Open for business
Alicante Elche airport is back up and running for passenger flights – cargo and service flights still continued throughout the pandemic lockdown. Service flights are like ghost flights with just the pilot and first officer on board, which basically did a loop, taking off and heading over the sea and then back around the Alicante area to keep the engines running. This would only be for about 15 minutes – you’d have seen a fair few if you watched Flight Radar. For those airlines that mothballed their planes, they’d have to have a full service and inspection before being allowed passenger flights and with only a limited amount of engineers able to perform this, it was actually more cost effective to run them in the knowledge that they’d be able to be put into service immediately.
One of the few flights took off last Sunday morning, was low cost carrier Ryanair, the very first in fact, heading to Liverpool John Lennon airport. Strangely the normally busy bustling airport was anything but – in part due to the early morning start. The Duty Free shop is temporarily closed, although some of the prices are hardly duty free. Cartons of cigarettes are cheaper if you buy them in the proper Tabacos shops – there is one at the airport, well opposite the terminal at the minus 2 level where you enter the carpark or go to catch the shuttle bus. Normally you have no choice as the only way to get to the departure gates is through the shop, where they hope to catch your attention… and your wallet with a lastminute bargain gift.
On this particular flight, 75 passengers had booked yet only 11 turned up. Nerves? Second thoughts, feeling safer here in Spain perhaps… that wouldn’t surprise me looking at how the UK has handled this entire crisis. Everyone onboard is required to wear a mask – passengers and crew. This is something which we here in Spain are used to now – how visitors will feel is another matter though and rather worryingly when they have had too much to drink etc. Perhaps the realization of a minimum €100 fine which will be issued to those that do not obey the rules to wear one if a minimum distance of 1.5mt cannot be guaranteed will soon change their mind. It is certainly a worry for all of us here that have just spent the last 3 months strictly abiding by the rules.
Despite the mask rules onboard, there is no social distancing, with all seats allocated. There was mention of blocking the middle seats – personally I would love that as you are often fighting as to who the armrest ‘belongs’ to. Is there an etiquette or first come bags it… or the biggest elbow wins? As both these flights were less than full capacity it wasn’t really an issue. However, once Brits start regaining confidence and begin booking, it potentially will be.
I have spoken to a number of locals that have flown back to Spain this week having been stuck in the UK over the lockdown. London’s Stanstead seemed particularly chaotic, with no social distancing and massive queues at security, resulting in tears as some passengers evidently missed their departures. Personally I’ve always been a last-minute flyer, literally arriving at the airport 45 minutes before my departure. I’m not planning on going anywhere soon, but will evidently need to change my routine by the sound of things. But I’d better renew my passport first as I won’t be going anywhere… guess it will be a blue one this time. I still have the original navy-blue hardcover one, where your photograph was stuck in rather than scanned, you signed it and any amendments were handwritten.
Coming back from a grey and dismal looking Liverpool there were 85 of the booked 152 passengers on board. Many I guess are second homeowners here or staying with family/ friends as hardly any hotels are open yet. Hotels are being super cautious although a few have announced that they will be opening from July 1.
At the moment I guess they are waiting to see the demand as it will be very expensive to take employees off ERTE.
The 2 Ambassador hotels on Calle Gerona have announced that they will not be opening back this year, instead taking the opportunity of undergoing a major refurbishment. Initially the Servigroup were only going to open 2 of their 9 hotels in Benidorm this year – Diplomatic and Torre Dorada, but have now added more perhaps due to the backlash on various travel forums of not supporting the resort.
It has certainly been a very strange start to the year and as we enter what is traditionally the peak summer season, normally overrun with Brits, it will be interesting to see what happens here.
The Madrileños tend to arrive on July 1 from the capital for their 2-month break… you’ll notice a distinct lack of parking spaces I bet as they park up and leave their vehicles until ready to drive back in a mass exodus at the end of August. They’ll be walking down to the beach daily, with their chairs and parasols strapped to their trolleys… you mark my words! www.benidormallyearround.com