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Cardiff Airport Landing in a Robin Light Aircraft

Today, Cardiff airport handles around 1.9 million passengers who can travel to over 60 destinations. The airport provides everything one might expect from a popular international travel hub.

The history of Cardiff International airport extends back over 6 years. From 1931 to 1954 the original Cardiff airport operated at Pengam Moors in Cardiff bay but, in 1941, the wartime Air Ministry requisitioned land in the rural Vale of Glamorgan and work began to establish a fully operational wartime airfield and training base for RAF Spitfire pilots.

It wasn't until after the war that the commercial potential of Cardiff was recognised. Aer lingus started a service flying to and from Dublin in 1952 and this was followed by further airport development in the form of a new airport building. As the holiday charter market developed in the early 1960s additional destinations were added including France, Belfast and Cork and so the passenger figures increased.

The Ministry of Defence held onto control of the airport right up until the mid-1960s. It wasn't until 1965 that control was transferred to Glamorgan County Council. Local government reorganisation during the 1970s resulted in transfer of airport ownership to the three local county councils of South, Mid and West Glamorgan. In 1995, local government reorganisation led to the privatisation of the Cardiff Airport Company with shares sold to TBI Plc., a Welsh property and development firm.

1971 Saw the first transatlantic flight from Cardiff and this was followed by further development including the current airport terminal building and control tower. The single airport runway was extended to 7,000 feet to accommodate larger bodied aircraft. New routes were added all the time including regular transatlantic flights between Cardiff to Canada. These popular transatlantic links were further developed during the 1980s with charter flights to Florida as well as Canada.

Another runway extension of 750 feet, carried out in the 1980s, enabled the airport to handle 747 jumbo jets. This attracted the British Airways aircraft maintenance facility to be located at Cardiff International Airport. Their hangar is one of the largest of its kind in the world supporting aircraft engineering maintenance for British Airways and other airlines.

Passenger figures at Cardiff International Airport have continued to rise and a number of further development projects have been completed, designed to increase capacity and efficiency at the airport terminal. In 2007 figures showed that Cardiff airport had exceeded 2 million annual passengers. The annual growth rate of 14% makes Cardiff the UKs fastest growing regional airport.

For great deals on Cardiff Airport Parking or Cardiff Airport Hotels I recommend that you take a look at gosimply.com.

Travel the Smart Way: Battle Jet Lag

Whether you travel for fun or for work, the more you go, the more the chance is that you will experience jet lag at some time. Your chances also increase the farther you travel out of your own time zone. Jet lag can ruin a fun vacation, or hamper your productivity on a business trip, so it is best to minimize it, if not avoid it altogether.

Jet lag can mean different things to different people with wide ranging symptoms that can be mildly annoying to nearly debilitating. These symptoms can include: disorientation, fatigue, dehydration, aches and a lack of concentration and/or motivation. In a study co-sponsored by a major pharmaceutical company and two airlines, a whopping 94% of long distance travelers did report feeling the effects of jet lag, with nearly half of them saying that the symptoms were “bothersome” to them. Even flight attendants, who are fairly used to repeated long distance hauls report feeling some or all of the major symptoms of jet lag at least part of the time, and some of them find the effects so troubling that they leave the profession.

The major cause of jet lag is not necessarily the actual mode of travel as the name may imply, but the rapid change from one time zone to another, or one climate to another. Because our body has its own internal time system, (called the circadian rhythm), it is easy for it to become disrupted. People who switch from one work shift to another also ironically feel something similar to jet lag without ever having traveled a single mile. Traveling does not only disrupt this internal rhythm, but the heart rate, temperature and other body systems as well, leading to that dragging, run down feeling which may put the damper on your trip and leave your body open to opportune cold and flu bugs as your immune system becomes weakened.

So, what exactly is the best way to battle jet lag? First, try to stick to a routine if it is at all possible. If you know your business itinerary, check the time zone for the area you will be heading to and begin slowly adjusting your own schedule to fit into it. Make sure that you are your optimal health before travel, and be sure to stay well hydrated. On long flights, try to get up and stretch your legs at regular intervals and then try to rest upon arrival. If it is day time when you arrive, keep your nap to thirty minutes or less or you will risk the chance of not sleeping that night. If jet lag is really bothersome and you cannot avoid or reduce the amount that you travel, consider taking a homeopathic remedy which strengths your immune system and helps your body to remain strong.

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Packing and Planning: Must Knows Before You Go

If you are going on a trip, whether it is a weekend jaunt or a month long journey, there are quite a few things that you must know before you go. Writing a list out as soon as you know that you are planning a trip is a very good idea, and can end confusion and heart break later. The longer the trip, the more planning will be involved, and the longer the list. Once the list becomes longer than four or five items, split it with your travel partner and make sure that you are both aware of who is responsible for which part of the list. Good communication is paramount at this stage of the trip.

