Aviation Discussion

[Minilad]

Well my flight to Washington took place in BYGF. Decent enough. Apart from the hour delay due to a dent in one of the rear doors having to be checked out. Not a massive choice on the IFE but I had the whole series of True Detective on my iPad so didn't matter that much.
Arrived on one of the remote stands at Dulles. The transport to the terminal was.....interesting....not the usual bus but a weird bus on a movable platform type of affair. Unusual but fun!!

 

[bradders1983]

Passed through Manchester Terminal 2 last week for the first time in about ten years and noticed that that they have a Gate 300, two floors down from the main gates (which are all numbered 2xx and all have airbridges), split into Gate 300a through 300c and all involve getting a bus out to the plane.

Do these actually get used? There were only three or four planes using airbridges when I was there and this was at a lunchtime!

 

[Strathclyder]

Virgin Atlantic cancels Little Red domestic flight service

Virgin Atlantic has said it will stop running Little Red, its UK flight network launched in 2013, next year.

The flights between London Heathrow and Manchester will stop in March, while those between Heathrow and Edinburgh and Aberdeen will end in September.

The service was designed to challenge British Airways.

The aim was to help long-haul Virgin customers connect with other parts of the UK, but Virgin said most passengers were using it as a stand alone service.

At its launch, the company pledged the airline would deliver "Virgin Atlantic's rock-and-roll spirit as well as real value for money".

Not enough
Virgin said that bookings "grew steadily" in the early part of this year, but few of these were passengers connecting with long-haul Virgin flights.

"Little Red has unfortunately not been able to make a positive contribution to Virgin Atlantic's network," the company said.

It added that a scarcity of available slots and the speed with which the new service was launched had hampered its success.

Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic's president, said: "When the competition authorities allowed British Airways to take over British Midland and all of its slots, we feared there was little we could do to challenge BA's huge domestic and European network built through decades of dominance.

"To remedy this, we were offered a meagre package of slots with a number of constraints on how to use them and we decided to lease a few planes on a short-term basis to give it our best shot.

"The odds were stacked against us and sadly we just couldn't attract enough corporate business on these routes."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29504715

 

[starrymarkb]

Suspect their new 49.9% owner Delta have told them to knock it off! They should be getting Skyteam feed soon anyway! And rather then moan about BMI going to BA they should have put in a decent bid. As it was they wanted Lufthansa to pay Virgin to take BMI from them. Whereas BA offered them money!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Also in other news the A350 has been certified and the A320neo has made its first flighy

 

[fowler9]

Suspect their new 49.9% owner Delta have told them to knock it off! They should be getting Skyteam feed soon anyway! And rather then moan about BMI going to BA they should have put in a decent bid. As it was they wanted Lufthansa to pay Virgin to take BMI from them. Whereas BA offered them money!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Also in other news the A350 has been certified and the A320neo has made its first flighy

Cheers for the gen. Just wondering if you would know what normally flies out on the early Liverpool to Amsterdam flight? Am on it on Thursday and have seen a few of the newer planes with the Sharklets operating. Is this flight normally an A319 or an A320? Sorry for the lazy question.

 

[Butts]

Suspect their new 49.9% owner Delta have told them to knock it off! They should be getting Skyteam feed soon anyway! And rather then moan about BMI going to BA they should have put in a decent bid. As it was they wanted Lufthansa to pay Virgin to take BMI from them. Whereas BA offered them money!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Also in other news the A350 has been certified and the A320neo has made its first flighy

I wonder if this will force the prices up. When BMI Baby decamped from their BHX to EDI service leaving Flybe with a monopoly it didn't.

What a load horse-dung in that press release.

 

[starrymarkb]

Cheers for the gen. Just wondering if you would know what normally flies out on the early Liverpool to Amsterdam flight? Am on it on Thursday and have seen a few of the newer planes with the Sharklets operating. Is this flight normally an A319 or an A320? Sorry for the lazy question.

Easyjet pretty much mix and match, I've had swaps from A320 to A319 a few times now (You can tell which one is booked by the seat plan if you try and select a seat for that flight - IIRC 26 rows = A319 and 32ish is a A320)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It seems that Ryanair have had another ground collision this morning, this time at Dublin. How many is that in recent months now?

 

[fowler9]

Easyjet pretty much mix and match, I've had swaps from A320 to A319 a few times now (You can tell which one is booked by the seat plan if you try and select a seat for that flight - IIRC 26 rows = A319 and 32ish is a A320)

Looks like a 319 this Thursday morning. Not been on an Easyjet 320 before so that would have been nice, been on 320's with British Airways and Jetstar. Only been on a 321 once with I think First Choice, would have at one time been Air 2000 and nowadays Thomson I think.

 

[Butts]

Has anyone travelled on Little Virgin Red ?

There is talk of planes one third full etc - is that just an exceptional flight ?

Also was it on the same terms as BA - Refreshments, Baggage etc ?

