11 nights left in the UK!!!! (Flight question)
May 10th 2004, 4:39 pm
#16
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
Originally posted by jaytee
Continental is a terrible airline for connections through Newark. They never leave on time to or from the airport and as such they make the connection 25% of the time which means a night at the Howard Johnson.
Continental is a terrible airline for connections through Newark. They never leave on time to or from the airport and as such they make the connection 25% of the time which means a night at the Howard Johnson.
I don't think Continental are that great anyway, but I only live 15 mins from Newark airport and it's the main airline which utilises this airport as one of their hubs. I only fly them on domestic routes if there is no alternative and would only now fly them across the Atlantic if I'm desperate! (I understand that they do have TVs on their routes into London and they do code-share with Virgin on a couple of their flights).
I'd love it if JetBlue flew out of Newark but little hopes of that happening and getting to and from JFK is a pain in the *rse. I'd love it if Richard Branson's hopes of getting a domestic budget airline of the ground come to fruition later this year...especially if he flies out of Newark (15 miles from New York City) as Virgin Atlantic fly there (it was his first route when he started it up; VS1 flies from LHR-EWR) and JetBlue has a huge JFK operation so I can't see too many budget airlines flying additional routes out of there .
Are there many (direct) flights between London and Atlanta? If there is no competition on the routes the prices always seem much higher - hence Continental's flights between BHX and EWR seem so high compared to what one would normally pay flying from London (and you get a crappy plane to boot!). Amazingly this fare for my mum was very close compared to flying from LHR and she only lives about 20 mins from Birmingham airport (which is between B'ham and Coventry) so she's a happy bunny today!
May 10th 2004, 4:44 pm
#17
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Location: Ireland--->London--->Spain--->Rockport, MA
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Delta's main hub is Atlanta. They fly direct to LGW and have been trying to get gates at LHR for years.
My sources tell me that Branson USA is a done deal but I don't know where the hub is yet.
My sources tell me that Branson USA is a done deal but I don't know where the hub is yet.
May 10th 2004, 4:53 pm
#18
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
Originally posted by sibsie
Delta's main hub is Atlanta. They fly direct to LGW and have been trying to get gates at LHR for years.
My sources tell me that Branson USA is a done deal but I don't know where the hub is yet.
Delta's main hub is Atlanta. They fly direct to LGW and have been trying to get gates at LHR for years.
My sources tell me that Branson USA is a done deal but I don't know where the hub is yet.
Anyone know where they're based and which 'hubs' they use?
May 10th 2004, 5:22 pm
#19
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Location: Ireland--->London--->Spain--->Rockport, MA
Posts: 3,353
Originally posted by Englishmum
Yes, I think he's trying to get the routes (and planes?) of the ailing US Airways.
Anyone know where they're based and which 'hubs' they use?
Yes, I think he's trying to get the routes (and planes?) of the ailing US Airways.
Anyone know where they're based and which 'hubs' they use?
May 10th 2004, 7:04 pm
#20
Maltesers, Flake, Mars
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Yorkshire to Sarasota
Posts: 251
Re: 11 nights left in the UK!!!! (Flight question)
Originally posted by sibsie
Amazingly it was Air France. I was stuck flying them when I lived in Spain and I hate them with a loathing.
Amazingly it was Air France. I was stuck flying them when I lived in Spain and I hate them with a loathing.
Auvoir Air France!!
May 10th 2004, 7:07 pm
#21
Maltesers, Flake, Mars
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Yorkshire to Sarasota
Posts: 251
I know I spelt it wrong.
Au revoir
Au revoir
May 10th 2004, 11:12 pm
#22
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Hey Big Vern! Oh my lawwd did I crack up at your post!!! I could just picture you all at the airport. LMAO! You poor poor lot! HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to you and Mrs Big Vern for making it without cracking. It certainly sounds like it was all worth it in the end - really really pleased for you 
I reckon between the the two of us we should have bought some shares in Gavisgon! I swear I drank a whole £6.99 bottle the day before we moved out.
