Do you do plane haulage?

[richw]

I've never done 'haulage' of either planes of trains. I don't keep numbers of anything. Mainly because the chance of me ever being able to make a satisfying dent in the required number is small and therefore depressing.

EK economy can be great, with great service. It can also be a total miss. But overall the service is great, and the product, while kitchy and a bit tacky, is great.

I don't do train numbers neither. I do however try to cover every line each year that can be achieved in an (off peak) day trip, and also try to ride every bus route in Cornwall each year.
This year has been a failure, and I haven't had chance to do either since august.

 

[atillathehunn]

I don't do train numbers neither. I do however try to cover every line each year that can be achieved in an (off peak) day trip, and also try to ride every bus route in Cornwall each year.
This year has been a failure, and I haven't had chance to do either since august.

I do chase railway lines. I have a Baker atlas and various foreign atlases that I try and colour in. But for me that's part of the journey, I go somewhere new, I see new things and I achieve a little something. This sometimes means I go a slightly creative route to get somewhere or I get up and chase the first train. But it's very different to devoting your time to chasing units to ride a specific distance.

 

[fowler9]

The QR 787 is rated as slightly better than the British Airways or VS one, but I have yet to manage a QR ride. Horses for courses.

An A340 is not a particularly exhilarating experience. The A380 is a bird to fly on, even if just once. The seats are good, and the size has to be seen to be believed. If you fancy a weekend trip for the experience you could head to Dubai for the weekend. Not a huge amount to do but, but from Manchester and London you have about 8 daily A380 flights to choose from. Or if you can get a decent ex-EU deal to Hong Kong on BA I really recommend HK for a week or weekend visit and a much better destination than Dubai, but more expensive. A return to Dubai off season will set you back about £250 and get you A380 flying hours.

How dare you, the A340 is ace. Ha ha. I like them anyway. Was sat in the outside two seats with the missus on the only me I have flown on with LAN. That was a very long haul flight. I guess it depends on the airline as well. Have flown on 777's and 747's with BA and they were thoroughly underwhelming. Cramped and poor service. Flew on a 747 with Qantas and it was great. A 757 on a high power take off from the short runway at the airport in Kefalonia was fun. Had to rev up the port engine just to turn at the nd of the runway then held the brakes as the engines spooled up so it would get off the ground.

 

[atillathehunn]

How dare you, the A340 is ace. Ha ha. I like them anyway. Was sat in the outside two seats with the missus on the only me I have flown on with LAN. That was a very long haul flight. I guess it depends on the airline as well. Have flown on 777's and 747's with BA and they were thoroughly underwhelming. Cramped and poor service. Flew on a 747 with Qantas and it was great. A 757 on a high power take off from the short runway at the airport in Kefalonia was fun. Had to rev up the port engine just to turn at the nd of the runway then held the brakes as the engines spooled up so it would get off the ground.

I'll be honest it's been a while since I flew on an A340, so perhaps I am doing it a disservice. However, I would say that just there is nothing special about the A340 compared to the cultural perception of the B747 and the engineering joy of an A380. The A340 is still quite impressive. Etihad has serviced Manchester a couple of times recently with one, and they do make an impression.
I prefer a 777 to an A330, to do with where the window frames are relative to the seat. I find it impossible to sleep on an A330. The KA (Dragonair) A330s being the worst offenders. Truly uncomfortable flight.

A lot of course depends on the airline. British airways can be hit or miss. I don't like the position of the IFE box. The food is so-so. Service can be either terrific or nothing, much like any airline. I did enjoy Kenya Airways B777 layout recently, and the service... well, it's improving each time.

 

[fowler9]

I'll be honest it's been a while since I flew on an A340, so perhaps I am doing it a disservice. However, I would say that just there is nothing special about the A340 compared to the cultural perception of the B747 and the engineering joy of an A380. The A340 is still quite impressive. Etihad has serviced Manchester a couple of times recently with one, and they do make an impression.
I prefer a 777 to an A330, to do with where the window frames are relative to the seat. I find it impossible to sleep on an A330. The KA (Dragonair) A330s being the worst offenders. Truly uncomfortable flight.

