Aviation Discussion

[Butts]

It's purely software (plus an associated switch to place the aircraft in steep approach mode). The BA aircraft have a few other differences, but none are essential for LCY.

Home come Flybe Embraers couln't land at LCY then ?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

We have just, very briefly, had three A380s at Heathrow simultaneously - and all in the same corner of the airport!

B6138 landed with China Southern flight 303 just a couple of minutes before A6-EVE departed with Emirates flight 2 while G-XLEJ was in the BA maintenance base.

 

[gsnedders]

Home come Flybe Embraers couln't land at LCY then ?

Lack of the required almost-entirely-software-modification and/or lack of training for steep approach mode, one would presume.

 

[FQTV]

Lack of the required almost-entirely-software-modification and/or lack of training for steep approach mode, one would presume.

I understand that flybe Embraer crews were not certified on the 5.5 degree steep approach.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Though I believe Eastern Airways Embraer 170's were used on Flybe flights for London City?

 

[FQTV]

Though I believe Eastern Airways Embraer 170's were used on Flybe flights for London City?

Correct.

 

[Jamesrob637]

We have just, very briefly, had three A380s at Heathrow simultaneously - and all in the same corner of the airport!.

B6138 landed with China Southern flight 303 just a couple of minutes before A6-EVE departed with Emirates flight 2 while G-XLEJ was in the BA maintenance base.


View attachment 81460

Proper planes are a-returning, slowly!!

 

[popeter45]

Looks like Berlin Brandenburg Airport is Actually close to Opening
Mate was involved in some Customer tests there involving Checking in, Security, Boarding a "flight" (aka a bus), de-boarding and baggage collection
seems pretty close to done but one fun fact is the English announcements seems to be a Generic Text To Speech system akin to Google Translate

 

[CC 72100]

Looks like Berlin Brandenburg Airport is Actually close to Opening
Mate was involved in some Customer tests there involving Checking in, Security, Boarding a "flight" (aka a bus), de-boarding and baggage collection
seems pretty close to done but one fun fact is the English announcements seems to be a Generic Text To Speech system akin to Google Translate

Not even Aviavox?! https://aviavox.com/

 

[popeter45]

Not even Aviavox?! https://aviavox.com/

nope
cant tell the exact package used but seen a lot use it on twitch for donation reading
Edit: found it, seems to be same voice pack streamlabs uses

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not even Aviavox?! https://aviavox.com/

Crikey, I thought every airport used Aviavox! (Shame they haven't diversified into rail, it's really quite a good system).

 

[Butts]

Flew down to Birmingham from Edinburgh this Evening on an Easyjet A320.

Plane was half full, both Airports empty - no queue at Security.

45 Minutes was all it took....

There are plenty of £20 odd fares available ,with the normal Airport disadvantages mitigated at the moment, surely the competitive advantage Air has over Rail is extended even further.

Still miss Flybe though

Once again the staff were moving through the plane serving refreshments - puts Rail to shame .

 

[Techniquest]

Well I'm off to Scotland in October, but I'm going to London via Birmingham to pick up the sleeper. I've gone so far against domestic flying that the concept of flying BHX-EDI had not even occured to me!

I'd have not been able to take the bike with me though, which I can on the train.

An empty airport might sound like fun, easier to get around after all, but I do like a busy airport. Weird I know. It's just so fascinating looking around, seeing what's flying in and out, who is boarding what flight and imagining why they are going on that journey.

No flights in my future until March, and even then I might just sacrifice the hotel in Iceland and do something else...

 

[WatcherZero]

Liverpool Airport has been mortgaged to the Liverpool Combined Authority for £34m by Peel and Ancala Partners (venture capital fund) who both own just under half of the company with Liverpool CA owning 10%.

edit: Terms of the Mortgage here: https://moderngov.merseytravel.gov.uk/documents/s47573/Redacted Report and Appendix 4.pdf

 

[Bletchleyite]

Liverpool Airport has been mortgaged to the Liverpool Combined Authority for £34m by Peel and Ancala Partners (venture capital fund).

I'm figuring Luton Borough Council will need to do the same with theirs.

I'd have not been able to take the bike with me though, which I can on the train.

You can take bikes on planes, but it's just a bit of faff - you need a bag/box and it's easy for it to get damaged, as well as costing a quid or three.

 

[Butts]

I'm figuring Luton Borough Council will need to do the same with theirs.



You can take bikes on planes, but it's just a bit of faff - you need a bag/box and it's easy for it to get damaged, as well as costing a quid or three.

I seem to remember the Council coffers rely quite heavily on the income from Luton Airport.

 

[Urobach]

Wondering if anyone can help me?

Before the crisis hit, we booked a trip to Japan for November this year for the better half's 30th flying to Tokyo with JL and back with BA from Osaka (all booked through BA).

