headhunterke

LHR is a zoo, specially during rush hour.

I've already spent 1.30hrs in line at security. And that was the "Priority" line.

For your bags it should be quite ok. But for yourselves, it might be a challenge. Because that 1.55hrs includes getting off the plane, walking and security. And the time your flight leaves is the departure time. In all fairness, I think you still need to substract about 10mins because that is when most airlines start their offloading procedure. So if your flight comes in on time, you'd have a connecting time of 1.45hrs, maximum.

I'd go for the 4 hours connecting time if you don't want any additional stress.

But on the other hand, things might just be fine as well. Just my personal experiences above.

You can't go wrong with Turkish. While I like Lufthansa as well, they also tend to strike often. They only drawback with Turkish is you have to fly into Istanbul, which is way out of route when going to the US/South America.

But you can always add a couple of days visiting Istanbul.

I (partialy) work for Air Malta, so that's why I have it in my avatar. But I haven't been there. It's also on my bucket list, so let us know how it was :-)

My flight is GRU/LIS LIS/FCO on the way to our cruise and then IST/LIS LIS/GRU on the way back. Luckily my flight is at the end of May ... But am keeping my fingers crossed and my eyes on things.

Sorry for the delayed answer, but I've been very, very busy at work.

Currently, the TAP strike ends on May, 11th.

Although, it's very unclear what the exact plan of the French ATC is. Negotiations are undergoing, but if these don't succeed, I think there's a very real possibility for other strikes by them.

But let's wait it out at the moment. Things look pretty ok for you now ;-)

I'll keep my fingers crossed together with you :-)

May is going to be a pretty "busy" month full of strikes here in Europe. French Air Traffic Control will also have a massive strike from the end of April to the begining of May with possible further strikes during the rest of May if the issues are not resolved.

It's not going to be pretty. Leave well prepared. Try to list as many alternate routings if possible (and try to avoid flying over French airspace if possible)

As for the TAP strike, they tend to operate some flights anyway, but it's very hard to predict in advance which ones.

I'll keep my fingers crossed. Not just for you, but also a bit for myself as these strikes give everyone in the industry that isn't striking a major headache.

Well, Montreal is on my bucket list, so I'll be in touch when the planning starts. Thanks for the offer :-)

Hi realtrip, I just got back from work and briefly spoke to my colleague about your issue.

She told me Air Canada does not have the priority passes for border control in BRU (except for some VIP's in some cases)

So I'm afraid there's not much we can do for you :(

I'll cross my fingers your inbound flight will land a little ahead of schedule. Safe travels!

Anytime, realtrip :-)

I've mailed my colleague about it but she on a 3 day leave. Once she gets back in the office, she will get back to me, so just a little patience ;-)

Well, 10 minutes are a world of difference when dealing with airlines.

As for those passes, I will ask a a former colleague who is now a station supervisor for AC here at BRU. I will send her a message and I'll get back to you asap :-)

Guess what, my dad just got sick from the norovirus. And the poor man hasn't ever set foot on a cruise ship. Ever.

It's the same thing with the airline industry. Every little incident is now a major news coverage...

Brussels has opened its new connector building which cuts the walking time to the A terminal almost in half.

HOWEVER: if you have some bad luck, your plane will be parked near the end of the A terminal and you still have to walk 20-30 minutes from the moment you exit your first plane. Immigration at BRU can often be a zoo (specially for a rather small airport) and waiting times of 1 hour are no exception during the morning rush. And your arrival time is the start of this rush at the immigration. So if your flight is slightly late, you could end up right in between all the inbound flights from the US. When you arrive on time it should be rather calm (if all flights operate on normal schedule) but as I've said, a few minutes can make a huge difference.

Some airlines give priority passes for immigration (upon disembarkation) to those with tight connections. But I don't know if Air Canada uses these.

The 55min. is within the Minimum Legal Connecting time (unless I've missed an email about this) so if you miss you flight when your inbound flight is on time, you're pretty much left to the grace of the ticket agent if you'll need to pay the change fee or not.

But as others have said, there are several flights going to VCE.

Departure times for these are 1350 & 2045 local time. Both of these flight operated by SN (alliance partner of AC, so you're safe on that one)

So, long story short, it will all depend if your inbound flight makes it to BRU on time and how busy it will be at immigrations.