A lot of course depends on the airline. British airways can be hit or miss. I don't like the position of the IFE box. The food is so-so. Service can be either terrific or nothing, much like any airline. I did enjoy Kenya Airways B777 layout recently, and the service... well, it's improving each time.

Ah fair play mate, by the sound of it you have done far more long haul flying than me and we can only go off our experiences. The one A340 I have been on was a really nice experience despite being in economy and the flight being some 13 hours. This may be made all the more surprising by the fact it was a South American airline and not one of the big European carriers or one of the many notoriously good carriers from further east. The BA long haul flights I have made had surly crew and the cabins were downright scabby.

When It comes to A340's I am biased in a weird way because I also love the way they look from the outside. I recently took a trip to Ringway just to get a photo of one of Virgins A340-600's on the Vegas flight. I believe they are going over the A330's? The 747 is of course an iconic aircraft and was the first widebody I flew on. It is beautiful.

 

[Crawley Ben]

Ah fair play mate, by the sound of it you have done far more long haul flying than me and we can only go off our experiences. The one A340 I have been on was a really nice experience despite being in economy and the flight being some 13 hours. This may be made all the more surprising by the fact it was a South American airline and not one of the big European carriers or one of the many notoriously good carriers from further east. The BA long haul flights I have made had surly crew and the cabins were downright scabby.

When It comes to A340's I am biased in a weird way because I also love the way they look from the outside. I recently took a trip to Ringway just to get a photo of one of Virgins A340-600's on the Vegas flight. I believe they are going over the A330's? The 747 is of course an iconic aircraft and was the first widebody I flew on. It is beautiful.

Virgin operate a mixture of 330's and 747's from Gatwick (Vegas is a daily 747 operated service). The A330's tend to get used on Carribean traffic (Bridgetown, St. Lucia etc) and you also tend to see them pop up on one of their 2x daily Orlando services. As I understand it the leases on the remaining VS 747's don't expire until 2019, and the airline have previously stated no decisions have been made regarding the future of the Jumbo's, so I guess it's a case of wait & see where the A330's etc are concerned.

Am I right in saying the 747's and A340's from Virgins Heathrow fleet are all due to be retired next year with A330's replacing them? Sure I have read that elsewhere.

Thanks

Ben

 

[WestCoast]

I do like the A380, flew a BA one to Frankfurt when they were doing training flights. Exceptionally quiet aircraft to be on, even more so than the 787 I thought.

 

[fowler9]

Virgin operate a mixture of 330's and 747's from Gatwick (Vegas is a daily 747 operated service). The A330's tend to get used on Carribean traffic (Bridgetown, St. Lucia etc) and you also tend to see them pop up on one of their 2x daily Orlando services. As I understand it the leases on the remaining VS 747's don't expire until 2019, and the airline have previously stated no decisions have been made regarding the future of the Jumbo's, so I guess it's a case of wait & see where the A330's etc are concerned.

Am I right in saying the 747's and A340's from Virgins Heathrow fleet are all due to be retired next year with A330's replacing them? Sure I have read that elsewhere.

Thanks

Ben

Really don't know mate, I was thinking of the A340 that flew from Manchester on the Vegas route. They also use an A330 to Atlanta from Manchester and a 747 to Orlando, I think during the summer here was another 747 route also. Be a shame if the A340's and 747's go from Manchester.

 

[me123]

Am I right in saying the 747's and A340's from Virgins Heathrow fleet are all due to be retired next year with A330's replacing them? Sure I have read that elsewhere.

I think Heathrow is going to be entirely A330 and B789 operated in the near future.

 

[atillathehunn]

The last 747 for VS at LHR is due to operate in January. They will continue at LGW/MAN for at least a while longer.

