for EJ no too long. There avowed to be two or three lines depending on where flights are going. However, we've been told to come back to check in at 14:20 (flight at 17:20) So currently standing in the lovely sunshine eating a sarnie and having a beer.
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In the 30 minutes we've beeb away the queue has grown a bit we're about level with desk 30.
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You know it makes sense.
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So. Joined check in/bag drop queue at 14:20. Despite the q-snake, Bags dropped at 14:45.
Now for passport control 
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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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Security services have stopped letting people through security and hsvr cordoned off access.
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Poster: A snowHead
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OK so despite the hold up we were through passport control by 15:15. So all in all not too bad. All through in about an hour.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Also a positive experience landing at around 3.15pm on Saturday. Took 45 minutes from touchdown to exiting and that was with a ski bag.
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