Yesterday we had the expected news that the KIX-LHR flight had been cancelled with BA putting in the e-mail they'll contact us or we can contact them (and having spent 3 and a half hours trying to contact EasyJet over another flight I'm not looking forward to that).

Not that I'm assuming everything will be absolutely fine by then, but I assume BA (or any carrier) should refund or put us on an alternative flight? Would that have to be through one of their partners? And having never transferred through an airport before how long would we potentially need? (If I booked on BA site today for the same flight it offers via Helsinki with Finnair).

We also paid for specific seats on the plane so we could sit together in one of the "two" seats as our last experience of a 787 was awful - will that be refunded?

I'm fully aware there's a fair chance this trip won't happen (although I'm hopeful the LHR-HND flight might survive the culling), but any info would be appreciated!

 

[darloscott]

BA have been very good with refunds for cancelled trips, or indeed I'm sure they'll be happy to rebook you with Finnair if that's what you would like. You should be able to do it online (via Manage my booking) but if not (BA's IT is notoriously useless at times) then there may be a bit of a wait on the phones.

 

[Urobach]

I tried manage my booking with no success, just a message to say the return flight is cancelled, I can imagine the wait on the phones after easyJet!

 

[Butts]

Well I'm off to Scotland in October, but I'm going to London via Birmingham to pick up the sleeper. I've gone so far against domestic flying that the concept of flying BHX-EDI had not even occured to me!

I'd have not been able to take the bike with me though, which I can on the train.

An empty airport might sound like fun, easier to get around after all, but I do like a busy airport. Weird I know. It's just so fascinating looking around, seeing what's flying in and out, who is boarding what flight and imagining why they are going on that journey.

No flights in my future until March, and even then I might just sacrifice the hotel in Iceland and do something else...

Never give up on Domestic Flying .....it's the only way to go.

Just flown back up from Birmingham to Edinburgh in 45 Mins.

Got several more lined up over the next few months all on BA except for the one in October I am really looking forward to...

Loganair Inverness to Birmingham - hoping it's a mini Embraer- Hold Bag and Refreshments included.

Taking off form Birmingham this Morning I couldn't help but notice there is still a huge Flybe sign adorning the Control Tower five months after they went belly up !!

 

[FQTV]

I tried manage my booking with no success, just a message to say the return flight is cancelled, I can imagine the wait on the phones after easyJet!

Check online at ba.com for the current call Centre opening hours. Start calling about a minute or two before the published opening time, and by the time that you get through the announcements and menus, you’ll be in the call queue the moment that it opens or very shortly thereafter.

You should then be on to an agent quite quickly.

You can have a full refund, which will also include your seat selection fees. These will almost certainly arrive separately from the airfares themselves on your card statement.

Alternatively, you can ask for a rebooking, either on BA on a different date if it’s available or, ultimately, on another carrier. You may get some pushback on this, but it is a legal right.

Personally, and unless you got a very good fare at the time of booking, I’d take the refund. That keeps your powder dry and means that you don’t have to call again if the new flights are also disrupted.

It also means that if, by some miracle, you are able to travel, you may well find that there are some aggressive fare deals to try and stimulate demand which is, still, absolutely on the floor.

 

[miami]

With Liverpool: 'The company operates the air traffic control systems for Doncaster and Sheffield airports for a fee.'

Interesting. Is that done remotely?

And having never transferred through an airport before how long would we potentially need? (If I booked on BA site today for the same flight it offers via Helsinki with Finnair).

In normal circumstances Helsinki is very easy to transfer in - no security needed on the way out, and pretty fast on the way back.

Of course that's in the before times.

If you booked a connecting flight, or they put you on one, you don't need to worry about the connection time (MCT). If your incoming plane is delayed they will automatically rebook you onto the next one, and put you up in a hotel, and most of the time you'll get hundreds of euros in compensation.

 

[ainsworth74]

If you booked a connecting flight, or they put you on one, you don't need to worry about the connection time (MCT). If your incoming plane is delayed they will automatically rebook you onto the next one, and put you up in a hotel, and most of the time you'll get hundreds of euros in compensation.

Though I think they will sometimes go to some length to get you onto the connecting flight (at least on very long haul routes anyway) if it is still theoretically possible. I had a friend who was flying to Australia and had to connect at Dubai airport. His inbound flight was late and his connection ended up being only a handful of minutes. But he said he was basically thrown out the plane into the care of a waiting Emirates staff member who then frog marched him at high speed through the bowels of Dubai airport before popping up at the gate to his onward flight with seconds to spare. His luggage even managed to get onto his flight to Australia as well! Possibly it was just excellent customer service rather than standard procedure.

