Where do you think BA SHOULD start flying to?

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    sparkyflier
    Participant

    In recent threads there has been discussion of BA network changes/new routes, primarily focusing on leisure routes from LGW. In one past someone mentioned that BA may be looking to base some 767s a LGW to further develop their long haul network, as LHR is very slot constrained, and with only 2 runways this is not going to change.

    If this is true then in my opinion this presents a massive opportunity to really expand their network and play catch up where other airlines/alliances are well ahead.

    So where so you regular flyers think BA should be going to, for either holidays, because there is business to be had, or you are fed up with changing at CDG/FRA/BRU/AMS/ZRH/LIS and indeed MAD etc?

    If 767s are going to Gatwick, their Caribbean network could be drastically restructured, however, here are some of my thoughts to get the ball rolling as to where business could be lucrative with growth prospects:-

    Caribbean/USA

    Fort Lauderdale 3 x weekly 767
    Detroit 757 using AA aircraft or BA 767
    Havana 2/3x 777

    Central/South America

    Belize ?
    Panama City /Bogota
    Lima
    Brasilia/Belo Horizonte/ Salvador

    Appreciate some of these may be more “Iberia routes” but feedback suggests that flyers would like another choice..

    Africa

    Freetown & Monrovia 3 x weekly 767, maybe as a triangle – KL/AF/LH/SN have all been expanding here recently
    Port Harcourt/Malabo/Librevllle to capture oil market

    Kigali & Mombasa – 2/3 weekly 767 to catch tourism and business/gov traffic

    Middle East/Gulf

    Nonstop Muscat – BA currently have a stop en route and compete with a formidable Oman Air product and good timings.

    South Asia/Far East

    Colombo 3 x weekly 777
    Phuket/Vietnam 4/5 x weekly, with the plane flying into Phuket, then flying on to Ho Ci Minh or Hanoi on different days as a shuttle, with crew resting in Phuket. This routing could capture both leisure and business traffic.
    Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta/Denpasar-Bali
    Another Chinese City
    Seoul

    Look forward to your thoughts/ideas. BA managers might be reading..


    DClinPsy
    Participant

    For the Far East,

    Jakarta can be combine with Singapore through BA 11/12. SIN-CGK is a very busy route with around 40 flights daily between 2 cities which are now dominated by Star (SQ and LH), future Skyteam (Garuda). CX is going to fly the route 3X weekly starting around march with an ungodly hours of 00.45 leaving SIN and 05.00 leaving CGK, BA can compliment it.
    Jetstar of Qantas do the route about 3 or 4x daily.

    If JetStar join Oneworld, then BA should continue BA 11/12 to Denpasar instead to avoid fierce competitions. Similar to Jakarta route, it is dominated by SQ and GA, while Qatar, JetStar and KLM fly there daily along with other indonesian and budget carriers.

    same goes with KUL, use it as a transit point before CGK/DPS, but all 3 cities can be covered using both SIN and KUL as a transit point, like KLM who fly to DPS via SIN and CGK via KUL from AMS.


    DavidArnold
    Participant

    How about flying to Birmingham and Manchester?

    I am sick and tired flying from non-London airports to Europe on LCC airlines but appreciate the fact that Lufthansa and KLM are available if going to Holland and Germany.

    Why do these National Airlines support these UK bases with 4/5 flights a day or more with our National Carrier nowhere to be seen. I understand that this conversation has been done to a death but as a regular Northern traveller I am still somewhat peeved.


    Stowage222
    Participant

    Simples – they want the LH transit traffic from the UK. BA do the same by offering very cheap flights ex Europe to connect with its LH schedule in London.


    DavidArnold
    Participant

    I do not work within the travel industry but travel extensively and have done so from Birmingham from the 80’s and I must say that flying BA was efficient, well supported and so much easier than Heathrow.

    When in Europe I do notice that the Domestic, European and some Worldwide routes are served well by the National Carrier from many cities so why not in the U.K.

