Thessaloniki : day return from Charleroi

[airazurxtror]

Friday 13 March 2015 : Charleroi-Bergamo-Thessaloniki-Charleroi with Ryanair.

Charleroi-Bergamo

Ryanair flight FR4522, Boeing 737-800 EI-DYH - 20,39 euros.
Scheduled : CRL 06.20 - BGY 07.50
Actual : pushed back at 06.16, engines start 06.30, take off 06.33; landing 07.39, stopped 07.42.
Flight time : 1h06

The flight to Bergamo was at gate 8; as usual, the persons staffing the gate go up the queue and check the boarding cards in order to quicken the passage when boarding. My card had already been checked, when I remarked that a passenger besides me had her card to PSA checked also, and then another one. I asked if this was the gate to Bergamo or not ? Yes, Sir, it is ! The two passengers to Pisa heard it, thanked me and went away to find the right gate. This didn't seem to much disturb the staff concerned.
It was cold and the aircraft had to be deiced this morning at Charleroi - bad for the view through the windows !
The early flight to Bergamo is the first to start its engines, at 06.30 sharp, and to take off. Flight full and uneventful as usual. Bussed to the terminal.
I hadn't been at BGY since nearly one year (shame on me !), and it has been much enlarged - the baggage retrieval hall (and the toilets, it was badly needed), and the gates on the left side, as I was later to see.
Wonderful weather at Bergamo, sunny and warm. I took a few pictures from the upper floor of the car park, and then proceeded via the walkway to the end of the runway and had a look at the nearby village which gives his name to the airport : Orio al Serio. Peaceful (between the take-offs) and a bit sleepy.

Bergamo-Thessaloniki

Ryanair flight FR4774, Boeing 737-800 EI-EVE - 27,53 euros
Scheduled : BGY 11.25 - SKG 14.30
Actual : push-back 11.22, take-off 11.31; landing 14.16; stopped 14.20
Flight time : 1h45

Gate A08; the gates A01 to A12 were really small and cramped - they have been rebuild and there is much more space, with a good view on the apron. A small walk to EI-EVE. Plane full, save for the usual four or five no-shows.
Nice weather during the first part of the flight, although a litte foggy.
A beautiful view of Venice and the Dalmatian coast with a lot of islands. Clouds above Greece, and really grey at Thassalonoki when landing.
There is what seems to be a derelict Tupolev 154 not far on the side of the terminal - I wonder what it is and why it is left there ?
The terminal is modern and rather dark, it seemed - of course, there was no sun, only much cloud.
I took the bus 78 to town; according to the timetable on the booth where I bought the ticket (2 euros), there are departures every 20 minutes, but I had to wait more than half an hour to see the bus, and it was quickly filled, of course. It took me to the center of Thessaloniki in 35 minutes.

Thessaloniki-Charleroi

Ryanair flight FR6447, Boeing 737-800 EI-DWR - 25,49 euros.
Scheduled : SKG 20.05 - CRL 22.05
Actual : started 20.08, take-off 20.33; landing 21.54, stopped 22.04.
Flight time : 2h31

In Greek airports, it seems that they show "flight boarding" on the screens when they allow the "boarding" only in the waiting room - not the actual boarding through the gate ! No need to panic when you arrive in good time at the airport and see that "boarding" is displayed as being already in progress.
Boarding pass checked (and lower part removed) at the entrance of the waiting room; checked again at he passage through the gate; bussed to the aircraft on the apron. Flight full, again. Uneventful flight, again.
Landing at Charleroi on runway 25; instead of proceeding to the terminal via the taxiway on the right, we took the taxiway on the left, to the old terminal and had to wait before crossing the runway because the next flight was landing on 07.
Incidentally : this was my 550th flight with Ryanair.

3 flights : 2285 miles in 5h22 for 73,41 euros (3,21 cents/mile; 13,68 euros/H)

[sn26567]

Interesting combination! You are THE specialist to find such exotic mixtures of routes to enable far away day flights. That doesn't leave you much time for visits, I guess. But I'm sure you must enjoy that.

[sean1982]

http://www.ryalive.com

All the daytrips you want

[Acid-drop]

Cool site!!
But what if you miss the connection ?

[cathay belgium]

Hi,

RYANAIR itself don't support CONNECTIONS at any case in their rules !
They, themselves, mention strictly and anytime that they don't support this, they make you attend that things can occur and that they won't be responsible as they are a strictly point to point airline !!
You know it, you knew it !
So your answer is answered

CXB

[sean1982]

Cool site!!
But what if you miss the connection ?

There are no "connections". I would always leave 1,5hrs between flights just to be sure. But then again, I've been doing these short "change to another plane" for years now and only once had a problem (dus to a medical diversion)

[Ilyushin]

There is what seems to be a derelict Tupolev 154 not far on the side of the terminal - I wonder what it is and why it is left there ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal%C3%A9v_Flight_262

Btw, nice report, thanks!