[Anonymous]

[Cedric_Statherby]

Spotted at Gatwick South yesterday, a FlyBE flight to Guernsey with codeshare BA 6181.

Was this a one-off or are BA seriously flying to Guernsey (even if via FlyBE planes)? I can see no mention on the flight on ba.com – the website does not even admit to flying to Guernsey at all.

And as a side issue, if you are a BA passenger in Gatwick South, which lounge can you use?

[Bunnahabhain]

Suspect it’s a hark back to when Flybe took over BA Connect, nee British Regional Airlines etc – the regional franchise routes of BA. They still have BA codeshare numbers on the other routes from Gatwick, some of which you used to be able to book online with BA, and presumably interline with BA mainline flights from the north terminal – or maybe that’s asking a bit much.

I think the lounge is called Wetherspoon’s.

[NTarrant]

Its an interesting one. BA never did LGW-GCI, in fact LGW-JER was originally British Caledonian. LGW-GCI was British Island Airways using Dart Heralds (whoops showing ones age here!). Certainly in those days the runway would not take a jet of any kind. They became Air UK which these are the forrunners to FlyBe.

Certainly up to about two years ago you could book MAN-EDI on Flybe through ba.com. But no tier points, miles or OnBusiness points

[VintageKrug]

There are a range of BA/FlyMaybe codeshares which started recently.

This further extends the BA network (BA owns 15% of FlyBe).

[TominScotland]

Nigel, I am not sure that Air UK were forrunners of Flybe – they morphed into KLM UK and then all non-Amsterdam routes died. Flybe was born as Jersey European, I think.

[NTarrant]

Tom, yes you are right but all Flybe’s Channel Island services are former BIA/Air UK services.

[pixelmeister]

Blimey, I remember the Dart Herald. My first experience of air travel was on one from LGW to Guernsey back in 1979. I remember Guernsey airport being pretty basic – bags were offloaded from plane onto trolley pulled by a farm tractor. The baggage system was a collection of wooden rollers – not motorised. IIRC Guernsey had a restriction on jets due to a combination of the noise and short runway. Have sneaking feeling that ground power was also absent.

[edinv54]

LGW/GCI was one of 26 BA routes axed in 1980 as part of a major cost-cutting programme in its run up to privatisation.
– An excercise which appears to continue today?

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