Marvin Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 See the flight from Faroe is delayed today due to fog there. I don't imagine for one moment that they will consider their future there though. I had a similar problem the last time I flew to Faroe from Aberdeen. The thing is though they diverted to Bergen........! They (Atlantic Airways) then bussed us 2 hours to Voss and then couldn't get a bus to take us back the next morning until 10am. I got to Faroe eventually and then my return flight to Copenhagen was cancelled for no reason so they put me to Stavanger where I had to catch a different flight to Copenhagen... The Faroese people (and airline) are just as used to disrupted travel as we are..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trout Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Sumburgh is a misty hole o sharn (pardon my french). They should of built shetland's main airport wast of the Weisdale hill, there's far less misty days oot wast! mind... West is Best! It's funny I have heard this quite a bit. I would tend to agree with it too. The fact that it would descimate "da ness" is probably why it's never been done?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewMagnie Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 The fact that it would cost millions when shetland is awash with semi serviceable airports is probably why its never been done. Although, the semi sacred status of the Ness folk's employment has figured in decisions about Shetland's airports previously. For example, when Shell wanted to move from Sumburgh to Unst in 96 the SIC refused permission largely on this basis. Shell's reaction? Told the SIC to get stuffed and promptly decamped to Aberdeen. Nice one, Slim... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Speaking of Unst, they've got that nice airstrip in Baltasound... and it would certainly help local employment and revenues on the Ferry to Yell and the Mainland! Pity it's not next to the RAF buildings... (does that airstrip ever get used anymore??) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewMagnie Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Kept up on a care and maintenance basis for the air ambulance to the best of my knowledge. The Hanger's used for storing gritters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Sumburgh is a misty hole o sharn (pardon my french). They should of built shetland's main airport wast of the Weisdale hill, there's far less misty days oot wast! mind... West is Best! It's funny I have heard this quite a bit. I would tend to agree with it too. The fact that it would descimate "da ness" is probably why it's never been done?! Considering the scale of operations currently at Sumburgh, and the number of genuine locals employed there, as opposed to transplants who came for the job they have, and almost always invariably move on when it's done, or they take their next step on the career ladder, "decimation" is becoming a pretty weak argument. Certainly it would be very unwelcome, and would have some impact, but I cannot envision any local business closing down because of it, unless maybe the maintenance contractor, or the dole queue lengthening markedly. The Ness nooadais is becoming more and more the base for commuters employed in the toon. There would be payback in winter though for moving the airport north though, quite often we can see Waas lying white with snow on the norwast horizon when we're on clean gound and several degrees above freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Read on Shetland News that Atlantic Airways are considering their future with Shetland due to the all the fog. When we took some friends to catch their flight home to Manchester via Aberdeen (Loganair/BA), we were told the plane was cancelled due to the low cloud/fog. They said the airport equipment normally used for this weather situation (automatic landing) was being updated so could not be used so no flights in or out as the pilots had to land on visual info only (ie none!). I am worried that Atlantic Airways will make a decision about the viability on the Shetland route based on the fact that Sumburgh airport, for their own reasons, decided to update their fog equipment in the foggiest months of the year while having no back-up system available! Has anyone else been given this excuse by Loganair/BA? Seems utterly ridiculous to me! F interesting to hear today that Atlantic A could not get to shetland today because of fog in fayro, wonder if they will consider cutting that bit out too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynnie Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Took five attempts before we were able to finally land at Sumburgh An alternative has to be good.... 8O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penfold Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 There are many reasons why it makes sense to have both Scatsta operational as well as Sumburgh, the main one from the veiw of the paying public is that they are able to make landfall on shetland at one or the other airports. But having worked at both airports I would say that Scatsta has overall more limitations than sumburgh, I waited in Scatsta as many days because the cloud base was to low, not misty or foggy but just low cloud with planes flying over head and then having to hotfoot it to Sumburgh where it was just as bad but with the better landing aids there the planes could land, as i did waiting at Sumburgh because it was misty or foggy and having to head to Scatsta to operate. Also there isn't the infrastructure at Scatsta to operate the oil charters and the scheduled services and the mail plane, private flights, Search and rescue and other charters such as boats crew changes and freight flights