AIBU to have no sympathy for Heathrow runway debates

[NotForSale]

As the population increases surely another runway is needed to fulfil demand?
The biggest/ only argument I've seen against another runway is noise pollution. Is it just me or is that a 1st world problem? There's people who live in slums/ Calais camps/ overcrowding/ damp/ desperate poverty and quite frankly a bit of extra noise is the least of their worries.

Also I really don't understand why we must have an international hub airport that's bigger and better than, say Schipol. Is London really the right place to use as the airline equivalent of a bus terminus? Why do we want the business of international air travel using Heathrow as a stopover? I can see why the hotel chains want that business but is that really a sector worth pursuing at this huge cost?

And why do we want that more than we want a steel industry at Port Talbot?

Exactly why does everyone have to fly? With advances like the Internet, video conferencing etc you would have thought that the need for travel would have gone down. Also with wages so low, foreign holidays are beyond lots of the population.

Yabu. People are allowed to feel pissed off about things that affect their everyday life. By your logic we in the rich west have no right I complain about anything really since most of us have a roof over our head and readily available food.

The m25 around Heathrow is a total disaster, traffic around Gatwick is so much less. For that reason alone I struggle to understand why Heathrow was an even slightly good idea

I don't get the obsession with the hub either.
All you get is more flights and pollution so people can change flights. Why is that a good thing for London so it's worth blighting the whole of the West for it?

YABU. The freight flights could be transferred to Manston which would
a) Create much needed local jobs in a very deprived area (Manston was shut down 3 years ago and most of the local population actively want it to be re-opened)
b) Create extra capacity for passenger flights at Heathrow.
c) Not devastate an already over-crowded part of London.

YABVVVU. Whilst I don't directly "care" about the issue (being way up north) because it's difficult to relate to it. I can imagine that the occupants of the houses involved have sickening pits in their stomachs, worrying about either being turfed out of their home or devaluing it, all the while being deafened by a plane every minute. I feel extremely sorry for them and I hope they have a resolution soon.

For once in my life I actually agreed with BoJo

It's a mystery why they persist with this nonsense.

Heathrow is limited in its transport links, and in the densely populated areas. BA's boss spoke out against it, Virgin do not support it either.

It's a fucking folly.

Why don't they want to expand Gatwick? It seems to have much more capacity. I fly from both LHR and Gatwick regularly, and Gatwick seems so much calmer, plus you can get through security miles faster.

Though obviously that wouldn't be great for the people living near Gatwick.

I would rather an airport in th Midlands or the north was expanded. Heathrow is already huge. The northern power house needs a good airport. A direct rail link between various airports would help.

YABU

Heathrow third runway is not the best way to expand airport capacity, and will kill or harm more with increased pollution. Gatwick is a better option, or using Stansted more.

YANBU - it's called evolution

Starling
You're right, Gatwick seems more sensible to me but the area is less densely populated so less lives affected. Flight path to heathrow affects pretty much all of west london.
I understand the commercial need bur feel sorry for those affected. Especially if you're not having your house knocked down but the value of your house is going to plummet.

I hate the attitude that we can't ever have problems because we have a roof and food. There's always someone worse off. I have depression despite no "reason" for it. It doesn't make it any less real, and being made to feel guilty for being unhappy just makes it worse

^ This.

Everybody's problems in life are real. Cannot stand the comparisons of 'at least you're not...'

YABVVU

I would rather an airport in th Midlands or the north was expanded

I would rather stop expanding the fucking airports - why do so many people need to be jetting about fucking up the atmosphere? Why is this never even questioned?

The problem is there is currently regulation prohibiting flights during the night but regularly there are nosey flights at 3/4/5am. This feels like a green light to even more traffic and noise. It doesn't feel like the flight path is distributed fairly, schools here have little shelters in the playground to hide from the noise. The day time noise doesn't bother me much, although trying to talk on the phone the other day was tricky with the plane roaring overhead - every 90 bloody seconds so it's not just a momentary irritation, 3 planes have gone past while typing this message!

YABU and very unsympathetic.

However, I'm glad Gatwick didn't get it, because it's a ridiculous airport, where you have to walk several miles to catch a plane.

London Heathrow is, I believe, the only major airport in the world where the entry flight path is over the city, thus affecting millions more people than airports whose flight paths don't.

We are under the flight path. I don't want more flights. And the fact that I haven't been in a plane since 2007 makes me even more fucked off about it.

Apparently the case, re business need/benefits for having another runway is actually very poor.
The increase in toxins/global warming type arguments/ noise goes against all targets and agreements we have.
The loss of homes and the disruption caused long term is extensive.

How can you be so definite op? You sound closed minded.

It proves that there is no security in bricks and mortar.

Compulsory purchase order anyone?!

It isn't a west London issue. Look at the flight paths and the holding stacks.

East London areas like Leyton are some of the most over flown (Heathrow landing pattern from 2 holding stacks and London city take off plus stanstead higher up).

Clapham and Vauxhall are super bad too (the two north holding stacks and the south east one merge over Vauxhall basically).

It's a fucking stupid decision - expansion at Gatwick and fast trains, or the creation of a 2nd hub (Manchester?) would have been better for the country as a whole.

Check the link - arrival noise on a westerly wind (70% of the time) fucks over east and south London. Not just west London!

www.heathrow.com/noise/heathrow-operations/arrival-flight-paths

YABU.