[Anonymous]

[BAdboys]

Can anyone explain why so many BA domestic flights from Gatwick are either cancelled or delayed? I have had two cancellations in three weeks and four delays of 30min+. I notice today that there are 2 cancellations today from LGW to MAN, and two bad delays. Is it lack of interest? It only seems to be the domestics that get hit.
Maybe a bit of competition would help.

[Alasdair]

I have heard from a good source… sorry, cannot reveal this, that in the near future, BA is to sell off its domestic operation at LGW to FlyBE and keep its long-haul routes flying using the cheaper new fleet.

[Hippocampus]

Would that source be BASSA?

[CharlieBrown]

I just can’t see BA selling off its domestic operation. Although BA’s LGW services rely far more on O&D loads they still play witness to relatively significant transfer traffic, particularly from the likes of EDI, JER, MAN etc. I remember flying BA EDI-LGW during the heavy snowfalls when the captain detailed all the various transfers taken place from this particular flight onwards at LGW. The vast majority of passengers were transferring long-haul AND short-haul! Furthermore I remember a couple of onward connections being made with Malev to Budapest.

I understand the flybe/BA codeshare could be extended through such a sale but I think downgrading the domestic flying product to buy-on-board would diminish the appeal of their regional proposition.

Can you confirm Alasdair if you are refering to all short-haul services or solely domestic UK routes?

[VintageKrug]

The source would indeed be BASSA, who have been prattling on about this for a while now.

Quite why they would have any interest in Gatwick, a base they have all but abandoned, and whose cabin crew demonstrated this by refusing to back the strike, I am not sure .

While I don’t really see a future for MAN exLGW, which is indeed likely to go the way of all flesh, I think that a cut down version of BA shorthaul is likely to be sustained exLGW but I don’t see CE as part of that plan, sadly.

Having said that, London City shorthaul services are increasing every year, including Cityflyer’s shorthaul Business Class.

Any removal of CE at LGW would indeed be a real shame, especially on the more business focussed routes, and indeed the JER run, which is heavily trafficked by those on business. It would be a shame to let that entirely into the hands of FlyMaybe; I really hope BA sees sense on that one.

The only way to ensure CE is sustained is to ensure people like ourselves keep booking that cabin, and make it clear that we value the service.

[GoonerLondon]

In fact its because 1 of the aging 737s has gone tech – 24 hour delay coming back from Sicily I believe.

Fact is there is little slack at LGW now, so when one of the aircraft breaks down there is serious schedule knock on implications.

With no CapEx identified for LGW SH in the near future, one can only assume this problem will get worse as the 737 breakdowns get more common.

You raise the idea that competition might help – on the contrary, there is plenty of competition from easyjet which is why there is not a nice new fleet of airbus flying the flag out of LGW. Though its interesting to note that LGW is currently Easyjet’s sickly child, with performance feedback hitting their PR significantly.

[PaulJennings]

This is an example of how competition is not always good for the consumer. It has shown that airlines can bring down fares and improve services but it has also precipitated a race to the bottom: ‘do it cheaper and to hell with the quality’. A BA LGW crew member I chatting to on a recent flight said that she took a pride in trying to do everything better than the competition but felt that many people just wanted everything cheaper.

As I’ve said before, with convertible seats and good yield management, 1 person in CE makes it worthwhile. So I would probably be unpersuaded by the ‘can’t make it viable’ argument., which is often a cover for’don’t want the hassle.’

Back on topic: here is a link to puncuality stats that travellers may find useful:

http://www.flightontime.info

[BAdboys]

Another bad day at BA! Sun 30th Aug the 17.10 MAN-LGW cancelled, the 17.20 MAN-LHR arrived one hour late and the 19.40 MAN-LGW arrived at LGW one hour and twenty minutes late.
I overheard a BA conversation that the main reason for all this was ‘cabin staff ”sickness” ‘ …bank holiday and nice weather!
The desk agent at LHR who gave me my bus ticket to Gatwick said that there were ”so many missed connections from short haul flights to long haul”.
Is anybody at Board level going to take BA in hand and get to grips with this appalling state of affairs, or has it got way beyond any effective remedy?

[VintageKrug]

It’s easy to quote isolated stats seemingly caused by a problem on one sector which affected all subsequent sectors on that route; BAdboys is obviously not one to let the FACTS get in the way of a good rant.

Shall we actually examine the on time stats for BA at Gatwick, rather than a subjective, isolated Bank Holiday sample?

Official figures prove that BA is the MOST PUNCTUAL of all airlines at Gatwick this summer. You can read all about it here:

http://www.fhr-net.co.uk/travel_news/2713/british_airways_is_most_punctual_airline_at_gatwick_airport_figures_show/

So much for these supposed on time performance issues….

[Alasdair]

Well, that is what one can expect with the New Fleet… they are now proving to be tired and fed up with their positions at LGW!

[VintageKrug]

And yet despite these seemingly related delays which all occurred on 30 August (Sunday or Monday, depending on your perspective), BA retains its title of best on time performer at LGW…

Interestingly, there is no seat 2K on any BA service flying from Venice to Gatwick.

BA really has upped its commitment to longhaul at Gatwick, with Cancun in Mexico, Male in the Maldives and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic recently added, alongside the stalwarts of Barbados, Bermuda, Tampa and Orlando.

Possibly even Fort Lauderdale in the not too distant future….

With destinations like Sharm El Sheikh available all in for just £848 rtn in Club World from Gatwick in the current fare sale, there’s little encouragement needed to sample Gatwick’s great destinations:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/flights-sale/public/en_gb

[BAdboys]

Yet again VK cannot accept true criticism of BA. It is all getting rather boring.

He can quote all the stats in the world. Like many other business travellers I am suffering unacceptable delays and cancellations when flying on BA.

And I dont get free tickets either!

[NTarrant]

As a regular traveller from LGW on BA in Club Europe, I have to say that punctuality has vastly improved over the last year. In the main the service is good and meets expectations.

There are occasions when staff don’t perform as they should and if you feel strongly about that performance then complain to the airline. As a supporter of BA there are times when things are not quite as they should be. HBHLondon you criticise VK unfairly, and perhaps it is you that needs to get a life and leave people in peace by not leaving complaints on this forum but direct them to the airline.

[VintageKrug]

I will continue to post when I see blatant inaccuracies.

HBHLondon stated seat 2k, most experienced CE travellers would realise there is no such seat.

You apparently never get escorted to your seat, I and many others have this happen consistently every time we travel FIRST.

In your first ever thread, you accused BA of being institutionally racist, when nothing is farther from the truth.

You suggest BA is consistently running late at Gatwick, when my experiences (about 30 inbound/outbound sectors so far this year) would simply not back that up, nor would the official on time stats.

I think you have an axe to grind against BA, that’s fine. Where any firm falls short, as BA does from time to time, then criticism is justified.

But in this case, and on the topic of this thread, it is simply ludicrous to suggest that BA is consistently afflicted with chronic, endemic systemic delays on its LGW services as in fact the very polar opposite is true and BA was the best performing carrier for timeliness at LGW during June 2010.

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