Airport News
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.
SUMMER (UNTIL OCTOBER) 2020.
This airport info was compiled BEFORE our world went crazy. Assume that at least 50% of these will not be running, although Ryanair have just reopened 170 routes across France. Impossible to update admist a rapidly-chaning situation. Between quarantine and various restrictions, all you can do is keep your eyes on various airlines’ websites. If you receive a cancellation from an airline, check if they are operating flights on the days either side of the booking.
Last minute info: Early this year, Flybe sadly ceased operations, meaning that there will no longer be a flight from Southampton to Perpignan.
Bon voyage and bonne chance!
FRANCE
PERPIGNAN
After the usual quiet winter and early spring, direct UK flights are back on the menu at our local airport. Aer Lingus have increased their weekly flights from Dublin (with most departures at 05:50!) and there is still no Gatwisk service.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 20/10) |
| DUBLIN | 6 | AER LINGUS (19/05 – 12/09) |
| STANSTED | 4-5 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 24/10) |
BEZIERS
Like Carcassonne, Ryanair has a free run at this small airport.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BRISTOL | 3 | RYANAIR (30/03 – 23/10) |
| EDINBURGH | 2 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 21/10) |
| LUTON | 3 | RYANAIR (30/03 – 23/10) |
| MANCHESTER | 2 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) |
| STANSTED | 3 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 23/10) |
CARCASSONNE
Ryanair remains the sole operator here, with the Edinburgh service added in 2019, but Glasgow has now been dropped this year..
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| EAST MIDLANDS | 2 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) |
| EDINBURGH | 2 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) |
| MANCHESTER | 2 | RYANAIR (30/03 – 23/10) |
| STANSTED | 7 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) |
| CORK | 2 | RYANAIR (01/06- 31/08) |
| DUBLIN | 3 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) |
MONTPELLIER
Daily flights from Gatwick in the summer. If only they would move one of those flights to Perpignan! They also operate to Montpellier from Luton but only for a short period. Ryanair have pulled our of Montpellier completely.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| DUBLIN | 3 | AER LINGUS (20/05 – 15/09) |
| GATWICK | 11-14 | EASY JET (29/03 – 30/08) |
| LUTON | 3 | EASY JET (23/07 – 29/08° |
NIMES
Ryanair is the sole operator for P-O readers;
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| LUTON | 3 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) |
| STANSTED | 4 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 23/10) |
TOULOUSE / BLAGNAC
Ryanair are introducing a Dublin service in competition with Aer Lingus but they have ceased service to Edinburgh. Easy Jet have ceased the Luton service. Virgin Connect (formerly Flybe) have dropped their Manchester and Birmingham flights for the summer.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BRISTOL | 4-7 | EASY JET (29/03 – 30/08) |
| GATWICK | 16-18 | EASY JET (29/03 – 30/08) |
| HEATHROW | 28 | BRITISH AIRWAYS |
| STANSTED | 14 | RYANAIR (01/04 – 24/10) |
| DUBLIN | 3-6 | AER LINGUS (29/03 – 15/09) |
| 7 | RYANAIR (01/04 – 24/10) |
SPAIN
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.
A significant increase in the number of flights to Gatwick by Vueling, who have ceased their Cardiff service. However, Ryanair have introduced flights from Cardiff and are running plenty of flights to Dublin and Stansted. Jet2 have added flights from Brimingham, Glasgow and Leeds Bradford. Aer Lingus also run a thrice weekly Shannon service.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BELFAST | 5 | EASY JET (29-03 – 30/08) |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2 | JET2 |
| 9 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) | |
| BRISTOL | 12-14 | EASY JET (29-03 – 30/08) |
| CARDIFF | 2 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) |
| EAST MIDLANDS | 7 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 24/10) |
| EDINBURGH | 2 | NORWEGIAN (24/06 – 13/08) |
| 7 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 24/10) | |
| GATWICK | 40-42 | EASY JET (29-03 – 30/08) |
| 14 | NORWEGIAN (01/04 – 17/09) | |
| 49 | VUELING (29/03 – 24/10) | |
| GLASGOW INT’L | 2 | JET2 (29/03 – 24/10) |
| GLASGOW PRESTWICK | 6 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 24/10) |
| HEATHROW | 35-48 | BRITISH AIRWAYS |
| LEEDS BRADFORD | 2-4 | JET2 (29/03 – 24/10) |
| LIVERPOOL | 10-11 | EASY JET (29-03 – 30/08) |
| 6 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 24/10) | |
| LUTON | 21 | EASY JET (29-03 – 30/08) |
| MANCHESTER | 24 | JET2 |
| 2 | NORWEGIAN (30/03 – 16/10) | |
| 7 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 24/10) | |
| NEWCASTLE | 4-6 | EASY JET (29-03 – 30/08) |
| SOUTHEND | 4 | EASY JET (29-03 – 30/08) |
| STANSTED | 28 | RYANAIR (29/03 – 24/10) |
| CORK | 4-5 | AER LINGUS (30/04 – 15/09) |
| DUBLIN | 12 | AER LINGUS (29/03 – 15/09) |
| 18 | RYANAIR (01/04 – 24/10) | |
| SHANNON | 3 | AER LINGUS (02/05 – 26/09) |
GIRONA
Nice to see Ryanair still running from Girona despite rumours at the end of last year that they would be pulling out of the airport completely. Jet2 dominates.
| From | N° of weekly flights | Airline |
| BELFAST | 1 | JET2 (21/05 – 17/09) |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2 | JET2 (30/04 – 29/10) |
| EAST MIDLANDS | 2 | JET2 (22/05 – 26/10) |
| EDINBURGH | 2 | JET2 (22/05 – 19/10) |
| GATWICK | 2 | TUI (02/05 – 26/09) |
| GLASGOW INT’L | 2 | JET2 (03/05 – 21/10) |
| LEEDS BRADFORD | 3 | JET2 (30/04 – 01/11) |
| MANCHESTER | 2-4 | JET2 (01/05 – 31/10) |
| NEWCASTLE | 2 | JET2 (30/04 – 01/11) |
| STANSTED | 2-3 | JET2 (01/05 – 30/10) |
| 5 | RYANAIR (31/03 – 24/10) |
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
