[FrequentTraveller]

British Airways scraps plans to restart short haul flights from London Gatwick for the summer 2022.

Long haul flights to continue, with a small number of domestic feeder flights.

Source:

https://news.sky.com/story/british-airways-scraps-plans-to-reintroduce-short-haul-flights-from-gatwick-post-covid-12415115

Flights which were on sale for summer 2022 from Gatwick are no longer open for new bookings, except for the domestic feeder flights.

[theworldtraveller]

I do feel sorry for Gatwick – they are being hit by Covid hard.

I would like to see airlines like BA, leave the very expensive and busy Heathrow (will all the OneWorld airlines joining) and go to the cheaper and less congested Gatwick.

[AMcWhirter]

Mark has posted our report this morning.

British Airways abandons plans for Gatwick short-haul subsidiary

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=1111575]I would like to see airlines like BA, leave the very expensive and busy Heathrow (will all the OneWorld airlines joining) and go to the cheaper and less congested Gatwick.

Ever since I took my first domestic flights decades ago LGW has always been the poor relation.

In fact if I remember correctly BA only operated scheduled flights from LGW once it took over BCal (formerly BUA).

At that time in 1987 it was a battle between BA and SAS as to who would take over BCal. BA beat SAS.

Yes there were British Airtours charter flights from the early 1970s (at the time of BEA/BOAC) both short and long-haul, but of course these were not scheduled.

[Gkesuuuk]

It is a real shame. I found the services to be more reliable than Heathrow (less congestion?), crew were cheerful and the new lounges were excellent. I used BA from Gatwick for business (eg Amsterdam, Geneva and long haul for New York), as well as leisure.

Question whether BA will continue to serve many of the Gatwick leisure destinations that they have flown from Heathrow (or if they do on the same frequency) as slot scarcity will return. For those of us who find Gatwick more convenient, BA will certainly lose out when it may be more convenient to fly from Gatwick on easyJet, who have good frequencies and a standard of service that is not too far off BA economy.

Very short sighted of BA but also of BALPA who seem to be “turkeys voting for Christmas”.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Bullfrog

[CocktailMike]

Frequent Traveller – Can I presume you live in West Sussex?

[LaWhore]

BA’s presence at LGW is a strategic plan to prevent other airlines from expanding, profitability has never been a priority and the threats of closing the base have never materialised.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ba-s-expected-aps200m-loss-forces-it-to-compete-with-nofrills-airlines-9276735.html

[FrequentTraveller]

[postquote quote=1111613]

Sorry to disappoint you, no I don’t live in West Sussex.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Bullfrog

[FaroFlyer]

[postquote quote=1111613]

I think that maybe you meant to ask theworldtraveller?

[Bullfrog]

The purchase of 50,01 % of GATWICK for £2,9 billion by France’s Vinci in December 2018 was unfortunate timing.

[pilot1500]

This is a sad outcome.

Sorry to say, that BALPA have not done their members proud at all.

Now, instead of BA potentially bring back/employing more fight crew (as well as gound, support staff and cabin crew) they have voted themselves out of a job.

I am sure that they are all very proud of themselves for “standing up” to BA, but the cost has been very high to the crews.

My Father always said “10% of something is better than 100% of nothing”

That is what BALPA now have 100% of nothing

1 user thanked author for this post.

Bullfrog

[peter]

Interesting story in the independent about BA at Gatwick and options it may have In moving forward with their LGW base

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-jet2-gatwick-slots-b1926418.html

1 user thanked author for this post.

Bullfrog

[transtraxman]

…………………..or maybe BA does not scrap short-haul operations from Gatwick!

“Rethink over scrapping BA Gatwick short-haul network”, (Travel Weekly, 4-10-21)

https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/rethink-over-scrapping-ba-gatwick-short-haul-network

[Author]

Posts