Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

I think BA have really gone down the toilet the last 2/3 years. Was recently up to Silver on their loyalty scheme but will generally try to avoid flying with them. Went to Vegas with AA this year and thought they were comfortably better than BA.

Ryanair have really fucked this situation up. But as long as they can weather the short term storm, they will probably be fine and most of this will be forgotten this time next year. I've flown with them more times than I care to remember, and other than a 10 hour delay from Manchester to Brussels last year (of which I got 250EUR compo without fuss), I've never really had any issues with them. I have 2 trips next month with them, and they have survived the cancellation cull, so I'm reasonably content to keep using them, because where else can I get a return to Nuremberg for £20? Pretty fickle I know

I see Monarch are really struggling, their future looks bleak. Thought they were one of the better LCCs so its a shame to see them potentially going under.

The next European Airline to go under?

Norwegian Air. (Nap).

[4KSuited]

I think BA have really gone down the toilet the last 2/3 years. Was recently up to Silver on their loyalty scheme but will generally try to avoid flying with them. Went to Vegas with AA this year and thought they were comfortably better than BA.

Ryanair have really fucked this situation up. But as long as they can weather the short term storm, they will probably be fine and most of this will be forgotten this time next year. I've flown with them more times than I care to remember, and other than a 10 hour delay from Manchester to Brussels last year (of which I got 250EUR compo without fuss), I've never really had any issues with them. I have 2 trips next month with them, and they have survived the cancellation cull, so I'm reasonably content to keep using them, because where else can I get a return to Nuremberg for £20? Pretty fickle I know

I see Monarch are really struggling, their future looks bleak. Thought they were one of the better LCCs so its a shame to see them potentially going under.

The next European Airline to go under?

Norwegian Air. (Nap).

That would be pretty ironic, since I'm told that the key reason for Ryanair's flight cancellations is the loss of large numbers of pilots to Norwegian. "Leave scheduling" my ar*e.

[tikay]

I think BA have really gone down the toilet the last 2/3 years. Was recently up to Silver on their loyalty scheme but will generally try to avoid flying with them. Went to Vegas with AA this year and thought they were comfortably better than BA.

Ryanair have really fucked this situation up. But as long as they can weather the short term storm, they will probably be fine and most of this will be forgotten this time next year. I've flown with them more times than I care to remember, and other than a 10 hour delay from Manchester to Brussels last year (of which I got 250EUR compo without fuss), I've never really had any issues with them. I have 2 trips next month with them, and they have survived the cancellation cull, so I'm reasonably content to keep using them, because where else can I get a return to Nuremberg for £20? Pretty fickle I know

I see Monarch are really struggling, their future looks bleak. Thought they were one of the better LCCs so its a shame to see them potentially going under.

The next European Airline to go under?

Norwegian Air. (Nap).

That would be pretty ironic, since I'm told that the key reason for Ryanair's flight cancellations is the loss of large numbers of pilots to Norwegian. "Leave scheduling" my ar*e.

Even more ironic, Norwegian had their own pilot shortages this year, hence the tug of war with Ryanair pilots.

If the industry gossip is to be believed, & Norwegian do go under, those same pilots will soon be heading back to Sir Michael, cap in hand. Luckily, he does not do smug.

I may be wrong, but I thought the main reason (or more likely, a contributory factor) for the Ryanair pilot shortage was the changing of the Holiday Year by the Irish CAA?

[tikay]

Never mind Ryanair, how about this for a table tennis shot?

[hhyftrftdr]

I think BA have really gone down the toilet the last 2/3 years. Was recently up to Silver on their loyalty scheme but will generally try to avoid flying with them. Went to Vegas with AA this year and thought they were comfortably better than BA.

Ryanair have really fucked this situation up. But as long as they can weather the short term storm, they will probably be fine and most of this will be forgotten this time next year. I've flown with them more times than I care to remember, and other than a 10 hour delay from Manchester to Brussels last year (of which I got 250EUR compo without fuss), I've never really had any issues with them. I have 2 trips next month with them, and they have survived the cancellation cull, so I'm reasonably content to keep using them, because where else can I get a return to Nuremberg for £20? Pretty fickle I know

I see Monarch are really struggling, their future looks bleak. Thought they were one of the better LCCs so its a shame to see them potentially going under.

The next European Airline to go under?

Norwegian Air. (Nap).

Are they actually struggling or are you just being fanciful?

They've announced a load of new routes in the last 12 months or so, all I've read about is how they want to change the long haul landscape....

[SuuPRlim]

Never mind Ryanair, how about this for a table tennis shot?

Did this count??? Hahaha class

[tikay]

I think BA have really gone down the toilet the last 2/3 years. Was recently up to Silver on their loyalty scheme but will generally try to avoid flying with them. Went to Vegas with AA this year and thought they were comfortably better than BA.

Ryanair have really fucked this situation up. But as long as they can weather the short term storm, they will probably be fine and most of this will be forgotten this time next year. I've flown with them more times than I care to remember, and other than a 10 hour delay from Manchester to Brussels last year (of which I got 250EUR compo without fuss), I've never really had any issues with them. I have 2 trips next month with them, and they have survived the cancellation cull, so I'm reasonably content to keep using them, because where else can I get a return to Nuremberg for £20? Pretty fickle I know

I see Monarch are really struggling, their future looks bleak. Thought they were one of the better LCCs so its a shame to see them potentially going under.

