Sheffield Airport - sign the Petion to stop the redevelopment of the site

[rayggb 13]

Most major airports are outside the actual city they purport to serve,Heathrow,Manchester,Gatwick,Luton,Stanstead and Many,Many European and Worldwide ones,so I see no problem with Doncaster purporting to be Doncaster/Sheffield Airport.It really is not that far to Sheffield.As I have said before the short journey is a doddle.It would be total waste of money to reopen Sheffield.

[woodmally 10]

Sheffield does not need an airport. I wont be signing this petition.

 

I agree I wont be signing either.

[Olive 10]

When the airport first opened I remember a special section in The Star which interviewed local businessmen who said they'd use it and find it useful for their companies and increasing bigger business to the city.

 

Hawarden (Chester) Airport is one you've probably never heard of, but its the one most private businesses and celebrities use to come to the North West rather than Manchester or Liverpool.

 

Just because the runway wasn't that long and suitable for the Easyjet brigade doesn't mean it should have been written off. Early Waverley proposals trumped up the airport proximity.

 

You are right, holiday and stag-do destinations are covered by Doncaster, but this is no use whatsoever in a business capacity.

 

When Sheffield airport (briefly) ran daily flights to Amsterdam I used it regularly as a means of getting to other European and US destinations for business. Yes, Manchester is close, but it's nowhere near as convenient or reliable. The difference for me, my colleagues and our clients was a 15-minute taxi ride from Sheffield airport, compared with a taxi journey across the Peaks, (itself not a guaranteed method of getting you there during winter). Using taxis to get to Manchester airport may sound extravagant, but often it was the only option for the time of day. More than once we had clients stuck at the airport on their way home - they'd missed their flights due to cancelled trains between Sheffield and Manchester. Driving your own or a hire car to the airport incurrs mileage and parking costs. The Amsterdam connections from Sheffield were a godsend compared to this.

 

My OH sometimes travels to the US for work. He tends to get a taxi all the way to Heathrow, as by the time you've paid for a taxi to Manchester, checked in, waited for the transfer to Healthrow, checked in again, etc etc it's more viable to be driven halfway across to the country. Train to Heathrow? Absolutely, if there's one running that'll get you there on time, or if you want to trail accross London on the airport shuttle, and if you want to pay the earth to travel at the time you want. (Another topic really, but how ridiculous is it that it's more viable to pay for a return taxi journey for one person between Sheffield and Healthrow than it is to get a rail ticket?)

 

I'm not saying all these problems are insurmountable. It's totally possible to travel to and from Sheffield, especially if you're off on your annual hols. Not so straight forward as part of the business week.

 

An easy way of connecting between worldwide flight networks, which is what we had over a decade ago, is what the city is crying out for.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Olive

[tinfoilhat 11]

You are right, holiday and stag-do destinations are covered by Doncaster, but this is no use whatsoever in a business capacity.

 

When Sheffield airport (briefly) ran daily flights to Amsterdam I used it regularly as a means of getting to other European and US destinations for business. Yes, Manchester is close, but it's nowhere near as convenient or reliable. The difference for me, my colleagues and our clients was a 15-minute taxi ride from Sheffield airport, compared with a taxi journey across the Peaks, (itself not a guaranteed method of getting you there during winter). Using taxis to get to Manchester airport may sound extravagant, but often it was the only option for the time of day. More than once we had clients stuck at the airport on their way home - they'd missed their flights due to cancelled trains between Sheffield and Manchester. Driving your own or a hire car to the airport incurrs mileage and parking costs. The Amsterdam connections from Sheffield were a godsend compared to this.

 

My OH sometimes travels to the US for work. He tends to get a taxi all the way to Heathrow, as by the time you've paid for a taxi to Manchester, checked in, waited for the transfer to Healthrow, checked in again, etc etc it's more viable to be driven halfway across to the country. Train to Heathrow? Absolutely, if there's one running that'll get you there on time, or if you want to trail accross London on the airport shuttle, and if you want to pay the earth to travel at the time you want. (Another topic really, but how ridiculous is it that it's more viable to pay for a return taxi journey for one person between Sheffield and Healthrow than it is to get a rail ticket?)

 

I'm not saying all these problems are insurmountable. It's totally possible to travel to and from Sheffield, especially if your off on your annual hols. Not so straight forward as part of the business week.

 

An easy way of connecting between worldwide flight networks, which is what we had over a decade ago, is what the city is crying out for.

 

Is it really crying out for it ? You and your hubby may have used it, and it must have been handy. Were these flights full ? Half full ? Hull and Scunthorpe have an airport close to them - still are both dumps. vagueboy mentioned that we don't have anywhere close by to build a Doncaster-spec airport ? Really ? Not closer than finingly ? I don't think we looked hard enough.

 

In a city where, almost as one, where the main battle cry is "I want it cheap" it needed to cater for the holiday maker and stag do, probably more than the international businessan.