 

[starrymarkb]

Has anyone travelled on Little Virgin Red ?

There is talk of planes one third full etc - is that just an exceptional flight ?

Also was it on the same terms as BA - Refreshments, Baggage etc ?

From what I've been hearing on A.net Little Red have been getting loads between 30% & 60% on their A320s where as BA have upgauged to a 260 seat 767 on some flights.

 

[WatcherZero]

Virgin always expected them to be a loss leader service to increase use of its London flights, unfortunately they found people were just using them to travel short hop and not then booking onward flights from Virgin Atlantic. The word is the loadings wernt that bad and around what they expected (40-50%) it was the fact it wasnt generating additional traffic at Atlantic and Delta pusing for a rationalisation of the network and return to profit that did it for the service. They also apparently did consider actually buying some smaller Bombardier planes when their current wet lease fleet was up which would have had far lower operating costs.

 

[starrymarkb]

Virgin always expected them to be a loss leader service to increase use of its London flights, unfortunately they found people were just using them to travel short hop and not then booking onward flights from Virgin Atlantic. The word is the loadings wernt that bad and around what they expected (40-50%) it was the fact it wasnt generating additional traffic at Atlantic and Delta pusing for a rationalisation of the network and return to profit that did it for the service. They also apparently did consider actually buying some smaller Bombardier planes when their current wet lease fleet was up which would have had far lower operating costs.

Q400s or CSeries?

 

[Strathclyder]

Anybody else hear about this?

USAF F-15 jet crashes in Lincolnshire

A US military aircraft has crashed in a field near houses and a school in Lincolnshire.

Witnesses saw the F-15D come down in a field off Broad Gate, Weston Hills, near Spalding at about 15:30 BST.

The pilot is believed to have ejected from the aircraft and police say he has escaped with very minor injuries.

The US Air Force said the jet was from the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk and had crashed during a combat training exercise.

RAF Lakenheath tweeted: "We can confirm that one of our jets went down north of the base, in Lincolnshire. The pilot ejected and is safe."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-29544064

 

[trentside]

Talking of Virgin - has anyone travelled economy on one of their Airbus A330s? I've just booked a last minute holiday through Virgin, and it includes two A330 flights - and I must admit I've no idea what to expect!

 

[AM9]

Talking of Virgin - has anyone travelled economy on one of their Airbus A330s? I've just booked a last minute holiday through Virgin, and it includes two A330 flights - and I must admit I've no idea what to expect!

I've done A340s a few times. They are about the same size, - just four-engined for non-ETOPS sectors.
Legroom is a bit tight on economy but is 2-4-2. Premium is OK and a lot cheaper than BA. So says that upper is better than BA Club.
On the facilities front, most things worked as they should.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Easyjet pretty much mix and match, I've had swaps from A320 to A319 a few times now (You can tell which one is booked by the seat plan if you try and select a seat for that flight - IIRC 26 rows = A319 and 32ish is a A320)

Just done LGW-MPX return, Outward on a new 319 with no recline, inbound with slightly older with recline. On a flighjt of less than 2 hours, planes should all be fixed back seats, i.e. one less opportunity for inconsiderate types to create problems for those behind them. Nobody needs to recline on such a short flight.

MPX terminal 2, - now there's a nightmare.

 

[fowler9]

Can't say much about the A330 but I have flown economy on an LAN A343 and was sat on the outer 2 seats near the rear, it was about as nice as it gets in economy. The A330 is pretty much the same airframe as the A340 just not as good looking from the outside in my opinion.

 

[Butts]

Had an e-mail from Flybe saying they are discontinuing their rewards scheme and switching to Avios in the near future.

Just completed a return journey to Aberdeen from Birmingham over the weekend. Dash outward and Embraer 175 on return.

It amazes me anyone bothers to catch a Train for this route - especially an XC Vomiter

1 Hour 5 out and 55 min in - the Vomiter would not even have hit Dundee !!!

 

[trentside]

Thanks for the input on the Virgin A330s, but it turns out to be academic.

The flight has had an equipment change to a 747-400, and for variety - I've got a seat at the back of the upper deck for the outward flight, and a seat in the main cabin for the return, as it's my first time on a 747.

 

[fowler9]

Thanks for the input on the Virgin A330s, but it turns out to be academic.

The flight has had an equipment change to a 747-400, and for variety - I've got a seat at the back of the upper deck for the outward flight, and a seat in the main cabin for the return, as it's my first time on a 747.

Ooh, good stuff. I hope you enjoy it. I am sure it will be quite an experience. I remember my first trip on a 747-400, very exciting. Especially since I had never been on a wide body before.

 

[trentside]

Ooh, good stuff. I hope you enjoy it. I am sure it will be quite an experience. I remember my first trip on a 747-400, very exciting. Especially since I had never been on a wide body before.

