FlyerTon Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Prestwick Airport is now state owned: http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/taxpayers-are-new-owners-of-prestwick-airport-1-3131236 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skintight Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Hurrah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Parr Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Happy now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyerTon Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 Pure dead brilliant. Apparently they are looking to remove that signage under the state ownership plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryfield Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Apparently they are looking to remove that signage under the state ownership plan. The quicker that happens, the better. Should be renamed Robert Burns International. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WILLIEA Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 The quicker that happens, the better. Should be renamed Robert Burns International. Good shout. There's just been some f*cktard on the radio wanting to name it Elvis Presley Airport! FFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryfield Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Good shout. There's just been some f*cktard on the radio wanting to name it Elvis Presley Airport! FFS Good shout. There's just been some f*cktard on the radio wanting to name it Elvis Presley Airport! FFS Oh dear. West FM I take it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberdeenBud Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Is it actually good for the state to take over the running of airport that's struggling to turn a profit? Is there really a great demand for an international airport in Ayrshire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ad Lib Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 If the government thinks it can run Prestwick at a profit why is its long term preference to sell it back into private ownership? We've been told by countless people on here that Royal Mail shouldn't be sold because it's making a profit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Richelieu Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 That "Elvis Bar" monstrosity they have in Prestwick is an embarrassment. It might have been the only place in the UK that Elvis visited but who really honestly gives a funk? It was a fecking re-fuelling stop and the c**t didn't even know where he was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Pure dead brilliant. Beat me to it. That this truely is an embarrassment of the highest order. The Elvis thing is probably worse than Scotland's claim of inventing the telephone despite Bell carrying out his work after emigrating to Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyerTon Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 That "Elvis Bar" monstrosity they have in Prestwick is an embarrassment. It might have been the only place in the UK that Elvis visited but who really honestly gives a funk? It was a fecking re-fuelling stop and the c**t didn't even know where he was. Amazing to think of all the records Elvis sold here, he only apparently visited Britain once and that was just because his plane had to re-fuel. 21 number ones in Britain, topping The Beatles 17 no 1's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WILLIEA Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Oh dear. West FM I take it? Nah! Radio Scotland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyerTon Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 As there's hardly any flights out of Prestwick, Top Gear sometimes use it as per the vid below: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WILLIEA Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Is there really a great demand for an international airport in Ayrshire? Probably not in itself but imo it should have been developed instead of Glasgow ( Paisley ) Airport. More room for expansion, better all round year weather and a proper rail link would only take about 30 minutes into Glasgow. That of course would have been asking the politicians of the day to see the bigger picture and not think within their own wee bubble! I suppose as things stand with Glasgow being the main airport for the west it's only 10 minutes by taxi from my front door which is, to coin a phrase " pure dead brilliant " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingscot Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Is it actually good for the state to take over the running of airport that's struggling to turn a profit? Is there really a great demand for an international airport in Ayrshire? Yes and No. Prestwick is a good airport to have strategically but aside from that passenger operations from Prestwick are more than likely to be limited. Glasgow and Edinburgh airports are closer to their respective cities and easier to reach for most of the population. Equally both are now fighting for routes and flights between one another and cutting deals to major airlines. Prestwick's bargaining chip of offering a cheap airport for Central Scotland doesn't apply, and now with Ryanair being the only operator they can hold you to ransom "Raise passenger or runway fees and we'll head to Glasgow or Edinburgh". It will need a big effort to raise passenger numbers, and if Ryanair walk.... Probably not in itself but imo it should have been developed instead of Glasgow ( Paisley ) Airport. More room for expansion, better all round year weather and a proper rail link would only take about 30 minutes into Glasgow. That of course would have been asking the politicians of the day to see the bigger picture and not think within their own wee bubble! I suppose as things stand with Glasgow being the main airport for the west it's only 10 minutes by taxi from my front door which is, to coin a phrase " pure dead brilliant " Disagree. Strategically Glasgow Airport had the ace cards in the 90s. Sure it was only 1 runway, but it was on the M8 motorway and was 10 minutes by car from the city. Up until 1998 I think, the M77 didn't exist and getting to Prestwick involved going through Glasgow past Shawlands, Giffnock, Newton Mearns and onto the A77 deathtrap section which wasn't upgraded to motorway till 2006 or so. Prestwick installing the railway station in the mid 90s helped it massively as it wasn't as accessible as any other airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hampden Diehard Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 The incredibly tacky strapline and the Elvis nonsense is an embarrassment, but it's the lack of passenger flights that is the problem. Having flights in at all sorts of inconvenient times (i.e. after public traansport has stopped or started) doesn't help either, but the rail link could be the saving grace for the place. Hopefully the government will get someone in who'll pursue the budget airlines and the holiday firms to increase the number of flights. Edinburgh is sooking up so many of the erstwhile (look it up) flights and (at long last!) has a direct bus link to Glasgow, so is obviously doing something right......although they seem to be powerless to keep the place open during very bad weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForzaDundee Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 I say get rid of PIK and downgrade EDI and GLA to only serving their respected cities with private charters and the few busiest routes. Build a massive multi-runway cargo and passenger hub airport somewhere just south of Falkirk and run the planned Edinburgh-Glasgow high speed rail service through it. Come out the airport, jump on the train and your in Glasgow or Edinburgh in 15 minutes. Easy money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbornbairn Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 I presume the govt intend to increase the number of flights through Prestwick in some form or another. How does this fit in with their climate change/green policy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Pies Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 As there's hardly any flights out of Prestwick, Top Gear sometimes use it as per the vid below: Thats runway No. 2 - No.1 was still open on the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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