Well, there's a very, very thin line there.

Is this your first time to the island? If so, I can highly recommend a tour around the Island. Most ships offer a pretty extensive tour which covers both the Dutch & French side. If you want to have more freedom, you can always rent a taxi or book a tour through an independant supplier.

If you have been here before, you can easily get to St. Bart's (if you have enough time ashore that is) and discover this as well.

St. Maarten is home to the famous airport where jumbo's fly feet above the beach and a cab there is fairly inexpensive.

St. Maarten is great for shopping (specially on Front & Back Street) souvenirs and they've got some great spices & hot sauces. Near Marigot (the capital of the French part), you'll find a flea market and there's a little mall across the street as well.

You can also opt to make your way up to the castle (Fort St. Louis) where you got a great view.

Plenty of things to do, so I think you'll need to specify what kind of people (beach, culture, shopping, adventure,...) you are in order to get some better info on this.

People (in general; of course some do) will not pay more for something extra if they can get something cheaper with less comfort. Back in the days, when food was free on pretty much any airline (and food was pretty good) airlines started to look for a way to reduce costs because people (once again, in general) started complaining prices were to high. So they lowered their prices but cut the cost of food. This went on to the point food on a plane is pretty much worthless except for some J & F class products.

After the food, people were still looking for cheaper fares so the airlines started cramming more seats into their planes. And the funny thing is, the people that keep looking for cheaper fares are the ones complaining there isn't enough space on board, the food is worthless and you need to pay for entertainment.

Those willing to pay more for a small extra can, but these people are limited in numbers. Even though planes often fly with a quite packed economy comfort (or plus or whatever the particular airline calls it), a lot of these seats are sort of upgraded when the flight is full in the normal economy cabin. That is why these seats are limited. It's because most people will always look for the cheapest option available. I have a number of flights every day that have economy comfort. You'd be shocked to see how low the bookings for the cabin are on a lot of occasions.

Perfect example: Last week I got a passenger who was flying from Brussels to Moscow and on to LAX. Not a frequent flyer on a mileage run or something, no. Just a guy going on a holiday who saved about €100 but had an 18 hour layover in Moscow. And he was not intending to get a hotel room for that layover. My point: what is more valuable: Sleeping on the floor of an airport or spending some extra money in order to get to your destination without flying across an entire continent just to fly over it again 18 hours later.

This might sound a bit rude, but if need to watch money like that, maybe you shouldn't make these kind of trips at all and take a vacation closer at home at a cheaper price.

This is a pretty extreme example, but it shows how crazy people get (and don't think any further than the price) when money's involved.

@Don, some airlines already have a POS (passenger of size) rule but are afraid to enforce it because of all the bad publicity. But to be honest, in my 5 year aviation career I have yet got to see a European airline that uses that rule. I know some US based airlines do use them.

 

2. On one ship several years ago, someone had an accident in the Spa swimming pool. We had to close and drain the pool, super-sanitize, and re-fill it on a sea day. One of our senior cruisers burst in to my office, screaming at me about closing the pool. I apologized and explained that someone had an episode of diarrhea in the pool and it had to be closed for health reasons. She replied that we had no authority to decide if she should be allowed to swim in a pool with human excrement in it. That decision should have been hers to make.

 

For one of the first times in my career, I had no answer for her.

I work in the airline industry, so I've heard my fair deal of stupid things, but I think yours just topped about every single one :eek:

If I would have heard that woman complaining, I would have been happy to give her a toothbrush, a bucket and a list of all the public toilets. If she likes to swim between feces, she might as well help the crew clean these toilets. Just curious, how did that conversation end?

Ok, but don't you just hate it when you get all wet in the water? I would make a formal complaint just to make sure everyone is aware of these unhumane conditions when snorkeling. Lol, at times you really wonder if these people are serious.

Exactly :D

A colleague of mine already took his fair share of cruises. He just returned from a cruise with Princess and he met a couple that were actually complaining about the lack of windows in their inside cabin...

I spoke to the Lido Manager(not sure if that is the correct title) and explained what had occurred. He was appalled by the staff members actions and assured me the matter would be dealt with. He stated that there are never any reservations given for tables in the Lido.

 

I did see the group of young women searching for a table on other mornings, just like the rest of us.