I don't understand (not looked into at any rate) the VS schedule at Manchester. I understand the A330 is a stalwart on the Atlanta flight, with 747 to Orlando and BGI. Various things can show up on the Vegas flights.

The Orlando flight usually leaves from the gate next to the Hong Kong flight at Terminal 2 which is a regular haunt of mine. More often than not a 747.

Whoops, just noticed our posts crossed Fowler.

The A340s, I understand, are going quite soon. They are very inefficient. You are right, though, I have seen them on Vegas flights but not regularly. I haven't seen them to any other destination.

 

[fowler9]

The last 747 for VS at LHR is due to operate in January. They will continue at LGW/MAN for at least a while longer.

I don't understand (not looked into at any rate) the VS schedule at Manchester. I understand the A330 is a stalwart on the Atlanta flight, with 747 to Orlando and BGI. Various things can show up on the Vegas flights.

The Orlando flight usually leaves from the gate next to the Hong Kong flight at Terminal 2 which is a regular haunt of mine. More often than not a 747.

Whoops, just noticed our posts crossed Fowler.

The A340s, I understand, are going quite soon. They are very inefficient. You are right, though, I have seen them on Vegas flights but not regularly. I haven't seen them to any other destination.

Ha ha. The Orlando is pretty much always a 747. It flies over mine in South Liverpool between 10 and 15000 feet. Even if you can't see it on a cloudy day you can hear it. Most of the Transatlantics from Manchester go right over mine. Saw the Air Transat A310 early this afternoon, could tell what it was before I checked on my phone, you can see the blue at the back of the fuselage. We get a few heavies in to Manchester flying quite low over south Liverpool. Had a really good view of a PIA 777 the other day. Just all gets a bit boring when they are all big twins.

 

[atillathehunn]

Ha ha. The Orlando is pretty much always a 747. It flies over mine in South Liverpool between 10 and 15000 feet. Even if you can't see it on a cloudy day you can hear it. Most of the Transatlantics from Manchester go right over mine. Saw the Air Transat A310 early this afternoon, could tell what it was before I checked on my phone, you can see the blue at the back of the fuselage. We get a few heavies in to Manchester flying quite low over south Liverpool. Had a really good view of a PIA 777 the other day. Just all gets a bit boring when they are all big twins.

It's a bit tragic but the planes are quite a bit lower here when they land in the 'wrong' direction, but I'm pretty good at identifying them just by the noise.

PIA and Emirates are easy, they write the name of the airline on the undercarriage. Helpful of them.

Never seen the A310 come in though (is that still what they use to service Manchester?). The chode of the plane world.

I quite like seeing the little Flybe flights nipping in and out, they also look a bit ridiculous flying in among the big birds. I still struggle to understand the level of demand into MAN and where it all comes from.

 

[fowler9]

It's a bit tragic but the planes are quite a bit lower here when they land in the 'wrong' direction, but I'm pretty good at identifying them just by the noise.

PIA and Emirates are easy, they write the name of the airline on the undercarriage. Helpful of them.

Never seen the A310 come in though (is that still what they use to service Manchester?). The chode of the plane world.

I quite like seeing the little Flybe flights nipping in and out, they also look a bit ridiculous flying in among the big birds. I still struggle to understand the level of demand into MAN and where it all comes from.

Yeah Air Transat are still using A310's to Manchester. Not many of them left about. They leave late morning, early afternoon along with most of the Transatlantic flights from there. We get a steady stream over ours, also Air Canada, Delta and American Airlines to several destinations. They vary from 757's, 767's and A330's for the most part. this is aside from the Virgin flights and also a PIA one that stops in Manchester and goes on to the States. Most interesting thing we get flying down there Mersey by mine are Belugas, Hawks, Tornados and Typhoons all pretty low. Don't tend to get anything bigger than a 737-800 or Airbus A320 on the ground at Liverpool, they all take off past my office or over my house though. On the plus side if I fly from Liverpool to Northern Europe as I often do I can normally see my house unless it takes off towards Runcorn.

