Disclaimer: I don't place it in the ''complaints'' corner because i think it is rather a joke.
Thursday to Friday night I go around 01:30 at Geneva airport as on Friday morning i had a flight and also there was not other public transport option available that would be suitable for me. So reaching the airport I see a small ''crowd'' of people outside the airport sitting in the cold. I try to enter through the doors and they dont open. I tried all 4 different ones and they were not operating!!!!!! suddenly I hear that the airport is closed for the night and you cant enter. i am totally shocked!! After some time we try to convince some people that were already inside to come out so that the exit doors would open so that we would be able to enter and then....finding a place to sit..nowhere!
In one of the richest countries of the world, in one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the world, an international airport of 10 million passengers a year closes down its doors for the night...and has no seats whatsoever for people waiting to check-in.
I am honestly wondering in Africa is this happening? e.g. Cairo?First time in my life i find an airport of that size being ''closed''...i was totally ''thrilled'' by the moment especially thinking the winter period also
For future guesswork, check out this site.
http://www.sleepinginairports.net/
I didnt think it was too bad, we sat in the cafe place at the top of the stairs, it was closed but all the seats were out so we had a comfortable enough
I used to fly regularly from a relatively small airport for business, some years ago. Always had the first flight in the morning. One day, when I arrived at the airport about 2 hours before departure, the airport was still closed.
I can confirm that it is a weird experience.
On the other hand, why should an airport be open if there are no flights? It is not a hotel or a shelter for the homeless.
Ooops, just shows, always best to check first. As there are no night flights at Geneva, the airport opens at 4am, I think. Your ticket would cost an awful lot more if the airport had to be wo/manned all night + Securitas. Not the only small airport in the world to close at night, I am pretty sure.
Here is a quote from official GVA airport site:
Terminal Operning Hours
For security reasons the T1 terminal is closed from 00:00 am to 04:00 am. The French Sector is closed from 23:00 pm to 04:30 am. It is not allowed to stay inside during this time.
Well, ZRH airport has similar or even stricter restrictions during the night than GVA and at least as much security regulations but manages to keep open during the night. As THIS report shows
http://www.sleepinginairports.net/20...m#.UR6PufIZbbo
ZRH is scoring quite nicely. This was not always that way and some conflicts were raging for ages. But solutions, including the airport-company and the Kantonspolizei finally could be achieved
so did you manage to get into the airport by convincing people to trigger the sensors?
Cairo Airport opens 24 hours, and transportation around it as well work 24 hours (except of public buses) - still beside taxis there are small minibuses
And there are inside airport shops and as well beside the airport shops that open 24 hours
Car Parking is for less than 3 franks per over night stay.
Cairo airport is very nice, there are three terminal, the third is the newest, yes sometimes at the entrance it lacks discipline due to human culture, this is expected from as a developing country behavior, hope this will improve with time.
There of course are some basic differences to European airports
- Cairo, Beirut, Amman, Dubai, Muscat, etc have peak traffic between midgnight and 3.30 am , not least with arriving airplanes which left the European bases just before the night curfew
- the weewee hours are quite popular among the travellers as it then is not as hot as during daytime
add to this that in Cairo Terminals 1&2 were rather a bit chaotic and overburdenend until their renovation and the construction of T-3 some years ago
Youth Hostels can be found in most cities in Switzerland, and since about 25 years, they also are open for adults of any age.
In defence of Cointrin, it is to be made clear that Cointrin cannot be much extended, as there is not much space for additional buildings, at least not on the CH-side and no space for a second runway
First of all i think it should be open because it is a freaking airport of 10 MILLION passengers a year and not if 50,000.... i also think that guests are not homeless people but some that dont want to spend 50 euros extra (at least) to sleep for 2-3 hrs in a bad hotel but instead maybe waiting with their coffee or drink 2-3 hrs at the airport.
I did not say that they dont mention that they airport closes down...I ask where ELSE in the PLANET a 10 million passenger (SIZE DOES MATTERS after all) INTERNATIONAL airport closes down...it is the most ridiculous thing of all.
As for security...that the other major ridiculous comment...if u dont know...ask how the other airports do it..simply as that.
However first time in my life i see someone comparing homeless with a early traveller, in favor of an airport being closed.
They pay people, and that's reflected on the price of your ticket.
why would you go to an airport at 1.30am when the last flight in is around 10.30pm and the first flight out is at 6am?
for 2 reasons. A) Because travelling by public transport between midnight and 5am is rather difficult in many or most places B) not to have to go to a hotel from where you had to get off at 3am and out at 4am to be at the check in desk at 5am, but had to pay a full night
reminds me when I was flown to Nice for dinner and had to come back the same night with easy jet. after airplane issues we were moved to another plane and while up in the air we were informed that GVA does not accept incoming planes after 22.00. We were rerouted to Lyon and had to take a public transport bus (plastic seats ) all the way to GVA .
Worst trip EVER
This thread boils down to "I'm too cheap to cough up some extra money for early travel or a hotel, so I want everyone else to pay more for their tickets so I can sleep on a bench in the airport."
Get over it - and learn to plan in advance!
The last Nice-Geneva-flight is
21:25 Nizza NCE
22:25 Genf GVA
Direktflug 1h 0m
EasyJet 1386
and Geneva just as Zürich has a night-curfew from 23.30 to 6.00 and they at EasyJet know this precisely well. Technical problems on the ground do not entitle an airline for an exception
For the transfer-buses they had to take whatever available . This for EasyJet was still cheaper than a hotel-night in Nice for all the passengers
Whatever, it was a problem of EasyJet. A) A faulty airplane which had to be replaced B) meagre information C) uncomfortable buses hired for the Satolas-Cointrin transfer
What a mean and totally dickish comment.