Thanks. I'm really looking forward to it - and I'm relieved to read that Virgin have completed their 747 refresh, as I remember reading that the Gatwick 747s had rather old fashioned interior fittings that were well past their best. The last time I flew long haul on a wide body was to the Dominican Republic back in 2003, on a 767 with Air2000.

 

[fowler9]

Thanks. I'm really looking forward to it - and I'm relieved to read that Virgin have completed their 747 refresh, as I remember reading that the Gatwick 747s had rather old fashioned interior fittings that were well past their best. The last time I flew long haul on a wide body was to the Dominican Republic back in 2003, on a 767 with Air2000.

Never managed to have a trip on a 767 so am jealous.

 

[AM9]

Never managed to have a trip on a 767 so am jealous.

767s can be quite comfortable. When BA used them on European routes there was plenty of room in the 2 seats, even economy. There was also plenty of gangway space as 2-3-2 seating made less demands on service than 3-4-3 or 2-5-2 of the larger wide bodies.

 

[starrymarkb]

Had an e-mail from Flybe saying they are discontinuing their rewards scheme and switching to Avios in the near future.

Just completed a return journey to Aberdeen from Birmingham over the weekend. Dash outward and Embraer 175 on return.

It amazes me anyone bothers to catch a Train for this route - especially an XC Vomiter

1 Hour 5 out and 55 min in - the Vomiter would not even have hit Dundee !!!

Yep, that looks an amazing deal[/scarcasm] at 2 Avios for each Pound excluding taxes so a Single would probably net you about 4 Avios per leg. Same flight on BA would get 500!

Redemption is the same 4500 per leg as BA but again excludes taxes!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

767s can be quite comfortable. When BA used them on European routes there was plenty of room in the 2 seats, even economy. There was also plenty of gangway space as 2-3-2 seating made less demands on service than 3-4-3 or 2-5-2 of the larger wide bodies.

Just avoid an 8 Across one like Thomson use on the ex Britannia ones - ex First Choice birds don't have the strengthened floor for 8 abreast

 

[fowler9]

Yeah I'd heard about that with the 767's. Also with 777's try and stick to airlines using 3-3-3.

 

[Butts]

British Airways Airbus v Embraer 190 SR Edinburgh to London

On Sunday Morning (0900) I flew from Edinburgh to Heathrow in what appeared to be a newish Airbus (not sure which variant -28 rows)

The seat was really uncomfortable even for a short hop. However this was compensated for by receiving a Hot Mini Full Breakfast. This is the first one I have had on a plane for ages and it wasn't bad - quality comparable to East Coast 1st class.

I flew back tonight from London City and imagine my joy when I saw we were boarding an Embraer 190 SR . I'd even managed to blag 12A an Exit seat when checking in at the Airport. Excellent legroom and a couple of Brandy's cup of Coffee and packet of Crisps.

All said a far nicer experience. Embraer's of all variants should be used more often. The seats and legroom are superior to that of the Airbus.

 

[flymo]

British Airways Airbus v Embraer 190 SR Edinburgh to London

On Sunday Morning (0900) I flew from Edinburgh to Heathrow in what appeared to be a newish Airbus (not sure which variant -28 rows)

The seat was really uncomfortable even for a short hop. However this was compensated for by receiving a Hot Mini Full Breakfast. This is the first one I have had on a plane for ages and it wasn't bad - quality comparable to East Coast 1st class.

I flew back tonight from London City and imagine my joy when I saw we were boarding an Embraer 190 SR . I'd even managed to blag 12A an Exit seat when checking in at the Airport. Excellent legroom and a couple of Brandy's cup of Coffee and packet of Crisps.

All said a far nicer experience. Embraer's of all variants should be used more often. The seats and legroom are superior to that of the Airbus.

The BA flight according to FR24 was an A320, reg no. G-EUUI which is about 12 years old.

 

[starrymarkb]

BA are currently refurbishing their Airbus fleet and reducing seat pitch to fit in an extra row - the new cabin is not popular from what I've been hearing but still better then Swiss's new refit (Swiss now cram 180 into their A320s which is the same config as Easyjet!)

This is what the new seats look like (Fixed Armrests mean it's a exit row and the table is stowed there)

 

[Butts]

The BA flight according to FR24 was an A320, reg no. G-EUUI which is about 12 years old.

Well if it was 12 years old it was certainly in good condition, but as I stated the Embraer knocks spots off it in the comfort stakes
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

BA are currently refurbishing their Airbus fleet and reducing seat pitch to fit in an extra row - the new cabin is not popular from what I've been hearing but still better then Swiss's new refit (Swiss now cram 180 into their A320s which is the same config as Easyjet!)

This is what the new seats look like (Fixed Armrests mean it's a exit row and the table is stowed there)

The one I went on had 28 rows of 6 so that makes 168 , the seats looked very like the ones in your picture. It had drop down mini-screens for the safety demo and controls in the armrest.

 

[starrymarkb]

Thats a reconfigured one then. Unrefurbished ones have blue seats