Airport News

Bristol Airport to benefit from new Kiss Flights routes

Tue, 15 Sep, 2009

Demand for parking spaces at Bristol Airport looks almost certain to be greater next summer thanks to the launch of new flights.

Kiss Flights will introduce ten new routes from May 2010, with one of the most popular likely to be a weekly service to Skiathos.

Passengers will be pleased to learn that most of Kiss's flights will be operated during the day, with ticket prices including 15kgs hold baggage per seat.

Travellers flying from Bristol will be able to choose from the airline's routes to Corfu, Dalaman, Heraklion and Kefalonia.

The popular holiday destinations of Kos, Lanzarote, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife and Zante will also be serviced.

Kiss Flights' summer schedule will run until October.

Elsewhere, the carrier will launch flights to Sharm el Sheikh from East Midlands Airport on July 1st next year, a service that will remain operational until October 28th.

Kiss Flights also operates from London Gatwick and Manchester airports.

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Joe Evans



Council to consider Bristol airport parking plans

Wed, 17 Jun, 2009

Plans to expand airport parking in Bristol are to be considered by North Somerset council.

The airport expansion proposals include extensions to the terminal and more aircraft stands as well as additions to the airport parking capacity.

Chief executive of the airport Robert Sinclair said that the airport had gathered many opinions from local people and has a dedication to keeping carbon dioxide emissions no higher than they were in 2007.

The plans are intended to increase airport capacity to handle ten million passengers by 2016, while the airport says thousands of jobs would be created.

Passengers can get quotes for the cost of their airport parking over the internet as well as making a booking.

The airport accepts Visa Debit, Visa Credit, American Express, Switch/Maestro and Mastercard.

Bookings can be made as far in advance as 12 months but need to be carried out at least one calendar day before flying.

If an airport parking booking is changed or made through the call centre, a £2 fee applies.


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Joe Evans



Bristol in £600,000 airport parking improvements

Thu, 11 Jun, 2009

Airport parking in Bristol is set to undergo a £600,000 improvement scheme.

Spokesperson for Bristol Airport Tom Hack said: "By investing over half a million pounds in improving our car parks, we hope to further enhance the airport experience for passengers, providing a parking product to suit all needs and budgets."

The airport parking improvements include refurbishing the reception area of the long-stay Silver Zone car park as well as resurfacing it.

In addition, a new multi-storey car park will be built.

Users of airport parking this summer who book over the internet will be able to get more than £20 of discounts on products bought within the airport.

In May, Bristol Airport marked four years of the Continental Airlines service from the city to New York.

More than 320,000 people have used the service since its inception in 2005.

The airport celebrated by giving passengers refreshments from its Seafood Bar.



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Joe Evans



Bristol Airport passengers offered US deals

Thu, 21 May, 2009

Bristol Airport passengers have been offered a number of special deals on flights to the US.

The Continental Airlines routes run to New York and include connecting services to a number of destinations.

Travellers can head to Houston for £370.30, Washington DC for £337.30 and Miami for £335.30.

Other cities included in the deal are Baltimore, New York, Orlando, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

The firm has advised the prices are subject to availability.

Earlier this week, the hub celebrated its fourth year of transatlantic custom with the airline by offering customers drinks from its Seafood Bar and a goody bag.

Since beginning in May 2005, it has seen 320,000 people pass through its doors on their way to the States and is the only direct link from the south west and Wales to the country.

Those driving to the airport to take advantage of its parking facilities are advised it is located eight miles away from Bristol on the A38.

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Joe Evans



Bristol Airport gains new flights to "holiday paradise"

Fri, 24 Apr, 2009

Bristol Airport has gained a pair of new flights, including one to a destination it calls a "holiday paradise".

Egyptian city Sharm el-Sheik has received the praise, which can now be reached via Kiss Flights from the facility.

Run in association with Koral Blue Airlines, the Thursday service starts on July 2nd.

Outbound, the take off time is 11.40 BST, while its inbound counterpart is scheduled to take off at 07.00 BST and hit British soil at 10.50 BST.

The operator will also begin a Friday flight service to Tenerife on the following day (July 3rd).

"[It] has so much to offer from its warm sun-kissed sands to its non-stop party atmosphere. The island offers a host of activities such as golf and watersports," the company said.

The hub is located eight miles to the south of Bristol, just off the M5 and M4 motorways.

Those planning to use airport parking can input the post code BS48 3DY to find the quickest route.

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Joe Evans



Airport expansion 'will destroy jobs'

Wed, 11 Mar, 2009

Expanding airports in the west country will destroy thousands of jobs in the region, it has been claimed.

Campaigners protesting against the expansion said that by 2030, more than 64,000 jobs could be lost and cited research by the Aviation Environment Federation.

