Cardiff 'International' Airport goes from strength to strength

I can remember when Cardiff was the larger airport.
Sadly, it’s been left behind.
Bristol has had more extensions than the Allbright pub. It’s still a nasty cramped airport, though - particularly the Border Force Area, which is one big bottleneck.
It’s succeeded because they’ve wrung every last penny out of it.
As another poster said, it has a more affluent catchment, which means it’s not as dependent on the charter market and it's also closer to the rest of the UK than Cardiff, which is always going to be a problem.
As usual, money talks.

It’s a bit unfair comparing the two airports. Location is the main factor and Cardiff Airport isn’t going to shift. There’s a much vaster population in touching distance of Bristol Airport than Cardiff’s. I’m just glad we’ve got a local airport and I use it whenever possible.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

It was chaotic. I had some work to do in Grangetown and thought I'd pop into town to pick up a few things. Queues virtually everywhere despite the damp weather.

I guess it was to be expected, though. There have been local lockdowns for a couple of months, people from outside of Cardiff, like me, have been putting off getting some things until we could get back into Cardiff. Monday was hectic, by all accounts. Today was going to be the same as less people work on the weekend.

I completely failed in my bid to keep a social distance from people because of others. There are arrows on pavements trying to stop people walking through other people. No-one gave a shit.

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But the problem is compounded by what the council have done. Anyone coming in from the east gets to the bottom of Queen St and they cannot turn left to go around the back to the car parks in St David's or J Lewis. The road is not officially closed, was not one of the named closed streets but the council put "Stewards" on the junction during the day to prevent access. When I asked one why he said, "We are stopping cars going down to maintain social distancing at Queen St station". I asked him how a car driving past would affect social distancing and he replied, in true nazi fashion, "I'm just doing as I'm told"
So the driver has to go up Dumfries Place round past the city hall, up North Road, down Cardiff road Cathedral road, lower cathedral Road, Care St and Callaghan Square to get to the car park the other way, and the road is logjammed.
Other signs tend to inform a non-city driver that the cannot access the NCP parks in Westgate St or Greyfriars Road although it isn't true, and this compounds the problem still more.
As you say, people coming in to town who haven't been into Cardiff for weeks adds to the chaos.
It was genuinely as bad as I've ever seen it today, far worse than normal christmas mad rush, and we haven't even got to that stage yet.

PS. you are right about the social distancing thing too, a lot of people think if they have a mask on everything else doesn't matter. And the traffic in the city and up the A470 has been as bad this week as it was before March. I can see more lockdown coming if people keep on like this.

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Originally Posted by xsnaggle

Talking of the sore point of traffic retrictions and Cardiff City Centre, I tried to drive into town this morning to do some of my regular shopping. I couldn't get in. It was impossible.
I drove done around the bottom intending tp park in the St David Centre. I couldn't get near it. The traffic in Callaghan Square waiting to turn right into Bute St didn't move for 10 minutes.
so I thought I'd go round by the prison, turn left and come in that way. no chance, the traffic waiting to turn left was stationary.
so I drove up by the back of the blind institute, exactly the same.
I ended up going through splott up to the junction with Newport Rd Glossop Terrace. The traffic goin into town was stationary. I ended up going up City road to Gabalfa tesco and then home.
The number of people going into town was ridiculous. I'm a regular shopper there and I have never seen traffic like that on a normal saturday.
2 things spring to mind. If the council gave people easier access to the other car parks and stopped putting up signs suggesting they are no reachable this wouldn't happen.
The second, and in this environment more disturbing, is so many people obviously not doing the least they need to. It was seriously worse than Christmas.

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Wonder if Castle Street being shut contributed to the chaos ?

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Originally Posted by BLUETIT

Wonder if Castle Street being shut contributed to the chaos ?

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now there's a thing. Why didn't I think of that? :tumbleweed: :hehe:

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Originally Posted by BLUETIT

Wonder if Castle Street being shut contributed to the chaos ?

