 Poster: A snowHead
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Guys
Just to let you know that if you are flying with Easyjet, make sure you arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare.
Parking takes up to 30 minutes to do, the long stay car parks are several miles away, then the bus comes every 10 - 15 minutes, the journey can take 10 - 15 minutes in airport rush hour.
If taking the gatwick express from victoria arrives at the wrong terminal and it takes at least 15 minutes, but allow 20 minutes to switch terminal on the overhead rail train (they only come every 5 - 10 mins). btw, there is a special entrance at Victoria (around the back somewhere), that you go through and there is a short escalator to the platform - very handy.
My flight was 7am last Sunday morning, I arrived at Gatwick airport by 5.30am which was meant to give me 1hr 30mins to hang about, little did I know that there were loads of Easyjet flights leaving nearly about the same time and there were thousands of people fighting to get to the checkin desks. the queues at the desk had about 30 people in each and there must have been about 10 desks, plus another single line queue which wound half way around the airport that you had to join the back of before you were distributed to the individual checkin desk queues.
Checkin took nearly an hour....
Then the massive queue for passport control was about 300 people long. took about 20 mins
The reason the flights are cheap is because Easyjet are renting space at the furthest gates from the main terminal building - I had 10 minutes to run like mad to the gate which was seriously far away. I climbed on the plane just in time for the doors to shut behind me and it began to taxi out by the time I sat down. If I had walked it would have taken at least 15 minutes brisk walk.
I heard that the Plane departed without lots of people - it will not wait for anyone.
I did not have time to freshen up, visit shops in duty free or buy food and drink for the flight.
On the flight you do not get free food or drink, they sell it to you and also Easyjet's seating system is first come first served, so if you are late, you will probably have to split up - not nice for families (children being split up from their parents).
You have been warned
please keep this post alive at the front of the posts so we all can benefit from the advice.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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innerspaceservices, I'm no apologist for Easyjet and have often said that they're low cost not low price, but you are being a little harsh. Only leaving 90 mins on one of the busiest days of the year is cutting it fine. Parking arrangements and the position of LGW station isn't really anything to do with them and some of their flights still leave the south terminal.
If the plane did depart without lots of people then they must have all had hand baggage only. That's the only way that the plane could leave the moment you boarded without off loading any luggage belonging to those that didn't make it.
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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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Steve Sparks, You took the words right out of my mouth.
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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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| Quote: |
You have been warned
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I don't think there's anything in your post that most people don't know already, to be honest.
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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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Meanwhile the BA passenger (who has paid around the same money)... checked-in online 24 hours earlier and printed off boarding card... maybe stayed an extra hour in bed, swanned into T5 and strolled straight up to the fast bag drop where there is no mention of excess baggage, charging for skis etc, receives smile and proceeds straight to security where there is an unacceptable wait of 2 minutes. Does a bit of shopping, breakfast in Gordon Ramsey's place and a casual wander to the nearby gate. Sits with family on plane. Tucks into free breakfast deli and knocks back a few free G&Ts.
Isn't much of a start to a long-awaited holiday if your travel arrangements are stressy... and you expect the same carnage on the way home too.
Gatwick's peak time security queues are a joke regardless of what airline you're on. T5 rocks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bode Swiller, BA out of Heathrow is just fine, but I have two airports either 2 or 1.5 hours closer to me so I have to contend with other airlines, but Bristol and Cardiff tend to be ok from the queue point of view, shame BA dropped their Bristol flights a year or so ago 
innerspaceservices, Simple rule, get to the airport two hours before your flight and you will be ok, but thanks for the heads up on how tricky Gatwick can be and how long Easyjet queues can be at Gatwick
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Never use Ryanair and give EJ a miss if I can... I find checkin at Gatwick fine, it is EJ at other airports that really suck..like Geneva for example. Shoite airport doesn't help.
I'd rather take the train.
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I've never found EJ at Geneva to be the slightest problem - though, there again, I don't allow any of our visitors to travel at the weekend.  On the whole I think Geneva is an efficient airport - I've never known a strike there (unlike Grenoble) or poor visibility causing big diversions (unlike Chambery) and the baggage gets unloaded super quick. There was a Sunday a couple of years ago when it shut all day because of 10" of snow, but an unexpected snowfall will close any airport.
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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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pam w, Gebenva/easyjet is much better than it used to be, especially at the time when the automated check-in was in its infancy 
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the BA experience at GVA is quite pleasant - never any queues for checkin although having to do the security after the lounge is a bit of a pain
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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innerspaceservices, have you never watched airline ? 
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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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BAA just screw over LGW passengers, regardless of airline with their risible security capacity. Not particularly sleasyjets fault though they could push for better bang for their buck. EJ are culpable however for the lack of customer service agents to rebook flights which have been missed due to security delays etc and the attitude of some of the staff who are "talk to the hand".
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fatbob, or everyone could just get there in good time
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You know it makes sense.
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When the line for security snakes round the entire check-in area and there are scanners/arches not used I'd say BAA could step up a bit -allowing 1 hour plus through security is cowdoo.
