Milan - Linate or Malpensa

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Dec 29, 2003, 9:59 pm

krug

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Milan - Linate or Malpensa

Thinking of taking a weekend break in Milan at the end of the summer; anyone have experience of which of the two airports BA serves is best.

Specifically in terms of which equipment is used (seems to vary between A319 and 757 for both airports) access to the city, and lounges.

Dec 29, 2003, 11:29 pm

Globaliser

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I've only been there once, on a Saturday day trip for which time was at a premium. Linate was great for that - only about 15-20 minutes by cab right into the centre of the city.

I can't remember anything about the lounge, even assuming that I had enough time to visit it on the way back. I do, however, remember that the duty free shop was quite prepared to sell me Bombay Sapphire on an intra-EU basis (ie buy as much as you like). For the equivalent of £8 per litre bottle, that made for a lot of clanking in the overhead compartment on the way home. (It was a good thing that a day trip doesn't need any cabin baggage at all, just an umbrella and a camera.)

Dec 30, 2003, 2:47 am

honu

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LIN is much closer to the city, with easier and cheaper public transportation, slightly less likely to be closed by fog (not a problem in the summer). Also, BA flies more frequently to LIN from LHR. The lounge is nice enough.

Dec 30, 2003, 6:06 am

mario

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Quote:

Originally posted by honu:
LIN is much closer to the city, with easier and cheaper public transportation, slightly less likely to be closed by fog (not a problem in the summer). Also, BA flies more frequently to LIN from LHR. The lounge is nice enough.

BTW, I am travelling to Malpensa tomorrow on Alitalia. Is there any lounge I can use with a BA Gold?

Dec 30, 2003, 10:07 am

Steve Fenton

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I fly to Italy about 20 times a year and for Milan itself you want Linate. Its an old aiport with only a couple of air bridges and you have to do the bus routine out to most aircraft so remember last on first off. By the way, check out the girl who works in the sunglasses shop just beyond security. Me and my pal agreed that she was amazing and in fact she was so good you would simply marry her on the spot.

[This message has been edited by Steve Fenton (edited Dec 30, 2003).]

Dec 30, 2003, 3:42 pm

GreatDane

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Let's not forget that Linate is also very prone to fog. Something that together with appalling glitches in Airport ground control caused the crash of Scandinavian flight 682 not too long ago.

Dec 30, 2003, 6:06 pm

Steve Fenton

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Quote:

Originally posted by GreatDane:
Let's not forget that Linate is also very prone to fog. Something that together with appalling glitches in Airport ground control caused the crash of Scandinavian flight 682 not too long ago.

Good point, I was there when it happened, I was also there when they had the crash in May when the Giro D'Italia was on the last stage and they would not stop the strike even though two pilots were dead following a crash at take off in a small jet.

You still need to check out that amazing girl who sells sunglasses.

Dec 31, 2003, 2:08 am

Globaliser

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That's a bit unfair on LIN ground control. The primary cause was the bizjet not following the taxi instructions which had been properly given to it, and not noticing that it was about to cross a runway at an inappropriate point. You can't really blame ground control, as such, for the fact that the surface radar had been taken out of service a long time before.

Ground control's part in the accident itself was really only in failing to notice a subtlety in the terms of a radio transmission from the bizjet which gave a hint that it was in the wrong place, which was a missed opportunity for them to prevent the accident.

Dec 31, 2003, 2:21 am

NickW

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Quote:

Originally posted by honu:
LIN is much closer to the city, with easier and cheaper public transportation, slightly less likely to be closed by fog (not a problem in the summer).

I won't dispute 'closer to the city'... but 'less likely to be closed by fog' is not at all true! LIN is absolutely famous for fog. In fact, if you look in the Alitalia international timetable, you need to check-in earlier for flights from LIN when it's foggy, but you don't at MXP.

