BA joins Qatar Airways at LGW

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)

  • AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Readers 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.


    DavidSmith2
    Participant

    The 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.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    That 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.


    superchris
    Participant

    how very odd


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Is 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.


    DavidSmith2
    Participant

    [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.


    FormerBA
    Participant

    Back to the future. Accra was always at LGW even in BCal days. Think Virgin entry onto the route forced the change and of course now they are gone so back to LGW.


    SenatorGold
    Participant

    Services 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”

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    Hardev
    Participant

    I wonder if Qatar asked BA to move Doha service to LGW?.


    Cleancabinair
    Participant

    Think 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 !!


    esselle
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1082700][/postquote]

    Do you mean Akbar Al Baker?


    DavidSmith2
    Participant

    I 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.


    Simon58
    Participant

    I guess BA has to also consider protecting their slots at LGW. Shame though about the downgrade of aircraft on ACC.


    DavidSmith2
    Participant

    The 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.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    I 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.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)
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