[Anonymous]

[rferguson]

BA is to move from the north to south terminal at LGW.

The move will take place in NOV next year and will include the construction of a new lounge and new check in area.

[openfly]

Great news. Shame it’s not sooner!

[SimonS1]

Very good. Buckets and spades all round!

Actually I think it’s a good move. South Terminal has seen some significant reinvestment and it’s really handy for the train to/from London. No need for the shuttle.

[openfly]

@SimonS1

Totally agree. Also, the walks at the North are now so long. I think some of the North gates are actually at Heathrow! South Terminal and BA will be good for each other….”train to plane”, as they used to say!

[rferguson]

I wonder if there will be separate F and J lounges? My prediction is adios to the F lounge. Hope i’m wrong!

[openfly]

@rferguson

Just spoken to a BA LGW manager…friend…nothing was signed at the big meeting on Fri afternoon. Both BA and Virgin have not signed anything re the move yet. The airport company is moving along with its plans for a combined Easyjet check-in in the North, but the airlines are not in agreement. It’s on hold.

[JeffD]

I am pleased for BA this should be a good move. I must admit I like the check area in the North Terminal, with the quick access to the slow fast track line. From memory this has not been open that long and still appears fir for purpose. But as it has already been said its quiet a hike from the rail station to the north terminal for joining passsengers.

I work in Westminster and its much quicker for me to travel to Gatwick than Healthrow the caveat being if you can across to Paddington quickly and join what appears to me as one of the worlds most expensive train journeys when considering the cost per mile.

All we need now is some investiment from BA in terms of route coverage at Gatwick.

[rferguson]

Hey openfly,

It’s the main news item on the BA intranet under the heading ‘BA will move to Gatwick South Terminal’. Followed by ‘British Airways has agreed with GAL in principle to move it’s operations to the south terminal.’ Following is details on the anticipated timescale and details of investment for a new lounge and check in area.

Your LGW friend may be right in that nothing signed on the dotted line though. I’m sure they would have seen the same announcement by BA on the intranet though.

[openfly]

Latest news….the reasons that nothing was signed last Friday is that GAL are insisting that the change takes place with no cost to them. BA and Virgin are refusing to sign is because they insist that GAL pays for their move. GAL and Easy are working together and the other airlines are having to pay up for the collusion.
GAL is already moving tenants from the South to accom BA!

[openfly]

….very interesting rferguson.

[rferguson]

Indeed openfly! But I wouldn’t be surprised that the elephant in the room would be who pays for the move 😉

[SimonS1]

Let’s see how it pans out. I don’t blame Easyjet as they clearly want their operation in a single terminal (who wouldn’t).

Sadly BA are a much smaller player at LGW now, so inevitably will get pushed about a bit more unless they are willing to guarantee future growth/routes. Presumably a compromise will be reached and what we have now is initial positions being taken.

[cityprofessional]

So… if the main beneficiary would be easyJet, which GAL is desperate to keep at LGW, then surely some combination of GAL and EZY should pay for BA to make space for them, as well as sufficient sweeteners, like a decent lounge?

Isn’t VS already in the South terminal? What have they got to do with it?

From a pax perspective, good news that BA will move to S, which is so much closer to the station. Security clearance has improved massively since it’s moved upstairs. However, the terminal itself is still pretty shabby (e.g. the satellite corridor and the UK gates), and the border control queues can be epic. This is also, remember, the airport that has no electricity contingency plans when there is a flood in a neighbouring county…

[canucklad]

Great news for Easyjet, and a potential for them to consider experimenting with through ticketing if they are the sole user of the North terminal.
And if memory serves me right, was the North terminal not set up as a sole BA operation. IMO it’s BA that’s let down LGW and the south catchment area, by reducing their commitment. .
Maybe VS are involved because their moving North too, allowing for seamless transfers from EZ flights onto their long-haul routes.

[Author]

Posts