Poster: A snowHead
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Just to throw my hat in the ring here, I am going to Vancouver at the end of Dec with KLM from Norwich via Amsterdam. Can you do similar from Southampton airport? It was cheeper than Air Can / BA / Zoom and total journey is actually about 2 hrs less becuase I dont have to travel to London (I live in Norfolk) and dont have to check in hours before. KLM arent as flash as most of the others but I have travelled all over ( I have spent quite alot of time in Asia for work) and have never had a problem ( touch wood)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Via Amsterdam is a possibility I will need to look into, although both Heathrow and Gatwick are less than 2 hours drive even on a bad day ( in fact just over an hour on a very good one) so this may negate the cost of the extra plane ride......
Will you be able to check your luggage through from Norwich?
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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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Wow. Skiing at Whistler must be fantastically better than European resorts to be worth considering this kind of hassle, discomfort and cost. I have done lots of very long haul flying, in the past, but I was being paid to go, and was in Business Class. It was still a mission. I wouldn't spend my own money to sit in cramped conditions, eat rubbish, get jet lagged, drive some distance then do it all again a week or ten days later. Anyone for a nice short flight and first class train to pleasant hotel in upmarket Swiss resort?
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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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I think you might have just won the first price on the "holiday skier" award?
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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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RDSpearing, if flying with KLM check the transfer time at Schipol, if it is short (45 mins or less) they have a habit of not delaying the connection flight if your bags are slow coming of your first flight, particularly if your first flight has been delayed - in which case they rush you on to your connection flight but have no chance of getting your bags on too, which is a bit of a nuisance if you are skiing
Otherwise KLM are great, flown loads of times with them
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We have a couple of hours, but I don't mind that. I hate Heathrow, and flatly refuse to even go to Gatwick. fifteen mins to Norwich Airport by dad cabs, 35 mins to check in, 50 mins to hop to Amsterdam. Spot of grub and a wander about the shops, get on plane to Vancouver. If I drive to Heathrow it will take me a minimum of 3 hours, but if you take into account Traffic and Speed cameras I am realisticly looking at 4 to be safe. Check in 3 hrs before depatrure. Plus Diesel both ways and god knows how much to park for 2 weeks, then get robbed in every shop. I will be in a bad mood for 9 hours.
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On our various trips to Whistler we have always gone KLM from Edinburgh and there have been no problems. Short hop to Amsterdam , reasonably civilised airport there and on to Vancouver. Avoiding Heathrow is a big plus for us (and many others and that was before recent events). It would take a great deal to get me to route via Heathrow now and since KLM are always cheaper there is no reason to go BA/AC. The food is a bit iffy on the flight but they revamped the video system last year and even in cattle class the choice of entertainment was pretty good. Loads of films to choose from.
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lenniem wrote: |
...Check in 3 hrs before depatrure... |
Not any more. One thing BA has right is check-in times. If you check-in online before you leave home, you can roll up at the airport 45 minutes before departure on Canadian flights. Combine that with valet parking to solve the Heathrow parking chaos and your journey's off to a pretty relaxing start.
We usually use BA as the overall experience is less bad than with most airlines. But they do have some pretty severe downsides and I'm always a little nervous in the run-up to my trip with them. Here's why:
1. They strike much more frequently than most other airlines (we had to reschedule our skiing trip last year due to industrial action)
2. They only use overcrowded and uncomfortable London airports that are much more vulnerable to delays due to adverse weather or security alerts
3. Due to point 2, you have to allow a ridiculous amount of traffic-jam contingency to get to the airport
4. Probably also due to point 2, they lose more bags than almost any other mainstream airline
5. They have a bad track-record in customer care, as demonstrated by last winter's cavalier axing of flights leaving many skiers with accommodation but no transport
6. Similar to point 5, they don't care if they dishonour important parts of the package after you've booked. They did it to me last year with baggage allowances - my allowance was slashed after I'd booked my flight.
If all goes well, BA are great. But there's too much that can and often does go wrong.
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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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BA good, Heathrow bad
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