BA joins Qatar Airways at LGW
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at 10:25 by DavidSmith2.
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AMcWhirterParticipantReaders will have seen the news about BA revising its long-haul schedules for 2021.
One thing that surprised me was BA’s decision to transfer its Doha service from Heathrow to Gatwick.
It’s a daily service effective March 28 and this BA flight is displayed on Ba.com
Seemingly BA will cancel its Doha service from Heathrow.
Hannah reported a few days ago that Qatar Airways was restarting flights at Gatwick.
17 Dec 2020
at 18:40
DavidSmith2ParticipantThe same with the Accra route. Although pre-COVID, that used to fly into T3 rather than T5. I had assumed that was because most Accra passengers are point to point so they dont need the Heathrow connection as much as others.
17 Dec 2020
at 19:22
AMcWhirterParticipantThat makes sense David.
However there will be connection possibilities too albeit more limited in scope.
One of these is the MAN-LGW service which we covered a couple of days ago.
17 Dec 2020
at 19:57
SimonS1ParticipantIs it a great surprise? With the end of Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Muscat and Dammam it looks as if BA is using Covid as a handy reason to throw in the towel on the Middle East (a bit like large chunks of Africa).
Doha is hanging on as it is part of the JBA with Qatar that they both operate but in reality QR took them out a long time back.
17 Dec 2020
at 20:43
DavidSmith2Participant[postquote quote=1060311][/postquote]
That makes even more sense. I know quite a few people who currently fly KLM on the Accra-Schipol-Manchester route rather than going with BA. And the Ghanaian diaspora which makes up a large part of the flight are spread across the UK. So Accra-Gatwick-Manchester could be quite attractive.
17 Dec 2020
at 21:07
SenatorGoldParticipantServices to Accra, along with Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Harare, Lusaka, Seychelles, Mauritius, Baltimore, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta (and probably more that I’ve forgotten), were at LGW until Winter 2001 when they transferred to LHR. In the mid-1990s, BA promoted LGW as “hub without the hubbub”
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18 Dec 2020
at 14:41
CleancabinairParticipantThink this decision underlines who is calling the shots in BA ….and its NOT Sean Doyle !! Rather Bakr Al-Bakr through the QR 25% share in IAG. He will no make the calls on routes and policy !!
24 Dec 2020
at 15:36
DavidSmith2ParticipantI have just booked Accra-London-Tirana, on 26th March, returning 3 April, which spans the clock change and new schedules. So I fly in and out of LHR T5 and back from LGW S. But for me the big difference will be that I fly out on an A350 and back on a B777 (Gatwick config).
The upside is that the cost for business is cheaper than the direct Accra-London return, so not all bad.
27 Dec 2020
at 23:28
DavidSmith2ParticipantThe Ghana authorities have complained very loudly about the Accra flight being moved from Heathrow to Gatwick in March. They have demanded that the decision be reversed or they will take reciprocal action. In practice I am not sure what that means, but it could be to move the BA flights from the new T3 to the much older T2 at Accra airport. Not sure that could or would happen but we’ll see. Not taking it lying down though.
26 Jan 2021
at 09:03
SimonS1ParticipantI seem to recall the Ghana President having plenty to say when BA used the oldest 747s to serve the route with old F.
The issue really isn’t helped by the lack of competition. One solution would be for another airline to give BA a run for its money between Accra and London but let’s face it Ghana has never been particularly competent in that area.
Until then, sounds like sabre rattling really.
26 Jan 2021
at 21:21 -
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