The next European Airline to go under?

Norwegian Air. (Nap).

Are they actually struggling or are you just being fanciful?

They've announced a load of new routes in the last 12 months or so, all I've read about is how they want to change the long haul landscape....

I think there is a real chance, yes. I'd certainly not risk booking a flight with them. Hope I'm wrong, obviously.

There's plenty of this sort of stuff in the domain;

https://leehamnews.com/2017/07/12/is-norwegian-in-trouble/


https://www.reuters.com/article/norweg-air-shut-results/update-3-norwegian-air-second-quarter-earnings-slump-hits-shares-idUSL8N1K40HZ


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norwegian-air-strategy-insight/norwegian-air-under-pressure-to-boost-finances-idUSKBN1AA1MR

[tikay]

I think BA have really gone down the toilet the last 2/3 years. Was recently up to Silver on their loyalty scheme but will generally try to avoid flying with them. Went to Vegas with AA this year and thought they were comfortably better than BA.

Ryanair have really fucked this situation up. But as long as they can weather the short term storm, they will probably be fine and most of this will be forgotten this time next year. I've flown with them more times than I care to remember, and other than a 10 hour delay from Manchester to Brussels last year (of which I got 250EUR compo without fuss), I've never really had any issues with them. I have 2 trips next month with them, and they have survived the cancellation cull, so I'm reasonably content to keep using them, because where else can I get a return to Nuremberg for £20? Pretty fickle I know

I see Monarch are really struggling, their future looks bleak. Thought they were one of the better LCCs so its a shame to see them potentially going under.

The next European Airline to go under?

Norwegian Air. (Nap).

Are they actually struggling or are you just being fanciful?

They've announced a load of new routes in the last 12 months or so, all I've read about is how they want to change the long haul landscape....

Air Berlin have gone busto, too. Big outfit, had 105 aircraft.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/air-berlin-to-stop-flights-by-end-of-october/



http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/598357-air-berlin-filing-bankruptcy.html

[Doobs]

Morning

[tikay]

Morning

Belated good morning to you, too, Doobs.

Fidget Spinners. I've been trying to find out from Dr Google how many of these have been sold worldwide, but its not easy. Can't even see who owns the Patent. One person took a Patent out back in the 90's, let it lapse 10 years later, only to be informed that someone else got there first. 

I'm very pleased they are so successful though - simply because I don't think it is a good thing for children to be so fixated & obsessed with computer games.  Even grown ups play computer games these days. All very odd, or it seems that way to me.

Do your girls have fidget spinners?

[tikay]

I had occasion on Saturday to pay a visit to Cheltenham Spa. First time I've ever been there in my life except for attending Prestbury Park for both work & leisure activities.

It's a splendidly beautiful & verdant part of the world, soft rolling hills, with some truly grand houses sitting in lovely plots of land.

On the way in, I found an observation point on a hilltop overlooking the valley in which Cheltenham sits, rarely can I remember a better view of a town nestling so well in a valley. The oddity of sleepy Cheltenham, of course, is that in amongst all the beauty, those lovely houses, the racecourse, & so on, sits so incongruously GCHQ.  In fact, it's not a bad or ugly building at all, it's just so out of place there, & one wonders exactly why Cheltenham was chosen as a Spy HQ for Great Britain.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Purpose of my visit was to support Gill, who had decided to attempt a 5k Charity Swim for McMillan Cancer Trust at Cheltenham Lido.

Must be said, if there's a prettier Lido in the UK - or world - than Cheltenham Lido (actually, "Sandford Park Lido"), set in gorgeous parkland, then I'd like to see it.


 

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Gill set off on her swim, along with hundreds of others, at 3pm on Saturday, & there was a 3 hour time limit. We knew it'd be touch & go, but she's nothing if not brave, so off she went.

She swims rather like a brick, perhaps a little slower, but she just kept going, length after length. It was a 50 yard pool, so she had to swim 100 lengths. I doubt I could walk that far, never mind swim it.

By 5.30pm, everyone else had finished, & she was alone in the pool, plopping along as fast as she could, which is not very.

Soon, the 15 or 20 Organisers, Lifeguards, Volunteers & the like were all cheering & clapping her on, as she crawled her way through the 90 lengths mark. The rule was that she had to be completed by 6pm, but they turned a blind eye & allowed her to finish in her own time, eventually completing at 6.15pm. So 3 & a quarter hours to swim around 3 miles.

As she came to "touch" for her 100th length, everyone cheered & clapped. It was incredibly emotional for me.

So she got her Medal, & I had sorted a little engraved trophy for her - I knew she would not fail.

I had planned to go by train - love train journeys - but Engineering Works put paid to that so I drive down. I was a bit miffed I was missing Liverpool v Man U & Watford v Arsenal on the TV, as well as the Cesarewitch. As it turned out, both football matches were poor, & I'd never have backed the Ces winner. If I'd known that Tony Bloom was the owner, I might have got on of course, as I've shared many a poker table with him, & we chat every year in Vegas. What a life that man leads, but thoroughly deserved as far as I can tell. He's immensely wealthy, incredibly intelligent, & I'm sure he is as hard as nails, and yet he's always polite & well-mannered in my experience, & does not diss others.

[Jac]

That’s a great story. Well done Gill

[booder]

Very well done Gill.