[jaffa1 10]

Many years ago I knew of a German company who wanted to extend there business across the water to Sheffield. As the owner of the company had his own light aircraft he was put off Sheffield because it didn't have an airport.

He set up his business in Loughbrough where he was near the East Midlands airport. The business is still there to this day. Sheffield lost out.

Robin Hood airport is for tourist and come to think of it , it's always very quite, never seen it busy yet. I think one reason is you can get the very same flight much cheaper from Machester airport.

[Olive 10]

Is it really crying out for it ? You and your hubby may have used it, and it must have been handy. Were these flights full ? Half full ? Hull and Scunthorpe have an airport close to them - still are both dumps. vagueboy mentioned that we don't have anywhere close by to build a Doncaster-spec airport ? Really ? Not closer than finingly ? I don't think we looked hard enough.

 

In a city where, almost as one, where the main battle cry is "I want it cheap" it needed to cater for the holiday maker and stag do, probably more than the international businessan.

 

Well, we are going back quite a few years now, but the Amsterdam flight was pretty much full every time I used it. I think there is probably more demand than people realise.

I did used to work for a multinational corporation with a lot of international clients, so yes, probably more international travel required than a lot of people, but I don't think it's that unusual.

 

Where I work now, there is still quite a lot of international travel going on - not so much for myself, but for colleagues, partners, collaborators, clients. People I liaise with in the city in the business community are in similar situations. You would think that the days of travelling in person were over, with communication technology advancing as it is, but it's not a replacement (yet) for attending events such as trade fairs etc.

 

I don't think we need an extensive list of destinations, even daily flights between Doncaster and London, or Doncaster and Paris or Amsterdam would be a huge improvement.

Edited November 23, 2012 by Olive

[alchresearch 215]

I used the KLM one the same way numerous times and the planes were always full. The Jersey ones in the Summer were too.

[Mecky 10]

I don't believe Sheffield was a serious attempt at an airport

[alchresearch 215]

I think it was, but the market changed very quickly. All of a sudden the shiny brand new short haul jets like the BaE 146 were dumped in favour of second hand Boeing 737s by all the low cost start-ups.

 

I can't remember which model turned up at the open day, but it was a fair old size.

[tinfoilhat 11]

Well, we are going back quite a few years now, but the Amsterdam flight was pretty much full every time I used it. I think there is probably more demand than people realise.

I did used to work for a multinational corporation with a lot of international clients, so yes, probably more international travel required than a lot of people, but I don't think it's that unusual.

 

Where I work now, there is still quite a lot of international travel going on - not so much for myself, but for colleagues, partners, collaborators, clients. People I liaise with in the city in the business community are in similar situations. You would think that the days of travelling in person were over, with communication technology advancing as it is, but it's not a replacement (yet) for attending events such as trade fairs etc.

 

I don't think we need an extensive list of destinations, even daily flights between Doncaster and London, or Doncaster and Paris or Amsterdam would be a huge improvement.

 

Thanks for replying (alchosearch too) it helps me understand it all. I know that people travel internationally for business for all the perfectly valid reasons you mentioned. I just didn't think many people in Sheffield travelled internationally for business. As someone who deals with bigger businesses my time is spent doing work in Manchester, the south east and pre-crash, Leeds.

 

The constituency of Hallam is one of the wealthiest in the country (no link but you believe me ) but I always understood the main reason was it was chick full of doctors from 2 big hospitals, professors from 2 universities and a smattering of higher end civil servants rather than business people and my own work sort of validated it to a degree.

 

It beggers the question, if planes were full why did it shut ? I've read on here the owners of Doncaster airport bought it and let it go downhill? Would a fast train line or decent road (the "missing m18 jct) make it more viable for Sheffield business do you think ?

[WalkleyIan 10]

For over 10 years I travelled abroad regularly for a Sheffield engineering company, typical destinations India / China / Far East / South America. Ironically I stopped doing this job about the time the airport was developed.

 

A typical trip trip might involve an early morning drive to Manchester, usually allowing at least 2 hours in case of traffic jams. Shuttle to London

 

A wait in London for an intercontinental flight. We travelled with tools and equipment so no hand baggage only speedy check ins for us.

 

I recall one trip to fix a furnace system in Shanghai when we where flying back over Sheffield in a 747 9 hours after we had set off that morning

 

I guess losing that KLM contract really did the damage to Sheffield City Airport but we still have no easy links to the emerging BRIC markets for our advance manufacturing sector.

[Tony 10]

Yes, I can see that being a real problem for the local Poundland/Greggs

I know that you're not that daft.

 

The trouble is that most people don't realise the importance of a local airport for business because they can't see beyond than their two week bucket and spade holiday in Magaluf.

 

Runways bring money.

Edited November 23, 2012 by Tony