Billi at Bordeaux

[James2]

When arriving at the lovely Bordeaux Merignac Airport departure lounge my wife and I looked for the "check in" location for Easyjet.  We were directed outside the building to a black shed built alongside the main terminal.

As usual, we were two hours before take-off.  Looking around the new (windowless) building for somewhere to sit there were just 10 steel seats which were very soon occupied.  Our "check in" desk for Bristol was opened half-an-hour later than shown on the paperwork. Booking in a suitcase is more complicated than previous flights.

After passing through security, we entered a very small Duty Free area with hardly any seating.  What seating there was were wooden benches and wooden chairs around a few tables in a cafeteria.  Another hour passed and by now the plane was delayed.  As the small departure lounge, with its wooden benches, was completely overcrowded with many people standing, passengers from the next flight to Liverpool were beginning to enter the lounge.

Then we were called through to a departure gate.  We entered a small windowless corridor area alongside the runway to wait, STANDING, for three-quarters of an hour until the Bristol flight landed. (Obviously this freed up space in the small departure lounge.)  Eventually we boarded the plane.

We certainly have no wish to use this route again and will endeavour to fly with Ryanair from Bergerac, where at least there is a larger departure lounge with more comfortable seating. 

JAMES 2

 

 

 

 

[Gemonimo]

Quite agree with you James.  Also land-side, there are no 'facilities' either in the arrival or departure areas.  Combined with a vile journey into Bdx via the Pont d'Aquitaine, give me Ryanair and Bergerac any time although I do prefer Easyjet.

[Chancer]

Get used to it as this is the future of european aviation.

Forward thinking companies are buying up industril buildings, freight sheds etc and converting them with the absolute minimum of expenditure so that they can process pasengers for the Locost airlines at much less than the fees charged by the airport authorities.

There was a good program about it only the other night on French TV, it is companies like Ryanair that are driving these changes.