True wiganfrank, now the buses are all undercover so you won't get any sun until you get off, which I agree is a shame.

now the buses are all undercover so you won't get any sun until you get off

Oh that's going to be so much fun hanging around in a coach car park, swallowing diesel fumes, whilst waiting for another flight to land and fill up the transfer coach, and there'll probably be no-smoking down there as well.
IMO:The design of the roof is grotesque.!

http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?pagename=Home&Language=EN_GB

Sanji

I've used the new terminal twice, outbound and inbound. Absolutely no problems at all. Plenty of space, places to sit, well signed, loads of retail and food outlets, clean, modern and plenty of multi lingual staff to help. The design allows for so much light you forget how dingy (and cramped) the old terminals were. Well done AENA

I agree Sanji it will be worse sitting on the coach waiting for another flight to arrive, it was bad enough before having to wait for ages and I wouldn't fancy waiting in all those diesel fumes.

make sure you get on right floor.

http://tinypic.com/r/6h17ag/7

no ashtrays or bins outside,ramps are too hight for trollys to go over when you come from carhire.signs are a bit misleading.you cannot hear flight begining called very well.murder checking in.see pictures.

http://tinypic.com/r/2j48q2x/7

there are check in desks to the left of picture as well.

transfers buses(shittledirect/resorthopper etc are on level -2 and main buses are on level 2 far end

http://tinypic.com/r/25tjl1l/7

even the staff say they don;t like the new terminal.i would say in time they will sort any problems out.

no ashtrays or bins outside - Under Spain's new smoking ban (02/01/11) it is illegal to smoke in or near an airport (amongst other places).

you cannot hear flight begining called very well - I spent about an hour in departures waiting for my flight and all announcements very clear. In fact the new design makes the announcements echo a little.

There were lots of multi lingual staff on duty to help anyone lost or confused about where to go.

i am not going to argue over smoking ban.more staff where outside than travlers.anyway also there is no bins outside for rubbish nor is there any seats.

i was ok in finding things i just look.plus there is one blind spot where you could have a crafty fag.

made me laugh also in toilets.when you need soap to wash hands machines are that low you can just get your hand underneath.i was going to take a picture but forgot.prices at bars cafes are very cheap.cheaper than ibiza airport.and less than it was in the old terminal for water anyway.only 1.55 or i did see a machine for 1.50.

bit warm in side as well.
as for smoking i had a few before i caught my bus and before i flew home.police passed me a few times without a word.

Under Spain's new smoking ban (02/01/11) it is illegal to smoke in or near an airport (amongst other places).

Illegal in airports and transport stations, except in designated smoking areas. and on public transport, which also includes open top buses.
In other words, illegal inside an airport building, but nothing to make smoking in a designated outside area of an airport illegal.

Sanji

except in designated smoking areas - I haven't see any designated smoking areas at Alicante airport and the lack of ashtrays/bins outside the terminal would indicate this is a no smoking area, no?

You don't find bins outside (or inside the airport) because it is a security risk. Someone could easily drop a "package" into a bin. You will notice that they have those small trays for rubbish, which can easily be searched if needed.

I also noticed the hand soap dispensers... someone didn't measure the height of the box very well as, as you say, you can barely get your hands underneath! It's the same in all of the toilets too.

except in designated smoking areas - I haven't see any designated smoking areas at Alicante airport and the lack of ashtrays/bins outside the terminal would indicate this is a no smoking area, no?

You'll not find any designated areas inside any airport in Spain, in fact most of the airports got rid of the inside designated areas well before the total ban came into force, but there is nothing in the law that says you cannot smoke outside of the building in designated areas.
The law is quite simple....it is illegal to smoke in any enclosed public building and there is no exception to this rule, so creating a designated area inside an airport building is never going to happen, but making a designated area outside of the building is allowed.
Maybe Alicante haven't got around to putting ashtrays outside yet.? when they start sweeping up the tab ends, they might do it.?

http://www.theleader.info/article/26596/spain/costa-blanca/to-smoke-or-not-to-smoke/

Sanji

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. I have not seen any designated smoking areas OUTSIDE the airport.

