Airport Flyer

Bus routes in Bristol, England

Airport Flyer is a pair of bus routes that serve Bristol Airport. The routes are operated by First West of England.[1]

## History[edit]

In 2012, the route began operating 24 hours per day.[2]

The A2 service was withdrawn in January 2018, after having its frequency halved from hourly to two-hourly in January.[3]

In 2018, twelve double-decker Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC-bodied Scania N250UD buses were deployed on the route.[4]

During the COVID-19 pandemic when passenger numbers to the airport had reduced, the A1 route was changed and the bus began serving local stops. This arrangement was discontinued in April 2022.[5][6] From May 2022, Bristol Zone bus tickets were no longer accepted on the route.[7]

The frequency of route A1 was increased to every 12 minutes in October 2022.[8][9]

## Routes[edit]

### A1 Bristol Bus Station to Bristol Airport[edit]

Overview
Operator| First West of England
Garage| Hengrove
Vehicle| Enviro400 MMC
Route
Start| Bristol Bus Station
Via| Bristol City Centre
Bristol Temple Meads station
Bedminster
End| Bristol Airport
Service
Level| Daily
Frequency| up to every 10 minutes

The A1 runs from Bristol Bus Station to Bristol Airport, serving the city centre and Temple Meads Station.[10] The route between Bristol Bus Station and Lime Kiln roundabout is limited stop but from Lime Kiln Roundabout to the airport, the bus serves all stops.

### A3 Weston-super-Mare to Bristol Airport[edit]

Overview
Operator| First West of England
Garage| Weston-super-Mare
Vehicle| Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC
Peak vehicle requirement| 2
Route
Start| Weston-super-Mare station
Via| Weston-super-Mare town centre
Worle
Congresbury
Cleeve
End| Bristol Airport
Length| 12.5 miles
Service
Level| Daily
Frequency| every hour

The A3 runs from Weston-super-Mare to Bristol Airport on a direct, but limited stop route via Locking Road and the A370 through Worle, Congresbury and Cleeve. [11][12]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Changes planned for Bristol Airport bus services". Bristol Airport. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
2. ^ "More buses and quicker journey on Bristol airport route". Bristol Post. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
3. ^ Frost, Sam (2018-01-19). "First Bus scales back A2 route ahead of scrapping it in April". Weston Mercury. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
4. ^ "Bristol Airport route upgraded to double-deckers". Buses Magazine. 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
5. ^ "Bristol Airport called on to reverse bus route decision". BBC News. 2022-04-24. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
6. ^ Postans, Adam (2022-04-20). "Anger as Bristol Airport scraps free bus travel for pensioners". BristolLive. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
7. ^ Cruse, Beth (2022-05-28). "Bristol bus tickets to no longer be accepted on Airport service". BristolLive. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
8. ^ "Bristol Airport confirms A1 Flyer service will run more frequently". www.bristolworld.com. 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
9. ^ Roig, Estel Farell (2022-10-10). "Bus to Bristol Airport increases frequency". BristolLive. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
10. ^ "A1 route map" (PDF).
11. ^ "Weston Flyer service to return". Weston Mercury. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
12. ^ "A3 route map" (PDF).