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I sat down on the road there today, couldn’t even get a cup of bastard tea!!!!! Outdoor dining be bollocksed:biggrin:

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Originally Posted by splott parker

I sat down on the road there today, couldn’t even get a cup of bastard tea!!!!! Outdoor dining be bollocksed:biggrin:

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There's the problem tea ??
( No profit in that.)


16 vodka / Red Bull shots served in minutes.

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Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman

What a bastard. Imagine a politician being concerned about public money and the environment. Disgraceful.

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Indeed all that modernisation? Who needs it .

Anyways they are ploughing millions into other projects such as a modern Cardiff and Valleys transportation system to fit the needs of our Capital City , or should we stay with the pollution of areas from our clogged up roads such as the M4 , A470.

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Originally Posted by life on mars

Indeed all that modernisation? Who needs it .

Anyways they are ploughing millions into other projects such as a modern Cardiff and Valleys transportation system to fit the needs of our Capital City , or should we stay with the pollution of areas from our clogged up roads such as the M4 , A470.

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The south Wales Metro scheme will make no difference to the difficulty of getting through the tunnels at Malpas tho.

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Originally Posted by cityhammer

The south Wales Metro scheme will make no difference to the difficulty of getting through the tunnels at Malpas tho.

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Covid 19 has helped this problem enormously. Heading towards the tunnels on Friday afternoon is no longer the headache it once was .

Glasgow is a big city

With sprawling suburbs

And then there is greater Glasgow

And the central urban belt

And large cities like Edinburgh an hour away

And Dundee, Stirling etc

It serves a big population

Thats why its an international airport , and cardiff isn't

If Bristol Airport didn't exist and cardiff had decent transport links things might be different

But they are not

Hong Kong airport you can check in and check your bags in the city centre, then only get the train to the airport when it is time to go.
Brilliant you get to see the city instead of being stuck in an airport for hours.
Of course the MTR goes right into the airport.

If we could get something like that going with Cardiff airport it could be a game changer.
You could run direct trains from London even and be at the airport in a couple of hours.

Surely it wouldn't be that difficult to achieve. In the latest Cardiff Metro plans, there is a station called "Cardiff Airport" but I suspect it is just Rhoose station with a crappy bus.

Travelling to Bristol seems like an endless journey.I much prefer Cardiff.

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Originally Posted by dandywarhol

Travelling to Bristol seems like an endless journey. I much prefer Cardiff.

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Getting to Bristol Airport isn't that easy if you don't have car or taxi to take you. It's actually easier to get to Birmingham Airport from Cardiff

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Originally Posted by life on mars

There's the problem tea ??
( No profit in that.)


16 vodka / Red Bull shots served in minutes.

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But remember the rules, you had to order at least £10 worth of food to be allowed alcoholic drinks, and that from one of the participating restaurants, most of which you'd never heard of or wouldn't go to given a choice.

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Originally Posted by Rjk

In the latest Cardiff Metro plans, there is a station called "Cardiff Airport" but I suspect it is just Rhoose station with a crappy bus.

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I beg to differ on the crappy bus comment. You might be lucky to get a 02 plate Optare Solo with no luggage room or a 03 Mercedes with step entry.

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Originally Posted by xsnaggle

Getting to Bristol Airport isn't that easy if you don't have car or taxi to take you. It's actually easier to get to Birmingham Airport from Cardiff

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Yes. I'd also suggest that Manchester Airport isn't too bad, though a bit further, but with excellent rail links

The bigger pitcher is .. .................
All the money is being ploughed into public transport and beyond. The WAG have the airport just acquired the trains, buses will not be long and are pushing for the taxis.
Tolls on the M4 and A roads, congestion charge for the centre of Cardiff all going to be green to save the planet?
Any objections? They have just spent billions on an all singing and dancing transport system?

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Originally Posted by Its been emotional

The bigger pitcher is .. .................
All the money is being ploughed into public transport and beyond. The WAG have the airport just acquired the trains, buses will not be long and are pushing for the taxis.
Tolls on the M4 and A roads, congestion charge for the centre of Cardiff all going to be green to save the planet?
Any objections? They have just spent billions on an all singing and dancing transport system?

