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DURHAM TESS VALLEY: Facing hard times DURHAM TESS VALLEY: Facing hard times

I WOULD like to assure your correspondent Christopher Wardell (HAS, Jan 21) – and indeed all your readers – that Peel Airports is totally committed to the future of Durham Tees Valley Airport.

We are in constant discussions with airlines and operators on the potential for introducing additional services and routes from DTV and, whilst negotiations can often take a long time to come to fruition, we are optimistic that we can attract new business.

Our decision to introduce the Passenger Facility Fee was critical to ensuring the financial stability of the airport and to safeguard its future – and indeed we have been greatly encouraged by the understanding and support shown by many of our customers.

Mike Morton, airport director.

Comments(15)

Laird says...
12:39pm Mon 31 Jan 11

Good luck to you Mr Morton.
If you manage to get additional routes (preferably by low cost airlines) then we will support the airport.

johnny_p says...
6:36pm Mon 31 Jan 11

So as Airport Director Mike- where are you? Where are you when your staff (especially the Security staff) are being rude or at least indifferent to your passengers? Where are you when other airports are growing, developing and improving?

Could I suggest you go to Frankfurt Hahn Airport. A few years ago an old decaying ex military base and now a thriving hub which has low cost flights all over Europe. An airport which charges as little as Euro 3 a day for parking. An airport where the staff are smart, efficient and customer orientated.

Of course when Teesside Airport does fail it won't be your fault will it? I'm sorry but I am angry. I am angry because you have let our regional airport decay while others have grown. If I was an Airport Director I would be constantly patrolling around the place seeing what is going on. I have never seen you..... are you really aware of what is going on? I somehow doubt it very much- either that or really endorse what is going on. Your letter? Sounds like Blairite spin to me.

gramps427 says...
9:34pm Mon 31 Jan 11

Well Mr Morton, I am no more convinced of you're ambition now as I was back in the late 70's early 80's of the airport's management when I worked at the airport.
I would ask you to think much further afield and link up with the railways & teesport to sell both your airport and this region to potential customers in China, India and the Middle East as both a transport hub and a potential base for their companies. Oh and by region I mean the Tees Valley that does not include Durham; a vital selling point don't you think!

Dean M says...
3:03pm Tue 1 Feb 11

There is a common element to a lot of readers posts on this issue - the bad attitude of DTV staff. I don't use DTV a lot but I do recall being irritated by a rude attitude a couple of years ago, and last summer my baggage was damaged when I collected it from the carousel where it had obviously just been thrown.
.
Being local is not a good enough reason in itself for using DTV. It needs to up it's game in customer service, particularly as it is unable to offer enough routes and is therefore going to struggle to attract passengers in the first place.

johnny_p says...
4:22pm Tue 1 Feb 11

Well said Dean. So I say again- where are you Mike Morton? Are you available to post a response to what people say, or are you just an "Airport Director" sitting in an office in London? How much time (if any) have you spent at Teesside Airport? Do you think the rudeness of your staff is appropriate? I would really like to hear your response.

johnny_p says...
8:48pm Tue 1 Feb 11

Skilful use of the English language:

"Our decision to introduce the Passenger Facility Fee was critical to ensuring the financial stability of the airport and to safeguard its future – and indeed we have been greatly encouraged by the understanding and support shown by many of our customers"

Really? Look at this:

http://www.gazetteli
ve.co.uk/news/teessi
de-news/2010/10/20/d
urham-tees-valley-ai
rport-charge-reactio
n-84229-27504962/

Or this:

http://www.durham-te
esvalley-airport.co.
uk/

Obviously you don't need to search too hard to find negative reports on the internet, but I struggled to find anything remotely positive.