Really hope your estate agent calls you soon with the news you want. We very nearly had to do the same as you and just go and leave the exchange behind so completely understand how frustrating that is. At least the Agent has to do all the show-rounds and you don't have to worry about constantly tidying up for viewings!
I'm off to have a look at the links you attached now. Make sure you keep me updated with how it's all going!
I reckon between the the two of us we should have bought some shares in Gavisgon! I swear I drank a whole £6.99 bottle the day before we moved out.
Really hope your estate agent calls you soon with the news you want. We very nearly had to do the same as you and just go and leave the exchange behind so completely understand how frustrating that is. At least the Agent has to do all the show-rounds and you don't have to worry about constantly tidying up for viewings!
I'm off to have a look at the links you attached now. Make sure you keep me updated with how it's all going!
Originally posted by Big Vern
Glad to hear you got rid of your house, ours is still not exchanged yet, which considering we arrived in NC last week is a very scary prospect. We've just taken the attitude, well, it'll happen when it happens...besides we got a whole lot of more interesting stuff to think about.
Those eleven days will fly...our last two weeks before we left last Sunday was probably the maddest, busiest, tiring and stressful two weeks I've ever had in my life.
The removal men arrived on the Friday, and took all our worldly goods off in a container. I'd spent the previous week ducking and diving trying to dispose of all of our electrical goods. One woman came round to buy a food mixer and I flogged her a washing machine while she was there! I even took a load of stuff to a car boot sale and flogged it there...
We stayed at my inlaws the Friday night, and the next day set off to stay in a hotel in Manchester in a convoy - two adults, three kids, five big Samsonite suitcases, six pieces of hand luggage and two child car seats!. On the big day, Sunday, my wi feand myself had to get all that lot onto a plane. Changed at Newark, had to walk miles to go through immigration (the Spanish Inquisition with fingerprints), and then pick up all the bags from the carousel, get through customs and get them on the conveyor for the next flight. That left 20 minutes to get to the plane. We then found out that the Charlotte plane went from the very furthest gate (doesn't it always) - the kids were shattered and we started to stuggle, I was carrying 4 bags and a car seat, my wife had the baby on her back and was carrying the rest and wrangling the children too. We must have looked in a state cos one of those guys in the electric cargo buggies took pity on us and gave us and the bags a lift to the gate!
In the meantime, the east coast was having the worst storms for donkey's years, and we were stuck circling Charlotte for a hour and a half. So the journey from the airport to the hotel was fraught to say the least cos the kids had definitely had enough by that point. The first night - and for the next few days - none of us slept very well and our body clocks were well out, but they're settled down now.
We're staying in a company on a managed estate, all trees and manicured lawns by Lake Norman near Cornelius NC, a huge manmade stretch of water with boats and coves and stuff.
http://www.apartmentguide.com/Proper...ropertyID=2638
I can quite honestly say the whole thing is much much better than I ever thought it would be - and I thought it would be good. Cornelius is a beautiful small town, North Carolina is green with lots of space, driving is easy - no jams! the boss lent us a car - a Dodge Durango 4wd beastie, so we've been able to get out and about. and most of all, I feel immediately at home. And yes, Patrick, I was an a**hole in the UK, so I'll continue to be an a**hole here - but a happy one!!
Yesterday we went up to Chimney Rock Park in western NC - http://www.chimneyrockpark.com/ which as you can see was pretty spectacular. NC has been having a freak heatwave for the last week, av. temps have been around 85, but hit 91 the other day. Phew! More beer please!
I'm so glad it's happening for you, Whatever - if it makes you as happy as it's made me, it's worth all the Gaviscon in the world... and there have been a few bottles of that cracked in recent months, my acid reflux was like the opening credits of Bonanza...
Joe
Glad to hear you got rid of your house, ours is still not exchanged yet, which considering we arrived in NC last week is a very scary prospect. We've just taken the attitude, well, it'll happen when it happens...besides we got a whole lot of more interesting stuff to think about.
Those eleven days will fly...our last two weeks before we left last Sunday was probably the maddest, busiest, tiring and stressful two weeks I've ever had in my life.
