Homeward: 25 hours and 36 minutes later…
An Irish Aviation Enthusiasts day out
In this adventure
- Cheap flights? Not at £95 one way…
- Birmingham to Holyhead with London Northwestern Railway and Transport for Wales
- Irish Ferries Holyhead to Dublin Ferryport (Club Class)
- Morning Adventures in Dublin
- Irish Aviation Enthusiasts Day hosted by Dublin Airport
- Back to being a passenger in T2/T1
- Aer Lingus Regional EI3276 Dublin to Birmingham
- 25 hours and 36 minutes later
- Embracing the Community
Getting off the bus, a bus was waiting for us at the gate – ready to take us over to Europier to be processed back into the United Kingdom.
Thank you FAX Machine.
Oh yes. It was raining at this point.
Once again – it seems Birmingham airport is preferring to send passengers halfway across the airport to clear – rather than use the clearance area nearer to the gate.
Bizarre.
TUI Boeing 737-800
Flybe Embraer E-175
Nonetheless, the bus drove around the terminal until it reached the crew bus gate – at Gate 7.
In we go.
We were allowed off the bus – where I headed upstairs and through to the Immigration area. Our path had been cleared already – so no staff were asking to see passports, boarding passes or identity documents.
Through the UK and Ireland corridor.
How travel should be. How long this will be for after King of the World Boris Johnson wrecks this country – that’s another matter.
Keep on moving people.
With that done, we emptied out in the luggage claim hall.
To the exit.
It’s never good seeing these signs
I made my way out of the secure areas and into arrivals. And then to the small room.
Something Birmingham Airport does right is how it handles disabled toilets – and I think its a way to handle the question of disability
It’s a simple way round – but it handles a lot of sins at once.
With comfort restored, I headed upstairs to the AirTrain for the short ride back to NEC and train station.
Off we go.
Welcome to The NEC side.
Another £2.50 later – I had a ticket for a train back to Central Birmingham.
Good luck working out cheapest fare and operator.
Sadly, I just missed the express, so another local train back to the city.
Oh fun.
That was going to Liverpool. Wait. I’ve done this around 25 hours ago with an equivalent train service.
With the train arriving at New Street, I bundled out and headed up to the mini-supermarket for some food.
Welcome to the nice side of Birmingham New Street.
That done, I waked in the autumn rain to a taxi rank… and jumped the nearest thing that looked like a cab to the front door
Home. That direction please.
25 hours and 36 minutes since I began the adventure, I was at my front door.
25 hours and 36 minutes from when I left it.
The fact I had to do some office work when I got home in a semi-exhausted state is of course – besides the point.
Finally: Embracing the Community
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