Thursday
morning I get a text from a mate, who I know is skiing in the Alps. “ Don’t
like to really ask but do you have a spare room or a sofa tonight for my
stranded in Cardiff daughter. She flew over (from Belfast) for a job that’s
been cancelled and there are no flights back today. I’m in France”
“No problem”
I replied. Whilst as it turned out his daughter (Nicky)wasn’t a teenager with
no life experience, thanks goodness for the airport express which took her into
the city centre. She killed a few hours and I met her at 4PM and we caught the
train for the short hop back to the family home.
This
morning we did the train journey again and she caught the T9 (the airport
express – how convenient.
BUT…….. how
different could this have been if this had happened prior to the introduction
of the T9. Nicky could have found herself not just stranded in Cardiff but
stranded at Cardiff Airport. Given that my friend’s daughter lives close to
Belfast City Airport, where there are 3 buses an hour to the centre – what sort
of message would it give about Wales if she had been faced with the historical challenges
of getting to the Capital City. In the
past, I’ve found myself at Cardiff Airport with a two hour weight for a bus
back to Cardiff or an hour’s wait for the shuttle bus to Rhoose station to get
the train back to central. The journey from the airport was longer the flight
time-wise !
So I for
one want to applaud the owners of the airport for having the foresight, vision
and guts to put on the T9 service, when Cardiff bus withdrew the X91 service.
And I’m
sure this six nations weekend, others will be grateful for the introduction of
the T9
Great feedback - support the T9 service.
ReplyDeleteGood story - nice to read.
ReplyDeleteI did around 20 return journeys Glasgow/Cardiff in 2013 and have 1st hand experience of the vast improvement the T9 has made to the Cardiff end of things. When you land you desperately want to get to your destination asap and similarly when you want to leave know how and when you can get to the airport reliably. Before the T9 this was frankly impossible, very fustrating and a very bad advert for Cardiff Airport, Cardiff and Wales. Quite embarrassing actually compared with the service at Glasgow. Please support the T9 and those who run it - its the 1st impression visitors get of Wales and its vital that it's a good one.
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ReplyDeleteCab from Heathrow to cardiff