[Karl]

Heathrow 'should be phased out'

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')eathrow should be replaced with a new international airport to the east of London, a planning charity claims.

[MrBill]

I agree that Heathrow is a mess. I would sooner fly via any other third city to avoid changing planes at Heathrow, except for perhaps Charles de Gaulle. Frankfurt or Amsterdam are far better alternatives. The worst is flying into one terminal and flying out of another. Always a hassle and UK customs are never fun it you're shunted through the OTHER passports lines!

However, you really need to differentiate between the airport to serve the local area, in this case the City of London, and the regional hub airport that acts as a conduit for ongoing flights. The capacity constraints at Heathrow have a lot to do with the former and little to do about servicing London itself.

As a resident, I would resist any attempt to increase the size of the airport to accomodate through flights as they have done in Brussels. Why should residents put up with the noise early in the morning and late at night, plus the increases in all forms of traffic, to support an international hub? These types of hubs need to be build further away from large cities that by themself also generate a lot of air traffic and then linked with high speed rail links with no stops to major train terminals of which I consider Paddington wholly inadequate.

I would much sooner fly through London City airport, but alas more passengers means these small airports cannot keep up with demand and are of course a noise problem for their local area residents, too.

As for overall air traffic, I think in light of peak oil that runways should be designed to cut up to 10% fuel use on take-off and landing by sloping them, and other measures, such as cutting taxi times if no clear take-off window is available instead of pretending that there are enough slots for everyone as is now the case.

Also, discount flights although good for consumers do not cover the full cost of flying in terms of building and maintaining terminals, the cost of aircraft, of fuel, etc. The whole economic model is bogus. As air travel has expanded and more and more passengers are flying, the airlines and airports should be making money, and the majority of them are not. Something is terribly wrong and needs to be re-thought. Perhaps less flights, higher ticket prices and alternatives such as rail are the answer, but not a popular one with passengers for sure.

Point to point flights and less air travel would make it more enjoyable, and to heck with creating all those low paying jobs to service large airports for hub & spoke operations. False economies in the end.

[SoothSayer]

One night I flew into Heathrow with a German colleague.

He thought that Hounslow was London!

There is NO chance that it will ever be closed and moved.

Stupid idea.

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SoothSayer', 'O')ne night I flew into Heathrow with a German colleague.

He thought that Hounslow was London!

There is NO chance that it will ever be closed and moved.

Stupid idea.

[airstrip1]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '
')
Point to point flights and less air travel would make it more enjoyable, and to heck with creating all those low paying jobs to service large airports for hub & spoke operations. False economies in the end.

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('airstrip1', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '
')
Point to point flights and less air travel would make it more enjoyable, and to heck with creating all those low paying jobs to service large airports for hub & spoke operations. False economies in the end.

[cube]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '.')..
In the future, if you need a quick yardstick to judge whether a project is commerically viable, without subsidies and special protection or support from the government, there is one handy rule. If France is championing the project, no, it is not viable on its own! ( - ;

[lotrfan55345]

Well everyone knows that haute couture fasion housees always make their money from the masses with their ready-to-wear clothing lines. Which are still like $3000 a piece anyway.

[DigitalCubano]

I came across a funny little nugget when I was in a meeting with Boeing's recently-retired chief economist. When some folks did a study of housing prices around Heathrow they actually found the surrounding properties fetching higher prices than comparable units further from the airport. The insulation required to mitigate the noise has become a valuable selling point since it also reduces heating bills.

[DigitalCubano]

Mr. Bill, I couldn't agree with you more with regard to the A380 albatross. That aircraft basically represents the culmination of a decades-long pissing match with Boeing via the building of something larger than the successful 747. Once the euphoria of first flight died down, the cries of the critics finally started to gain some attention. Among them, why invest in an aircraft that you can only fly to select designations due to the required runway length, specialized gate design and concourse requirements? Only a state-sponsored development program could build that aircraft for the small niche it seeks to fill.

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '.')..
In the future, if you need a quick yardstick to judge whether a project is commerically viable, without subsidies and special protection or support from the government, there is one handy rule. If France is championing the project, no, it is not viable on its own! ( - ;

[SoothSayer]

The insulation required to mitigate the noise has become a valuable selling point since it also reduces heating bills.

I once visited a friend who had a 4th floor apartment at the runway edge. (Heathtrow).

It was amazing - you could see right into the cockpit almost face on as the aircraft lifted off. Just a few yards away. Every one or two minutes, all day.

They can keep their good insulation - I couldn't live like that!

(The appartment was council owned, in order to provide cheap housing for airport staff ... so I doubt that many of the really close ones are for sale)

Which reminds me ... someone else I knew lived in a house by the fence. He & his missus were sunbathing one day when a passenger jet tried to land on them. It apparently had a fuel pump failure during lift off, and the engines faded. The plane semi glided across the perimeter fence, knocked some chimney pots off ... and then the engines picked up again. It did an emergency landing back at the airport after some sort of U turn. The whole area was sealed of for inspection for a few hours by some sort of "accident police". Close call.

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '.')..
In the future, if you need a quick yardstick to judge whether a project is commerically viable, without subsidies and special protection or support from the government, there is one handy rule. If France is championing the project, no, it is not viable on its own! ( - ;

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DigitalCubano', 'M')r. Bill, I couldn't agree with you more with regard to the A380 albatross. That aircraft basically represents the culmination of a decades-long pissing match with Boeing via the building of something larger than the successful 747. Once the euphoria of first flight died down, the cries of the critics finally started to gain some attention. Among them, why invest in an aircraft that you can only fly to select designations due to the required runway length, specialized gate design and concourse requirements? Only a state-sponsored development program could build that aircraft for the small niche it seeks to fill.

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('airstrip1', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '
')
Point to point flights and less air travel would make it more enjoyable, and to heck with creating all those low paying jobs to service large airports for hub & spoke operations. False economies in the end.