First things first: do you know where and when you are going? Is this a place that you are familiar with? Is the trip one that will be planned well in advance or is it a spur of the moment, spontaneous thing? Will the trip itself be for pleasure or for business? Who will pay for what, and how will payment be made? These are the preliminary questions that must be answered before any planning can be made. Don’t skip ahead to the shopping and packing portion before these issues are in hand.

If you know the place that you are heading to, you will know the basic weather conditions and acceptable dress, but if you have never been there you will probably need to do some research. You can do this yourself by reading a travel guide about the city you will visit, or by calling a good travel agent for some tips and pointers. Remember, there are some dress codes for certain parts of the world; you would do best to do know these things before hand.

If it is a business trip, then you may have an expense account and you will more than likely know what type of wardrobe is expected of you. Will you also have a companion with you? Is there a chance that this companion will not reflect well on you for this trip? Will you have any free time at all, or will your days be pretty well filled with meetings, etc.? Knowing your itinerary before you depart can avoid misunderstandings between you and your mate once you arrive.

Will you need a passport and/or a visa for your destination? Are all of your papers current? Have there been any outbreaks of illnesses reported, and if so, should you ask for immunizations against these diseases? Are there any areas of the country that you should avoid for safety? Do not find out the answer to these questions through a potentially dangerous event- know these things before you go.

Many people fight over the money that they spend on vacation, so if your trip is one for pleasure, then set a budget and faithfully stick to it. If you know that you will be tempted by a local specialty, agree on a set amount of money you will spend on this must have item, and then walk away. Take pictures of the things you could not buy and keep these as beautiful memories. Don’t allow a spat over money ruin your trip, possessions are only things after all.

Finally, remember that eventually you will be coming home, and you want things to be just as you have left them. If you are going to be gone for an extended stay, have the mail and newspaper stopped, the gas shut down and hire a neighbor to water the plants or feed the fish. Deter thieves by installing timers on your lamps and a radio to give the illusion of someone being in the house. Make sure that you shut down and unplug your computer, and unplug your television as well. Ask someone to mow your lawn and consider calling the police with the dates that you will depart and return and give them a number where you can be reached if there is a problem. Tidy the house before you go so that you do not come home to a mess that will destroy your post trip euphoria.

Remember that most trips are fun, but there is no place like home!

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Interview from Stansted Protest

Protesters from the climate action group Plane Stupid have been arrested at Stansted airport after occupying a runway at around 03:15 this morning.

Over 50 flights were cancelled or delayed due to the protest which occupied a secure area near the runway. Eco-Protesters were taken away by police after having been accused of aggravated trespass and conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.

Protesters had forced their way onto the site using bolt-cutters and then built themselves a small stockade, near to the runway, using concrete blocks and security fencing. They then chained themselves to the fencing.

Earlier this year in October the UK government gave the green light to controversial plans for the expansion of Stansted Airport. The British Airports Authority who own the airport have stated that they want to increase passenger numbers from 25 million to 35 million in just one year. This would result in a worrying increase in the number of flights from the airport from 241,000 to 264,000.

While supporters of the controversial expansion have spoken of the many new jobs that would be provided the eco-activists have reminded people of the environmental damage that would be caused. An average flight out of Stansted airport is responsible for around 41.58 tonnes of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere.

One young female protestor said:

“We’re here because our parents’ generation has failed us and its now down to young people to stop climate change by whatever peaceful means we have left. We’re afraid of what the police might do to us, we’re afraid of going to jail but nothing scares us as much as the threat of runaway climate change. We’ve thought through the consequences of what we’re doing here but we’re determined to stop as many tonnes of CO2 as we can.”

Matthew Knowles from the Society of British Aerospace Companies has stated that the protesters are ignoring the reality around aviation and climate change. He pointed out how aircraft today are 70% more fuel efficient than they were 50 years ago and went on to say that it is about time that these ill-informed protests stopped.

Another young Plane Stupid protester at Stansted airport said:

“We fully appreciate the scale of what we’ve done here today and we know many people will struggle to understand why we’ve done it, but the Arctic ice cap is disappearing, the seas are rising and our last chance to save our future is vanishing. With people taking more flights in Britain than anywhere else on earth, we have a unique responsibility to tackle emissions from flying.”

One of the passengers whose flight was delayed by the action has said that not only did the protest break all of the safety rules, it also disrupted peoples lives. He went on to say that he hoped the authorities would treat the protestors very seriously.

 

When travelling from Stansted airport I recommend booking your Stansted Airport Parking space in advance for some significant savings.