The removal men arrived on the Friday, and took all our worldly goods off in a container. I'd spent the previous week ducking and diving trying to dispose of all of our electrical goods. One woman came round to buy a food mixer and I flogged her a washing machine while she was there! I even took a load of stuff to a car boot sale and flogged it there...
We stayed at my inlaws the Friday night, and the next day set off to stay in a hotel in Manchester in a convoy - two adults, three kids, five big Samsonite suitcases, six pieces of hand luggage and two child car seats!. On the big day, Sunday, my wi feand myself had to get all that lot onto a plane. Changed at Newark, had to walk miles to go through immigration (the Spanish Inquisition with fingerprints), and then pick up all the bags from the carousel, get through customs and get them on the conveyor for the next flight. That left 20 minutes to get to the plane. We then found out that the Charlotte plane went from the very furthest gate (doesn't it always) - the kids were shattered and we started to stuggle, I was carrying 4 bags and a car seat, my wife had the baby on her back and was carrying the rest and wrangling the children too. We must have looked in a state cos one of those guys in the electric cargo buggies took pity on us and gave us and the bags a lift to the gate!
In the meantime, the east coast was having the worst storms for donkey's years, and we were stuck circling Charlotte for a hour and a half. So the journey from the airport to the hotel was fraught to say the least cos the kids had definitely had enough by that point. The first night - and for the next few days - none of us slept very well and our body clocks were well out, but they're settled down now.
We're staying in a company on a managed estate, all trees and manicured lawns by Lake Norman near Cornelius NC, a huge manmade stretch of water with boats and coves and stuff.
http://www.apartmentguide.com/Proper...ropertyID=2638
I can quite honestly say the whole thing is much much better than I ever thought it would be - and I thought it would be good. Cornelius is a beautiful small town, North Carolina is green with lots of space, driving is easy - no jams! the boss lent us a car - a Dodge Durango 4wd beastie, so we've been able to get out and about. and most of all, I feel immediately at home. And yes, Patrick, I was an a**hole in the UK, so I'll continue to be an a**hole here - but a happy one!!
Yesterday we went up to Chimney Rock Park in western NC - http://www.chimneyrockpark.com/ which as you can see was pretty spectacular. NC has been having a freak heatwave for the last week, av. temps have been around 85, but hit 91 the other day. Phew! More beer please!
I'm so glad it's happening for you, Whatever - if it makes you as happy as it's made me, it's worth all the Gaviscon in the world... and there have been a few bottles of that cracked in recent months, my acid reflux was like the opening credits of Bonanza...
Joe
May 10th 2004, 11:18 pm
#23
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Originally posted by doctor scrumpy
Nice to see u r finally going to get here ! Been a long time since we were all waiting for them visas last summer.
Nice to see u r finally going to get here ! Been a long time since we were all waiting for them visas last summer.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by rockgurl
Wishing you lots of luck with your move, whatever! These days will pass quickly and it will be so worth it when you finally land on American soil. The first few days are the strangest, when you finally have to accept that you live here now. Enjoy! [QUOTE]
Thanks for the luck Rockgurl - I keep lying in bed at night trying to imagine how's it's going to feel when we arrive and realise that this is it! I doubt I will fully understand until we actually do it - it's going to be SO weird :scared:
May 13th 2004, 2:18 am
#24
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Originally posted by Englishmum
I don't think Continental are that great anyway, but I only live 15 mins from Newark airport and it's the main airline which utilises this airport as one of their hubs. I only fly them on domestic routes if there is no alternative and would only now fly them across the Atlantic if I'm desperate! (I understand that they do have TVs on their routes into London and they do code-share with Virgin on a couple of their flights).
I'd love it if JetBlue flew out of Newark but little hopes of that happening and getting to and from JFK is a pain in the *rse. I'd love it if Richard Branson's hopes of getting a domestic budget airline of the ground come to fruition later this year...especially if he flies out of Newark (15 miles from New York City) as Virgin Atlantic fly there (it was his first route when he started it up; VS1 flies from LHR-EWR) and JetBlue has a huge JFK operation so I can't see too many budget airlines flying additional routes out of there .
