Bulgaria Ski discussion board

Full article on http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_11819756

Last week we made our first-ever trip to Bulgaria for races at the Bansko ski resort and it was an adventure, to say the least. The travel complications were pretty chaotic.

Getting there wasn't too bad, just a delay of a couple hours, but coming back Sunday night was a fiasco. We flew from Sofia on a Balkan Holidays Airline charter that was supposed to land in Munich, but there was fog there. Apparently our airplane didn't have adequate instruments to land in fog, so we pulled up abruptly and flew to Stuttgart.

I guess every other airline was landing in Munich with no problem. Somebody said we had a bad pilot and an old airplane — not a good combination.

We waited on the airplane in Stuttgart for 60-90 minutes before they could find a bus to take us to the main terminal. When we got there, they were supposed to have a couple of tour buses to take us to Munich. We waited there with all our baggage for another hour.

Then they told us they couldn't find us a bus, so we had to wait at an airport hotel and take a bus in the morning. By the time we got to bed, it was 2 a.m. Monday. We got on a tour bus at 8 a.m., and drove three hours to Munich.

The races in Bansko actually were really nice. There were a lot of spectators and they were really fired up. The atmosphere was amazing. For their first World Cup, I'd say they did an excellent job.

The pilot on this flight was Captain Ianko Ivanov (Managing Director of BH Air), probably one of the most experienced pilots in Bulgaria and an ex military pilot. Fog and zero visibility landing is no stranger to him. All BH Air Airbuses are fitted with the necessary equipment for landing in such conditions. They have been landing all Winter in Sofia in such weather. Only being diverted once to Bourgas due to the runway not being cleaned in Sofia.

If the airport authorities say the airport is close, nothing much he can do but divert to his second airport.

Can't see how BH Air can be held accountable for this.

Perhaps, but they are responsible for the rest of the disaster.

Typical Bulgarian response - trying to evade responsibility

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Mat - having read your posts for some time - I really don't get you????

Are you peed off being in BG???? What do you do there I wonder??? I ask because any time you seem to think fit to slate BG you do - yet your IP address would suggest you are out there??

READ the above. Yes, read!! Nothing to do with BG airlines me thinks when they are stuck in Stuttgart waiting for a BUS. What has that to do with experienced (as Insider mentions) BG pilots!!!!

"Responsible for the rest of the disaster" - Again Mat - get a grip (on whatever!!!) disaster - err people dying etc, nah I don't think so!!! How boring your life must be!!

Are you Mikey's cousin???

I'll try and put it in short words as you're obviously a bit challenged.

They got a flight with Balkan Holidays. That's a tour operator. Much the same as an airline, when you buy a ticket from them to get from A to B, they are supposed to get you there. Preferably in the most efficient way possible. One of their key skills is supposed to be that when things go belly up (which they're inclined to do occasionally), they get it sorted out. This of course has nothing to do with pilots and everything to do with the tour operator, Balkan Holidays. Who made a right mess of it.

Is that simple enough for you?

Its people accepting crap that will keep this country crap. Those of us that care (and I do actually include Mikey in this) demand better because we see the big picture.

I realise this is all lost on those who just want cheap beer 'n' fags

I have to agree with `insider' regarding Sofia and their efforts to keep the airport open in conditions that have been exceptional. I have had overnight transfers for 06.00 flights and have been amazed that the airport has been open considering the heavy snow that i have had to drive in through...
Surely a positive can be taken from Lindsey's comments, she enjoyed the event and considered the organisation to be good. Personally being on the ground there were many problems regarding access to the mountain, poor information and a general security overkill re police presence......