Flights still going in lockdown - who and why?
Discussion
Here I am sat at home working, wishing for some winter sun, but obviously not allowed.
Yet I look at flight radar app, or the heathrow departure board and its like BAU, flights leaving every minute to Dubai, New York, Shanghai etc and I just dont understand why?
https://www.heathrow.com/departures
Are they empty but have to fly anyway? Are they people traveling for business?
I can go on sky-scanner right now and book a flight for tomorrow to anywhere, Spain, Germany, UAE etc, but im not allowed to travel.
Anyone working at the airports able to confirm how busy they are, and why?
I'm not looking to travel by the way, It's a lockdown for a reason and im staying put, just confused as in here in rural devon in a little bubble and no idea how the outside world is working at the moment
Yet I look at flight radar app, or the heathrow departure board and its like BAU, flights leaving every minute to Dubai, New York, Shanghai etc and I just dont understand why?
https://www.heathrow.com/departures
Are they empty but have to fly anyway? Are they people traveling for business?
I can go on sky-scanner right now and book a flight for tomorrow to anywhere, Spain, Germany, UAE etc, but im not allowed to travel.
Anyone working at the airports able to confirm how busy they are, and why?
I'm not looking to travel by the way, It's a lockdown for a reason and im staying put, just confused as in here in rural devon in a little bubble and no idea how the outside world is working at the moment
Freight, some business. Remember there are some exemptions :
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronav...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronav...
That screen shot looks busy but someone recently posted a comparison to two years ago. The difference is stark!
A lot of passenger planes have been recommissioned for freight and there's still some passenger flights operating.
I live in mid Essex, right under one of the main paths into LHR for planes coming in from the East. Normally as afternoon turns to evening you'd see a plane every minute. Now, it's one an hour and barely that at times.
A lot of passenger planes have been recommissioned for freight and there's still some passenger flights operating.
I live in mid Essex, right under one of the main paths into LHR for planes coming in from the East. Normally as afternoon turns to evening you'd see a plane every minute. Now, it's one an hour and barely that at times.
StevieBee said:
That screen shot looks busy but someone recently posted a comparison to two years ago. The difference is stark!
A lot of passenger planes have been recommissioned for freight and there's still some passenger flights operating.
I live in mid Essex, right under one of the main paths into LHR for planes coming in from the East. Normally as afternoon turns to evening you'd see a plane every minute. Now, it's one an hour and barely that at times.
We live about 20 miles from Gatwick and as you say the number of flights is way down. And from London Bridge station you could often see 4 planes on the flight path to Heathrow.A lot of passenger planes have been recommissioned for freight and there's still some passenger flights operating.
I live in mid Essex, right under one of the main paths into LHR for planes coming in from the East. Normally as afternoon turns to evening you'd see a plane every minute. Now, it's one an hour and barely that at times.
I get the hold will have some fright, and i get that some essential travel still exists, i guess I'm asking 2 questions:
1. Why the airlines are even bothering if there is only 4 people on the place
2. I can book a flight to Dubai for tomorrow, what checks if any do they do on it being 'essential' or is it self policed?
1. Why the airlines are even bothering if there is only 4 people on the place
2. I can book a flight to Dubai for tomorrow, what checks if any do they do on it being 'essential' or is it self policed?
sidekickdmr said:
Yet I look at flight radar app, or the heathrow departure board and its like BAU, flights leaving every minute to Dubai, New York, Shanghai etc and I just dont understand why?
https://www.heathrow.com/departures
When you strip out all the codeshare flight numbers there are 12 departures in the next 4 hours - and that's across all terminals.https://www.heathrow.com/departures
Heathrow passengers:
Nov 2019 6.2m
Nov 2020 0.7m
Dec 2019 6.7m
Dec 2020 1.1m
It's dead Jim.
Some information from an article in the Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/25/why-...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/25/why-...
gregs656 said:
Gatwick was totally empty in January. I've been through 4 airports in the last year (three major ones, one smaller) and on all of them the departure boards show the full day of flights.
Flying at the moment is a pleasure, never had such good experiences with airport security etc.
Do you mind sharing why you were flying? Flying at the moment is a pleasure, never had such good experiences with airport security etc.
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