[duncan1]

It seems that from the 28th October 2018 BA has added an additional LHR/JNB flight to the existing two daily A380’s.

The new flight BA050/BA051 will depart LHR at 16:30 arrival JNB at 05:50 (overnight) whilst the return from JNB will depart at 07:50 arrival back into LHR at 17:25 – so day flight coming home.

Operating Sun, Tue, Wed and Fri ex UK.

[BA789]

Interesting development. BA operated a day flight back to LHR before, but it was not successful. Maybe the economics of the B787 will make it work this time.

[capetonianm]

That is interesting and one assumes that they will fill it along, with the forthcoming Durban flight.

There’s a huge irony in the fact that British Airways are increasing that capacity into South Africa where SAA have to cut theirs and aren’t able to even fill a single aircraft.

I don’t remember BA having a Northbound day flight out of JNB but I do know that in the mid 90s they had a daylight 777 out of Cape Town. The wife hated it, I loved it.

[esselle]

BA also used to operate a daytime 744 service from CPT.

[Marc_ACB]

I’m looking forward to experience the DUR-LHR day flight without a time zone change. It will be a interesting to see the menu. I am treating this as an extension of the holiday – watching movies eating and drinking all the way to London with out the thought of I must get to sleep.

[capetonianm]

That’s exactly my attitude to day flights and that’s why I enjoy them so much.

[openfly]

I also like a daylight flight for the same reasons. I think the Monday Thomas Cook daylight flight from CPT to LGW is a cracker…even in economy. The legroom and happy crews make it a great experience. Nice that BA are having two daylights from DUR and JNB.

[rferguson]

A triumph for South Africa…perhaps at Angola’s loss. BA will discontinue LHR-LAD from Jun 7.

[Mark Caswell]

British Airways suspends Luanda service

[capetonianm]

I am surprised about Luanda because it’s one of those routes like Lagos where people go because they have to, not because they want to, mostly business travel, and therefore demand high yields.

I suspect that the problem is that TAAG are competing with some extremely low fares out of South Africa to Portugal, and that BA frequency wasn’t sufficient to attract the high yield traffic that it would have attracted if it were a daily rotation.

[LuganoPirate]

I also love the day flights. I actually take the meal on those, read, watch a movie or 3, look out the window and doze!
What I also love, when there’s WiFi, is seeing my plane of FlightRadar24 and then seeing who is behind, above and in front. Great fun and real schoolboy stuff. Mrs.LP does not understand the fascination!!!

I only wish it was possible to go down on the KLM day flight and return on the BA day flight, notwithstanding I don’t really like BA, but on a day flight I could put up with them. In fairness it’s mainly the bed and the way the seat is angled (in F) I don’t like. If I’m not sleeping, but just dozing, it’s fine.

[bluemooner]

The Durban and Joburg flights depart from SA at 7.35am and 7.50am respectively. arriving in London at 5.45pm and 5.25pm respectively
Presumably to arrive back in time for onward connections.
This means that passengers will need to be at the respective departure airports pretty early.
These flights can therefore only attract passengers actually staying close to the departure cities, as no time for prior flight connections.
When I travel to Durban, we stay 20 minutes from Airport, so not a problem. However tourists may not want such an early start and may choose the return to UK on the later overnight flights.
Are BA missing a trick with these return timings. Advancing the timings by say 2 hours might give them significant more business, yet still with time for later onward connections

[Alex McWhirter]

Extending the departure time by two hours would be too late, bluemooner.

The last BA flights to mainland Europe depart LHR relatively early (one reason is because of the time difference).

However domestic flights do depart LHR later.

[bluemooner]

[quote quote=867904]Extending the departure time by two hours would be too late, bluemooner.

The last BA flights to mainland Europe depart LHR relatively early (one reason is because of the time difference).

However domestic flights do depart LHR later.[/quote]

Continental passengers are more likely to use the Jnb direct flights to Paris Amsterdam Frankfurt Madrid Rome etc
I was thinking more of the UK domestic passengers market.
The historical UK/SA relationship should warrant sufficient numbers of passengers.

[Alex McWhirter]

[quote quote=867935]Continental passengers are more likely to use the Jnb direct flights to Paris Amsterdam Frankfurt Madrid Rome etc
I was thinking more of the UK domestic passengers market.
The historical UK/SA relationship should warrant sufficient numbers of passengers.[/quote]

Based on midweek timings for November it will be a tight and/or impossible connection if the arrival time is put back by a couple of hours.

The last BA flights for Edinburgh is at 2055 and for Glasgow at 2040.

But for Aberdeen it’s 2025, for Newcastle it’s 1940 and for Manchester it’s 1955.

Also bear in mind that Heathrow and the airlines will be coping with winter weather so arrival delays are possible.

Although the MCT within T5 is one hour for international connex (that is only possible in perfect conditions) travellers connecting to a domestic flight will have to clear immigration etc and that will take time.

[Author]

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