 

I am perfectly willing to share a six top if anyone wants that but I do not want to be moved to a less desirable location for a special group.

 

First come, first choice of location and table.

That is true. I don't like to share a table with someone I don't know at the Lido when I'm traveling solo, but I don't take any big tables. I feel it is your good right to take on if you want so and don't mind sharing. It would be a different thing if you would object if someone would sit down.

I am totally with you on this one, I wouldn't be happy either.

The only case where I would give up me seat is when someone with reduced mobility or a scooter needs it for obvious reasons. Then I'll be more than happy to move.

A lot of airlines also have immovable armrests at end of the plane where the middle block only has 3 seats instead of 4. So if you want to reduce the chance of having immovable armrests, try to stay away from the seats D, E & G near the last rows of the plane.

I haven't flown AZ on a long haul route, so I can not say anything about the rest of the seats, but I thought you should know this.

Except for Zach on last post, the rest of you need to reflect on your negative comments. I never cease to be amazed at some of the nasty replies from you "experts". Wish everyone could be as smart as you guys! This posting will probably be deleted but I feel better venting about some of you people.:mad:

Have you ever been in a plane that had a less smooth landing? And then I'm not saying a little shaking. Believe me, it's common sense to realise getting up during take off and landing is potentialy fatal. Why do you think even crew members sit down? If you've ever talked to anyone who flies a couple of times, you'll hear the same story over and over again. And you know why? Because it's true. What will you do when the plane slips off the runway, the landing gear collapses, the captain has to abort landing and make a 2nd attempt,...

These chances are VERY real. It's plain ignorance if you do not realise that. You can get serious injuries or even death if something goes wrong.. It's like people jumping in front of trains when they are approaching only to jump away at the last second. It's just a stupid thing to do and you do not have to be a so called expert like us, as you so kindly put it, to know.

I have noticed this around several airlines as well. I know the company I work for has no such rules, but quite some pilots make the announcement out of own will.

Some people should just stay at home. If you don't realize you need to sit down during landen, you'll be having serious issues raising a kid as well. Seriously, knowing you have to sit down during landing isn't rocketscience.

I fly quite a bit for work and it amazes me every time how many people actualy feel the urge to get down to the toilet during final approach. And not just for the shorter flights, it even happens on flights of +10hrs. Because in that time, there wasn't a single opportunity to get down to the lav...

I am sorry that you are experiencing this. When I was aboard the Noordam from January 5th to the 26th, while I enjoyed my cruise, I was really disappointed in what I felt were ship management issues in some areas. I expressed my feelings to Mr. Ashford upon my return.

 

I would request to speak with the Guest Relations Manager. I should have done so when I was aboard and did not do so. A different Master is at the helm since January, but I wonder if the same Hotel Director is still there and if he is not the problem.

 

I was aboard the Carnival Miracle on the cruise prior to when she went into drydock at Freeport and the cruise was great with no passenger problems due to the drydock (other than they ran out of the wines in my package, but I received even better quality substitutes)!

 

What is wrong with HAL these days!!

Thank you. I thought I was the only one noticing some issues on that cruise. In the morning, crew started hitting metal railings right outside my cabin (I had an obstructed oceanview on deck 4) for repairs to the lifeboat mechanisms. 3 or 4 time, without any warning. I understand repairs need to happen, but why not do these loud things in the afternoon or at least inform guests in the area. I was awakened rudely by the metal hitting at least 3 times.

While I enjoyed my cruise and most of the staff, it was very clear there were quite some changes behind the scenes and among the officers/supervisors.

As you probably know, nobody can predict weather. However, it tends to be pretty hot with a little (but heavy shower) every now and then. At least, that's how I experienced it during 2 cruises in March. Bring sunscreen and apply generously. The sun 'burned' the print of my shirt onto my chest. Quite funny to see, actually :-)

Something like train travel. In the "old" days, you were fed, as you were a "captive audience", but now you have to pay. And even the airlines are charging extra for food.

I don't think that's a fair comparison, specially for the airline part.

Flights where you have to pay for food rarely pass the 5 hour (unless you have connecting flights or crazy layovers) mark while a cruise tends to be just a little longer than that. I don't find anything wrong with airlines charging for food on flights which only lasts a few hours.