[VintageKrug]

It is highly unlikely that BA would add the (2 or 3?) bmi A330s to its fleet unless they continued under bmi branding for a season or so; much more sensible to send them to Iberia who already have airbus longhauls in the fleet, and will have eight A330s arriving from late 2012 and eight more on option:

http://www.iairgroup.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=240949&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1536326&highlight=

I do think that with better use of existing assets (eg 767s to longhaul config) as outlined above by sparky, and the return of some furloughed 747s in addition to the three new delivery 777s arriving in the next six months (the “fourth” is I understand in Cardiff already) and the reduction in the Kangaroo Route (which releases 3-4 747s) Ba should be able to cope with utilising these new slots effectively in the short term.

My concern would be around how this increased use of assets will affect the planned refurbishment of the fleet, and the double whammy of increased utilisation and extra flights planned during the Olympics next summer; if an aircraft is needed to operate a route, it cannot be in for refurbishment.

Thankfully, the 777/747 refurb programme is well advanced should be almost complete for the summer schedule, the 767s are my main concern, especially if it is they who could take up the slack, and as has been stated because of the lack of crew rest they’d be better deployed increasing shorthaul capacity and eliminating duplication in scheduling.

All very interesting.

I still maintain that an accelerated delivery of some new longhaul aircraft will be needed, and that should be incorporated into the next announcement on the conclusion of the new fleet order which IAG has been undertaking for a number of months already.

This certainly explains why there were no new routes planned from Gatwick, when indications earlier in the summer were that this was already fait accomplis.

[LPPSKrisflyer]

IIRC the BD A332s are leased, there are only now a couple of them and I don’t think they are on very favourable terms. One of the first things LH did was off load the A332s BD were using as they were astonished at the terms of the leases.

That involved a cull of routes that were profitable including TLV but the burden of the A332s was seen as so great that they were better gone. It’s likely that what is left is not on much better terms but they may have to be retained for the foreseeable future.

They might be used to add shorthaul capacity given their common rating with the A320s.

[Bucksnet]

VK, the fourth 77W is already in service and doing HKG, JFK and NRT routes.

[sparkyflier]

Indeed re the BMI 330-200s – the flight timings and the service to Tel Aviv were very good and went down well on the route, and the lease costs were formidable and so LH got rid of at least one of them. But an A330 has since entered the BMI fleet and services the Almaty/Amritsar route and of course Freetown, Sierra Leone, which previously had a one stop A321 service.

So maybe the current 332s are not too expensive, but if sent to Iberia they may be used for new routes there, but as I think most will agree, service standards there on the long haul flights can be quite shocking, and many choose to avoid! Another reason for BA to develop some routes there, especially in Brazil.

[Bucksnet]

One of the A332s went to Sri Lankan and they’ve kept the other 2.

IB is terrible and BA should never have merged with them!

[RichHI1]

I have only flown Iberia once to Sao Paulo as no BA flight available a year or two back . I found it vastly superior to BA. The in flight service and the quality of food and wine was far higher than BA Business, the seats were more comfortable (wider with more legroom) than BA and it was a daytime flight rather than a red eye. The only down side was it was a 346 and not a 744 (and of course no First Class, no one would pretend Iberia Busienss Class rivals the BA First Class (New Old or whatever – though the seats were in a better state of repair than a lot of 744 First cabins)

[LeTigre]

Iberia obviously realise how bad their onboard product is because to find any info about it, you have to search their website for hours!

[RichHI1]

Hengli I do not find two mouse clicks takes me hours.

http://www.iberia.com/OneToOne/v3/obsmenu.do?prgOid=536884862&tabId=3&menuId=04040100000000&menuRP=1&language=en&country=GB&market=GB&IS_ANONYMOUS=true

I do not remember finding recipes for Served dishes on BA website or details on hwo to send sms and email messages in flight.

I suspect many posters here may be daunted at the prospect of using some foreign language skills however.

[HedgeFundFlyer]

So….now the deal is done, who is keen to see Speedbirds heading to new destinations. If so, where?

[BGIWorldTraveller]

Seoul for sure.

[LuganoPirate]

I’d like to see more flights to Africa. Doula, Lome, Kigali spring to mind. Also a day flight in each directions to JNB and an outward day flight to Cape Town (there is an 0830 inbound already).

Africa is expanding economically and Britain needs to take advantage of this up and coming opportunity. Better for British business to fly there by BA than by the French or Dutch carriers. The phrase “Flying the Flag” come to mind!

[LuganoPirate]

Forgot to add. I don’t think Virgin will end up with any extra slots unless they pay for them. For sure Old Beardie will moan and groan and will be looking for some slots for free, so he can lease them out, but he won’t get them.

WW knows he has government support for this takeover otherwise why make it. If BA had not bought BMI then LH would have closed it down and auctioned off the slots. They did not want or need it anymore. Besides, if Branson thought it so unfair to the consumer, why did he not buy it for himself? He certainly had the chance!

[jet72uk]

I doubt they will tamper with LGW long haul too much as they are all suited to lesuire, and BA do not want to pull out of LGW. They are adding 3x Nice form March and strangely – Algiers. Also, LH intend to keep some of BMI’s slots – obviously.

[Author]

Posts