[NTarrant]

Disgusted you do have an emotional attachment to Air Malta

[RichHI1]

NTarrant I think if we are honest with oursleves we all tend to have emotional attachments to certtain carriers. I have seen posts here from expats who saw BA as a corner of a foreign field as they board a BA 747 in foreign parts, I guess I feel the same way about boarding Hawaiian. Not logical but part of us. I know DoS is very proud of Malta and good luck to him.

[NTarrant]

Rich, I agree. And good luck to Disgusted of his attachment to Air Malta, no problem with that. It is just what he said to Jordan that is somewhat contradictory

[RichHI1]

Emotional detachment is hard and I think you have a fair point.

[Senator]

Many moons ago (1999) when SK still operated B767-300s for long-haul, they had one or two for high volume European config for flights like ARN-LHR. I was booked once on ORD-CPH, and all they had available for the journey was the European config. So rather than cancel the flight, they operated with this aircraft.

I think the options provided to passengers were US$800 in vouchers or US$400 in cash, the same as denied boarding at the time.

I’ve had OS change the VIE-CAI from their specially built A320 Premium Service, to regular service and due to being one week out, offered no compensation.

[RichHI1]

But it does work the other way too. I flew to FRA about 4 years ago and the CE 767 was swappedw ith a CW 767 which was nice. As a flyer who seldom goes to Europe I found the constant PA announcements about how the seats worked and the cabin differences amusing. Then on the return we got he usual CE 767 ;-(

Similarly when AA were taking power points of 757’s prior to refit, I had a number of LAX-HNL flights changed to 762 and 763 which are so much better as they have sleeper first and reclinerbusiness seats which for 6.5 hour flight after 11 hours from LHR was great, the usual 757 is a sit up and beg not too different from CE.

[JordanD]

Disgusted – no emotional connection to BA. The recent 7 page complaint letter (joint letter to BA, IB and LA/LP), would definitely suggest I don’t have any emotional connection to them: what I defend is their attempts to keep the flight schedule going.

In all seriousness – which would you rather any airline do when the scheduled aircraft goes ‘tech’: run the flight with the best alternative aircraft available or scrub the flight leaving you stuck?

[MartynSinclair]

Could someone please clarify whether the deployment of the European configered aircraft is a one off due to a tech situation or a more regular arrangement.

If its a one off, I think there is very little that can be done, however, if its a semi permanent situation, i.e. day after day……………….I do not think it is acceptable to change products, especially if we are talking about a flat seat to a recliner chair, without offering the passengers an alternative.

[JordanD]

Based on the commentary on TheBASource, it appears to be a change that has occured frequently of late due to a number of the Worldwide/Long Haul 767s going tech. It appears not to be either a permanent or semi-permanent change.

[pixelmeister]

I guess it all depends on where you draw the line between something being an operational fix due to technical difficulties and a permanent change to the service offering. The other thing that comes into play for destinations like TLV is the boundary of what is deemed as European ops vs longhaul. TLV is currently listed as Europe with a flight time of 5.5 hrs. Therefore is feasible that BA might put the CE configured aircraft on the route as opposed to a CW one.
Must admit that I thought that TLV was longhaul until I checked the BA website on routes served.

[JordanD]

Someone who travels to TLV more often than members of my family might be able to confirm, but I think BA actually treat Tel Aviv as a long haul route with a four-class 777 offering on one flight per day…

[MartynSinclair]

“it appears to be a change that has occured frequently of late due to a number of the Worldwide/Long Haul 767s going tech”

If this is indeed the case, surely there should be more concern about the safety and reliability of the aircraft rather than the seat!

[RichHI1]

As the 763 is a widely deployed aricraft without a history of unreiability, I am incliced to what is different about the BA long haul config. I remember a video from VK that showed lost of flashing lights inside a BA 767, very odd…

[JordanD]

Martyn – I’m sure you’d be the first to admit that an airline pro-actively taking an aircraft out of service with a problem is an indication that they take safety seriously.

As RichHI1 says, the 763 is widely deployed – and (subject to someone correcting me) the aircraft that are being substituted for the tech aircraft are of the same ‘fleet’: bar the internal cabin difference!

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

NTarrant

I don’t have an emotiional attachment to Air Malta, as it happens. I have an emotional bond with some of the cabin crew, as I’ve flown with them for years.

I also believe that they have the best shorthaul business class service on the routes I tend to fly.

But no emotional bond, they are a supplier at the end of the day. I am giving easyJet more business at the moment, as they have extended their flying over the winter season and I wish to support them in the hope that other pax may do the same and we will have a real alternative to Air Malta on the London run, which has not really existed since BA cut and ran.

[Author]

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