Tuesday of last week, sunset at Gatwick Airport.
Posts Tagged ‘Gatwick’
Gatwick Airport sunset
March 21, 2023Sustainable Gatwick
February 8, 2023To make Gatwick Airport more sustainable would be to assume it is sustainable today. It is not.
The only way to increase the sustainability would be to reduce the number of flights.
Jamie’s Coffee Gatwick an embarrassment and a disgrace
October 7, 2021Once upon a time at Jamie’s Coffee there was an attempt to provide decent food and cakes. Not anymore.
The coffee was never good, cheap crap catering supply Italian coffee, now even worse cheap crap catering supply Italian coffee, LavAzza. The machines where once espresso machines, now automated machines. The result, disgusting undrinkable coffee.
How has this come to pass, Jamie Oliver passionate about food and drink?
What is depressing it does not have to be. Sussex spoilt for choice for coffee. Why is it not being showcased?
Gatwick Airport lax coronavirus biosecurity
October 7, 2021Not mandatory to wear a mask. Not even on the shuttle between terminals.
Passengers not wearing masks, staff not wearing masks.
M&S how many have touched the self-service touch screens?
EasyJet, lack of social distancing at check-in.
Passing through the airport mingling with passengers from God knows where, including high risk countries thanks to lax controls on entering the country.
Lack of covid-19 biosecurity Gatwick Airport
September 30, 2020Gatwick South Terminal deserted.
With so few flights, why night flights permitted?
What is shocking Gatwick Airport one of the country’s busiest airports or was is that with the exception of hand sanitiser stations scattered around a complete lack of covidd-19 biosecurity.
No temperature screening on entry to the airport. No temperature screening at check-in. I cannot comment security checks, passport control, boarding, as I did not get that far. Nor was there any covid-19 testing available at the airport, nor in the locality.
Airports and airlines whinge about 14 day quarantine for arrivals from high risk countries and yet fail to put there own house in order.
There should be temperature screening, anyone with high temperature refused boarding but officered the option of a cvid19 test. A fast turn around as at Rome airport where they test and have result in loess than 30 minutes.
I am not suggesting instead of 14 day quarantine, I am proposing in addition to.
We are in the middle of a pandemic with cases rapidly rising, but would not think so with the caviller attitude taken by airlines and airports. Schools have more stringent protocol in place that Gatwick.
Deserted Gatwick South Terminal
September 29, 2020Little traffic, Gatwick South Terminal not in use deserted.
If so few flights, why are night flights permitted?
Cappuccino and toastie at Jamie’s Coffee
October 5, 2019It is easy to see why Jamie’s Italian failed, a talented chef does not a successful chain make.
The same is true of Jamie’s Coffee at Gatwick North Terminal.
What started as a van, now a counter serving coffee, toasted sandwiches and cakes.
The coffee low quality Italian coffee, or was.
Not sure if still cheap Italian coffee as could not see what it was, but not good.
What is depressing is what could be.
Sussex and nearby Brighton no shortage of high quality coffee roasteries. This could be a coffee shop showcasing the best London, Sussex and Surrey has to offer on coffee, different rotation of guest coffee.
And you do not improve by wasting money on PR, improve by focusing on quality, buying speciality coffee, employing skilled baristas.
No trains Reading to Gatwick
July 10, 2019I thought leaving Oxford at 7-30 I would catch the same time train as I did a couple of weeks ago leaving at 6-30. Either I was too late or no CrossCountry train, which I had assumed runs hourly. Wait until 2006 and catch train for Paddington which stops at Reading.
Train ran slow. I just missed a train from Reading.
Next train at 2235, no trains for two hours for what is a service of two trains an hour.
What of trains to Gatwick, planes to catch, what alternative transport has been arranged? Nothing, no information, no announcements.
I was told to find a Duty Manager.
A train to Basingstoke, leaving at 2107. I could go a very long way round. Guard and driver see me not looking very happy. Asked what’s up, I told them. I asked could I catch the Basingstoke train. They said yes.
At Basingstoke just missed a train. Have to cross to a central platform to see display for trains, then cross back again. A girl came in late from Salisbury, next rain to Reading cancelled.
She asked did the train I was waiting for go to Woking. I said yes, then told her she had just missed a Woking train.
On reflection I realised if she wanted Reading, she wanted Wokingham not Woking.
I caught the train to Woking, then bus. Arrived home 2220, 15 minuted before the train would have left Reading had I waited two hours.
Nightmare. Go out anywhere, never know if will get back home. Last week stranded at Alton, no trains, all trains cancelled, no information.
Situation is not helped by stations not manned, or at large stations like Reading, no staff to be, no announcements, no apology. And no one cares, at least the train companies do not care. The staff are almost begging for the trains to be taken into public ownership as they a see on a daily basis how bad the service has become.
Nightmare GWR trains from Reading to Redhill and Gatwick
November 19, 2018At every location on a visit to Reading, I stay far longer than intended. I will not make 4-30 train. Not even 6-30. I go for 1902 to find cancelled.
Then the nightmare begins, no trains, no announcements, no explanation, no apology.
Next train for Gatwick, showing twenty minutes late.
Next train an hour later, comes into wrong platform.
As by now frozen decide to catch this train, even if later, as appears to be on time, as at least I can sit on a warm train out of the cold.
During this time no announcements.
Train does not leave on time. Train does not leave, told to catch earlier train which has now arrived and is sitting at the station. It does not leave either. After a long delay, it pulls out of the station, only to stop 100m from the station, where its sits.
Arrive North Camp Station at 2115. If trains running normally, approximately 30 minutes from Reading depending upon fast or slow train.
A man got off the train at North Camp, hoping to pick up stopping train to Ash. Only problem, there were no stopping trains. Whilst on the train, passengers to Ash should have been advised to continue to Guildford, then pick yo a train back to Ash, either on Reading or Aldershot line. I advised he walked to Ash Vale, caught train to Aldershot then to Ash.
There were no announcements to advise passengers what was happening, no apology.
There should have been a bus running to Gatwick.
And this was not a one off.
In September, on at least two Fridays in a row, no Gatwick trains were running. No announcements, no advice to catch Redhill train, then change.
On the last day of October, last train from Gatwick cancelleld. No information at Gatwick on replacement bus or from where to catch.
Train indicator at North Camp has not worked since June. GWR refusing to pay the £5000 to repair.
Not only GWR.
South West Railways too.
During the morning, no trains to and from Waterloo.
A couple of weeks ago, no trains at Guildford, apparently broken down train at Clapham Junction.
Last week in the evening no trains at Alton. Broken down train at Clapham Junction.
September, train from Portsmouth Harbour cancelled.
Every Saturday, no trains due to guards on strike.
Other rail companies as bad.
Three times in September on East Coast Mainline, now run by LNER following disastrous performance by Virgin, trains delayed, connections missed.
Then there is Southern Fail and Northern Fail, appalling service during the summer, missed connections, delays of hours.
Trains with no working toilets.
We have a Third World train service with extortionate fares.
Beginning of January we will see train fares hiked double the rate of inflation, with rail companies telling us service has improved.
Rail fares must be frozen for the foreseeable future.
Rail must be taken back into pubic ownership, the gravy train of HS2 scrapped.
It will cost nothing as default at end of franchise.
Failing companies must be stripped of their franchise.
Note: There were no trains from Farnborough North for fours hours.
Note: GWR consider a delay of two hours to be acceptable.
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