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Post by roche on Feb 12, 2009 23:23:15 GMT
An AF/CityJet D328 from Strasbourg to LCY with 24 pax diverted into SEN tonight around 9:15pm, due temporary closure of LCY because of snow.
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Post by expressflight on Feb 14, 2009 8:29:21 GMT
SEN missed out on the LCY diversions last night due to January's changes in RFF cover:
This is now Cat 4 0600-2000 with upgrade to Cat 6 at max of 30 min notice. From 2000-2200 it's Cat 2 with Cat 6 'by arrangement'. From 2200-0600 is Cat 1 with upgrades at 12 hours' notice.
I believe the accident happened at around 2010 so they were into the 'by arrangement' period. I wonder, when changing the cover, how wise it was not to have extended the 30 minutes notice period until LCY's normal closure time of 2150 otherwise there is this embarrassing period of nearly 2 hours when diversions cannot be accommodated in an unexpected situation sich as last night's.
It can't do at lot for SEN's credibility in the eyes of BA etc. who, incidentally, diverted to both STN and LTN.
Quite a loss of revenue I would suggest as a large number of diversions were necessary.
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Post by roche on Feb 14, 2009 11:57:42 GMT
I also notice that todays BA flight from Nice to LCY is running very late and will have to divert as it will not arrive before LCY closes. On the BA website it's listed as diverting to Stansted. Last year most, if not all late running Saturday flights would divert into SEN.
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Post by expressflight on Feb 14, 2009 13:21:18 GMT
Thanks for that information Roche.
I've added it to the observations I'm making to the management on the subject as I feel last night's situation should have been foreseen as a possible problem when promulgating these new RFF arrangements.
If you're not there to provide a service at all times that it may be needed the customer has a habit of looking elsewhere. SEN can ill afford to lose this diversionary traffic in the present economic climate.
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Post by roche on Feb 14, 2009 17:31:31 GMT
Just to add to the list, an AF/CitiJet D328 from Strasbourg also diverted to Stansted today due arrival after the closure of LCY. I really would have expected that to divert into SEN. Be interesting to see how management respond to your observations Expressflight. I agree, SEN cannot afford to lose the diversions, particularly from LCY
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Post by roche on Feb 15, 2009 12:34:29 GMT
Just to confirm the info re the BA RJ and the AF D328 diverting to Stansted yesterday, both aircraft are now showing on the LCY arrivals board as positioning into LCY from STN.
Stansted STN BCY197 12:30 Geneva GVA LX434 12:40 12:39 Expected Amsterdam AMS BA8454 12:45 12:45 Expected Stansted STN CJ003P 13:00
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Post by expressflight on Feb 15, 2009 15:45:49 GMT
I can only assume that the Cat 4 RFF cover needed for the D328 was not available yesterday: it being only Cat 2 Saturdays and Sundays with an upgrade avaible 'by arrangement'. Either SEN couldn't muster enough men to provide that or else AF are hacked off with the service they are being offered and want a predictable, regularly available diversionary airfield so chose STN. The more I think about this, the more it seems a failure of basic common sense to have downgraded the RFF cover in the way they did in January.
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Post by roche on Feb 15, 2009 19:46:59 GMT
There's a link below to a report produced by those well known masters of fiction, SAEN which contains an interesting comment. They don't say who their 'source close to the airport' is, but I assume that they've taken something completely out of context when they suggest that the airport can no longer handle any diversions from LCY. I'd be very surprised and actually quite amazed if the airport have made some of the fire crew redundant, but it would certainly help explain the limited number of diversions that the airport has accepted recently. saen.org.uk/reports/Employment_Report.pdf
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Post by expressflight on Feb 16, 2009 11:47:14 GMT
I obviously cannot go into any detail concerning any private exchanges regarding SEN's inability to handle Friday night's LCY diversions.
With SEN at present unable to effectively handle a substantial number of LCY diversions that both arrive and depart carrying pax with current staffing levels there could have been unacceptable delays in turning round the large number of aircraft which might have used SEN that night - even if SEN had confirmed they could accept them. So it could have actually done more harm than good as it turns out as far as SEN's reputation with BA etc. is concerned. As things stand the relationships with BA, AF and VLM remain good.
No doubt SEN will look at what happened that night to see if things could be done differently for the future, but I don't think they see LCY diversions as other than useful to have from time to time and certainly not something on which to build the future.
I suppose we enthusiasts see them in a somewhat different light and that colours our attitudes, whereas SEN has to set them against the costs of staffing for a 'just in case' event.
It will be interesting to see what happens the next time LCY diversions occur.
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Post by expressflight on Feb 17, 2009 8:52:06 GMT
With reference to post number 45 by Roche, I see from the movements list that this aircraft also diverted into SEN the next day 13 February, presumably due to the RJ accident that evening. Again it was inbound to LCY from Strasbourg. I hadn't realised that any LCY aircraft diverted to SEN that evening.
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Post by expressflight on Mar 3, 2009 19:06:36 GMT
There are a few LCY diversions into SEN this evening - an AF RJ85 and a VLM F50 so far I believe. I assume it's crosswinds at LCY.
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Post by expressflight on Mar 4, 2009 7:12:18 GMT
SEN received 11 diversions all told. 5 x AF RJ85 4 x VLM F50 2 x AF D328 The BA RJs went to STN but this may have been due to the fact that STN had a 10° less crosswind that SEN, and a wider runway, rather than any other reason. Probably just a well as even 11 inbounds must have been quite a handful.
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Post by Thames Gateway on Mar 27, 2009 14:05:08 GMT
Interesting to see that Stansted received 9 diversions from London City in January, and Southend 0. I take it that Southend was weathered out on the day 5 went to Stansted (14th Jan), or has something else changed with thge airlines preferences?
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Post by roche on May 18, 2009 12:09:49 GMT
A CityJet RJ85 has diverted into SEN this lunchtime due strong crosswinds at LCY.
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Post by expressflight on Aug 7, 2009 12:23:13 GMT
SEN picked up a few LCY diversions this morning caused, it seems, by marginal low cloud at LCY. I don't know the exact details.
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