Jackylad

I'm looking forward to seeing the lounge tomorrow, pictures look great.

Are they still shuttling fast track through the new scanners and keeping the old area for standard security? Was a total mess a couple of weeks back when we went through, doesn't sound like things have improved much.

SaveECRewards

When I went through last night it was all old scanners in use, when I went through this morning (10:30) it was all the new scanners and the old area was closed.

It wasn’t super speedy but I think it was about neutral. The slightly longer time to get through was balanced out with not needing to repack. So it does seem to be improving

Jackylad

How were the queues?

corporate-wage-slave

If the scanners are working then Fast Track works as it should with a clear route to them. If they are not in service then you have go work around the partitioned area (containing the 3rd and 4th CT scanners under construction) and that involves a short narrow section where there can be no segregation. Unless it's late in the evening, the Fast Track conventional scanner is then next left whereas everyone continues further on to the other scanners.

SaveECRewards

The 3rd and 4th were operational today. That might explain why everyone now has to go through duty free. I’m worried, I thought you passed through NCL on average 3 times a day 😁

SaveECRewards

I was through in about 4 minutes. Not the quickest in NCL but certainly more than acceptable

Jackylad

Cheers, I'll take that.

TBF, it's usually dropoff to airside in less than 5 minutes for me through NCL, but we're away for three weeks so I'm checking a bag,so will be slower this time regardless.

SaveECRewards

The queue for bag drop was terrible today (possibly because of all the disruption) so it was great to have access to the business line.

One for the regulars (CWS will likely know) the person at bag drop had something like ticketing agent on her Servisair name badge. Will she be trained in BA ticketing or does that just apply to some other airlines they serve?

corporate-wage-slave

She probably could manage BA ticketing, it's just BA no longer pays for it there. So they can do revalidations (AUPs in other words, or rebooking on to another flight with the same routing) but not reissues (e.g. switches to EDI or LNER) - that's all done by the contact centre. BA used to have ticketing at NCL, managed by Swissport, so it may be an old badge, or indeed the badge for one of the other airlines who do pay for ticketing at NCL. Swissport have a near monopoly at NCL, Jet2 use their own staff of course, but otherwise it's Swissport for everything including both the former BA lounge and Aspire. The proposed lounge by the old Cheviot lounge was not supposed to be Swissport, though I don't know the current status there.

abitwild

Just to add a bit more on the lounge that I did not mention earlier: the loos: there are six cubicles at the moment - a big improvement on before. Whether the cubicles will be ultimately ladies only (if I'm allowed to say that :-), and the gents (if I'm allowed to say that :-) will get a few more loos built as the building works continue over the next few weeks, who knows? Either way, a big improvement on before. You wouldn't think you were in an Aspire lounge loo in the revamped lounge, put it that way, whether you are male/female/both/either/economy/Priority/business/first/Emirates :-)

layz

Let's get Newcastle noticed this time in the Head for Points awards, it'll be a nice morale boost for those who are working there (you can add them by selecting 'other' as the option and writing in).

The link to vote is here and there's two categories you could consider nominating them for would be best independent lounge or best new or refurbished lounge. The shortlisted entries for both these categories were quite uninspiring so I would say that the NCL Aspire is probably the best refurbished contract lounge in the UK.

The last (and also first) time HfP ran awards was in 2019 and apparently the old BA lounge in NCL had a 'surprising' number of write in entries for best UK airline lounge. This took the HfP team by surprise as they never knew how appreciated the BA lounge in NCL was. I had been looking forward to voting for the BA NCL lounge in 2020 but covid put the awards on hold.

I voted Concorde Room for best airline lounge, it's in the shortlist this year, but back in 2019 wasn't listed you had to write it in, the BA option in the 2019 shortlist was Gatwick South, nice enough but no CCR.

This was their write up of the 2019 awards: https://www.headforpoints.com/2019/1...19-hfp-awards/

SaveECRewards

The toilets were a massive improvement to what was there before. Nicer than BA’s own at LHR!

Have any of the former BA lounge people been assigned elsewhere within the airport? It would be nice to see them in the new Aspire should they need more people to work there once the lounge is fully open. I know BA used Baxter Storey for the lounge catering so presumably those working for them would have lost their jobs. It would be great to see some familiar faces back!

I’m less worried about the new lounge where Cheviot used to be (until recently I thought it was our only chance of getting a decent lounge back at NCL), but some healthy competition would be nice so let’s see what happens there.

abitwild

SAVE EC REWARDS: is it you sir, that is responsible for the big neon sign on the entrance roundabout to Newcastle airport, proudly flashing: 'NEWCASTLE EARPORT. vorted the best earport in tha world, in 2023'.*

* 'Earports in Geordieland, north of tha Tyne



:-)

SaveECRewards

I saw that on the comments section of HfP, but due to the dreadful weather recently that sign totally passed me by (if it did exist). I was dropping a car off at Avis so should have noticed it.

what they’re bragging about will be this: https://www.newcastleairport.com/new...ld-conference/

The Greggs at NCL is now 24 hour too and the only airport in the world with a proper Greggs 😁

DaveNCL

I hope after this investment they place the same priority on hourly and daily cleaning. During COVID they were deep cleaned but unfortunately they still went back to how they were in a matter of months with regular use.

Just for reference, the lounge are not accepting priority pass at the moment. With reduced capacity it’s the first to drop.