[Anonymous]

[Sara Turner]

I heard a vague rumour that the new BA London City-New York JFK flights will allow passengers on early, effectively using the plane itself is the pre-flight executive lounge. Seems like a good idea to me, but won’t it mean the plane wastes valuable flying time sitting on the tarmac? Would be nice to avoid the rifraf in the airport at peak times though.

[HBHLondon]

Great idea! I am sure the rifraf would love to avoid you as well.

[Airpocket]

Not quite sure how practical this is. If passengers go on boad early, surely the crew will have to turn on the air-conditioning/heating that much earlier, therefore burning more aviation fuel?Hardly environmentally friendly.Then again, if its BA then it doesn’t surprise me.I’ll put it down to one more frankly bizarre decision in the wake of many others.

[VintageKrug]

More ignorance of airline operations from Gutteral Burp.

Aircraft heat and cool cabins while on the ground using Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) which generally are either run electrically using a a battery, generator or other external power source.

They are used to start engines primarily, but also provide environmental regulation for the interior of the plane while the engines are not running.

[SimonRowberry]

Gentlemen, gentlemen……this Forum has started to become very tetchy and increasingly personal of late.

I thought we participated to advise and help each other, rather than use it as a way of scoring cheap points against each other.

Not in relation to the above posts, but as a general point, it would also help if some participants also understood the concept of irony…….

I’m surprised at you, Vintage Krug, allowing your usual erudite standards to drop. Too much Bolly at lunchtime, eh, VK (see above paragraph for context)?

[Airpocket]

Judging by VK’s other responses this week I’d say it was his/her ‘time of the month’.

[continentalclub]

I’m lead to believe that the new London City service will utilise a dedicated gate at LCY, which will be outfitted to offer some ‘lounge-like’ facilities.

Further, the aircraft will be crewed and available for boarding somewhat earlier than would normally be expected, with the express intention of offering the OP’s suggested ‘lounge onboard’.

In light of the USPs of a maximum of 32 passengers and extremely short check-in, it is anticipated that relatively few passengers will actually (in practice) be at the gate all that early, or will wish to linger there if boarding is available.

In theory then, it should be a very slick arrangement.

[Mach2.2]

Aircraft APUs are actually small gas turbine engines and as such burn aviation fuel just as the main engines do. These are used when ground power is not available or to augment ground or engine power to ancilliary services (a/c, lighting, engine start etc.)

[Airpocket]

Thank you, Mach, for setting this right and, more importantly, for shutting Vintage Krug up! He’s obviously cowering ignominiously now that his lack of ground procedures has been demonstrated.Talk about hot air, eh!

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