[Bill]

Lumo trains on the West Coast mainline from Spring

https://www.lumo.co.uk/where-we-go/preston

I’m not sure when it starts. Here’s the schedule for a random date in March. I believe it’s 4 trains per day. Should add some competition ad hopefully drive down fares.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:STG/to/gb-nr:EUS/2026-03-27/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=LF

[Bill]

Does anyone know when easyJet Feb 2027 will go on sale (flight only not packages).

[Bill]

Does anyone know when easyJet Feb 2027 will go on sale (flight only not packages).

[Bill]

Thanks for the responses about my Iberia flight this afternoon. It matched the research I’d done prior to travelling. We are now I. The purple palace ahead of our final flight home tomorrow with Loganair. We were able to use the E gates in T5 since the youngest is 10. He was more excited than us parents and brother. No queue at all 😀

[Bill]

Good afternoon from Madrid. We flew this morning from Lanzarote and arrived 18 minutes ahead of schedule in T4. We proceeded non stop to T4S. There’s a self weigh machine at the gate where you have to print a bag tag and attach it to your hand baggage to prove it’s under 10kg. We only did this with our trolley bags. The small rucksacks didn’t get checked at all. We were the last in group 2 to board the A350. The kids are disappointed there’s no WiFi on this flight. My phone informs me the flight departed at 1553 however I can confirm we haven’t pushed back 😀

[Bill]

AndrewT wrote:

Bill wrote:

Hello from Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote. Used Avios last Saturday from Dublin and will be heading home this coming Saturday via Madrid on Iberia. Hoping the one hour connection on Saturday is sufficient so that we can try the A350 from Madrid to Heathrow.

You timed it well, last weekend we had 40mph wind gusts for two days! It hasn’t rained in the 18 days I’ve been here though, so compared to the UK no complaints 🙂

More good luck than good judgement. It’s half term so we are tied to this week…. I think the weather this week is the best February weather we’ve had in the 8 years we’ve been coming to the canaries in February half term. It’s usually pretty good but this is brilliant. 22C with a gentle breeze and 70% humidity

[Bill]

Hello from Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote. Used Avios last Saturday from Dublin and will be heading home this coming Saturday via Madrid on Iberia. Hoping the one hour connection on Saturday is sufficient so that we can try the A350 from Madrid to Heathrow.

[Bill]

@NorthernLass I’m sure we’ll have fabulous trips once the itineraries are sorted 🙂

[Bill]

@SamG

Thankyou for the suggestions. On first glance, I preferred the first suggestion.

1) ask BA to do a change of gateway to Malaga as it is within 300 miles and fly MAN-LHR-Malaga.

However on review it looks like that would depart MAN at 0645 or 0745 which is too early for us.

I wonder if BA (who are the ticketing agent) would permit LGW-AGP or LHR-MAD. Both of those have almost identical timing to the originally booked service MAN-MAD.

In case it matters, it’s a one way single sector reservation.

[Bill]

My reservation is an Avios flight booked with BA. I’ve got the reservation showing on BA.com and IB app. Both showing no issues at present.

Our plan is to fly into MAD on Saturday 24 October and take the train down to Costa del Sol where we will stay for a week. Half term.

We’ve got AGP-MAD-LHR on Saturday 31 Oct. Also ok (so far).

[Bill]

I’ve got a ticket on MAN-MAD in October. Not heard anything

[Bill]

0.92 for me if i boost by 500%

Pass

[Bill]

Rather than start a new thread….

I’ve got PP via Amex platinum. When I search the app for Dublin I see nothing for T1. I understand the lounge in T1 is closed for refurb. I do see the T2 lounge. Fair enough.

However when I login to the same PP account on the website I see a restataurant in T1 named Garden Terrace in addition to the T2 lounge.

[Bill]

I’ve not used it on a flight yet, but I have used it on a ferry to/from Isle of Man. The technology is impressing and works. Sadly it’s run by Musk, but it was free.

[Bill]

Manchester lounges need to be pre booked using the Manchester airport website. Availability in T2 is extremely limited. T1/3 isn’t usually a problem. It’s still £6 per person

[Bill]

Stansted airport is owned by Manchester airport group. No wonder it’s crap. In Manchester it’s escalators and travel walkers not working. In Stansted it’s the train. Awful airoorts

[Bill]

this is the virgin forum not BA; so need to be clear which airline

[Bill]

I know you said Amex Gold but I checked my Platinum card anyway. Sadly not available.

[Bill]

Message them using chat on their website. They’re normally quite responsive

[Bill]

davefl wrote:

Rather than formally linking your wise with paypal, why don’t you just do a payment to your US Wise account bank number USD to USD with the transfer money option? Or is that what you tried?

tried it

[Bill]

OK, the conclusion is to accept Paypal exchange rate from USD to GBP (within their platform) and then once the balance is in GBP to make the bank transfer to a UK bank account.
Cheers

[Bill]

rum wrote:

Do you have a UK Revolut account with GBP and USD currencies set-up? Maybe send it to your Revolut in USD?

Paypal won’t link to my Revolut USD account

[Bill]

Swiss Jim wrote:

I’m aware supplementary cardholders don’t get a pre-book allowance. However, I get 4 for 2025.

Can I pre-book 4 on my card, but then use my card to guest one and the supplementary card to get supplementary cardholder plus one into lounge without a charge?

Any experience?

use 4 entitlements on the main card.

wave two priority passes on the door.

works fine, been doing it all year

[Bill]

We have done this in LGW N and MAN without a problem

[Bill]

Speaking as a parent of a now 10 and 12 year old. There is no way on god’s earth I would let my kids use a device at breakfast.

For lunch and an evening meal on the VERY RARE occasions they have devices they always use headphones. Always on planes etc.

It’s not the fault of the kids it’s the poor parenting skills.