T5: Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here?

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Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 83 total)

  • VintageKrug
    Participant

    Frankly, every time I have to sully my Guccis on the hard surface of a public area I am thoroughly Disgusted.

    Air Malta always carries me to its luxurious multi-storey lounge complex in a barouche-landau, staffed by taxpayer-funded liveried flunkies with fresh Frangipani scent wafted by a slew of virgins in advance of my progress.

    Anything else is simply a disgrace. A disgrace, I tell you!

    *waddles off to film next series of “One Foot in the Grave”*


    DisgustedofSwieqi
    Participant

    The truth hurts, JordanD. Telling the truth is not BA/BAA bashing.

    As I said before, T5 is a slightly below par experience for a modern terminal. If you do not agree, why not put up a defence against MUC T2, rather than indulge in the cop out ‘xxxx bashing’, which in the UK is generally used as a generic deflection of fair comment.

    For the avoidance of doubt, the BA lounges are better than the LH lounges at MUC, so please compare the usability of the two terminals.

    Last time I used an IB lounge in T4S, I seem to remember one came up an escalator, turned left and walked straight to the lounge – very easy. And having used AF lounges in T2D at CDG heavily, a few years ago, I seem to remember that one cleared security and then walked straight to the lounge, not the crazy turn left, walk to the elevator, go down, walk ahead for 100m, go up etc. etc that Ben Hudson and PPSKrisFlyer mention.

    Malta International Airport is about 50 times more efficient than Heathrow will ever be and the total distance from kerb to aircraft is about the same as that from clearing security at T5 to the BA lounges!

    For a small airport, the lounge is pretty well done, too.

    One always has the choice of taxpayer subsidised Air Malta or taxpayer subsidised easyJet and Ryanair. Mind you, none of these airlines was given a free fleet of aircraft like BA, were they?

    By the way, VK, MIA has a single terminal that all airlines use and Air Malta does not have the same advantage as BA in having it’s own dedicated terminal.

    I thought you wore Charles Church shoes, getting a bit ‘co-respondent’ like in Gucci’s, aren’t you?


    VintageKrug
    Participant

    I think you’ll find it’s just “Church’s”. Mine are very comfortable, thank you.

    Charles Church is a homebuilder. But you knew that, didn’t you?


    DisgustedofSwieqi
    Participant

    VK

    You’ll find the irony pills next to the coppery pills on the 3rd shelf up.

    Take a couple and then you might get it.

    PS: Charles Church Developments Ltd is a homebuilder, that particular Charles Church was killed piloting a Spitfire, the irony does not relate to him, RIP


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    Touché Disgusted, Touché!! However I would have to disagree with one point you made regarding the lounge at MLA; it is pretty down right awful at the best of times. Other than that, tremendously efficient, friendly airport.


    DisgustedofSwieqi
    Participant

    Dutchyankee

    When did you visit last?

    The old lounge (turn left in the main terminal and it was further down on the LHS) was dreadful.

    This is the new one, as written up by BT when it opened 2 1/2 years ago http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/new-lounge-at-malta-international


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    DisgustedofSwieqi

    Are there two lounges? I recall using my Priority Pass for access, but do remember all the magazines were with stickers of Air Malta on them, there was a smoking ‘aquarium’ type space within the lounge with poor ventilation and overflowing ashtrays on the tables (I am not a smoker and am rarely offended by the smell of smoke, but here it was strong), very poor selection of food, and the seats were very crowded together. There was a real aquarium in the center which had the adhesive cleaning paddles on the glass which looked to have not been cleaned in a long while. This was last April and right after Emirates had boarded, so perhaps a bad moment right after it was probably very busy. I was flying Air Malta to Brussels.


    LPPSKrisflyer
    Participant

    I think the walk from south security to the south lounge in T5 does detract from the premium experience. It’s a hike with too many escalators and even on the first occasion when you realise the length of the walk for the direct distance you’ve covered it’s a surprise and after that just annoying.