 

[Butts]

Though I think they will sometimes go to some length to get you onto the connecting flight (at least on very long haul routes anyway) if it is still theoretically possible. I had a friend who was flying to Australia and had to connect at Dubai airport. His inbound flight was late and his connection ended up being only a handful of minutes. But he said he was basically thrown out the plane into the care of a waiting Emirates staff member who then frog marched him at high speed through the bowels of Dubai airport before popping up at the gate to his onward flight with seconds to spare. His luggage even managed to get onto his flight to Australia as well! Possibly it was just excellent customer service rather than standard procedure.

Hope he wasn't a smoker !!

 

[gsnedders]

Though I think they will sometimes go to some length to get you onto the connecting flight (at least on very long haul routes anyway) if it is still theoretically possible. I had a friend who was flying to Australia and had to connect at Dubai airport. His inbound flight was late and his connection ended up being only a handful of minutes. But he said he was basically thrown out the plane into the care of a waiting Emirates staff member who then frog marched him at high speed through the bowels of Dubai airport before popping up at the gate to his onward flight with seconds to spare. His luggage even managed to get onto his flight to Australia as well! Possibly it was just excellent customer service rather than standard procedure.

Most major hubs have staff whose primary job is escorting tight connections between gates (and for some this becomes true for certain connections near MCT even without a late inbound flight). Whether or not they're allowed to take you into the bowels depends a lot on security arrangements, but at many they can (provided no security is needed) walk you directly downstairs, find a car or minibus and drive you to the gate.

 

[317 forever]

BA have been very good with refunds for cancelled trips, or indeed I'm sure they'll be happy to rebook you with Finnair if that's what you would like. You should be able to do it online (via Manage my booking) but if not (BA's IT is notoriously useless at times) then there may be a bit of a wait on the phones.

BA likewise refunded me within a matter of days after I requested a refund following the cancellation of a London Heathrow - Manchester flight on a July evening. My intention was to fly home after a day out in west London.

What I am wondering is whether afternoon and evening flights on this route are merely suspended briefly due to low demand, or whether these are being discontinued altogether. Given some of the redundancies by BA, this could give rise to particularly some short-hall flights being shelved altogether.

 

[Chester1]

BA likewise refunded me within a matter of days after I requested a refund following the cancellation of a London Heathrow - Manchester flight on a July evening. My intention was to fly home after a day out in west London.

What I am wondering is whether afternoon and evening flights on this route are merely suspended briefly due to low demand, or whether these are being discontinued altogether. Given some of the redundancies by BA, this could give rise to particularly some short-hall flights being shelved altogether.

It depends on how serious BA is about shutting their Gatwick base. Virgin Atlantic have to but BA are probably just using it as a bargaining chip with unions. If the leave Gatwick then most of their short haul services to holiday destinations will disappear. Shuttles to Manchester are important so will probably be matched to meet demand. Some routes will be uneconomic regardless of BAs long term plans.

 

[gsnedders]

It depends on how serious BA is about shutting their Gatwick base. Virgin Atlantic have to but BA are probably just using it as a bargaining chip with unions. If the leave Gatwick then most of their short haul services to holiday destinations will disappear. Shuttles to Manchester are important so will probably be matched to meet demand. Some routes will be uneconomic regardless of BAs long term plans.

BA's Gatwick base is a complicated matter; average yield is much lower than at Heathrow, and the slots are much less expensive than those of Heathrow. If we're expecting a multi-year depression in aviation, then BA could easily centralise on Heathrow in part just to ensure they can make use of all the slots they currently own to avoid losing them. I don't think anyone is expecting the short haul services to holiday destinations to disappear: the expectation is very much they'll move to Heathrow, precisely for the sake of the slots.

I wouldn't rule out the holiday focused side longer term becoming a separate operation to BA (within IAG), which would also make it easier to compete with low cost carriers (there's relatively little transit happening at Gatwick, so it's mostly point-to-point traffic, so the larger BA network is relatively isolated from it). Part of the reason the Gatwick route has been going the way it has been is from a view of it being better to cannibalise yourself and take smaller profit margins than letting your competition take it.

 

[FQTV]

I wouldn't rule out the holiday focused side longer term becoming a separate operation to BA (within IAG), which would also make it easier to compete with low cost carriers (there's relatively little transit happening at Gatwick, so it's mostly point-to-point traffic, so the larger BA network is relatively isolated from it).

British Airways Holidays is already (and always has been) a separate company, and it’s technically based at Astral Towers in Crawley, with Waterside being only its registered office. In fact, the structure of BA is to have almost every profit/cost centre set up as a separate business.

 

[Bletchleyite]

British Airways Holidays is already (and always has been) a separate company, and it’s technically based at Astral Towers in Crawley, with Waterside being only its registered office. In fact, the structure of BA is to have almost every profit/cost centre set up as a separate business.

That's probably more common than not, as it allows for easy divestiture and means if one part of the business fails it doesn't affect the other parts.