BMIbaby: Cork to Liverpool

The carrier: BMIbaby

Upside
Nice blend of beach and city destinations to and from UK airports.

Downside
Continental hub would increase relevance for people living outside of the UK. Frequent flight cancellations. Follow-up service (if any) generally not helpful.

About
UK-based BMIbaby has bases in Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, and Manchester, and also flies in and out of Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey, and Newquay in the UK and Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Cork, Faro, Ibiza, Geneva, Knock, Lisbon, Malaga, Marseille, Murcia, Nice, Palma, Paris, Perpignan, Prague, and Rome.

In short, BMIbaby manages a balance of top city destinations and beach resort destinations, a nice antidote to the UK's Mediterranean-focused airlines. Despite flying to so many different sorts of destinations, BMIbaby is off the radar screen of the top-tier low-cost carriers, largely because it is essentially a UK-based airline.

Baggage
* Carry-on: One standard piece of hand luggage; that cannot exceed 10 kg.
* Checked: Up to 5 bags with a total weight not exceeding 20 kg. Each bag, up to the 20 kg limit, is charged at the rate of €9.58 per bag. Over 20 kg, it’s €10 per additional kg.

Seating
You can only select your seat online during check-in which is only available if you aren't checking luggage.
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Departure: Cork, Ireland (ORK)

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Arrival: Liverpool, United Kingdom - Liverpool John Lennon (LPL)

Liverpool John Lennon Airport, formerly known as Speke Airport and RAF Speke, serves the English city of Liverpool. In 2002 the airport was renamed in honor of John Lennon, a founding member of The Beatles (the group is from Liverpool). Twenty-two years after his death, a seven-foot bronze statue was erected near the check-in area. In recent years it has been one of Europe's fastest growing airports.

Location: Liverpool John Lennon Airport is located 13 km (eight miles) southeast of Liverpool.

Transport:

- Rail: Inexpensive buses run regularly between the airport and many local railway stations. For information and schedules, check the rail Website.

- Bus: Multiple buses are available in front of the main airport terminal building. The Airlink 500 line goes to the Liverpool City Center stopping at a few stations on the way. The line operates Monday through Friday every 20 minutes during the day. On weekends and evenings the line runs every 30 minutes. The Airlink 700 provides express services (limited stops and connections) and operates every hour from early morning to late night. Bus connections are also available between the airport and nearby rail stations.

- Taxi: The taxi rank is located just outside the entrance of the airport terminal. Private hire vehicles must operate within the nearby short stay parking lot. The trip from the airport into the Liverpool city center takes about 20 minutes.

Service: This airport has various shops, cafes, and restaurants. Throughout the terminal there are five currency exchanges and Wi-Fi internet service. A multi-faith prayer room is also available.
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