Are there many (direct) flights between London and Atlanta? If there is no competition on the routes the prices always seem much higher - hence Continental's flights between BHX and EWR seem so high compared to what one would normally pay flying from London (and you get a crappy plane to boot!). Amazingly this fare for my mum was very close compared to flying from LHR and she only lives about 20 mins from Birmingham airport (which is between B'ham and Coventry) so she's a happy bunny today!
I don't think Continental are that great anyway, but I only live 15 mins from Newark airport and it's the main airline which utilises this airport as one of their hubs. I only fly them on domestic routes if there is no alternative and would only now fly them across the Atlantic if I'm desperate! (I understand that they do have TVs on their routes into London and they do code-share with Virgin on a couple of their flights).
I'd love it if JetBlue flew out of Newark but little hopes of that happening and getting to and from JFK is a pain in the *rse. I'd love it if Richard Branson's hopes of getting a domestic budget airline of the ground come to fruition later this year...especially if he flies out of Newark (15 miles from New York City) as Virgin Atlantic fly there (it was his first route when he started it up; VS1 flies from LHR-EWR) and JetBlue has a huge JFK operation so I can't see too many budget airlines flying additional routes out of there .
Are there many (direct) flights between London and Atlanta? If there is no competition on the routes the prices always seem much higher - hence Continental's flights between BHX and EWR seem so high compared to what one would normally pay flying from London (and you get a crappy plane to boot!). Amazingly this fare for my mum was very close compared to flying from LHR and she only lives about 20 mins from Birmingham airport (which is between B'ham and Coventry) so she's a happy bunny today!
As for Continental, what you say about Virgin being a partner airline is true, but they don't seem to want to make this widely known to the public. If you miss a connection at Newark, Continental will put you on the next Continental flight 24 hours later rather than an earlier Virgin flight to LHR, even when the Virgin flight has lots of empty seats. If you do manage to argue your way to the 8am flight with said partner Virgin.. you have to bust your ass to get out of the Howard Johnson to the flight in good time.. no time for breakfast.
That is not the end of your troubles because the transfer of baggage and tickets between the two airlines does not go smoothly through Newark (1. the fastest way to get your bags is to drive to the original destination and pick them up yourself and 2. for your return trip, Continental is initially confused and claims that you don't have a ticket and that you must purchase another)
Like you said, I will not fly that route with Continental again. I'll take anything that excludes flying with Continental through Newark. It is worth paying a little more for a different ticket.
Last edited by jaytee; May 13th 2004 at 2:02 pm.
May 13th 2004, 12:55 pm
#25
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Originally posted by Englishmum
..... US Airways.
Anyone know where they're based and which 'hubs' they use?
..... US Airways.
Anyone know where they're based and which 'hubs' they use?
Last edited by Pulaski; May 14th 2004 at 10:55 am.
May 13th 2004, 2:13 pm
#26
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Posts: 3,353
Originally posted by Pulaski
Washington Dulles International, and Charlotte, NC.
Washington Dulles International, and Charlotte, NC.
May 13th 2004, 3:10 pm
#27
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Originally posted by Pulaski
Washington Dulles International, and Charlotte, NC.
Washington Dulles International, and Charlotte, NC.
Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Washington National/Reagan Airport (not Dulles)
May 14th 2004, 11:00 am
#28
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Originally posted by AlisonPA
US Airways Hubs also include
Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Washington National/Reagan Airport (not Dulles)
US Airways Hubs also include
Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Washington National/Reagan Airport (not Dulles)
check para 3.
May 14th 2004, 12:51 pm
#29
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Originally posted by Pulaski
Boston and NY are not considered US Airways hubs, but, as I said above, Charoltte NC is. check para 3.
Boston and NY are not considered US Airways hubs, but, as I said above, Charoltte NC is.
check para 3.
May 14th 2004, 1:02 pm
#30
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US Airways are trying to lose Pittsburg as a hub. I'll shut up now. I'm boring myself.