 

[me123]

I've lived under a flight path for most of my life, so I'm used to constant aircraft noise, and have become a plane spotter even without trying! The flight radar app on my phone is used quite extensively, but even after just a few months I now know where loads of the planes departing from EDI are heading to!

 

[atillathehunn]

Yeah Air Transat are still using A310's to Manchester. Not many of them left about. They leave late morning, early afternoon along with most of the Transatlantic flights from there. We get a steady stream over ours, also Air Canada, Delta and American Airlines to several destinations. They vary from 757's, 767's and A330's for the most part. this is aside from the Virgin flights and also a PIA one that stops in Manchester and goes on to the States. Most interesting thing we get flying down there Mersey by mine are Belugas, Hawks, Tornados and Typhoons all pretty low. Don't tend to get anything bigger than a 737-800 or Airbus A320 on the ground at Liverpool, they all take off past my office or over my house though. On the plus side if I fly from Liverpool to Northern Europe as I often do I can normally see my house unless it takes off towards Runcorn.

There's usually a pretty decent selection of airframes through Manchester. TATL being the most varied, you are right. My usual flight from CRL in the morning usually pulls up next to the A330 from PHL. All looks a bit inadequate by comparison.

The charter stuff from Thomas Cook is A330 by and large to the US and Caribbean, plus VS and a good selection of 757s from Delta.

Belugas are interesting beasts.

Liverpool is no longer convenient for us, we live on the wrong side of the bridge to make it worthwhile. I don't have days to get stuck in bridge traffic. Though being able to see your house is a convenient way to check whether you locked the door...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I've lived under a flight path for most of my life, so I'm used to constant aircraft noise, and have become a plane spotter even without trying! The flight radar app on my phone is used quite extensively, but even after just a few months I now know where loads of the planes departing from EDI are heading to!

Our other house is under the flight path to EDI as well, but the windows are so thick I can't hear them.

When I was in Maastricht the planes would come in so low that in our ancient house the cups would rattle on the table when the Cargolux 747s would come in over the city.

 

[fowler9]

There's usually a pretty decent selection of airframes through Manchester. TATL being the most varied, you are right. My usual flight from CRL in the morning usually pulls up next to the A330 from PHL. All looks a bit inadequate by comparison.

The charter stuff from Thomas Cook is A330 by and large to the US and Caribbean, plus VS and a good selection of 757s from Delta.

Belugas are interesting beasts.

Liverpool is no longer convenient for us, we live on the wrong side of the bridge to make it worthwhile. I don't have days to get stuck in bridge traffic. Though being able to see your house is a convenient way to check whether you locked the door...
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Our other house is under the flight path to EDI as well, but the windows are so thick I can't hear them.

When I was in Maastricht the planes would come in so low that in our ancient house the cups would rattle on the table when the Cargolux 747s would come in over the city.

JLA isn't that interesting although we are getting more airlines now. Aer Lingus started (Again) recently. The more interesting stuff is RAF related. We get a surprising number of fighters and other aircraft doing practice approaches or just flying down the river. Had an A400 doing approaches the other day which got the more excitable members of the public phoning the police and Liverpool Echo newspaper.

Last time I went to Manchester I saw my A340-600, and all the other regular stuff. Saw a Turkish A330 which was a bit bigger than the regular aircraft they use. I also saw an AN 124 parked up, left shortly after I did, it was tipping it down and was getting dark though.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I've lived under a flight path for most of my life, so I'm used to constant aircraft noise, and have become a plane spotter even without trying! The flight radar app on my phone is used quite extensively, but even after just a few months I now know where loads of the planes departing from EDI are heading to!

