When I see planes, I’m usually sitting inside a departure terminal with an overpriced coffee.
Outside of waiting to board my own flight, I had never thought to go plane spotting – until a friend recommended Multiflight Cafe Bar.
Leeds Bradford Airport attracts plenty of plane spotters, especially around Yeadon Tarn and the grassy paths along Yeadon Banks. But with weather getting colder, a hot drink at Multiflight Cafe Bar was instantly appealing. I decided to put the experience to the test.
Set behind a ticket barrier, the cafe is accessed from Victoria Avenue. The road is publicly accessible, but driving towards airport buildings felt like sneaking behind-the-scenes. Parking was free for 20 minutes, then £2.50 per hour.
Outside the cafe, there is a large seating area with six-seater wooden benches. These spots overlook the northwestern runway, only separated from aircraft hangars and taxiways by mesh fencing.
Stepping inside, I’m surprised to see the cafe overflowing; there were plenty of parking spaces outside. Customers ranged from an elderly group of men, sat chatting at one table, to middle-aged couples and a few young flight attendants.
The interior is flight-themed, its walls plastered with photographs of helicopters, light aircrafts, and commercial planes.
Multiflight Cafe Bar serves an all-day breakfast and lunch menu, but I decided to keep it light. I ordered a £3.50 salted caramel brownie and a £4.25 cappuccino — requesting a takeout cup in case I needed to dash outside for a plane.
The staff were friendly and chatted as they prepared my order. “Mornings are usually best,” the barista advised, “afternoons don't have as many flights.”
It was raining outside, so I nabbed a seat indoors, next to floor-to-ceiling windows. Initially, I wondered whether I would actually see anything. The table overlooked a tiny segment of runway and an Aviation Academy hangar obscured most of the view.
I needn't have worried: only a few sips into my cappuccino, a blue-and-white TUI plane flashed past. A few minutes later, the shutters of an aircraft hanger opened, and a smaller plane emerged onto the tarmac. The best view was a low-flying plane, which glided peacefully above.
Staff recommended checking flight schedules ahead of time. However, Leeds Bradford Airport has an online timetable that shows live updates of which planes are departing and arriving. After spotting the TUI plane, I kept this timetable open. It landed 10 minutes ahead of schedule, and if I had blinked, I’d have missed it.
Apart from the plane spotting, I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere. A steady stream of airport staff waltzed through the doors – it's a community hub that I never knew existed.
Something tells me that I’ll be returning, and next time, perhaps I’ll try the busier morning slot.