Europa League final Baku travel thread.

As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
Post Reply
robbo10
Posts: 3197
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:43 pm

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by robbo10 »

It seems a huge fucking ball ache,I wonder if we'll even have enough fans who can be bothered,or afford to even fill our allocation,

arrgee
Posts: 716
Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:16 pm

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by arrgee »

topgoon wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 4:52 pm
I did the UEFA ballot back in March , got lucky and scored a single ticket.
Looking at prices and time length to get there, it doesn't feel lucky.
I found a flight for £765 which includes a ridiculous stopover from 4am till 9pm at night the next day.
Flights for a family of 5 to France in August is cost me less than that.
Typical, I get my hands on a finals ticket the year we are in bloody Baku
Maybe not a big surprise you got a ticket. I suspect there weren’t as many applications as usual.

I think Arsenal and Chelsea should return all 12,000 tickets, and send the under 18 teams over for a game letting Arsenal win to claim a fifth CL spot. In the meantime, have a two legged affair in London or a single game at Wembley to determine the real winners. Sell the TV rights for a small fortune to boot.

Decided I am not spending north of a grand to watch Arsenal win the European equivalent of the Carling Cup.

UEFA pi$$ed me off with this...

"Taking into consideration ... the geographical location and logistical capacity of airports in and around the host city, it was deemed that around 15,000 spectators would be able to travel from abroad (this includes finalists' fans and general public), with Baku as the main hub."

So why hold a final in a place that people cannot get to?

User avatar
OneBardGooner
Posts: 42540
Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:41 am
Location: Close To The Edge

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by OneBardGooner »

Retro Gunner wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 12:14 pm
DB10GOONER wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 5:49 am
Good idea for a thread mate. I'll sticky it. But please let's keep this for travel advice only and not player / team comments. We have a match thread for that and I really am not modding the same stuff in two locations.

Lazy bastard.

:lol: :wink:
:shock: :shock: :shock:

I didn't know Ozil was a Mod!!!! :D :wink:

User avatar
OneBardGooner
Posts: 42540
Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:41 am
Location: Close To The Edge

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by OneBardGooner »

Wouldn't it be cheaper for 300 - 350 Gooners to charter their own plane?

It can be done.

Jock Gooner
Posts: 2788
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:53 am

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by Jock Gooner »

arrgee wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 8:31 pm
topgoon wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 4:52 pm
I did the UEFA ballot back in March , got lucky and scored a single ticket.
Looking at prices and time length to get there, it doesn't feel lucky.
I found a flight for £765 which includes a ridiculous stopover from 4am till 9pm at night the next day.
Flights for a family of 5 to France in August is cost me less than that.
Typical, I get my hands on a finals ticket the year we are in bloody Baku
Maybe not a big surprise you got a ticket. I suspect there weren’t as many applications as usual.

I think Arsenal and Chelsea should return all 12,000 tickets, and send the under 18 teams over for a game letting Arsenal win to claim a fifth CL spot. In the meantime, have a two legged affair in London or a single game at Wembley to determine the real winners. Sell the TV rights for a small fortune to boot.

Decided I am not spending north of a grand to watch Arsenal win the European equivalent of the Carling Cup.

UEFA pi$$ed me off with this...

"Taking into consideration ... the geographical location and logistical capacity of airports in and around the host city, it was deemed that around 15,000 spectators would be able to travel from abroad (this includes finalists' fans and general public), with Baku as the main hub."

So why hold a final in a place that people cannot get to?

:rubchin: :rubchin: :rubchin: :rubchin: :rubchin: :rubchin:

Oh that's right cos UEFA are a bunch of wankers, that's why :cussing:

Andrew
Posts: 330
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2014 8:35 pm
Location: North London

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by Andrew »

OneBardGooner wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 9:56 pm
Wouldn't it be cheaper for 300 - 350 Gooners to charter their own plane?

It can be done.
Flying a banner behind it?

arrgee
Posts: 716
Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:16 pm

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by arrgee »

Jock Gooner wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 10:15 pm
arrgee wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 8:31 pm
So why hold a final in a place that people cannot get to?

:rubchin: :rubchin: :rubchin: :rubchin: :rubchin: :rubchin:

Oh that's right cos UEFA are a bunch of wankers, that's why :cussing:
Also worthy of mention...
FiFA sanctioning the building of air conditioned stadiums in the Middle East to be used 2 or 3 times at the cost of over 1000 lives
The National League sending a handful of supporters down to Wembley from the North West this weekend so they can have their annual jolly.

User avatar
GoonerMuzz
Posts: 5748
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:53 pm
Location: Defending is optional

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by GoonerMuzz »

OK simple but very important peace of advice here for anyone planning on travelling by non-air means, DO NOT come south to Baku via road/bus and even rail is ill advised through the transcaucasus Abkhazia, South Ossetia in Georgia and Chechnya regions especially.

If you plan to travel by other means than air come down hugging the West Coast of the Caspian sea via Astrakhan if at all possible it is the longer route but there is still civil war in parts of the transcaucasus and the border with northen Georgia and i have it on very good authority it is not currently considered entirely safe.

Also be aware that even the overland route from Turkey has its hazards due to unrest and border crossing 'difficulties', technically there are no international relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan currently.