The study found that as more people decide to spend money abroad thanks to inexpensive air travel, jobs could be lost in the region.

The Western Morning News reported rejections of the claims by business figures.

According to Tim Jones, who chairs the Devon and Cornwall Business Council, airports in the area are "an excellent shop window" to bring in new business and create jobs.

He "completely rejected" the report.

Among its findings was the claim that in 2005, the difference between what air travellers spent abroad and what they spent in the regions was more than £1 billion.

Jamie Christon of Exeter International Airport said that the airport drove tourism and that some figures were ten years out of date.

Bristol Airport told the Bristol Evening Post that "fanciful economics" had been used to come to "misleading and inaccurate conclusions".


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Joe Evans



Noise problems not considered by airport expansion, say MPs

Thu, 05 Mar, 2009

Concerns have been raised by MPs about proposed expansions to Bristol Airport.

John Penrose and Liam Fox, both Conservative MPs, wrote a joint letter to Robert Sinclair, chief executive of the airport, on the issue.

While not opposing the plans, they expressed concern over problems such as noise or what the benefits to the area's economy would be given how matters have changed since the proposals were created.

Their letter pointed out that increasing passenger numbers could have a detrimental effect on "our already overstretched transport infrastructure".

Mr Sinclair said that the pre-application consultation gave residents and stakeholders a chance to make their worries known and stated: "These issues will not be ignored."

He asked the MPs to "keep an open mind".

Bristol Airport's car parking facility includes a secure system for paying over the internet.

Passengers can book their airport parking as well as Fly Thru security passes online.


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Joe Evans



Snow suspends Bristol flights

Fri, 06 Feb, 2009

Flights from Bristol International Airport have been suspended as a result of the weather conditions.

Heavy overnight falls of snow have been given as the reason.

The airport gave a list of arrivals and departures on its website that have been cancelled.

These include arrivals from locations such as Glasgow, Amsterdam and Dublin and departures for destinations that include Geneva, Paris and Malaga.

It has closed and also warns that people trying to reach the airport by road may experience delays.

Passengers have been told to contact their airlines for details about flights and road conditions.

In addition, the Flyer Coach service to the airport has also been stopped temporarily.

The Bristol Evening Post has reported details of traffic and road disruption caused by the heavy snowfall.

Some places in north Somerset have seen snow fall to a depth of seven inches and roads near to the airport have also been thickly covered.


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Joe Evans



Bristol treble for budget airline

Mon, 28 Apr, 2008

Low-cost carrier easyJet has begun flying to Biarritz, Olbia and Split from Bristol Airport.

The service to the Basque town of Biarritz will operate four times a week, with seats available from £19.99 one way.

Flights to the Sardinian town of Olbia will run three times a week, while passengers heading to the Croatian city of Split will be able to travel on Wednesdays or Saturdays. One-way fares are available from £21.99 and £23.99 respectively.

All three destinations offer easy access to a range of coastal resorts and Shaun Browne, head of route development for Bristol Airport, expects them to prove popular with holidaymakers.

"The three new easyJet routes provide more exciting options for the south-west's travellers, whether they are looking for a short break or a longer summer holiday," said Mr Browne.

A range of new services from Bristol Airport have been launched in recent weeks, including SAS flights to Oslo and a Lufthansa route to Frankfurt.

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Joe Evans



Air Southwest focuses on parking

Fri, 18 Apr, 2008

Budget carrier Air Southwest is hoping to use improved airport parking facilities to attract new customers.

The airline has moved to secure more convenient car parking spots for passengers at Bristol Airport, from where it operates routes to Manchester, Leeds-Bradford, Newquay and Jersey.

Its newly acquired parking spaces are directly opposite the terminal and anyone taking advantage of them will be able to walk to the check-in area in just minutes.

Meanwhile, another budget carrier Snowjet has announced plans to launch a new service from Bristol Airport to the French city of Chambery, which is a gateway to ski resorts such as Courchevel, Meribel, Tignes and Val d'Isere.

The route will operate every Saturday between December 20th 2008 and April 18th 2009, with seats available from £34 one way.

Included in the price is carriage for ski boots and either skis or a snowboard, in addition to the usual baggage allowance.

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Joe Evans



Stockholm service returns to Bristol

Thu, 20 Dec, 2007

Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) has confirmed it will resume flying between Bristol Airport and the Swedish capital Stockholm next summer.

The airline operated a service on same route during summer 2007 and its success persuaded SAS executives to reinstate the flights from June 27th 2008.

Fares on the service, which will fly on Mondays and Fridays, start from £49 one way including taxes.

