[Anonymous]

[lloydah]

Reading a couple of the comments made in the Walliams/Lucas topic here made me think how really good that airport was only 15 years or so ago. We used to waltz into a nearly empty terminal, check in with Air UK and wait in a peaceful lounge, two children under 10yrs able to explore calmly and quietly while we’d be able to keep an eye on them from a distance. Somewhat different now.
Is it simply the number of people that make such a vast difference or a change in attitude/aspiration of those travelling? I know I’ll never use the place by choice again though.

[Tim2soza]

I agree, Stansted is a cesspit. Too much focus is placed on shopping and not enough on what an airport is for, e.g. seamless flow of passengers to/from their destinations.

[Kalicouk]

Without doubt Stansted is my most hated airport. And it has nothing to do with the ‘London’ in it’s title!

[VintageKrug]

I must have used it almost when it first opened when BA still operated from the airport.

The design was superb, a clear visible progress in a spacious, quiet and calm environment towards the aircraft.

Then, on my first and only Easyjet experience last year, BAA had ruined it by adding walls of small shops, ruining the interior space and cramping the style of the terminal.

I enjoyed the No. 1 Lounge, though. A saving grace and well worth a visit:

http://www.no1traveller.com/airport-lounges.htm

Despite the terminal layout being less than optimal, I have to say I didn’t have such a negative feeling as seems to be felt by many here; it was disgustingly early in the morning, though, so maybe I wasn’t paying too much attention.

Lots of T-shirt wearers, as I recall.

[Bunnahabhain]

Remember Air UK’s ads, that train > check-in > departures > boarding was in a straight line. Then a full meal tray on board a Fokker 100. The wonders of time travel. Oh yeah, and the train was quite good!

Sadly the hypnotist has now woken me up and it’s Ryanair city, a whole departure screen of places you can’t spell, can’t pronounce and most certainly can’t tell which country they’re in!

However imagine if the ghost of BT were to put BA there and FR in T5, and things could well be different. Home Counties North 1…. Ok that’s him swinging the pendulum again.

Look forward to 2011 being another astanstedic year for me. Unfortunately I can’t say the same for that other dump that is LGW south. VK as a token of our appreciation, we your fellow FFPosters would like to treat you (and Mrs Tarrant) to a free EZY or BE domestic flight into there – and will bag gate 10 for you – as long as you do a tried & tested without Tom’s removal of any adjectives.

[VintageKrug]

Thanks for the generous offer.

Whilst meeting the gracious and long suffering Mrs Tarrant would indeed be a pleasure, I fear Mr Tarrant’s chauffeur might get lost en route. We wouldn’t want any stick-poking going on as she emerged, fragrantly, and wafted silph-like towards the check-in, now would we?

Being persons who appreciate quality, I feel sure that Mrs Tarrant and I would both be of the same opinion; we would rather drink a cup of cold sick than voluntarily fly Lo-Co.

[NTarrant]

Now then Jim, Air UK what a blast from the past, formerly British Island Airways, I remember well the Dart Heralds on the SOU-JER route. Now the lines you mention were part of BIA’s logo.

Now I can’t remember was it BIA or Dan Air that ran the coach from London to Lydd, flight Lydd to Le Touquet and train Le Touquet to Paris?

Indeed VK Mrs T and I appreciate quality, Thomson Fly is as about as LoCo as we have got in the last five years, free or otherwise EZY no thanks. BE where are the free seats coming from? They must be the elusive rewards4none!

[Bunnahabhain]

Take it that’s a knock back then. The youth of today…

It’s actually not so much the airline or flight but the arrival that’s the worst, I wonder if BA ever had to use the south terminal if they would be able to influence the archaic experience that is pier 1.

Anyway, digressing to the wrong side of the home counties. If like me you’ve still got the BBC coverage of the Heathrow 50 fly past from 1996, they all take off from Stansted which the late Raymond Baxter drools over – for a moment at least!

Remember the flight it had to New York too!

[lloydah]

Oh yes, NTarrant, the BIA flights to the Channel Islands. I well remember being told by a friend who was a student teacher that they flew to the CIs for teaching practice. Sou/Jer. Wonderful, and they had an “informant” at the airport who used to phone them to say their supervisor was on the flight that day, so get all the paperwork up to scratch – or get off the beach.

[Author]

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