Love that Flight Radar app. I am quite nosey and love to know what is flying over. We get loads of transatlantic stuff as there is a beacon over on the Wirral. It is amazing that sometimes if the sky is clear you can make out planes at 35000 or higher even without contrails. Easiest ones to identify by the shape are 747's, A340-600's and A380's. The lower down ones flying from Manchester you can make out which airline it is, at least if you know what to expect.

 

[atillathehunn]

JLA isn't that interesting although we are getting more airlines now. Aer Lingus started (Again) recently. The more interesting stuff is RAF related. We get a surprising number of fighters and other aircraft doing practice approaches or just flying down the river. Had an A400 doing approaches the other day which got the more excitable members of the public phoning the police and Liverpool Echo newspaper.

Last time I went to Manchester I saw my A340-600, and all the other regular stuff. Saw a Turkish A330 which was a bit bigger than the regular aircraft they use. I also saw an AN 124 parked up, left shortly after I did, it was tipping it down and was getting dark though.

The military stuff is more interesting. I didn't know they did much military stuff out of there. The A400 is an impressive beast, I would imagine it would make the natives restless. Seeing a fighter jet always inspires a slight school boy thrill.

Good job on getting the A340, they are getting rarer. The Ethihad one is around a bit at the moment as well. I've seen various AN aircraft there in the past, they are very impressive sights, quite intimidating and quirky.
I've used TK a fair bit, never had the A330! I like their 737-900ER. I've done various journeys MAN to various places in Africa just on TK 737-9, very enjoyable.

 

[fowler9]

The military stuff is more interesting. I didn't know they did much military stuff out of there. The A400 is an impressive beast, I would imagine it would make the natives restless. Seeing a fighter jet always inspires a slight school boy thrill.

Good job on getting the A340, they are getting rarer. The Ethihad one is around a bit at the moment as well. I've seen various AN aircraft there in the past, they are very impressive sights, quite intimidating and quirky.
I've used TK a fair bit, never had the A330! I like their 737-900ER. I've done various journeys MAN to various places in Africa just on TK 737-9, very enjoyable.

Yeah we get a fair bit of air force stuff, been a bit quiet the last few weeks though apart from the A400 which did a few low circuits. I work with the MOD and according to a friend more in the know with more RAF involvement they like flying down the Mersey and can get clearance quite easily at low level, it is very wide and the airport is not that busy. We even get Chinooks quite low quite often I think going to the ranges up near Formby.

Was made up with the A340, LAN, Christmas eve 2011. We flew from Auckland to Santiago in Chile over the Antarctic. 13 hour flight and landed in Santiago in Chile about 5 hours before we left Auckland thanks to the date line. Brilliant flight and a lovely aircraft.

 

[Techniquest]

You'll have a TV screen with loads of movies, TV series, games etc... and I usually find time for a couple of movies on the way over. On the way back, you can try and have a sleep. Or, again, you'll have time for a couple of movies (the return flight is generally shorter). When the IFE broke on Virgin, I got an iPad! Sadly, I had to return it at the end of the flight, but it kept me entertained.I'd bring something just in case - I don't expect Norwegian will have a hundred iPads just in case. At least not for the low cost people.

The reality is that being completely isolated from the outside world for 6-8 hours is actually quite nice! Yes, even in economy! Airline cabins are completely isolated, and in today's world I quite enjoy the time without e-mails an phone calls. Just relax, watch a movie, eat your "food" and look forward to your vacation!

I hope they've got some decent movies on at the time then!

Yes and no to being cut off from the outside world for the duration of the flight. I don't apend a ton of time on social media anyway, but being able to keep in touch should it be doable would be nice. We'll see what happens, but I don't have a window seat (unless I swap with my mate) so I want something to do!

 

[fowler9]

I hope they've got some decent movies on at the time then!

Yes and no to being cut off from the outside world for the duration of the flight. I don't apend a ton of time on social media anyway, but being able to keep in touch should it be doable would be nice. We'll see what happens, but I don't have a window seat (unless I swap with my mate) so I want something to do!

