with Robbie Shaw
Robbie Shaw lives near Gatwick where he was an Air Traffic Controller and travels regularly to his place in Collioure. His wife describes him as an ‘aviation geek’, just what we need in fact. 🙂
He travels all over the world photographing aircraft, and also keeps you up to date with flights between this region and UK & Irish airports, and any other airport news that seems relevant.
NOVEMBER 2019 – MARCH 2020.
The winter season starts after the last weekend in October. Some flights might operate into the first week of November. What is really noticeable is how few flights to the south of France there are in the winter compared to the summer months. Some airline schedules completely omit the south of France at this time of year.
The startling news is at Girona where, for the second winter running, there are no winter flights from either the UK or Ireland, incredible after a really busy summer. Once again Barcelona’s El Prat airport has the vast majority of traffic.
This information was amassed in late July 2019, so by the time you read these words things could have changed.
FRANCE
PERPIGNAN
Sad news is that yet again we have a winter with no direct UK flights or Irish flights.
BEZIERS
Like Carcassonne, Ryanair has a free run at this small airport.
| FROM; | NUMBER OF WEEKLY FLIGHTS | AIRLINE |
| LUTON |
2 |
RYANAIR |
CARCASSONNE
Ryanair remains the sole operator here, with three routes operating in the winter.
|
FROM; |
NUMBER OF WEEKLY FLIGHTS |
AIRLINE |
|
MANCHESTER |
2 |
RYANAIR |
|
STANSTED |
3 |
RYANAIR |
|
DUBLIN |
2 |
RYANAIR |
MONTPELLIER
The airport we use as easyJet has daily flights from Gatwick in the summer, and in fact this London airport is the only UK destination served this winter as the Luton service terminates in the autumn.
|
FROM ; |
NUMBER OF WEEKLY FLIGHTS |
AIRLINE |
|
GATWICK |
4 – 7 |
EASYJET |
NIMES
Ryanair is the sole operator for P-O readers, but not in the winter.
TOULOUSE / BLAGNAC
More flights to Toulouse from UK regional airport in the winter due to skiing opportunities, with Andorra not too far away. Ryanair has increased Stansted flights to twice daily. In contrast easyJet has reduced their flights from UK regional airports.
| FROM; | NUMBER OF WEEKLY FLIGHTS | AIRLINE |
| BRISTOL |
4 |
EASYJET |
| EDINBURGH |
2 |
RYANAIR |
| GATWICK |
14 |
EASYJET |
| HEATHROW |
20 |
BRITISH AIRWAYS |
| LUTON |
2 – 4 |
EASYJET |
| STANSTED |
14 |
RYANAIR |
| DUBLIN |
3 |
AER LINGUS |
BARCELONA / EL PRAT
As always a huge variety of flights to Barcelona, most of which run all year round, but with seasonal increases. For those unfamiliar, take care on the Barcelona ring-road, one wrong turn could be very time consuming. As you can see there is no shortage of flights to Barcelona.
New here is a daily Ryanair service from Luton, whilst the Manchester service has increased. Stansted too has increased to five flights a day. Vueling have increased their Gatwick flights to 43 a week, with some very good midweek fares. Both easyJet and Norwegian have increased their Gatwick flights giving an amazing 96 scheduled flights a week between Gatwick and Barcelona!
|
FROM; |
NUMBER OF WEEKLY FLIGHTS |
AIRLINE |
|
BIRMINGHAM |
7 |
RYANAIR |
|
BRISTOL |
9 |
EASYJET |
|
EDINBURGH |
6 |
RYANAIR |
|
GATWICK |
39 14 43 |
EASYJET NORWEGIAN VUELING |
|
GLASGOW INT’L |
2 |
JET2 |
|
HEATHROW |
52 |
BRITISH AIRWAYS |
|
LEEDS-BRADFORD |
2 – 4 |
JET2 |
|
LIVERPOOL |
6 3 |
EASYJET RYANAIR |
|
LUTON |
22 7 |
EASYJET RYANAIR |
|
MANCHESTER |
2 – 4 9 |
JET2 RYANAIR |
|
NEWCASTLE |
2 – 4 |
EASYJET |
|
SOUTHEND |
2 – 3 |
EASYJET |
|
STANSTED |
35 |
RYANAIR |
|
DUBLIN |
11 – 14 18 |
AER LINGUS RYANAIR |
GIRONA
A big fat zero. Some Jet2 flights operate into the first weekend in November then cease completely.
Ryanair has confirmed its intention to close the airline’s base in Girona airport from January 2020, blaming the decision on falling profits and the delay in the delivery of the grounded Boeing 737 MAX, that has left the company with 900 more pilots and crew than it needs. They added that Girona is not profitable in the winter season.
At the time of writing, (mid September) Ryanair has not yet identified which routes may continue to operate.
All being well, Jet2 will use Girona again next year.
Please note that these are the average number of flights per week, and will be variable in the shoulder and peak seasons, that is why you will sometimes see a minimum and maximum number listed. If you think I have missed any, please contact me on info@anglophone-direct.com. Please do bear in mind airline schedules do fluctuate.
AIRPORT TRANSPORT (correct early 2018 – please contact us with any no info)
PERPIGNAN
Bus/Train ……. The airport bus from Perpignan railway station takes about 20 mins and runs regularly from app 06.30 to 19.30 Mon to Sat, with a much reduced service on Suns and Holidays.
