[rferguson]

As far as slots go there is no differentiation between short haul and long haul. An airline can replace the slot of a theoretic LHR-JER service on a prop jet with an A380 to HKG. The only issue that comes into it is timings. Yes, early morning arrivals are most desirable. But airlines like BA have had to get more creative to facilitate better aircraft utilisation and we now see long haul arrivals throughout the day.

It’s very much a juggling act. But I am sure many of the short haul frequencies are simply being used at ‘slot fillers’ until a better longhaul option and more efficient aircraft come into the fleet. Virgin simply doesn’t have this option. In fact – the slots that they had tried to feed their longhaul services with Little Red has now also returned to BA. BA certainly didn’t pay millions for BMI’s slots so they can add additional frequencies to Copenhagen or Munich.

On the other hand when VS have spare aircraft they cannot launch a new route from LHR without cancelling an existing one or trimming the schedule of its already profitable long haul network. So it’s in their interests to look where else their aircraft can generate a return.

[transtraxman]

@rferguson – 30/03/2016 16:57 BST

I do not doubt you are right in what you say.

However, you do reach a saturation point at one stage when even with A380s(or equivalent) covering all the slots to a destination the demand is not covered since there are no more slots.

What you are saying pains me since giving up short haul flights means you are giving up on the regions thus handing over their connections to Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris. It means more of London Airways and less of British Airways. Anyone in the Greater Manchester and Central Scotland conurbations would feel most grieved.

This is when an alternative has to be looked at.. I remember the much maligned champagne charlie stating that you cannot have services from the regions since that would mean basing crews there, thus upping the costs of operation. I never went along with that as crews can be based at anywhere the airline flies from. Do we not have any of the LCCs showing us the way? At present do pilots and crew not live in the regions who work for other airlines?

Thus, yes, promote flights from Dublin (for North America) but also from Glasgow/Edinburgh and Manchester into other oneworld hubs so as to take the traffic away from your big competitors.

As much as I do support a third runway at LHR (and a second at LGW) Heathrow is not the centre of the universe as one day you might realise. The competing airports are forging ahead. Whatever, the decision on runway expansion when/if it is taken, it is going to be late, maybe too late since we will need at least 10 years to see it come to fruition.

Then London Airways will be reduced to being a regional airline.

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Hi Rferguson

I know BA is a big beast but I had a recent conversation with an Account Manager at BA and he pointed out that SH and LH are not interchangeable and that you can’t drop a MAD and launch for example an SCL. You can only change one LH for another or 1 SH for another SH. No I wasn’t sure with this and pointed that out but he said that is categorically the case. I’m still not convinced that is the case but if he is right then not as easy as one would think for BA to launch new LH routes and may explain the Africa cull.

not saying you are wrong (I actually think you are more on the nail than the account manager) – but if that is the case it might explain some of the recent changes to BA’s network. Then again it might not!

but yes – with regards to Virgin – much harder for them to acquire the relevant slots at LHR for the expansion they may like.

[Flyerboy1]

everyine knows that VS is more charter outside of its main hub LHR, aircraft have a complete different layout like those 747 at LGW, used for leisure routes, they are attracting a different type of people holiday makers, where as LHR makes the money, have a look online, more expensive to fly from LHR to Atlanta then man to Atlanta, why because different league of people which would be more business type, premium cabins which are more bigger makes the money out of London, hence why it’s only seasonal out of man, but well done for the north to have some new routes to its network, hopefully it does well.

[ba747fan1]

I disagree Flyerboy1 – Glasgow to Orlando is always considerably more than from Gatwick. I cannot comment on other routes.

[canucklad]

I’m not an expert at airline economics, but to me I’d apply the logic of economies of scale overlaid with distribution of traffic principles. , or if you prefer driving footfall where you want it go.

To me there is no point BA , replacing a 320 slot with a 380 , if you can’t fill that 380 because you’ve removed transiting passengers from the 320 that previously occupied that slot.

Extend that to VS at Manchester. It might be a bigger plane but that VS aircraft landing in the States is actually DL’s equivalent of BA’s 320 at LHR. .

On the point of the slots at LHR, are they not defined by size of aircraft? I.e. a 380 takes up the equivalent 2 slots as opposed to a 320 , due to the fact you can fit two A320/737 departures into the time it takes to process one wide body

[AMcWhirter]

But isn’t a slot not just about runway capacity ? Doesn’t it also involve terminal capacity ?

Some years back I recall China Eastern, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic all having to operate a number of long-haul flights from the former Terminal 2.

Yes I know it sounds but it was because although these carriers had the runway slots there wasn’t any free space available within Terminal 3. (T5 had not yet opened).

[canucklad]

Morning Alex
Interesting point about terminal capacity being linked to slots
I’d like to think that since the investment made in the new terminals, this isn’t a factor anymore.

HAL might not be able to build a 3rd runway, but they sure as hell must have the authority to build facilities that are fit for purpose, as well as having the business nuance to future proof their buildings

Edit to add…..
@ ba747fan1, your point about ex GLA flights being more expensive is something that’s irked all of us up here for ages. I can understand paying more for flights heading to the Middle East, but logically flights across the Atlantic should be cheaper, yet in most cases; per mile flown are comparatively far more expensive.

[rferguson]

Of course if you use the example of an A380 versus an A320 the difference in capacity is huge.

But if you compare say a 787 versus an A321 the gap narrows somewhat. A 787 has only another 20-odd seats over and above an A321 but can certainly generate a lot more revenue and profit.

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