You'll be reet mate. The entertainment systems they have are amazing in general. When I have flown long haul there has generally been a better choice of films and TV than if I put sky on right now, and we have the works in our house, all the films etc.

 

[Crawley Ben]

For anyone on this thread that's interested, there is talk (unconfirmed ATM) that Cathay Pacific are looking to start a new service from Gatwick - Hong Kong in 2016 using brand new Airbus A350 aircraft. I'm guessing the size of said aircraft will possibly be similar to that of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

Thanks

Ben

 

[atillathehunn]

Yeah we get a fair bit of air force stuff, been a bit quiet the last few weeks though apart from the A400 which did a few low circuits. I work with the MOD and according to a friend more in the know with more RAF involvement they like flying down the Mersey and can get clearance quite easily at low level, it is very wide and the airport is not that busy. We even get Chinooks quite low quite often I think going to the ranges up near Formby.

Was made up with the A340, LAN, Christmas eve 2011. We flew from Auckland to Santiago in Chile over the Antarctic. 13 hour flight and landed in Santiago in Chile about 5 hours before we left Auckland thanks to the date line. Brilliant flight and a lovely aircraft.

A good bit of low level strifing up the Mersey, I'm sure they have fun. I enjoy watching them in the Welsh valleys, when you can look down on top of them. The chinooks pass over us regularly heading towards towards the Mersey area. They make quite an impression!

Glad you enjoyed your flight mate. You don't often pay attention to specific 13 hours spans of time, but when in a plane those 13 hour spans can really stay with you for better of for worse. The excitement of the journey, the thrill of saying hello and the sorrow of saying goodbye, and being out of control for better or for worse. So I'm glad it worked out well. Sounds like you had a grand old adventure. I've never had the pleasure of flying LAN, but after your glowing recommendation I'll give them a try next time I'm in the region. And an extra 5 hours of Christmas Eve to boot.
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I hope they've got some decent movies on at the time then!

Yes and no to being cut off from the outside world for the duration of the flight. I don't apend a ton of time on social media anyway, but being able to keep in touch should it be doable would be nice. We'll see what happens, but I don't have a window seat (unless I swap with my mate) so I want something to do!

The movies should be pretty reasonable, and if you dig around online I'm sure you can find their schedule.

There won't be WiFi on the flight, unless they are planning a radical change between now and next March. Not to rule it out, but please don't bank on this.

You can get connected the moment you are on the ground in the US. If you have 3 Network you can use the network for free as though you were at home. You'll manage for 6 hours I usually lose my phone for longer than this daily.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

For anyone on this thread that's interested, there is talk (unconfirmed ATM) that Cathay Pacific are looking to start a new service from Gatwick - Hong Kong in 2016 using brand new Airbus A350 aircraft. I'm guessing the size of said aircraft will possibly be similar to that of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

Thanks

Ben

I've heard the same rumour Ben. I don't know whether in addition to the 5 daily LHR - HKG flights or replacing one airframe off the LHR circuit.

I've also heard that Manchester is a possible route for the A350.

The A350 is the competitor for the B787. I don't have exact seating plans, but I believe they are roughly the same size.

The A350 beginning to appear at LHR on AY for testing runs.

 

[Crawley Ben]

A good bit of low level strifing up the Mersey, I'm sure they have fun. I enjoy watching them in the Welsh valleys, when you can look down on top of them. The chinooks pass over us regularly heading towards towards the Mersey area. They make quite an impression!

Glad you enjoyed your flight mate. You don't often pay attention to specific 13 hours spans of time, but when in a plane those 13 hour spans can really stay with you for better of for worse. The excitement of the journey, the thrill of saying hello and the sorrow of saying goodbye, and being out of control for better or for worse. So I'm glad it worked out well. Sounds like you had a grand old adventure. I've never had the pleasure of flying LAN, but after your glowing recommendation I'll give them a try next time I'm in the region. And an extra 5 hours of Christmas Eve to boot.
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The movies should be pretty reasonable, and if you dig around online I'm sure you can find their schedule.