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Yes of course they have, which is why we have one of the best public transport and rapid transit systems in the UK.

Bristol airport isn’t easy to get to, even if you lived in Bristol as I did for 5 years. When they finally build the barrage across cardiff bay to avonmouth and the link rd going all the way to the airport or train maybe, we can Knick all the wurzels too....not to mention free energy for all of us. It will done by 2075 I reckon.

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Originally Posted by goats

Bristol airport isn’t easy to get to, even if you lived in Bristol as I did for 5 years. When they finally build the barrage across cardiff bay to avonmouth and the link rd going all the way to the airport or train maybe, we can Knick all the wurzels too....not to mention free energy for all of us. It will done by 2075 I reckon.

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A barrage with a road on it would actually make Bristol Airport much easier to get to for people in South Wales too.

None of the numerous barrage schemes I've seen over the years have actually included a road though.

there was a small window of opportunity about 10 years ago when Cardiff and Bristol were both not in great shape.

Should have closed them both and built a new airport (Sevenside airport) right on the border off the M4. loads of land by the bridges, travel would have been better for those living in Bristol and Cardiff than their current airports and could have justified the Seven Barage development ( which I think should have happened)

Could also have kept it in Wales, just to satisfy our ego. As I genuinely think the main reason so much is put into saving Cardiff is because we want our own airport, in our own country.

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Originally Posted by chris lee

there was a small window of opportunity about 10 years ago when Cardiff and Bristol were both not in great shape.

Should have closed them both and built a new airport (Sevenside airport) right on the border off the M4. loads of land by the bridges, travel would have been better for those living in Bristol and Cardiff than their current airports and could have justified the Seven Barage development ( which I think should have happened)

Could also have kept it in Wales, just to satisfy our ego. As I genuinely think the main reason so much is put into saving Cardiff is because we want our own airport, in our own country.

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There's approximately 400,000 people living in West Wales, add to that south east Wales and the valleys, there's enough people in the region to make Cardiff airport viable, I would've thought. The question is, why isn't CWA getting hold of the low cost carriers?

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Originally Posted by Tuerto

There's approximately 400,000 people living in West Wales, add to that south east Wales and the valleys, there's enough people in the region to make Cardiff airport viable, I would've thought. The question is, why isn't CWA getting hold of the low cost carriers?

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Economies of scale, the more passengers you have the lower your costs, as Bristol has about 5 times as many passengers as Cardiff they'll be able to offer lower fares from there, which is what the low cost operators trade on.

Attachment 4157

Here are the passenger numbers for Cardiff airport - with the Welsh Government stepping in in 2013 wasn't it? you can see why.

If they can keep the numbers increasing then the low cost carriers would return as soon as the costs come down.
However the whole industry faces a very tough time over the next few years as following the covid crisis the whole industry will have changed.

I think they should focus on flights to the Americas. Have a US immigration in the airport like they have as Dublin airport and include a fast train link to London you could coax some traffic away from the london area - and as the planes won't have to fly as far (or queue as long) they would save on fuel as well.

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Originally Posted by Rjk

Economies of scale, the more passengers you have the lower your costs, as Bristol has about 5 times as many passengers as Cardiff they'll be able to offer lower fares from there, which is what the low cost operators trade on.

Attachment 4157

Here are the passenger numbers for Cardiff airport - with the Welsh Government stepping in in 2013 wasn't it? you can see why.

If they can keep the numbers increasing then the low cost carriers would return as soon as the costs come down.
However the whole industry faces a very tough time over the next few years as following the covid crisis the whole industry will have changed.

I think they should focus on flights to the Americas. Have a US immigration in the airport like they have as Dublin airport and include a fast train link to London you could coax some traffic away from the london area - and as the planes won't have to fly as far (or queue as long) they would save on fuel as well.

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Do you think the extra 150 miles makes much difference to a transatlantic flight?