Glasgow – Cardiff – Glasgow


We set off on Saturday morning for our BMI Baby flight to Cardiff to take in the British Speedway Grand Prix at the Millennium Stadium. On time departure and arrival at a very wet Cardiff. I think half the passengers were off to the Speedway and the other half were off to an open air (will be wet) Donny Osmond concert.

Excellent GP and with all the problems at Glasgow we call the airport on Sunday morning to be told check in as normal no problems with you flight. I think the inbound was coming from EDI so that should have been ok.

Gets to the airport “very high security” dropped the hire car off and made our way to check in. Checked in ok and up to departures. 30mins before take off time flight cancelled. Go back down to the check in and receive a letter, which says your flight has been cancelled SORRY you can have a refund or we will book you on the Glasgow flight tomorrow night please call this number. So a bit of thinking results in my party of 7 calling the number with a 25 min wait on hold to find out if we can be transferred onto a Birmingham flight.

Yes seats available but I cannot transfer you as you are still booked on the Cardiff flight!!!.... Can you please unbook me…No call back in 30 mins……No way can you hold the seats for me……No call back….I am not hanging up……..well I will now end this call…..NO WAY PUT ME ON TO YOUR SUPERVISIOR……ok….hello sir it appears that you have now been unbooked let me book you Birmingham seats.

So 15 mins later with a people carrier hired we set off for Birmingham calling to make sure that this flight would be running. 2 hours later we arrive at Birminham drop off the car and make our way to the terminal, checking again that the flight would run. Back to Glasgow at 10.00pm with a very strong burnt smell in the terminal, reminded me of Scout campfires of old.

AS for BMI Baby they don’t give a toss find your own way home, I do feel sorry for some of the folk we left behind in Cardiff as they were about to run out of hire cars. They did not say the flight was cancelled because of the problems at Glasgow but also they did not say it wasn’t. So looks like we will have to give the travel insurance a try to see if we can get the hire car costs back.

Of to London City tomorrow so hopfuly I can get some snaps on the flight for a report, been looking forward to this trip for a while and then Verona for two weeks on Friday.

Thanks for a very interesting report, Ian, and glad you got back last night despite BMI trying to be difficult.
Just as well though that you had hired a car at Cardiff to get to your grand prix as I had a very bad experience of the lack of public transport on the one and only occasion I flew into Cardiff (Air Wales from Newcastle). Enquring at the information desk I was told there was an airport bus, which was parked on a hardstanding some distance from the terminal. Having walked over to the bus I was told abruptly by the driver that he wouldn't be going for 40 minutes so I walked back to the coach stop. After 40 minutes the bus moved off, drove past the coach stop without stopping despite outstretched hands and left empty, so I then had to take a taxi to Cardiff which cost £23. When I e-mailed the bus operator the following day I was told that the bus wasn't allowed to pick up passengers at the coach stop at the terminal for health and safety reasons, due to adjacent building works, but the driver ought to have invited me to sit aboard the bus until departure when I had first gone over to him.
I belive the situation has since improved with the opening of a rail link.