Link to FCO advice should anyone want it, again be aware the situation can change on a whim out there but generally eastern Azerbaijan is considered safe. However there is a constant threat of terrorism from various groups which is likely to be heightened with two English teams and all their fans in attendance.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/azerbaijan

(Just re-read this and realised it's a bit gloomy, so for all you idiots fans going out there have fun) :barscarf: :barscarf: :barscarf:

SPARKSY
Posts: 857
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:47 am
Location: HERTS

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by SPARKSY »

nut flush gooner wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 4:36 am
15 away credits minimum requirement to apply. Flights starting from around £600 with 1 or 2 stops. No direct flights.

Looks like 12 pins in Finsbury Park then, this will be a big ask for many fans. 6000 tickets in a 68000 stadium, I am sure Arsenal have held back some tickets. The original allocation for finalists was 7500.
If the cost of this trip is not steep enough, the club are about to send out ST renewals. So there's another £800 or so to add on to your expenses.
£2000 in one month!!
As much as i'd love to go and i have enough credits to get a ticket, that sort of outlay is just not realistic.
Working class sport? Fuck the fans :banghead:

User avatar
northbank123
Posts: 12436
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:05 am
Location: Newcastle

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by northbank123 »

Beyond a disgrace. I get trying to spread it around to an extent, but not to a complete no-mark footballing country which was inevitably going to be a write-off for any fans to get to just sums it up. If Azerbaijan FA or Govt are stupid enough to build a massive stadium then fuck them.

What is the point of holding it there? Is it a homage to their proud footballing tradition? Is it because it could prompt a real growth spurt for the development of football in the country? Is it to provide a cultural experience for fans travelling there? Is it because of its general accessibility from around Europe?

It’s not even in fucking Europe (unless you are UEFA).

Jock Gooner
Posts: 2788
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:53 am

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by Jock Gooner »

SPARKSY wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 9:18 am
nut flush gooner wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 4:36 am
15 away credits minimum requirement to apply. Flights starting from around £600 with 1 or 2 stops. No direct flights.

Looks like 12 pins in Finsbury Park then, this will be a big ask for many fans. 6000 tickets in a 68000 stadium, I am sure Arsenal have held back some tickets. The original allocation for finalists was 7500.
If the cost of this trip is not steep enough, the club are about to send out ST renewals. So there's another £800 or so to add on to your expenses.
£2000 in one month!!
As much as i'd love to go and i have enough credits to get a ticket, that sort of outlay is just not realistic.
Working class sport? Fuck the fans :banghead:

Very true. The ST emails will be through any day now with payment due by the start of June subject to any seat move requests :wink: For those of us who are doing our bit for the cause by paying for the ST of student offspring then the bill is even nastier.

This is one of those very rare occasions when I think fans do have to stick two fingers up to the authorities and not bother going. Let them have a final with no real atmosphere and empty seats otherwise the twats at UEFA will do this again. Next year will be Georgia and a repeat of this bollox you can bet on it.

The clubs themselves need to give UEFA a kick in the nuts and tell them to stop this shit. We should all be on our way to a final in Spain, France, Germany or similar which is quick, easy and cheap to get to. No direct flights, the Euro or the Manat (??).....really the manat.....wtf is going on here.

RoscommonGooner
Posts: 2182
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:01 pm
Location: Roscommon, Ireland

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by RoscommonGooner »

Long time, no see.

I booked this trip, I know it won't suit a lot of you but here you are anyway :lol:

€345.05 return Dublin to Tbilisi via a short stopover in Istanbul


Outbound Flight
Depart Arrive Stops Class Flight No

DUB - IST
27 May 2019 1630 27 May 2019 2255 0 Economy 1978
Baggage Included: Adult : 1 Piece
Duration of Layover: 2:15
IST - TBS
28 May 2019 0110 28 May 2019 0430 0 Economy 376
Baggage Included: Adult : 1 Piece

Inbound Flight
Depart Arrive Stops Class Flight No

TBS - IST
01 Jun 2019 1030 01 Jun 2019 1205 0 Economy 379
Baggage Included: Adult : 1 Piece
Duration of Layover: 1:0
IST - DUB
01 Jun 2019 1305 01 Jun 2019 1535 0 Economy 1977
Baggage Included: Adult : 1 Piece


I'll take the overnight train from Tbilisi to Baku on Tuesday evening and return Thursday evening. Full day in Tbilisi on Friday and return flight Saturday. :barscarf: :barscarf: :barscarf:

Tuesday could be a long day so I might book a room to get a bit of sleep Tuesday afternoon.

arrgee
Posts: 716
Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:16 pm

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by arrgee »

RoscommonGooner wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 11:36 am


I'll take the overnight train from Tbilisi to Baku on Tuesday evening and return Thursday evening. Full day in Tbilisi on Friday and return flight Saturday. .
Interesting. Looked this up and train costs around $40 return. Need to check out how to get to Tbilisi.

User avatar
Herd
Posts: 6386
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:00 am

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by Herd »

OneBardGooner wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 9:56 pm
Wouldn't it be cheaper for 300 - 350 Gooners to charter their own plane?

It can be done.
The problem isn't planes it's landing slots. Most are taken in advance . And you can guarantee that most have gone to freeloader corporate bods and friends of the Baku oil mob. Sport options probably have the rest.

Almunia is a clown
Posts: 965
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:24 pm
Location: Gooner Valley N719 EIE

Re: Europa League final Baku travel thread.

Post by Almunia is a clown »

Georgia option Tblisi to Baku train flights https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Tbilisi/Baku

Night train tickets go on sale 12 days before departure.

Rosscommon Gooner has got a decent deal, £312 on Skyscanner :barscarf:

I would be worried about booking that night train though, seems there's only one per day? :rubchin:
Last edited by Almunia is a clown on Sat May 11, 2019 8:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Post Reply