BA quietly brings fwd T5 to T3 route moves

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 36 total)

  • Anonymous
    Guest

    openfly
    Participant

    My long haul flights were originally booked through T5 outbound on 14th Oct and return 27th through T5. It appears all has changed and the move brought fwd. Cape Town is now moving to T3 on the 14th instead of winter timetable changeover.
    Nobody from BA has told me….needless to say. I just happened to spot it.
    Words fail me! We all know how awful the T3 lounges are. When does Emirates move out of the BA T3 lounges into their shiny new ones?!


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    From the BAEC website – headlines!

    On 14 October 2015, flights to and from Accra, Cape Town, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Nairobi, Phoenix and Vancouver will change terminals at London Heathrow.

    I wonder how the airline decides which to move…


    SimonS1
    Participant

    I’m not convinced that the date has changed.

    Both these articles are dated Nov 2014 and the date is exactly the same.

    http://www.headforpoints.com/2014/11/17/british-airways-timetable-terminal-1-terminal-3-moves/

    http://londonairtravel.com/2014/11/11/british-airways-to-restore-long-haul-operations-at-london-heathrow-terminal-3-as-accra-cape-town-denver-las-vegas-nairobi-phoenix-and-vancouver-flights-move-from-terminal-5-on-wednesday-14-octobe/

    Given the amount of planning that goes into a terminal move I find it all very doubtful that the date has changed. It would cause massive confusion for passengers and BA has nothing to gain.


    wowzimmer
    Participant

    Some of the moves seem quite obvious – Las Vegas, Miami, Accra and Nairobi will probably be all point to point travellers. So the need to keep transfer passengers in the same terminal is much diminished.

    BA have a virtual monopoly on the Cape Town route so pretty much do what they want with it.

    As for Denver, Phoenix and Vancouver – I don’t know. I suspect they have done the math on transfer passengers again.


    BusinessBabble
    Participant

    The date has always been 14 October for the move.

    Openfly commented on a business traveller thread back in June that referred to the move on 14 October in the opening paragraph so all in all it should not come as a surprise.

    http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/BA-Moving-Flights-Again


    Bullfrog
    Participant

    Miami is not ‘mainly point to point’. The number of connecting passengers speaking a foreign language is huge. Miami used to operate through T3, and over the years I have detected large numbers of Scandinavians, and more recently through T5, many Israelis.


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    I started the following thread on 22 June

    http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/BA-Moving-Flights-Again

    Likewise asking the logic, and how routes are chosen. It was clearly stated that the moves would happen on 14 October 2015.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Oh dear. Bit of a non thread then.


    StephenLondon
    Participant

    Indeed, SimonS1, but there are always people with axes to grind that like to keep chipping away at any opportunity. For someone that speaks so frequently with BA managers (see the link BusinessBabble quoted), I’m surprised the move comes as a surprise to the OP.

    DutchYankee, I believe BA look at a range of reasons behind the move, including aircraft utilisation, length of time on the ground, connecting passenger numbers, connecting passenger origin/destination, local passenger numbers, lounge capacity, check-in counter capacity and a range of other issues when deciding a terminal selection. This is purely based on snippets told to me by BA staff whom I know.


    Capetown2k
    Participant

    the only surprise is the OP still fly’s BA

    safe travels to all


    DerekVH
    Participant

    I don’t mind flying out of T3 but get frustrated if paying for a flight in F that I am denied the use of the Concorde Room; perhaps BA could consider giving T3 F passengers a voucher that would allow use of the T5 Concorde Room on your next flight in any class – I won’t hold my breath!


    StephenLondon
    Participant

    When BA last had F flights ex-T3 (SIN/BKK), they had a First Class / CCR area at the far end of the F Lounge, which included a la carte dining and dedicated seating. Does anyone know if this is being brought back? We might find it come 14 October.

    @DerekVH, I very much doubt BA would give you a voucher, sadly.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Whilst I don’t disagree with the sentiment I can’t see the voucher idea is workable.

    Where would you draw the line – what about LGW passengers paying for F who don’t have a CCR? In fact what about CE passengers who have no lounge access at all. Or travellers from places like Nairobi where there is no lounge provision?


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    Although I can understand people’s frustration, the Concorde Room is not a special lounge in my opinion, it can be quite mediocre to be honest.

    BA does not provide a competitive first class product, in terms of quality, when compared to LH or AF.

    IMHO (from experience of both), I’d rather fly J on Etihad than F on BA (note this is not a comparison of hard product, but a preference for a more consistent crew attitude, true DOD, very nice food and a seat that is perfectly adequate for very long flights.)

    I took my latest EY J class flight 6 days ago and it was top notch, as usual.

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