    We should’t be surprised at BA cow-towing to BAA, they always have which given that they are BAAs biggest customer says there is something wrong with the relationship.

    I can still remember being told to turn up earlier to queue for security after the ridiculous liquids restrictions were brought in. When I asked BA why they weren’t demanding that BAA operated more efficiently, extended security areas and ripped out shops to do it my questions were met with absolute silence!

    I asked SQ the same question and on the next occasion I flew with them, I was provided with an escort through security and cleared it in three minutes; not something they could do for everyone but then high spending premium flyers are not ‘everyone’ they are special and need to be looked after!


    DisgustedofSwieqi
    Participant

    Dutchyankee

    You are definitely describing the new lounge.

    I haven’t noticed the shambles you describe, but I’m using it next week and I’ll have a more careful look and feedback any poor aspects to a director of the airport, who is an acquaintance.

    On reflection, I normally use it early in the morning, so maybe they have a problem cleaning during the day – as I’m checking in at 3pm, post EK108, it should be obvious.

    The Air Malta stickers on magazines is a little odd, as the lounge is not operated by Air Malta, but by MIA.


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    Thanks DisgustedofSwieqi, perhaps it was a bad day, or like I said after a fully loaded A330 of EK departing. I certainly haven’t used this lounge often, so I have no reason to doubt what you have said, and am sure it will be a better experience on my next trip. I love Malta, and I find the airport small, efficient, great and easy Duty Free shops, it does the job very well.


    DisgustedofSwieqi
    Participant

    dutchyankee

    Please keep coming, the islands need your money 😉

    But seriously, we also need to remember that we are part of Europe and to maintain appropriate standards, so critical feedback is important, as mediterranean’s tend to be a bit happy go lucky, me included after a few years living down this way.


    VintageKrug
    Participant

    Four years on, is everyone still happy with T5?

    I’ve seen a few positive references on this site of late and it does seem that it is positively viewed by us as passengers.


    Deleted_User
    Participant

    I always use the e-passport gates and arrive at the luggage carousel within minutes. It never fails to amaze me: either my bag is there already or it’s only a further few minutes before it comes out – much quicker than the other 3 terminals.


    AnthonyDunn
    Participant

    Speaking of Malta, doesn’t everyone arrive by yacht through the magnificent entrance into Grand Harbour, Valletta…? That knocks MLA into a cocked hat and is seriously to be recommended if you’ve not done this.

    Otherwise, when last passing through T5 w/out Snr Management (and therefore no access to the lounges), I was most taken with the Pimms’ sampling bar… By the time they’d “lined ’em up” for me, I was in a very agreeable frame of mind.

    The constant bleating about T5 (and much else around LHR etc.) comprehensively bemuses me. T5 is an order of magnitude improvement and for those who don’t like the place, perhaps they would be better off either taking themselves to the Bahamas or, alternatively, sampling some airports in central Asia for a reality check. On occasions, BT postings get to be so surreal in their lack of grounding that they start to mimic Jeremy Clarkson’s bizarre take on the world courtesy of his Top Gear lifestyle.


    HedgeFundFlyer
    Participant

    I am still broadly happy with T5, yes. My ciriticsms of it still stand, however.

    – It is a shame T5D was not built so that all of BA could be housed in one LHR Terminal.

    – A First section with dedicated drop off, check-in, security and route to the Concorde Room (think VS at T3 combined with BA at JFK) is a missed trick and would have given BA a huge advantage. If the white door was possible to the retail fiends at BAA, so would this have been.

    – The transit is not good enough for the busy times and a parallel walkway with moving platforms would have been a sensible relief option and something for those of us who enjoy a stroll before a 12 hour flight to use.

    That aside, it was and remains a step change over and above what BA had at T4/T1.

    When T2 opens next year, BA better be prepared for the loss of the inherent advntange exclusive use of T5 has given them.

Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 83 total)
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