BA Gatwick Strategy and the Regions

This has probably been debated ad nauseum already but I am puzzled why BA is happy to haemorrhage regional customers to it’s competitors? I raise again as BA are introducing new and interesting routes from Gatwick e.g. Lima, Cape Town and Costa Rica (in addition to the many other European destinations)…

I should add that I am a regular BA customer but am using alternatives now for flights that depart from Gatwick as it is too much like hard work to get there. I have just booked a long-haul holiday from Gatwick as we got a good price from BA Holidays, but once I looked into how we are going to get to Gatwick I regretted it and wished I had gone for Emirates. We live near Manchester and the options are:

1) Fly Manchester to Heathrow, collect bags and heave them by bus across to Gatwick and check in again (still astonished BA have not provided a service to facilitate this transfer now that the Gatwick regional shuttles have gone).

2) Take a train to London Euston, and make our way across London to the train station for the Gatwick link.

3) Coach (very lengthy) to Gatwick from Manchester.

None of the above appeal so we are (reluctantly) driving to Gatwick, not something we really want to do but the option that will take the shortest time with least hassle.

I should add never again BA from Gatwick…

I am surprised that other airlines have not developed routes from the major regional airports to Gatwick (from Manchester I can fly to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Southampton…) but I guess space at Gatwick is expensive and limited.

I am flying to Mauritius next week and am going with Emirates, am looking forward to a chauffeur pickup, a great lounge experience at Manchester, Dubai and Mauritius, and a seamless transfer at Dubai airport, a no brainer…

Except for Anglo-Scottish routes it appears flights from other regional airports are unprofitable.

Jet2 used to operate into LGW from LBA, MAN and NCL. All three routes failed.

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/will-i-ever-be-able-to-fly-from-manchester-to-gatwick-again-9751873.html

Flybe operates NQY-LGW but only because it receives around £3 million in subsidies.

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/oct/26/air-subsidy-newquay-gatwick

Tony-UK – 28/05/2016 18:11 BST

Time to accept that BA is really LSE Airways (London and South East) and beyond that limited geographic scope, you’ll be treated like a mug if you book with them.

Next time, book Emirates and save yourself the hassle.

I’m off the Paris for three days work, later today.

Options were

BA MAN-LHR-ORY (Orly is near the client, so a plus)
BE MAN-CDG
U2 LPL-CDG

easyJet was half the price of BA, 2/3 the price of Flybe and I’ll swallow the RER/tramway as less hassle than changing at Heathrow.