and Atlantic Airways, so the operators of the airfield ie the oil companies would have to foot the bill, which it is not in their nature to do so then the council would step in?, then we could all write to the times or post on here and complain as to why after all the money that had been spent cant planes land when the weather is below the required minima at Scatsta. Personally when its poor weather id rather attempt to land on a runway with a instrument landing system and a clear climb out over water at both ends, than fly over a constricted approach either over a oil storage facility at one end and high ground at the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances144 Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 The boat is full to bursting tonight. They have turned away alot of the flights north (closed for fog in Scotland). Was the P&O boat ever so full they turned folk away? F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sludgegulper Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Below is an email that was sent by me tonight to Atlantic Airways. Please do send some yourselves........................................................................................................ To whom it may concern My daughter, husband & grandson (the Watson family) are stranded in Aberdeen airport this evening. She is 4 months pregnant and came on the phone crying that the boat had left Aberdeen without all the passengers that got taken round to the ferry.My main point is though I work at Sumurgh Airport and was at work this afternoon as this farce started. There was no reason at all that the plane could not come in. The fog lifted to scattered at 200' & broken at 1000'. Also, 2 Flightline 146's got into Scatsta with no problem whatsoever. Why was Scatsta not even considered??In our local paper a few weeks ago when the flights started there was a lovely picture of your managing director saying that Atlantic Airways will benefit all. Last week they/he said that we could lose the service already due to the inclement weather. This week you seem to just shrug the shetland passengers to one side & let tem fend for themselves. Do you consider the fog a threat to your service in Faroe?? I doubt it very much. Ok, I admit that they were looked after in Stansted overnight on Friday.To earn some much needed "brownie points" how about trying to sort out this farce tonight.I look forward in eager anticipation to a reply. Regards Peter King Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sludgegulper Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Sorry for not putting the email addresses in my previous post. They are as follows:- Atlantic AirwaysVagar AirportFO -380 SørvágurFaroe Islands Administration Tel. +298 341 000 Fax +298 341 001 Booking Tel. +298 341 010 Fax +298 341 001 Booking in UK( Packages only ) Tel. +44 020 7823 4242Fax +44 (0) 1737 218801 Marketing Tel. +298 341 040 Fax +298 341 001 Managing Director Magni Arge magni@atlantic.fo Financial Manager Marius Davidsen marius@atlantic.fo Quality Manager Jákup E. Jensen jakup@atlantic.fo Sales/Marketing Manager Kent L. Christensen kent@atlantic.fo Technical Manager Remi Hansen remi@atlantic.fo Manager Flight Operation Hans Hansen hans@atlantic.fo Station Manager Egin Simonsen egin@atlantic.fo Employees 111 (2004) Annual turnover DKK 234,4 Mio. (2004) No. of passengers 101,428 (2002) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Not related to the previous posting but very much related to flights in and out of Sumburgh is the choice of aircraft. The HS748 Budgie was a good aircraft for its time but surely the replacement ATP was a political decision to have British Airways flying a British plane at a time when Brymon airways were flying Dash 7s into Unst.......a far better plane for airports with difficult weather conditions. Now Loganair operating in BA colours are flying the Saab 340 which is a great little plane but I would argue that the BAE 146 jets used by Flightline going into Scatsta would be a better choice for our route. In fact I might even go one more step and argue that Flightline might be well suited to providing some competition on the Shetland--Aberdeen route. Competition?....remember Business Air?. Great while it lasted but somehow the world's favourite airline (?) won that battle. Just a thought.........are you all aware just how few flights BA operates into Scotland directly from somewhere not in the UK without a stop in England. Simple answer is very few. Has to make me wonder if BA is any good for Scotland or Shetland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penfold Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 No flying at Sumburgh or Scatsta today so far, and while Sumburgh is in fog Scatsta's weather is misty and below the required minimum level to operate as well. Not good for the flying public Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordale_man Posted July 24, 2006 Report Share Posted July 24, 2006 Hi, living in Unst, Sumburgh is a _real problem for me when meeting incoming flights. Does anyone know if there are any statistics available re: airport accessibility ?? what I'd like to know is, are there any days in the year when neither Sumburgh, Tingwall, Scatsa _or Unst are _all unavailable at the same time due to bad visibility. What I can't figure out is, how taking a fully laden aircraft back to Edinburgh/Stanstead/Aberdeen/wherever, putting folks up in Hotels or dumping them on Northlink can be economically viable for airlines ?? I would have thought coach hire from any one of the mentioned airstrips would be a lot cheaper than all the stuffing around we currently get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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