Immediate turnarounds in Europe on A3
 

Does anyone have experiences on OSL or ARN to do immediate turnarounds on A3 flights? I know there is a great topic on the BA boards, but considering the UK is ex-Schengen and A3 flights might in practice get different (bus) gates, in practice it could be different.

(Small note to our beloved moderator, I know there have been current topics on this, mainly dealing with SKG and IST if I remember, so maybe it might be worth to merge all? Or feel free to put this somewhere else!)

I think it's a great suggestion for a thread, but it needs some input first similar to the guide over at the BA board - albeit that's there for an entirely different reason.

That guide was ostensibly constructed by c-w-s, who has probably flown more BA routes and through more airports than anyone else on FT. If we could find that individual or collective wisdom here, then we could certainly put together a standard format that replicates the BA version.

/mod

Perhaps to start off, I can already give a bit of my own input on other airports:

BRU - Brussels: feeded straight into gate area, so immediate turnaround possible. But big warning: no clue how recent events at BRU might have changed airport ops!

CPH - Copenhagen: should be very doable, as you get straight in the main departure lobby/gate on all my times flying there.

CHQ - Chania:bus gates/walk to arrivals on tarmac, so will have to reclear security, but as airport is very small it could surely done in 20-30 mins. High season charter crowds at the wrong hours of the day can complicate this! (Not stopping over for at least a day in CHQ is anyway a crime against humanity).

OTP - Bucharest: you will be feeded away from the arrivals hall. Make sure before clearing passport control to find the transit point (not always staffed). Within 5-10 mins from there you should be back into the departures area, after BP is checked/gate agents or ground personell is contacted. Never tried personally myself, but should be very doable what I've read!

Regarding BRU - Brussels, I'm forced to try the immediate turnaround next week, since the evening flight to Athens will still be departing from Lille and I don't want to transfer by bus/train between airports (arriving in BRU).

According to https://www.brusselsairport2203.be/e...er-passengers/, I'm assuming the situation being unchanged for transfer, so it should be fine. Will report back at the end of next week.

ARN works the same way as CPH - you are unloaded right into the gate area and should be able to immediately re-board.

OSL is a little different due to it not being in the EU (but still in Schengen). There you are unloaded into corridor above the main concourse and have to pass through a security check before going downstairs to the departure concourse. It SHOULD be very quick. NOTE that I have only arrived there from France and Germany, NOT from Greece but it should be the same.

Another recent experience was BEG. This is outside Schengen and the EU but you are still offloaded into the same area as departures so you should be able to immediately re-board. Security is at each gate. I'm not sure how legal it would be to go there and not pass through passport control (your passport is actually stamped - a novelty there days!) but there are often some VERY cheap flights from ATH.

SOF. Forget it. I was bussed to the terminal which was really slow and then there was a reasonable queue at passport control (small airport and no other arrivals but only two desks).

The small island airports (such as PAS) should be doable because they are so small. PAS is my home airport and it would be very easy to just walk outside, back into the termal and through security - probably about three minutes from stepping off the aircraft to being ready to board. Also, there is only one flight at once and only 4 or 5 members of staff at the entire airport so just tell somebody what you are doing as you depalane and I'm sure they'd wait for you. I imagine most of the other small airports (Naxos, Syros etc.) work the same.

Thanks for your reply, Knobbgb!

Anyone might have some experiences as well at WAW? (Also has some great deals to there!)

You are right about the small domestic airports. I suddenly remember IOA - Ioannina as a very small and very efficient airport! (Although flight prices on the flights tend to be a little higher than to many island destinations)

PS. T566 - please keep up posted if BRU is still as convenient as before the recent terror attack!

WAW - I never did a turnaround but Schengen arrivals are fed into the Schengen gate area. Only problem might be having to run across the entire hall, eg from gate 45 to gate 8 as these are the most distant.
But you will miss the *G section of the Polonez lounge which has improved lately.

OSL is a mixed bag for me. I got stuck in a long line in that corridor for 20 minutes last time.

Created a wiki. feel free to add/edit

@Knobbgb

Let me don't agree with you about SOF.

If you arrive on board A320 then you appear in transit area and you depart from the same gate as you arrived because A3 uses air bridges.
In case of flight with DH-8 you are bused to arrival area, but you can skip passport control - just need to go upstairs and downstairs to B area (B1 - B4).

I added FCO to the Wiki both under Doable and Maybe: It will depend on whether you are to be bussed or whether you use the jetty, which is what happens in most cases.

I love this thread !!!

IST - may vary. Sometimes , immediate transfer is available, without going through security, there will be someone directing pax to departures area, but sometimes going through security may be necessary. But even with that, it should be do-able. Not normally huge queue. And fast track should help.

AMS - immediate turnaround possible.

MAD - very easy
 

In Madrid you get off and get on.
I even had tome to go to the lounge.