There won't be WiFi on the flight, unless they are planning a radical change between now and next March. Not to rule it out, but please don't bank on this.

You can get connected the moment you are on the ground in the US. If you have 3 Network you can use the network for free as though you were at home. You'll manage for 6 hours I usually lose my phone for longer than this daily.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I've heard the same rumour Ben. I don't know whether in addition to the 5 daily LHR - HKG flights or replacing one airframe off the LHR circuit.

I've also heard that Manchester is a possible route for the A350.

The A350 is the competitor for the B787. I don't have exact seating plans, but I believe they are roughly the same size.

The A350 beginning to appear at LHR on AY for testing runs.

I believe but wouldn't be able to swear to it, that the LGW - HKG route would be an addition to the services already operating from LHR. Suspect it's probably down to either lack of available slots, or because the slots that are available are deemed to be too expensive etc.

Thanks

Ben

 

[atillathehunn]

I believe but wouldn't be able to swear to it, that the LGW - HKG route would be an addition to the services already operating from LHR. Suspect it's probably down to either lack of available slots, or because the slots that are available are deemed to be too expensive etc.

Thanks

Ben

LGW on its own would be a viable destination.

Not just leisure traffic which is LGW's bailiwick, but also opens up connections which are only available from Gatwick.

 

[me123]

Loads of "flag carrier" airlines have tried and failed at Gatwick, ultimately consolidating their operations into Heathrow. They lost huge volumes of transatlantic traffic (including New York), and I think they've also lost Seoul (Korean Airlines) and Chinese carriers to name but a few. I can see why Gatwick seems attractive, but the reality is often somewhat different. It appears to struggle even considering Heathrow is full and expensive.

Maybe we are at the point where things are changing, though? EK are going strong, and New York has reappeared with both Norwegian and BA. Perhaps Cathay can succeed at Gatwick. But I reckon had a 6th slot pair been available at LHR, the flight would probably have gone from there.

 

[atillathehunn]

I think Gatwick's fortunes are changing. There are Caribbean, US, South American, European and Asian routes (EK and now CX).

Ultimately capacity crunch at Heathrow is going to mean an incentive to use Gatwick more.

 

[fowler9]

For anyone on this thread that's interested, there is talk (unconfirmed ATM) that Cathay Pacific are looking to start a new service from Gatwick - Hong Kong in 2016 using brand new Airbus A350 aircraft. I'm guessing the size of said aircraft will possibly be similar to that of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

Thanks

Ben

The A350-900's currently being delivered are bigger than the 787-900. The 787-1000 will again be smaller than the A350-1000's. Size wise in general the A350 is somewhere in between the 787 and the new 777's.
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I think the big thing here is that there is little point in the 2 remaining manufacturers of large civilian airliners competing directly. Both Airbus and Boeing will I think hope to pinch a bit of the market at either end of their ranges. Don't forget that the 787, A350 and 777 don't come in one size for each model.

 

[Crawley Ben]

Cathay Pacific have now officially confirmed the new route from Gatwick - Hong Kong is to start in September 2016. Link to story below

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/cathay-pacific-confirms-gatwick-service

Thanks

Ben

 

[atillathehunn]

Thanks for posting that Ben.

Good news for Gatwick, and passengers across the south of England. I would also contend that for destinations in the city, a quick change at London Bridge is preferable to fighting across from Paddington.

I had hoped they might also announce a capacity increase through Manchester, perhaps daily.

If there is an A350 through Gatwick I might need to find a reason to start a journey at Gatwick.

Please, BA, bring back the MAN-LGW connection. It can take several months to get to Gatwick on a bad day.

 

[fowler9]

Cathay Pacific have now officially confirmed the new route from Gatwick - Hong Kong is to start in September 2016. Link to story below

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/cathay-pacific-confirms-gatwick-service

Thanks

Ben

Good stuff chief. Thanks for the info.