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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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The OP might be considered helpful if posted 6 or 7 years ago...maybe its a small mercy that the usual baggage limits/cost issues weren't explored.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w,
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Geneva is an efficient airport...the baggage gets unloaded super quick
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Efficient? You cannot be serious. Poor signage to gates resulting in people forming massive queues for the wrong gates, insufficient seating space, clueless people on information desks (the only way we could get information on seriously delayed flights last time I was in Geneva, was by going to arrivals and consulting the boards there) and, last March outside school holidays, it took over an hour for the skis to be unloaded (I was travelling Swissair from City.) A truly dreadful airport, with almost every square inch devoted to selling watches, handbags etc, to the detriment of most other services.
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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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JT,  EasyJet at Geneva is a doddle. It's all automated. There are loads of those ticket producing machines. We didn't have to queue. It was the quickest check in I've ever done.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| I've never found EJ at Geneva to be the slightest problem - |
2 days ago it was mental...
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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telford_mike, why is that mental - takes about 10 - 15 mins to get through that amount of people  .
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A few weeks ago we found baggage offloading at Geneva to be very efficient.  The luggage started arriving within a few minutes. It was on a Friday though, Flew with EJ from Stansted, delays were all at Stansted and due to the weather.
On the return the security checks at Geneva were another matter!
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holidayloverxx,
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The whole place has improved significantly since March, now that much of the work is done.
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Good. I look forward to being pleasantly surprised! 
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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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Advice ? Fly from a nice Northern airport like East Midlands. Park up, walk 400 yards to the terminal, check in, drop the skis, bit of a queue for security but it is the Sat before Christmas, have a coffee
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Jerry, How can an airport in the East Midlands be Northern? you cock
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I was waiting for that - Northern in relation to Gatwick, me 'owd cocksparra! It's north of Watford gap, the southerners wouldn't know the difference. You fat tosser
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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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Jerry, pub quiz last night
Q) What do you call someone born with in the sound of Bow Bells
A) Yours truly............. "Waynkaaaaaaaahhh"
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Frosty the Snowman, 
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You know it makes sense.
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erica2004, Until EJ park the plane in some far off bay and it then becomes like herding cattle... The gate never opens on time so you are stuck down some god-forsaken lane waiting and waiting and waiting. Once you are through passport, there is nothing to do but browse crap shops... and not so many of them either.
Facilities are woeful for an international airport. Pretty happy to land there and get going quickly...just do NOT want to depart. The only good thing about it is that you are little more than an hour in the air for London airports.
I'd fly Southampton/Chambery any day...even with weather issues. I don't mind small airports but Geneva is hardly small and it can't handle the numbers anymore... I hate it.
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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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I either fly myself or drop or pick up visitors at Geneva more than a dozen times a year, and never had any problems. But, as I said above, I do avoid weekends. As for Chambery, I love it - during the week, and provided it's really good weather. Park outside for free. But the category of instrumentation (or whatever it is) at Chambery is not weather-tolerant. I agree that Geneva has no sensible shopping, but I never shop at airports anyway. And nobody who criticises Geneva's shopping could possibly laud that of Chambery. Last time I was there to drop someone for an early flight 6 people were fighting over the last croissant. I like the aeroplane hanging from the ceiling though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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and another thing - what's the thing about needing shops? You are there for a couple of hours max, if you've forgotten something it can be bought in resort, beyond that what does one need apart from refreshment? I'm quite happy to sit and read my book until boarding (pretend it's a train....it takes me longer to get to work some days )
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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 wrote: |
| telford_mike, why is that mental - takes about 10 - 15 mins to get through that amount of people . |
It took an hour to get that far. Not sure what the problem was - the auto check-in machines were working but the wait to drop off bags was interminable. At a guess there must have been something wrong with the baggage handling system but I'm not really sure what caused it.
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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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They were queing back to the top of the escalators to go through security at GVA an xmas eve, still only took about 20 mins.
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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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telford_mike, aah, though you just meant what you could see at security
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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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i have always been of the impression that 2 hours befor a flight to check in was the norm??
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
On the flight you do not get free food or drink, they sell it to you and also Easyjet's seating system is first come first served, so if you are late, you will probably have to split up - not nice for families (children being split up from their parents).
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What were you expecting? A glass of champagne on arrival, travel bag, flat bed, choice of movie and 5 course dinner (served on china)? There is a reason you can fly to Geneva for under £30 you know!!!
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Only flown once for skiing from the South, Stanstead, awful. A fair bit from Manchester, awful. Happily, live on the Wirral so Liverpool more often than not, never a problem. Birmingham is ok too. Geneva, paradise compared to Salzburg, esp homebound when it's like being in a B&Q loading bay. But I don't really care as they are means to a glorious end - the skiing hol!
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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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| Quote: |
Jerry, pub quiz last night
Q) What do you call someone born with in the sound of Bow Bells
A) Yours truly............. "Waynkaaaaaaaahhh"
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Interestingly (or not, depending on one's interest in the subject!) , my dad was born in Islington in 1939 and was born within the sound of Bow Bells. Probably one of the last of that era to be a true cockney as the bells were destroyed in the early part of the war and not restored until the sixties I believe. (I stand to be corrected on that though). I actually work right next door to Bow Church but I never seem to hear the bells these days although I'm sure they must still ring.
N.B. He wasn't a "Waynkaaaaaaaahhh" BTW. I'd ask him but he died of cancer a couple of years ago.
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FAQ