Ryanair to cut Alicante flights after row over airbridges

Ryanair is to cut its flights from Alicante after a row with the airport about using airbridges.

It is slashing flights from October after the airport ordered it to use airbridges and pay over €2 million for what Ryanair calls "unnecessary facilities".

Ryanair, which has been operating at the airport for five years, said it has submitted a formal complaint about "monopoly abuse" by AENA Alicante to both the Spanish Government and the European Commission.

It is cutting the number of aircraft at the airport from 11 to two, halving its routes to 31 and cutting flights from over 600 to less than 200 weekly flights.

Bournemouth and Cork flights will be cancelled altogether while other routes from the UK will be scaled back.

Ryanair's Michael O'Leary said: "Alicante Airport has opened up a new terminal building which was not needed, and to pay for it Alicante expects efficient airlines like Ryanair to now use the same inefficient and high cost airbridges that other high fare flag carrier airlines prefer to use.

"We hope even at this late stage that AENA Alicante will recognise the stupidity of trying to force up Ryanair's handling costs by €2m p.a., which will now cost AENA Alicante more than €30m p.a. in lost aeronautical and commercial revenues."

With permission from Travelmole

I'm sure there is more to this than just airbridges (inefficient airbridges?????). I flew last week with Monarch from Alicante and we were taken by bus to the aircraft and I flew back with Easyjet and was also taken by bus to the terminal. And as for O'Dreary saying the new terminal was not needed, clearly he's never been to Alicante. Still, all publicity is good publicity.

Interestingly, some of my Ryanair passengers have been parked at T2 and bussed round to the new terminal while some have had airbridges.....

reason is not enough airbridges.at peak times.last week my flight was 1/2 late having to wait for a slot for airbridges.bmi baby.

Personally speaking, I wish crybaby O'Leary would just disappear into the sunset and take his threats and blackmailing techniques as far away from Spain as possible.
The man is a menace to aviation, how come it's always Ryanair that has problems with just about every airport they engage with.?

You've heard that Queen song, I want it now, I want it now and I want it all.?
Well from what I've read that's the problem with O'Leary and he wants to be very careful because local airports/government/taxpayers in Spain pay Ryanair subsidies to bring x amount of passengers per year to the area, and if he doesn't deliver the passengers, then he doesn't get the subsidies, so whilst he is quick to bleat about how much Alicante may lose, I say may because on an established route like Alicante, there are other low cost airlines who can fill Ryanair's place and operate without the same level of subsidies or even none!. O'Leary says nothing about how much Ryanair will lose and there are several airports who are now refusing to pay what they describe as blackmail by this second rate bus company in the sky.

Considering what passengers may want has never been one of O'Leary's main priorities because his business model doesn't require him to.
From what I've read, Alicante (Aena) is not demanding that he uses airbridges, what they are saying is"¦.
If you want a front spot, as near to the terminal as possible, then you have to use airbridges, this is both for passenger safety and convenience in a modern airport.
If you don't want to use airbridges, which incidentally will put 32 cents onto each passenger fare, then fine, we will bus the passengers to the terminal, but you will have to park up the plane in a more remote spot on the airport.

Now that would mean to O'Leary that he wouldn't be able to load the passengers off and herd them back on as quickly, which would mean he wouldn't be able to continue with the quick turnarounds.
O'Leary may think that if passengers get a cheap flight they don't mind walking across a busy airfield, but safety regulations and the layout of the new terminal may require otherwise.

I wish every airport dealing with this modern day Dick Turpin would call his bluff.
Oh, and this takes the biscuit, O'Leary whinging about a price hike.

Sanji

sanji wrote:

I wish every airport dealing with this modern day Dick Turpin would call his bluff.

Totaly agree with that comment. Oh, and he must be the modern day Dick Turpin, as the original one wore a mask.......

Ryanair wars hot up:
http://www.costa-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7480&Itemid=1

David