Lars-Ove Filipson, general manager United Kingdom and Ireland for SAS, said he expects the route to prove as popular as it was in 2007.

"We saw large numbers of leisure and business travellers taking advantage of the new Swedish route and flying to this beautiful capital city for business trips, weekend escapes and city breaks," said Mr Filipson.

SAS confirmed last month that it is to launch a new service from Bristol Airport to Oslo in April 2008.

Tickets for the three times a week flights to the Norwegian capital are available from £39 one way including taxes.

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Joe Evans



Bristol to Toronto flights announced

Fri, 23 Nov, 2007

Low-cost airline Flyglobespan has announced it is to commence flying from Bristol Airport to the Canadian city of Toronto in May 2008.

The route to Hamilton Airport will operate on Mondays, with return tickets available from £315 including taxes.

Bristol Airport's aviation development director Tony Hallwood described adding another transatlantic service to its roster as "fantastic news".

"Canada is one of the destinations most frequently requested by our passengers, so we are delighted to be able to deliver a weekly service to Toronto," said Mr Hallwood.

He added that the flights would help to boost the south-west's tourist industry, as England is a popular destination with Canadian holidaymakers.

The Toronto service is one of a number of new routes that have already been confirmed for Bristol Airport next year, with others including Lufthansa flights to the German city of Frankfurt and Scandinavian Airlines System flights to the Norwegian capital Oslo.

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Joe Evans



Bristol to get Frankfurt flights

Tue, 06 Nov, 2007

Lufthansa has announced plans to start a new three times a day service between Bristol Airport and the German city of Frankfurt.

The first flight on the new route will take off on March 30th 2008, with tickets available from £39 one way, including taxes.

Frankfurt is one of Germany's financial centres and Tony Hallwood, aviation development director at Bristol Airport, believes the new service will prove popular with the south-west's business community.

Mr Hallwood explained: "The three times daily frequency will make day-long business trips to Frankfurt a reality."

The number of destinations that can be reached via Bristol Airport has risen in recent weeks, with easyJet commencing services to Lisbon, Gdansk and Funchal.

SAS has announced it will begin flying from Bristol Airport to the Norwegian capital Oslo in April and the following month low-cost carrier Ryanair is to commence services to the French towns of Bergerac, Beziers and Pau.

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Joe Evans



SAS to launch Bristol to Oslo service

Mon, 29 Oct, 2007

Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) has announced it is to open a new route between Bristol Airport and the Norwegian capital Oslo from April 1st 2008.

The new service will fly three times a week and tickets will be available in both economy and economy extra, so as to provide for holidaymakers and business travellers.

Lars-Ove Filipson, general manager for SAS in the United Kingdom and Ireland, said the airline had decided to launch the new service because of the popularity of its existing Bristol to Stockholm route.

Mr Filipson added: "We are expecting to see large numbers of leisure and business travellers taking advantage of the new route and flying to Oslo to explore Norway's beautiful capital city."

Passengers heading off to Scandinavia on holiday will be able to take advantage of the new environmentally-friendly buses which Bristol Airport brought into service earlier this month to ferry people between the airport parking areas and terminal building.

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Joe Evans



Regional airports 'provide boost to local area'

Tue, 16 Oct, 2007

Regional airports boost their localities by increasing access to the area, an industry development director said today.

Tony Hallwood, aviation development director at Bristol International Airport, made the comment as he revealed the benefits a new Bristol to New York service has brought.

According to Mr Hallwood, the daily flight - operated by Continental Airlines - has made New York "a convenient and affordable destination for business and leisure travellers across the south-west".

"At the same time, an increasing number of US visitors are also enjoying easier access to this region’s attractions, such as Bath, historic Bristol, the Cotswolds and Stonehenge," he added.

Other destinations that are easily accessible from Bristol airport include Paris and Amsterdam.

Budget airline Ryanair recently announced that it will be operating 20 new routes from the airport starting in November.

More than seven million people live within a two-hour driver from the airport.


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Joe Evans



Bristol celebrates Polish connection

Thu, 04 Oct, 2007

Bristol Airport has celebrated the start of a new route to Poland this week.

Passengers at the airport checking in for the inaugural flight were treated to a taste of Polish culture by the operator of the new service, easyJet, as a dance troupe and traditional food treats were laid on for lucky travellers.

The route will run three times a week to Warsaw - the country's historic capital - on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Furthermore, one lucky passenger was treated by the airline with two free tickets to visit Gdansk when this second new service to Poland commences on October 29th.

It is expected that the connection will be popular among travellers, with 40,000 people predicted to fly the route in the first 12 months of operation.

Bristol recently announced that local bands and performers would be allowed to play at the airport in a bid to keep visitors entertained while simultaneously promoting local talent.


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Joe Evans