Airliners on the tarmac with no air bridge

[mattdaniels]

Currently touring Australia. Having done a lot of business travel over the last few years, arriving in Ayres Rock it was a revelation to have to wait for "steps" and to be allowed to walk across the apron without a hi-vis and it reminded me of childhood holidays in the 70s.

So, lets reminisce - post your recent or past shots of an airliner on the tarmac at a holiday destination with you being allowed to walk across the tarmac to the terminal....

Edited by mattdaniels on Tuesday 13th March 11:34

[Rude-boy]

No shots but if you go to someone of the further flung places you still get to walk. Poznan (Poland) springs to mind, as does Katila (Finland) although the latter was more like 30 meters than the 500 or so at Poznan!

[Saddlebag]

I recently had to walk up the steps on to a BA 747 Boston bound at T5 Heathrow!

Needed oxygen after that ascent!

[twister]

It might not be as commonplace as it used to be, but it still seems common enough for me not to think anything of it. Just from personal experience on my last two trips, Luton and Dusseldorf both have stands without airbridges where you either walk directly from departure lounge to the aircraft steps, or get bussed out to the stand and have at least a few yards of tarmac to cross. I also have vague memories of doing the same at Heathrow and Schipol in recent years.

[TheEnd]

I've done that at Dublin airport.

[Deliveredenergy]

Queenstown, New Zealand:

[Simpo Two]

Flying from Kerikeri to Auckland in a Beech 1900D, Jan 2006:









How simple and nice life can be when there aren't 1,000,000 people packed into every inch and nobody's trying to blow you up.

[davepoth]

mattdaniels said:

Currently touring Australia. Having done a lot of business travel over the last few years, arriving in Ayres Rock it was a revelation to have to wait for "steps" and to be allowed to walk across the apron without a hi-vis and it reminded me of childhood holidays in the 70s.

So, lets reminisce - post your recent or past shots of an airliner on the tarmac at a holiday destination with you being allowed to walk across the tarmac to the terminal....

Edited by mattdaniels on Tuesday 13th March 11:34

Worst "I don't go on budget airlines" post EVER.

I don't think I've ever taken a Ryanair or Easyjet flight that hasn't either begun or ended with leaning into the wind on a windswept apron as overweight people with loud children barge past me.

[Getragdogleg]

The steps and apron walk are one of my favorite things about flying into Kefalonia, Greece.
The descent and landing on the little runway is always fun too.

[ScoobyDood]

Very frequent in Lanzarote - Have also done it at Gatwick last year

[Cyder]

Not that unusual is it? In recent times I've done it at:

Faro
Geneva
Dusseldorf
Bristol
Belfast (I think)
Luton
Heraklion (Crete)

[mantis84]

No picture of the plane, but this is from the walk from the plane to the terminal at Windhoek Airport, Namibia.

[MonkeyBusiness]

That's done most of the time at Leeds/Bradford.

A few years ago, we were led out single file at Mercia airport. Something happened that prevented us boarding the plane and we had to wait, sitting in the blazing sun on the tarmac for 20 mins or so.

[RicksAlfas]

Did it at Manchester, Nantes, Brest last year.
Not unusual at all on smaller flights.

[Nickyboy]

Steps? Last time i flew Ryanair they just dropped a rope out the door.

[anonymous-user]

Nickyboy said:

Steps? Last time i flew Ryanair they just dropped a rope out the door.

A rope, you were lucky!!! I was just kicked out of the open door into the abyss!!

[ZakTroy]

Shottingham East Midlands, you practically have to scale up the plane.

[jesta1865]

try flying into the airport on hamilton island, oz. its so small not only do you walk to and from the planes, but the cases turn up on trailer pulled by a tractor, and you just help yourselves to your bags (hopefully)

sorry no pics, but was by far the smallest airport i have ever been to.

[SHutchinson]

Newcastle Airport. No fun at 6am when it's sheeting down and you're off for a meeting in Belfast.

[Parsnip]

Hammerfest
Tromso
Copenhagen
Aberdeen
Larnica

Plenty of others, pretty sure I have done it in Glasgow/Pretstwick/Edinburgh as well - probably been on more flights in the past 2 years with steps rather than the bridge.