Mr Morton- cat got your tongue? I bet you were hoping to get hoards of people writing in saying how wonderful everything is..... Please sort this place out.

billysaid says...
11:39pm Tue 1 Feb 11

johnny_p wrote:
Well said Dean. So I say again- where are you Mike Morton? Are you available to post a response to what people say, or are you just an "Airport Director" sitting in an office in London? How much time (if any) have you spent at Teesside Airport? Do you think the rudeness of your staff is appropriate? I would really like to hear your response.
i second you on that. well,,we await your reply Mr Morton.

Our Gee says...
8:32am Wed 2 Feb 11

In reply to johnny p I would say that I personally have never had a problem with staff at DTV. If you think that Security Staff at DTV are rude, then try Liverpool where I made the silly mistake of commenting when security staff on the Carry On baggage X-Ray machine literally through my bag into the machine. Big mistake. Everything out of my bag, empty all pockets, belt (soft plastic buckle) and shoes off, full body frisk, all with a reall nasty attitude.

johnny_p says...
10:06am Wed 2 Feb 11

I agree Liverpool Airport does have notoriously awful security staff- but they are owned the same people who run DVT Airport. They aren't generally like that in the rest of Europe- what makes Britain so different? You can surely have effective security without being so rude to your customers?

David Lacey says...
8:05am Thu 3 Feb 11

The only airport where I've had trouble is also Liverpool. It is a dump and the staff have a bad attitude. My experience there was so bad I wrote a letter of complaint. The Scousers must specialise in upsetting people. Incidentally I've never experienced problems entering the USA.

Bert99 says...
1:57pm Thu 3 Feb 11

Just to add some fuel to the fire . The current situation with DTV seems to be a net result of the withdrawal of BMI Baby who broke their contrcat with the airport and were allowed to not pay compensation, and the bankruptcy of FLY GlobeSpan . The departure of both of these seems to have accelearted the decline which started when BMI removed the LHR route. The likes of Ryanair effectively hold airports to ransom and will remove routes if any attempt is made to increase their costs . Newcastle is owned largely by the council who have been prepared to invest heavily to attract low cost carriers and retain the LHR link , largely with local tax payers funds.
As a regular user of DTV I feel that the issue at tees Valley with staff is not the check in staff who work for Servisair and are helpful . Instead the problem is the security staff who seem to delight in applying the current regulations religiously . Recently I saw someone turned back beacuse his clear plastic bag did not reseal as the seal was broken , I myself must have one of those faces as everytime I arrive its time for a full pat down. This enthusiasm I feel is driven by the fact that other than KLM , Eastern and the odd charter , they really have nothing to do.
One final point , it is cheaper to park at Teesside for up to 5 days than it is at Newcastle.

Dean M says...
2:56pm Thu 3 Feb 11

Bert99 wrote:
"The likes of Ryanair effectively hold airports to ransom and will remove routes if any attempt is made to increase their costs."
.
Good for them though, I have to say. If I was MD of Ryanair I'd also be constantly trying to keep costs down, so as not to lose passengers due to higher fares.

David Lacey says...
7:57am Fri 4 Feb 11

Dean
The last thing that Ryanair care about is their passengers. Only one thing motivates them - money. I would use them only as a last resort.

billysaid says...
11:50am Fri 4 Feb 11

i may be well wrong !,,,but did ryanair introduce a £1 charge for using their toilets in flight ?. just a thought.

johnny_p says...
2:50pm Fri 4 Feb 11

billysaid wrote:
i may be well wrong !,,,but did ryanair introduce a £1 charge for using their toilets in flight ?. just a thought.
You are wrong- it was one of Ryanair's media attention grabbing stunts. Any publicity is good publicity to some. In any case though- why not charge people for using the toilets? Many other places do and the airline has to pay to have them serviced when they land.

The trouble with Teesside Airport is that they seem to have problems attracting any airlines to use the place. And of course an airport without airlines is of absolutely no use to anyone....

There are plenty of other Ryanair hubs (Frankfurt-Hahn, Stansted, Bergamo etc) who have been very successful using the likes of Ryanair, so why can't Teesside? They surely can't afford to be choosy about who they attract at the moment. If KLM pull out surely now the place will have to close....?

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