Dec 31, 2003, 4:38 am

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GreatDane

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[/b][/QUOTE]
Ground control's part in the accident itself was really only in failing to notice a subtlety in the terms of a radio transmission from the bizjet which gave a hint that it was in the wrong place, which was a missed opportunity for them to prevent the accident.[/B][/QUOTE]

I think it goes a bit beyond that as you may read here: http://www.iasa.com.au/folders/Safet...okingback.html

I would certainly think twice before choosing Linate.

Dec 31, 2003, 5:50 am

#11

House

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In terms of facilities, it's a choice between a 15 minute taxi ride for EUR12-15 (Linate), a 30 minute bus ride (EUR1.50), als to Linate or a 40-50 minute train ride (around EUR8 IIRC), to Malpensa.

Malpensa is a bigger, newer airport, but I never use it unless I have to because I usually want to go to Milan city centre.

Linate is older, with mostly bus gates, but the sheer convenience wins every time,

I realise that there was a very unfortunate SK crash there a couple of years ago, and that the fault for this may lie in part with Linate ground control, but I would not let that influence my choice of Milan airport (put bluntly, LIN and MXP are run by the same company, and I would be amazed if their respective ground contollers are not trained by the same organisation). For the record, I have never felt unsafe using wither airport.

Dec 31, 2003, 6:58 am

#12

GreatDane

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House: Regrettably I think you may be right.
But Linate still has the disadvantage of the fog which in combination with the other factors makes it an accidentprone airport.

Dec 31, 2003, 8:30 am

#13

Globaliser

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Quote:

Originally posted by GreatDane:
I think it goes a bit beyond that as you may read here: http://www.iasa.com.au/folders/Safet...okingback.html

From the less impassioned summary at http://aviation-safety.net/database/2001/011008-0.htm (which from memory is a reasonably accurate reflection of the accident reports):-

Quote:

Visibility was poor with a Runway Visual Range of approx. 225m/735ft as MD-87 "Lage Viking" taxied to runway 36R for departure. Around the same time Cessna 525A CitationJet 2 D-IEVX received instructions to taxi out from the general aviation ramp ... "North via Romeo 5". The Citation crew were instructed to "call back at the stop bar of the main runway extension." The Citation pilot acknowledged: "Roger, via Romeo 5 ... and call you back before reaching main runway", omitting the words North, stop bar and extension. Unchallenged by the controller, the Citation taxied out to the East via taxiway Romeo 6 (R6). At 06.07h the MD-87 was instructed to line up and wait on Runway 36R. At 06.08h the Citation crew reported approaching Sierra 4 and they were told to hold at the stop bar. At 06.09:19h the ground controller cleared them to "continue your taxi on the main apron". Just ten seconds later Flight SK686 was cleared for takeoff. At 06.10:21, immediately after rotation, the MD-87 collided with the CitationJet.

That's why it's unfair to to say that the accident was caused by a combination of fog and appalling ground control glitches - with the implication that there was nothing else.

Jan 1, 2004, 12:19 pm

#14

Panic Stations

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I'd choose Linate anyday over the hour long drive into Milan from Malpensa. ATC at Linate is much impoved since the SAS crash. I'm told the surface movement radar actually works now and certain taxyways have been closed off to reduce the risk of an accidental runway incursion. Fog at Linate isn't really that big a deal, the runway is certified for autolands and ATC slot delays tend to affect both airports equally on foggy days. Frankly I don't think LIN is any more dangerous than any other airport in Italy.

Jan 1, 2004, 9:09 pm

#15

honu

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Quote:

Originally posted by NickW:
I won't dispute 'closer to the city'... but 'less likely to be closed by fog' is not at all true! LIN is absolutely famous for fog. In fact, if you look in the Alitalia international timetable, you need to check-in earlier for flights from LIN when it's foggy, but you don't at MXP.

When I used to live in Italy (long time ago, for about two decades), MXP was closed for weather much more often than LIN. Mind you, they're both in the Po Valley, which is famous for its thick fog, so LIN can be affected as well (and so can BLQ, VCE, etc.). I don't know if the weather pattern has changed in the last twenty years, but, for the purpose of the OP's question, fog is irrelevant as he's planning to travel in the summer.

[This message has been edited by honu (edited Jan 01, 2004).]

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