Italian woman stranded in the region criticizes Madeira Airport on the news

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

An Italian woman, stranded in the Region as a result of the various flights that have been diverted, appeared live on the MorningNews news program to criticize Madeira Airport.

“We have been in an apartment since last night, trapped since mid-August, all at our expense,” says the tourist.

See the video here

This is a huge problem , especially when its peak season, and very little accommodation available.  I think the airlines need to put on extra flights in these situations,  to relieve the backlog of passengers.

I have heard from people who have been in the airport since Friday, and Ryanair tell them there is nothing available until 29/30 August.

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Tobi Hughes

11 Responses

  1. Some people feel so entitled – it’s the weather that has caused the delay, not the airport and they expect to be compensated for bad weather, such a Karen

    1. I agree Keith, she is only making a fool of herself on national TV! Does she not understand that no one can control the weather.

  2. These problems are all very important issues to immediately address and take care of.
    Starting fires should be an imprisonment term set for sure plus a large fine sum. Madeira depends on its nature and its beauty to bring in the much needed tourists and keep the wealth generating tourist industry sustainable. We also need to preserve our unique LauraSliva Forests at all costs.

    Signs need to be posted everywhere of the rules and expectations, warning of heavy fines and imprisonment terms for starting fires in various conditions due to the results of Global Warming. Written materials with such warnings should be given out to all tourists at points of entry to Madeira and Porto Santo too. The same materials should be left at all hotel front counters or desks and rooms; at inns; pensãos; the markets and malls; and AirB and B rentals. This is so that local citizens also know the rules and the consequences for breaking them. Zero tolerance to these situations can be applied with no room for excuses.

    As for the airport issues, Madeira really needs to get aeronautic and civil engineers and start working on solving how to end strong cross winds, ASAP and do something about this soon.

    Secondly, if there is no solution, or it is too costly, then there should be a not so luxury building built, but adequate and comfortable right in the hills by the airport, to accommodate air passengers and/or cruise lines passengers as well, in the case of having stranded tourists. It can be subsidized by all businesses on the island that benefit from the tourist industry and export industry. Could be subsidized by Local Government as well. All staff would be paid staff maybe on call, only when conditions are bad and stranded tourists are staying over. It would only have skeleton staff all other times, like in housekeeping, and gardeners.

    Just some of my own ideas. Maybe other ideas can come from these that work better. The thing is that action really needs to be started on these maters.

    Todos estes problemas são questões muito importantes para serem abordadas e cuidadas de imediato.
    Iniciar incêndios deveria ser uma pena de prisão definida com certeza, além de uma grande multa. A Madeira depende da sua natureza e da sua beleza para atrair os turistas tão necessários e manter sustentável a indústria turística geradora de riqueza. Precisamos também de preservar a todo o custo as nossas Florestas LauraSliva únicas.

    Devem ser afixados sinais em todo o lado sobre as regras e expectativas, alertando para pesadas multas e penas de prisão para iniciar incêndios em diversas condições devido aos resultados do Aquecimento Global. Os materiais escritos com tais avisos devem ser distribuídos a todos os turistas também nos pontos de entrada na Madeira e no Porto Santo. Os mesmos materiais deverão ser deixados em todos os balcões ou balcões e quartos do hotel; em pousadas; pensões; os mercados e os shoppings; e aluguer de AirB e B. Isto para que os cidadãos locais também conheçam as regras e as consequências de as infringir. A tolerância zero a estas situações pode ser aplicada sem espaço para desculpas.

    Quanto às questões aeroportuárias, a Madeira precisa realmente de engenheiros aeronáuticos e civis e começar a trabalhar para resolver como acabar com os fortes ventos cruzados, o mais rapidamente possível, e fazer algo sobre isso em breve.

    Em segundo lugar, se não houver solução, ou se for demasiado dispendioso, então deveria ser construído um edifício não tão luxuoso, mas adequado e confortável, mesmo nas colinas perto do aeroporto, para acomodar também passageiros aéreos e/ou passageiros de companhias de cruzeiros , no caso de turistas retidos. Pode ser subsidiado por todas as empresas da ilha que beneficiam da indústria turística e da indústria exportadora. Também poderia ser subsidiado pelo governo local. Todos os funcionários seriam pagos, talvez de serviço, apenas quando as condições fossem más e os turistas retidos estivessem alojados. Em todos os outros momentos, teria apenas uma equipa mínima, como nas tarefas domésticas e nos jardineiros.

    Apenas algumas das minhas próprias ideias. Talvez possam surgir outras ideias que funcionem melhor. A questão é que é mesmo necessário iniciar acções nestas matérias.

    1. “As for the airport issues, Madeira really needs to get aeronautic and civil engineers and start working on solving how to end strong cross winds, ASAP and do something about this soon. ”
      Better do not talk about things you don´t understand.
      What do you guess, you just build a huge counter wind turbine?
      Or a long wall parallel to the runway?
      Or a landing tunnel?
      NO engineer can end crosswinds. This is called weather….

      “All staff would be paid staff maybe on call”
      Would you accept such working conditions?

      1. Maybe some staff is not capabele enough to land. Looking to the cancellations, the majority of the cancelled flights are from Ryanair, EasyJet, the very lowbudget companies.

    2. 99% van de branden worden veroorzaakt door de eigen inwoners van het eiland. Die verbranden alles wat ze niet meer kunnen gebruiken, en ook op tijden dat dit niet is toegestaan. Bij iets opbranden in de buitenlucht moeten altijd blusmaterialen aanwezig zijn, maar dat heb ik nog nooit gezien.

  3. Silly, extra flights? The planes can not land due to the wind, so where will she jump into the plane?

  4. Well I did live in the bottom of the airport where is the new car park for many years and people should to understand that particular that area is a area when affected by strong winds it is difficult to the planes land no one wants another airplane disaster . Another thing she should be show some empty for local people and for what is happening with the forest fires that left so many people traumatized and in choke.

  5. Passengers have lots of rights..
    Though to gets what owed you may have to pay first all costs …keep receipts
    Then go to deco or some other civil right
    Advice

    In time by law the flight compy has to refund

  6. Hi Tobi
    The “airport v weather” will always be a gambling issue, as we all know that it’s position being at a low sea level to the one side & high mountains (gorges) to the other, is the perfect marriage for sudden & continuous crosswinds on such vast openess of the runway!

    The stupidity & ignorance for travellers to blame the airport, the airlines & hoteliers, will never end – because they do not do their homework and have plan B on the destination nor read the airline conditions, and in most cases never buy travel insurance that will cover these expenses.

    PLAN B:
    CASH TO COVER AN EMERGENCY! If you are on a tight budget, stay at home, work harder, plan better, and then travel. And if your mobile phone does not have gps & cannot assist you on the latest weather or accommodation etc, upgrade or change your phone.

    However that said, here is a pointer that I have mentioned a few times in the past, that will assist the airport tremendously, especially during these congested ‘weather’ moments. CONVERT the car park & rental car pick up/drop off area into a HOTEL(S) with under ground parking bays and car rental depot, shops, eaterie hall, bar- restaurant & infinity swimming pool on the top floor with rooms seaview or runway facing.The main road can be tunneled underneath, making way for seaview expansion and the hotel -airport connected via a tube passage with a moving platform to keep the continuous flow of traffic.This can be a joint project between 1-3 hotels that can offer different rates and services. And maybe, just maybe -buffer some winds. Moving along now, ‘até já 😁

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