Taxi..…..3 taxi firms have the right to use the forecourt at Perpignan airport. Prices average about 2€50 per km, so fares for single trips to coastal resorts and the Alberes/Vallespir can be eye-watering !
Car..…… PGF is north of the city near Rivesaltes. Since the recent modernisation, parking supply is ample and costs around 40€ per week.
CARCASSONNE
Bus/Train.….you can travel to Carcassonne railway station from almost any station in P-O, but must usually change at Narbonne. From Carcassonne, there is a shuttle bus that individually connects with each flight departure and arrival. Single fare 5€.
Car.……The airport is right by jcn 23 of the A61 autoroute. There are 3 car parks: short, medium and long stay, and a week in the latter costs 40€.
BEZIERS
Bus/Train…….All trains from PO stations to Montpellier and beyond stop at Beziers. From there, there is a shuttle bus that individually connects with each departing and arriving flight. Single fare 1€60.
Car. …..the airport is close to jcn 35 of the A9 autoroute. There is ample parking right next to the terminal and costs 40€ per week.
GIRONA
www.aena.es/en/girona-costa-brava-airport
Bus/train ……… Not an easy airport to access by public transport anymore. A train from Perpignan will take you to Girona station, the easiest option from there being a taxi at around 40 euros. ( price not confirmed).
You can also take a bus to the airport from Girona’s bus station, not far from train station to the Girona Buses run every hour & travel time is 26 minutes. Check bus schedules HERE
Pick up Flixbus directly to the airport from Perpignan. Prices are reasonable but timetable can be constrictive
Car.…….The airport is right by jcn 8 of the AP7 autopista. Several car parking companies exist both on and off the airport, and the official on-airport car park do regular promotions. For example, at the time of writing, a prebooked stay of 7 to 20 days costs a flat 42€.
BARCELONA
www.aena.es/en/barcelona-airport
Train……. The new Barcelona Metro line L9 now serves both Terminal 1 and 2 but only from stations south of the city so is of limited use if coming from P-O . The suburban train R2 Nord runs from Sants station in the city every half hour, but serves only T2 . As regards accessing Barcelona by rail from P-O, there are 4 trains to/from Perpignan daily direct to Sants station, but unfortunately the earliest of these arrives Sants at 12.38 and the latest departs Sants at 16.45. A better bet is Figueres Vilafant (AVE) station which offers a virtually hourly service to Sants from 06.30 to 21.00 daily.
Bus….. The Aerobus runs from the Plaza de Catalunya in Barcelona city centre all day every 5 minutes to Terminal 1 and every 10 mins to Terminal 2. Perpicat (see Girona listings) run one morning service direct to Barcelona airport at a single fare of 50€ . There is a free green shuttle bus between terminals.
Car.…… Barcelona airport is on the south of the city just off the C31 autovia. I find that, generally, easiest access is via the AP7 toll road, continuing round the city onto the A2 autovia as far as the C31. Reckon on 2h15 mins from Le Boulou. Once there, parking options are vast. As a rule of thumb, the nearer the airport terminal, the more you’ll pay, but even at popular times you should need to pay no more than 8€ per day. I recommend looking at the official airport site, as there are often deals and promotions. For example at the time of writing prebooked up to 20 day stays in the main T1 multi storey just 3 minutes walk from the terminal were only 75€ ! Another option, particularly if you are catching an early flight is using one of the 4 local hotels that offer free shuttle buses direct to the terminals. You can leave your car free by the hotel, and usually rooms are available booking in advance for about 70€ . Try www.booking.com for details .
As I’ve stressed in this article, pre-booking tends to save you money, so a little pre-planning and flexibility usually pays dividends. But console yourself with the thought that, generally, transport and parking costs are a lot cheaper here than in the UK, where I’ve regularly paid more for my journey from East Anglia to Stansted than for the air ticket from Stansted to Perpignan !
TEST YOUR FRENCH (useful vocab at end)
Le président de Ryanair entre dans un pub et commande une Guinness.
“Ça fera un euro”, dit le serveur.
“C’est trois fois rien!”, pense O’Leary tandis qu’il laisse la pièce sur le bar.
“Dites, si vous n’êtes pas venu avec votre propre verre, il va falloir payer deux euros de plus”, fait remarquer le garçon.
Le président de Ryanair sort les pièces en grommelant, prend sa chope et se dirige vers une table lorsqu’il entend à nouveau:
“Si vous vous asseyez, c’est trois euros de plus et, comme vous n’avez pas fait de réservation, un supplément de deux euros vous est demandé.”
L’homme d’affaire irlandais, très contrarié, s’approche du garçon et lui lance :
“Tout ceci est un attrape-nigaud, je veux parler avec le responsable du pub”.
Le serveur lui sourit et répond:
“Vous ne pouvez le joindre que par courrier électronique !”.
A propos, si vous ne comptez pas laver votre verre, c’est deux euros de plus.
Et n’oubliez pas de tout ranger avant de partir.”
Vocab
C’est trois fois rien! – it’s nothing
tandis que – as/whilst
Dites – by the way
votre propre verre – your own glass (Votre verre propre – your clean glass)
il va falloir – you’ll have to
….sort les pièces – ….gets the coins out
en grommelant – grumbling
prend sa chope – takes his beer (chope – large beer glass or tankard)
lorsqu’elle – when
à nouveau – again
un attrape-nigaud – a con/trap
Vueling fly to London Gatwick and Dublin from Barcelona