[Anonymous]

[GoonerLondon]

I see they are putting the Gatwick 777 used on the JFK route to good use:

“British Airways is to launch new thrice-weekly direct services from London Gatwick Airport to the Maldives and Egypt this October.

The new services will serve the Maldivian capital of Male and the popular Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt”

But check out the flight times to Egypt – not that convenient. About time to the Maldives though.

[Cameron]

Yeah true Maldives used to be served via Madras with ba to there and jet onwards. The good thing about the Sharm Flights is it will have a full business / premium cabins

[GoonerLondon]

Re Sharm – but sadly you pay for the privilege! What was brilliant when GB Airways franchise flew there is that you paid Club Europe prices, but got Club World Tier points… I’m not sure I need a flat bed for a 5 hour flight.

[Cameron]

if I was going to sharm I would prob fly BMI vis CAI there premium is the biggest in the air 50 inch seat pitch its basicly there ol club class. Make sure you dont get the code share flight thats an egypt air flight to CAI though

[Airpocket]

What’s wrong with this picture?Hmmm…BA have incurred losses of £401 million and they have now decided to start flights to the Maldives, probably one of the most expensive destinations, when people are tightening their purse strings. Is there any logic to BA’s strategy? No wonder they make losses!
What are the odds that the flights are discontinued within 18 months?

[Cameron]

It actually makes good sense the maldives is actually becoming more popular due to the weak pound. Kuredu and other 4 star all inclusives are very busy. The route currently only has 1 direct airline (not including charters). The maldives is also as you say very high end as well and the people that can afford the W four seasons etc will still go on holiday in business class / First class and may well choose BA over Sri Lankan

[Delsurrey]

Getting to the Maldives from the UK is currently a nightmare for those fortunate enough to be able to travel in a premium class. The only non-charter direct route is with Sri Lankan who have a few flights to Colombo which stop in Male before going to to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka only have a few seats in business class and they are impossible to book, I have tried even a year in advance and they are always full. The only other way is via Dubai which can be a real pain as the Male flight departs at 0330 hours. I think this is a clever move on BA’s part but they need to promote the service. I was already booked to travel to the Madlives in October and when I heard the news I was furiously searching the BA web site for information, could I find any – NO. I find this incredulous in the current economy. Via some google searches I eventually found the service starts on October 25th which is too late for my current trip. I for one will be using the BA service in the future and I am confident other UK travellers will do the same for the benefit of a direct flight.

[Delsurrey]

I am not sure Las Vegas will be as successful given BA are using 777’s with only three classes, i.e. no First Class. In a 777 the front of the aircraft can be a busy place given the location of the forward galley. Virgin have the upper hand here by continuing to use 747’s where upper class is at the front and on the upper deck.

[city_hopper]

Working for a preferred BA agent, we have seen so many bookings / enquiries already for the Maldives this week. This is a great move from BA and seems to have had an immediette effect. The premium cabins are very reasonable too, we have them for as little as £1574 return in Business over peak dates, which compared to Sri Lankan, the only other direct scheduled carrier, is around £500 less MINIMUM. Even the in-direct carriers (EK, QR, EY) cant compete with that. Im sure this wont be for long though, you just watch those fares increase over time! grab them while you can…!

[Henryp1]

Its just great that BA are now going to MLE, up till now we go UL which is a very old business product, but very friendly ground staff at LHR and cabin crew equally pleasant. Or with EK via DXB a bit of a bore due to flight times. But with the BA flight times seem to be just right, as we go several times a year its a major bonus for us. To be honest have not seen empty hotels in Maldives as its generally the higher end of package tours.

[Henryp1]

City-Hopper
Any chance of a pm email to see what special deals you have?
<a href="mailto:[email protected]“>[email protected]. Thanks

[city_hopper]

Hi Henryp1,
I have emailed you today. I look forward to hearing back from you!
Thanks

[VKsNemesis]

Well, well, well…looks like BA’s service to Colombo and the Maldives will be terminated after all. So much for they hype that sprouted when the service began!

[MrMichael]

I also think they dropped the Sharm flight some time ago too as my only direct option was Easyjet. Looking forward to my first ever LoCo flight in a months time!

[Author]

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