[Anonymous]

[VintageKrug]

Nice to see new routes being launched, capitalising on the demand for premium leisure fares:

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British Airways is to start flights to Mexico’s most important tourist destination with two direct flights a week from London Gatwick to Cancun from November 2010.

A Boeing 777 will serve the route, offering a choice of three cabins, including BA’s Club World business class with fully flat beds.

http://www.newclubworld.com

Richard Tams, head of UK & Ireland sales and marketing, said: “We’re delighted to be the only UK scheduled airline offering direct flights to Cancun. It is the perfect addition to our Gatwick longhaul premium leisure network. As well as offering upmarket internationally recognised luxury hotels, unspoilt beaches and award winning golf courses and spas, it is also the gateway to the Yucatan Peninsula with its Mayan ruins and ancient history.”

The first flight will leave Gatwick on November 3 at 12.45pm UK time and arrive into Cancun at 5.45pm local time.

Holiday prices include flights and seven nights accommodation only from £749 per person at the 3* Holiday Inn Arenas; flights and seven nights all-inclusive at the 4.5* Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort & Spa from £849 and flights and seven nights all-inclusive at the 5* Dreams Tulum from £929.

Flights and holidays go on sale from today, Tuesday June 15.

http://www.ba.com/cancun

[blondcat]

Hi VK

Very exciting about Cancun – I’ve wanted to go there for years but lack of direct flying options always been a big pain.

Just checked the prices for Feb and it’s a little expensive for me on Club World at moment – £4275.60 (12th – 19th).

Hopefully will be included in the sale next year!

Cat

[VintageKrug]

Given experience with the LAS (Las Vegas) route introduction last year, the fares loaded at first tend to be on the high side.

So I would check back in a month or so.

Cancun is not yet loaded into the Low Price Finder, but that should be your first port of call for the cheapest BA Club Fares:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/low-price-finder/public/en_gb

I would imagine £1699 would be a typical sale fare; in future.

Well worth applying for the BA Shareholder discount by purchasing 200 shares before 1 November, whihc would further reduce the cost.

[Senator]

VK,

The shareholder discount, is this only applicable for tickets issued ex.UK airports or is it worldwide? I guess the BA share is trading around 220p and 200 shares would be around £440. Given I will travel to LHR at least once a month from this autumn, I can easily return the savings within one year on these flights alone.

Thanks for clarifying.

[VintageKrug]

Only exUK.

See here for more info:

http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/BA-Shareholder-Benefits

[openfly]

grab your sombreros……..sell your dish-dash…!

Rumour at BA LGW is that they are stopping the Sharm-el-Sheik as a route failure and using the aircraft for Cancun. So, possibly not all good news.

[transtraxman]

I am glad to hear that BA are at last flying to Cancún.

The Riviera Maya (from Cancún down to Tulum) is one of the fastest growing tourist areas having been started from nothing 30 years ago. There are plenty of opportunities for all pockets.

We went to Playa del Carmen last November as part of a trip organised to Mexico DF, Chiapas and Riviera Maya. We flew from DF to Cancún on Mexicana (only days after having just become a full member of Oneworld) – excellent service.

We stayed 4 nights in a 4star hotel right on the 5ª Avenida – which is the life and soul of the town. We took the trip to Chichen Itza (marvellous), bathed in a cenote(natural water filled holes in the ground) ; managed the catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres from Cancún with snorkeling and plenty of margaritas. (Good, fluent, understandable English spoken everywhere)

We missed seeing the coral reefs on Cozumel,the jungle safari, the ruins at Tulum and Cancún city- they will be for next time.

Be careful as the Xmas and New Year are high season but before or after that it is certainly recommended.

Enjoy yourselves and thanks to BA for a well worth destination.

[transtraxman]

to openfly!!
I think your conclusion about the cancellation of the flights Gatwick-Sharm el Sheik are to enable the Cancún flights is based on pure fantasy.
Anyone can see (and I am no expert) that 3fpw Gatwick-Sharmel Sheik on Th/Fr, Sa/Su, & Mn/Tu have nothing to do with 2 fpw to Cancún which will be Sa/Su & Wd/Th.
Such irritatingly inaccurate remarks can put off so many potential clients that they can provoke the said conclusion. Please confirm your rumours before making such potentially devasting remarks about our flag carrier.

[openfly]

Sorry if you feel offended ‘traxman’…..your words ”irritatingly inaccurate remarks” have been forwarded to the LGW BA manager responsible. He thanks you.
By the way…as you say, you are no expert…aircraft shuffling does not necessarily involve just one aircraft in the pattern and on one route.

I see that BA have knocked out one rotation on the LGW-MAN-LGW….announced today as part of the winter schedule cutbacks. …the mid afternoon service has gone.

[transtraxman]

The point is taken OPENFLY.

I am no expert, just an interested person and obviously you have much better information access than I.

However, I must insist that you answer the question that if the Gatwick – Sharm el Sheik service lands at 04.50hrs. but leaves on the returm to Gatwick at 11.00hrs then either it is used on a different service or there is a gross underutilisation of the aircraft. Surely, a 6hr10min. turn round is unnecessary.

Between the Gatwick arrival time at 14.25hrs. on a (e.g.) Friday and its thus departure time on a Saturday at 22.00hrs. one presumes there are other movements of the aircraft e.g to Cancún. The question remains . Is it underutilised in the time gaps?

Please prove me wrong and that there is greater utilisation of the aircraft. If not we can begin to understand the whys and wherefores at BA.

[openfly]

Hi trax A 777 ex-LGW that does a rotation to SSH arrives back at LGW and will turn-round in 2 to 3 hours to another destination, and may not go to SSH for another month. The aircraft that goes to SSH may have arrived at LGW that morning and been in the hanger all day on scheduled maintenence, or arrived from another destination, during the day. There are a lot of 777 routes ex-LGW as it is the mainstay longhaul aircraft there. There are no 747 routes out of there.
Hope that helps.

Many of BAs LGW routes are recreational services and address the holiday market i.e. most 777s there are three class with no F. Many of the flights have a guaranteed seat blockage by tour operators, such as BA Holidays, which leaves BA just a small proportion of the seats to sell on the open market. If a route such as SSH gets saturated with carriers then it becomes appropriate to look to other destinations as the tour operators change their plans. If BA, and its tour operators, find Cancun to be a success then it is certain that other carriers will want a piece of the action…rather like SSH.
Lets hope that the rumours about SSH dont happen, it is a great BA route, but if needs must, then BA, and its tour operators, look around for other opportunities. It is a totally different ballgame for longhaul BA
at LGW.

[transtraxman]

Thanks for the interesting information and I take as concluded this line but really is that 777 on the ground at SSH for 6hr.10mins.?

[businesstrav]

Actually, this will be the SECOND time BA has run the UK to Cancun route – only last time it was from Heathrow. Can’t remember how many years ago it was – maybe around eight years, I think – and I also believe it only lasted for as little as a year or so before the route was cancelled. It was a disaster when we went to Cancun just after the launch of the route because although everyone had pre-booked their seats – and some people special meals – before leaving the UK, it was pandemonium on the way back because BA’s PCs did not link up with the ones in Cancun, so no-one got their seats or meals. Plenty of spats between aggrieved customers, thanks to BA’s inimitable style!

[VintageKrug]

I am pretty certain BA has never flown direct, scheduled to Cancun before. Perhaps you were on a charter flight, with a BA aircraft?

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