[RichHI1]

Detroit is a no hoper. I think Seattle is a possibility for
AA from LHR using 763.

[sparkyflier]

Rich do you think AAA 767s would replace the BA flights there? BA has 747s on that route I think mainly?

Hi Becky good to hear from you. I cannot see Manila, quite low yielding, and KLM, who had the sole flight from Europe as a nonstop, have now changed their routing to going via Taipei. I understand that a new tax/govt policy was going to be very expensive for KLM, and so they pulled the nonstop flight and the crew rest in Manila.

Lots of competition form the gulf carriers also, who can do the route with a much lower cost base.

[RichHI1]

Not sure. 763 is 2 class but is smaller than 777. Route to Japan has nust opened as has non stop to MIA. If BAnwere to remove their 747 i would see AA using a 772 if they did start service. SEA has some coverage but DET is a DL hub and offers little connection advantage over BOS, NYC and ORD.
Off topic but I was thinking it would be great if LCY service was expanded to LGA and DCA but unsure if runways are long enough without refuel or abandoning cargo. Anyone know?

[newbieflyer]

Coming back to the topic (earlier in this thread) about BA’s destination choices in India, I was surprised too, until I took a couple of flights to Bangalore and Hyderabad, and they always manage to fill up the 747’s.

Speaking to few of the passengers I released that there were a lot of them transiting in London onwards to the US. It seems a good option from India, as they also have the option for a stop over in London. They also prefer (especially in Economy) a 2 * 8-9 hour flights rather than the 3+14 hour flights from the middle east.

I guess other European carriers also do well, but the option to stop over in London for a day or two en-route to the US, still is a big seller in India, IMHO.

[RichHI1]

Looking at future trends, I think Fortaleza, Recife, Brasilia, belo horizonte and possibly 2nd (daytime) Sao Paolo are Possibles. The Brazilian economy is booming so there will be business demand and with Olympics and World Cup Soccer coming up with Brazilian Tourist board promotion, brazil has to become one of the hot new destinations, as China has.

[sparkyflier]

Am totally with you on Brazil. It is only TAP that goes to the other cities outside Rio/Sao Paulo (apart from Air Europa to Salvador) and these fligths are busy and tend not to be that cheap.

I have been proposing Brasilia and Belo Horizonte for a while. I wonder if Brasilia could be a stop en route to Santiago, or indeed to Belo Horizonte. Or Sao Paulo could get a 2nd flight, maybe 3 days a week, that goes on to Belo Horizonte (CNF). Or a 767 could go to Recife, and then CNF or Salvador. Lots of Brazilians in London now too.

The demand from Brasilia would be for non-stop flights to London and connections to the rest of the BA network. I feel there could be lots of intra BRIC traffic that the Gulf carriers (EK, QR etc) will try to capture, that if BA upped their game on Brazil, could do very well with.

Much will depend on if TAM will go into oneworld. They may choose to stay in star even if their partner LAN is in 1W. There is talk of IAG buying TAP, but I am not sure if this will be allowed to happen by the EU – with IB already major players down there.

[RichHI1]

I think TAM will go 1World. Tam only offer GRU and now GIG. TAP
Is a waste of time. IAG are throwing their money away if they go after TAP. Aer Lingus wiuld make more sense.

[sparkyflier]

Aer Lingus could be good as a way for traffic from the UK regions to get to USA without the need (or direct flights to London to connect) to go via London.

As you say, TAM do 777 daily to GRU, and 3 x weekly 330 to GIG. GRU is like LHR, totally full, So I think they should have a northern hub; like Recife, in order to access the rest of the country, rather than flying down and then going up.

Othr options for Chile/Brazil. BA could upgrade the 772 to a 747 (includes 1st class for the oil/gas market, and wealthy Russians), with the aircraft ging on to Santiago, also capturing local traffic as a codeshare with LAN. This couild be an overnight flight there, and overnight coming back – excellent for onward connections.

[Saffjoyfox3]

There should ideally be more Indian routes, in addition to the current 5 destinations which BA serve, all of which are pretty full most of the time.

One idea would be Ahmedabad, a major industrial hub in the state of Gujarat, which as a state has a credit rating higher than India itself.

I also thought it a great pity that BA stopped its direct flight a few years ago to Kolkata after having served it so well for so long. With the West Bengal region very much on the up now, would be great to see that flight again though I doubt it will happen any time soon.

Apart from those, as many have said above, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur.

[AMcWhirter]

Kolkata seems jinxed. No European carrier can make it work. Lufthansa has just axed its service in addition to BA and KLM.

I wonder how the likes of EK and QR can succeed where the Europeans cannot ?

Seoul should be a possible, despite being a Skyteam stronghold, perhaps with BA combining this city with Osaka.

With Kuala Lumpur, it would make sense for BA to code-share with future OW member MAS rather than operate the route with its own metal.

[sparkyflier]

The Ahmedababad suggestion is interesting. And as you say, and I commented earlier, Kolkata and the region around it has seen some turnaround. If BA keep Amritsar, perhaps a tag on to either of these might be a good way to test the water and see if the routes can be stand alone.

[VintageKrug]

It’s getting like Fantasy Football now.

Here you go, chaps:

http://www.bavirtual.co.uk/about/

[sparkyflier]

London City we replied at around the same time, so I did not see your posting about Kolkata being dropped by the other carriers. That does not bode well.

I recall now that Ahmedabad was served a few years ago by Jet Airways and then Air India. But dropped, maybe simply to offer double daily services to Delhi/Mumbai with the slots they had. So maybe a way forward for BA could be an LHR-Amritsar-Ahmedabad-Amritsar London service on 767. It has the range for it and should not be too hard to fill up.

[KSHaggag]

Hey Sparkflyer !

Your thread has triggered a lot of debate !!…interesting !…I still believe that BA is far weaker in Africa than the likes of KLM and AF …KLM is now flying to practically every destination safe to serve launching recently Luanda and Lusaka ..they are leaders in Africa among European carriers so far ..am not sure how BA perceives that market ..!..shouldn t they pay more attention to that growing market ???..Brazil and China are also opportunities and again KLM/AF are leaders in China by far with 9 online destinations e.g. Beijing ,Shanghai,Hong Kong ,Guangzhou,Hangzhou,Xiamen,Chengdu ,Wuhan and Taipei .. aren t you jealous BA ???

[sparkyflier]

As you say KSH, AK/KLM are far ahead on routes to Africa and Asia. There is not one route to sub-saharan Africa that BA serves, that KLM does not. And the Dutch have no colonial links to Africa. In Asia KLM has more destinations as you say, even without Air France.

And then looking at Star Alliance airlines in Africa, The SN/LH/TP/LX/SA/ET opffering is vast, and now Turkish are expandining rapidly.

One world (BA/IB) is WAY behind. IB is expanding a bit in West Africa, but I do not call A319s on 6 hour flights a competitive offering.

Some routes were culled a few years back, for example Lilongwe, but maybe they can support a return now? BMI has routes to Freetown and Addis Ababa, which I think will be kept, perphas using those routes to other countries – Freetown with Monrovia and Abidjan, and maybe Addis with Kigali/Kilimanjaro/ Other routes which could be viable are Port Harcourt (oil city), Douala/Libreville ( perhaps as triangle routings). Zanzibar could well work perhaps with stops en route Kigali & Kilimanjaro, to capture tourism and business of KIG and safari/mountain climbing of JRO, who need a beach holiday after their efforts!
It seems looking at previous postings that Harare is almost certain to return.

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