    I personally enjoy T5 and am not putting down Heathrow but I do wonder how much business BA are losing with a lot of traffic going to various European markets instead of flying BA which I am sure a lot of people would prefer to do.


    canucklad
    Participant

    Between the goverments aviation taxes, demonstrating an absolute “We don’t give a damn about the UK airline industry” or worse assuming as consumers that we are so thick we won’t realise potential savings of upto £300 (route dependant) on choosing to route through CDG/FRA/AMS –remember the dutch reversed the taxes,recognising the damage it was doing to KLM & Schipol –I will never transit through a UK airport long haul ever again

    No 3rd runway, on enviromental grounds is probably the final nail

    Oh–do i regularly spend 30-45 minutes queing for a 55 minute flight from LHR to EDI-or do I just dream it

    And

    Call it ,what it is—-London Airways, once you stop investing in your own people in the regions & Scotland you are as well as saying ,were London posh & ideally will chase SE England Hyacinth Bucket money—–Oh if we could only bring back BCAL


    PatJordan
    Participant

    I would love to see BA return to the Dublin-London route.

    Pretty much unlikely, but it’s a nice pipe dream.


    CharlesRhona
    Participant

    Oh for the old days. In the mid 90’s I used to be able to fly from my local airport to both Gatwick LGW and LHR. Also flexibility allowed you to fly domestic to LHR and thereafter from LGW onward and vice versa. In such cases BA provided vouchers for travel between both london airports and there was also a helicopter transfer if you wished to pay for this! Early on one could also travel to either airport from their local airport at no additional cost as the same was offered to travelers from Europe in an attempt to attract their business to BA.

    The position now is that it is easier and usually cheaper for me to fly from my local airport to AMS or CDG than it is to fly to LHR only – particularly if one wants a through ticket to the final destination. I can only fly to LHR and have to pay a costly fare to transfer to BA’s flights from LGW if that is where my final destination leaves from – and that is where a lot of the holiday destination flights depart from. Come on BA. Look after your home customers who have supported you in the past and they will look after you.


    Travellator
    Participant

    Belfast City from LHR – Bmi a shadow of its former self !

    Also dont abandon LHR to Malaga !


    FrequentTraveller
    Participant

    A return to the Heathrow to Jersey (JER) route. To avoid the LGW LHR ground transfer hassle and time.

    Of course I am not expecting that to ever happen without a third runway at Heathrow. Even with a third runway it’s only a mild possibility.

    Unfortunately there are no regular or frequent direct services to CDG/FRA/BRU/AMS/ZRH/LIS which make them a viable alternative.


    Munkyboi
    Participant

    I agree with comments above re the domestic situation. I think that LGW should provide connections to all UK cities that are available from LHR. If flying from NCL or ABZ and wanting to fly Long Haul on BA out of LGW you have a nice National Express or train transfer. I dont understand why these destinations are not served from LGW as well.

    Also lack of representation in Ireland is appalling, all very well having code-shares, but no good if the code share isn’t with a OW member!

    Moscow with Club World.

    Short haul:
    LPA/TFS – Canaries (thus avoiding the necessity to go via MAD)
    REK – Iceland (wonder why it stopped before).

    Long haul:
    HNL – Honolulu.
    SCL – Santiago (direct) – rather than the code share link from (GRU) Sao Paulo.
    DTW – Detroit
    AKL – Auckland – Amazed this commonwealth country isn’t served directly.


    BlackTower
    Participant

    Bali/Jakarta triangle
    2-4 cities in China
    Hanoi
    KL
    The oil route to Africa already suggested
    Honolulu (certain I believe with 787)
    Greater frequency to Denver
    Almati with CW


    DClinPsy
    Participant

    I agree with BlackTower, i think BA should fly to Jakarta, not only it is a rising city in Asia, It is also the capital of South East Asia’s biggest Economy, Indonesia! Aside of that, Jakarta itself is a historical city for BA, remembering the legendary BA 9 incident! Although, I personally think LHR-CGK direct flight will not be profitable, as I stated, it should be combined with either KUL or SIN.

    I also agree about BA’s domestic networks, I was quiet shock to know that they don’t fly to Belfast and Cardiff, since they carry the name “British”, even if its only a daily flight using an Embraer, at least they covered all the 4 capitals which I think more appropriate as a British national airline or perhaps merge with FlyBe, make them available for Executive Club Member just like Iberia and Vueling to create a second base in the UK, again, similar to Iberia of Madrid and Vueling of Barcelona.

    Moreover, about Phuket and Ho Chi Minh, another idea will be Ho Chi Minh and Manila? Also worth considering, Seoul and Taipei?


    travelworld
    Participant

    Erbil in Northern Iraq- the Kurdish section, where there is no violence but an awful lot of economic activity….

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