 Poster: A snowHead
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I am looking at trying to book a Friday to Friday break 16th - 23 Dec
Would love to do Austria but we have limited flight options.
Just spotted we could do Bournemouth to Geneva which is 25mins from the door.... BUT Geneva <sigh>
How busy is it likely to be on those dates?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| NickyJ wrote: |
I am looking at trying to book a Friday to Friday break 16th - 23 Dec
Would love to do Austria but we have limited flight options.
Just spotted we could do Bournemouth to Geneva which is 25mins from the door.... BUT Geneva <sigh>
How busy is it likely to be on those dates? |
I think it is unlikely to be very busy. We've skied the 3 Valleys twice in recent years during that week and it wasn't busy at all. 
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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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We've flown lots on dates around then. Never had a problem. Then again, I rarely have any issues at the much-maligned GVA. I think the bad press comes because the days when it's bad (e.g. final weekend of half term) there's so many people experience the awfulness, that it becomes "gospel" that GVA airport is awful. 90%+ of the time that's not the case.
I'd worry more about the likelihood of the Bournemouth flight operating.
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Sorry I meant the airport itself.
We were there for Feb half term this year and the busyness and how they deliver bags etc isn't an experience i am jumping to repeat..
But this end it means we can avoid Heathrow
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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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| snowdave wrote: |
We've flown lots on dates around then. Never had a problem. Then again, I rarely have any issues at the much-maligned GVA. I think the bad press comes because the days when it's bad (e.g. final weekend of half term) there's so many people experience the awfulness, that it becomes "gospel" that GVA airport is awful. 90%+ of the time that's not the case.
I'd worry more about the likelihood of the Bournemouth flight operating. |
Oh do they have a track record of cancelling that
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I remember flying back through Geneva 3 or 4 years ago on the last Friday evening before Christmas-it was the 23rd December I think. It was complete mayhem. Lots of people flying off for Christmas at the end of the last working day. Easyjet queuing across the ground floor. Queue to access security down the escalators. We arrive three hours early and only just made the plane as kind people let us join them and jump half of the security queue. Having two crying young daughters who were worried about not getting home for Christmas bought a bit of sympathy. The guy managing the queue (where it splits into two) seemed to have given up...
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@snowhound, this is what I can easily imagine. You will have those that work away trying to get home for Christmas
Hubby was working in Paris for about 6 months one year. He found similar mayhem that last friday coming back for Christmas with eurostar
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Being Christmas will be very different to half-term, and being Friday will be very different to being Saturday. I'd give it a go if flight times and costs are otherwise OK. I've never had any problems with Gva either, but I don't fly on Saturdays and I've always flown scheduled - usually easyJet. I believe the charter terminal can be bad. I once picked up my son on Christmas Eve, towards the end of the afternoon, and whilst the airport was busy but OK the queues on the motorway out to Bardonnex were horrific - it seemed the whole of Geneva was leaving.
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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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| snowdave wrote: |
| I'd worry more about the likelihood of the Bournemouth flight operating. |
The Bournemouth flight is pretty reliable compared to any of the Londinium flights. Most days it's the first Easyjet rotation out of Geneva to BOH, then BOH back to Geneva. The Swiss tend to at least start on time, unlike London  . I'm doing BOH-GVA, GVA-BOH next week, so expect a sitrep 
As for Tignes, 16th-23rd will be Ok, getting busier but nothing like as manic as Christmas and new year week. However you might find that some of the pistes/lifts towards the edges of the resort won't open till closer to the end of that week. I'd be nervous about booking anywhere in Brev or Boisses/1800 incase their lifts aren't running (specifically Aguille Rouge), in which case you'll have to get the bus up to Lac. It's not only to do with if there is enough snow or not, but they just don't open the areas till the week before Christmas. Anywhere in Lac or Val Claret will be Ok. Not sure about Lavachet - if Chaudannes/Paqius don't run then not sure how you get out of there except on the bus.
There is also the annual issue that some of the runs over in Val Diz will be closed of for the FIS racing. Fine if you want to watch some of the best in the world defying gravity and other laws of physics, but Ok, Orange and Face will be closed off, and Satans is usually shut too. Even if the race courses aren't closed off they'll be near un-skiable for mere mortals without razor blades for edges.
See you there
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Arriving GVA Friday 16th - not busy
Departing GVA Friday 23rd - busy, lots of folk heading home for Christmas
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@NickyJ, I'd be more concerned about finding Fri-Fri accommodation, myself.
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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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It will be empty on the way in. Way out may be busy. Also most of europe school holidays run late next Cmas (23/12-09/01) so you may well get a bargain
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@Nadenoodlee, that is good to know.
I
@under a new name, i have found a few nice options for Austria. Haven't looked around Geneva yet. Switzerland could be good though.
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You know it makes sense.
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| NickyJ wrote: |
| snowdave wrote: |
We've flown lots on dates around then. Never had a problem. Then again, I rarely have any issues at the much-maligned GVA. I think the bad press comes because the days when it's bad (e.g. final weekend of half term) there's so many people experience the awfulness, that it becomes "gospel" that GVA airport is awful. 90%+ of the time that's not the case.
I'd worry more about the likelihood of the Bournemouth flight operating. |
Oh do they have a track record of cancelling that |
No idea on that specific flight, but it goes into my "minor airports" category. Even as we come out of COVID, my basic mantra remains "major airlines, major airports" - that way if something does happen you've got a choice of alternatives. To be fair, it matters more at the other end (e.g. Chambery vs Geneva) where you might have transport etc. arranged and a flight/airport or even just time shift can wreak havoc.
I can recall a similar Snowheads discussion about 6-9months ago just before a whole raft of cancellations over the following months, as schedules got locked down.
My wife has flown some combination of 22/23/24/26 Dec from Geneva most years in both directions and never had any problems. It's a different world to Feb half term.
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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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Sat at GVA right now. The number of Swissport agents they had operating the easyJet bag drop desks well and truly put Birmingham to shame. Not to mention the fact that the agent seemed to have no problem checking in my snowboard as booked.
Same on the security side of things. Obviously they deal with much larger numbers of people, so they need to have a lot more staff, but the queue through security were actually being managed rather than just kettled.
Personally, I'd be more concerned about my flight out of the UK, but would say go for it. If your flight times are good, you have a wealth of options to choose from in terms of where to go to.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Fri 11-03-22 15:57; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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Now stood in queue for passport control. I might have spoken too soon AGAIN 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@NickyJ, you know there are no easy ways to get to the Alps! Your plan sounds a good one - should be a quiet week. Be aware that precisely for that reason not all resorts will be fully open, even if snow is plentiful.
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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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@pam w, it could mean girls missing a half day at school.... but odds are good that that day maybe an inset.
Heathrow to Munich is one route I am considering
Bristol to Innsbruck is another.
Bournemouth was so lovely to fly from. So maybe Switzerland
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@NickyJ, yyeah non Sat dates so much easier these days and you’re reasonably unlikelyto be blocking the prior week. But I’d have accom optioned before buying flights!
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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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| Quote: |
But I’d have accom optioned before buying flights!
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Agree with that!
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Thanks all. I have booked flights and an apartment in Morillon. I was trying to avoid France as we more often than not end up there.... but for the same reasons I have booked.
Really good value apartment, in a really convenient location. Ski in, ski out (hopefully!). Poor snow year may put pay to that, but 50m from lift. Only 1hr 13mins door to door in the Alps. 25mins door to door this end.
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