BMIbaby: Milan to Nottingham

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: Milan, Italy - Orio Al Serio (BGY)

Orio al Serio International Airport is an airport that serves low-cost traffic flights into Milan.

Location: Orio al Serio International Airport is located 45 kilometers (27miles) from Milan, and 5 kilometers from Bergamo.

Transport:

- Rail: After arriving at Bergamo railway station by train, passengers should take the ZANI bus shuttle service from Bus Stop 12 to the Orio al Serio airport. For the train schedule visit the Trenitalia Site.

- Bus: The Zani Bus Service can be found at the front entrance of the airport. There are other private bus services available as well. The airport is easily reachable by bus from Bergamo, Milan and Brescia. Schedules for the shuttles can be found on their officials sites. The companies include Airport Bus, Autostradale, and Orio Shuttle.

- Taxi: Taxis are available at the airport.

Service: There is an Information Office located at the airport. Travelers can enjoy shopping at the fashion boutiques and shops selling a range of good quality gifts and leatherwear, newspaper and tobacco, as well as the duty free shop. There are restaurants and wine bars located throughout the airport. There is a bank located at the airport, as well as ATMs, and a post office. The Eurochange currency exchange facility is available for all money matters such as buying and selling traveler's checks, traveler's checks refunds, sale of national and international telephone cards, and VAT refund service. There are also First-Aid and baby changing facilities. more...

Arrival: Nottingham, United Kingdom - East Midlands (EMA)

East Midlands, the main airport for east-central England, is located between Leicester and Nottingham. It's very dependent on budget and charter airlines, with Ryanair, easyJet, bmibaby, Thomsonfly, and Sterling, among others, on deck.

Location: The East Midlands Airport is located 21 km (13 miles) southwest of Nottingham.

Transport:

- Bus: Between the East Midlands Airport and Nottingham Railway Station, the Nottingham Skylink bus operates an approximately 35 minute ride. Between the airport and St. Margaret's Bus Station in Leicester, the Leicester Skylink bus takes 50 minutes. The Derby Airline Shuttle travels between the Derby Railway Station and the airport in under 35 minutes. There are also bus services to Nottingham, Derby and Leicester (with connections to destinations around Great Britain on the Intercity network) from outside the main Arrivals area.

- Taxi: The Checker Cars company serves the East Midlands Airport and are found at the taxi rank outside the terminal. For more information consult the company's Official Website.

Service: A 24-hour information desk is located in the main terminal. ATMs, telephones, and two currency exchanges can also be found in the main terminal, which is also equipped with Wi-Fi. There are also a few restaurants and shops (including duty-free) as well as an aviation museum. Other facilities include lounges, children's play centers, first-aid, and a prayer room.

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