British Airways

[cactustwirly]

Willie Walsh and Alex Cruz were instrumental to sending BA into the dumps just to keep shareholders happy. Looks like Sean Doyle is serious about bringing back the 'glory days' of the 80s and 90s people talk about when mentioning BA. Some A320 neos (G-TTNA for example) has a different type of seating to the rest of the dark blue ones, it has a grey type of seat with more legroom which I think was the old economy seating and was better but unfortuntely this new seating doesn't look like a return to that seat type but just a refurb of the current seating.

The Neos have a different type of seat to the rest of the fleet behind the emergency exits. It's the same ironing board type that easyJet use. It's an "innovation" from the Alex Cruz era

The announcement basically means they are fitting all new Neos with the same seats throughout, it's a Collins aerospace product which is similar to the Pinnacle seats fitted to the rest of fleet. I'm personally very happy.
I don't really like the slimline seats, especially as they normally get put on longer flights to Athens or Paphos.

 

[DanNCL]

I see BA still has A319s in the fleet, what are the plans for those? They must be getting on a bit.

Withdrawal and scrap for most of them once the rest of the NEOs arrive. The ex-BMI examples aren’t as old so are expected to remain a bit longer.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Perhaps more importantly, most people in groups 4-9 will continue to be forced to gate-check their second item of hand luggage on most flights, because overhead lockers on existing aircraft aren't being upgraded to the larger version.

Again, foreign or even low-cost airlines and airports show how it's done properly - I've never had the "waiting for stand guidance" nonsense abroad, let alone "we've arrived early so we're waiting for the ground crew to arrive".

Was on a BA flight yesterday and they announced that those in groups 4-9 would have to check their bags at the gate. Although I was in group 4 and sneaked through with luggage, alot of late boarders seemed to bring their luggage on board.

I always have issues departing short-haul with ba at lhr. Last night was due to luggage loading equipment breaking. 3 weeks ago was waiting for tug to push back. Before that it was to change a wheel on the plane

 

[Watershed]

Was on a BA flight yesterday and they announced that those in groups 4-9 would have to check their bags at the gate. Although I was in group 4 and sneaked through with luggage, alot of late boarders seemed to bring their luggage on board.

I always have issues departing short-haul with ba at lhr. Last night was due to luggage loading equipment breaking. 3 weeks ago was waiting for tug to push back. Before that it was to change a wheel on the plane

Reggie Perrin comes to mind!

 

[route101]

One type I haven't flown on with BA is the A321. They regularly come into GLA and EDI but the when you book all flights say 320 series or 319. Are they scheduled or are they randomly allocated?

 

[cactustwirly]

One type I haven't flown on with BA is the A321. They regularly come into GLA and EDI but the when you book all flights say 320 series or 319. Are they scheduled or are they randomly allocated?

They are scheduled yes, but it changes week to week depending on demand. There can be last minute changes too

 

[Tetchytyke]

The current direction looks promising. Not a return to “the world’s favourite airline” but it’ll be a significant improvement once it all takes place.

I’m not so convinced. The plans to densify the CityFlyer Embraer 190s seem utterly bizarre.

One type I haven't flown on with BA is the A321. They regularly come into GLA and EDI but the when you book all flights say 320 series or 319. Are they scheduled or are they randomly allocated?

A bit of both. They do step up the A321 to replace an A320, but they are also scheduled. I’ve been on one to Hamburg last summer and the seat map indicated an A321 right from time of booking.

As for cabin baggage, Aer Lingus make you check cabin baggage for free or there is a £10 fee to bring it on board. I fully expect BA to roll this out at some point in the not too distant future. But even the LCCs seem to be pushing people back towards checking in cabin baggage, because of the delays cabin baggage can cause- IME EasyJet’s fee for a large cabin bag is usually now no more than the fee for a 15kg hold bag.

 

[Butts]

CityFlyer Embraer changes- precursor to BOB coming in along with an extra member of crew is rumoured.

One type I haven't flown on with BA is the A321. They regularly come into GLA and EDI but the when you book all flights say 320 series or 319. Are they scheduled or are they randomly allocated?

The older the Plane the better the seats normally - 319 exit Seats a lot better apart from the humongous 321 Neo ones.

 

[DanNCL]

I’m not so convinced. The plans to densify the CityFlyer Embraer 190s seem utterly bizarre.

I don’t think its bizarre, they’re due a refit anyway and they’ve currently got a seat pitch even larger than economy on the long haul fleet. Air France/Hop, KLM and Lufthansa already have the densified cabin, all the densification is doing is bringing CityFlyer in line with the competition.

CityFlyer Embraer changes- precursor to BOB coming in along with an extra member of crew is rumoured.

The extra member of crew is a requirement. Has to be an additional member of crew for every 50 seats. 1-49 seats requires 1, 50-99 requires 2, 100-149 requires 3 and so on.

One type I haven't flown on with BA is the A321. They regularly come into GLA and EDI but the when you book all flights say 320 series or 319. Are they scheduled or are they randomly allocated?

A bit of both. They do step up the A321 to replace an A320, but they are also scheduled. I’ve been on one to Hamburg last summer and the seat map indicated an A321 right from time of booking.

Initial schedules are done around 12 months in advance but they’ll often be adjusted according to demand, maintenance requirements and other factors. If an aircraft goes tech in the wrong place (which is basically anywhere other than Heathrow) that can screw up the schedules for a lot of aircraft for several days.
They’ll often step up a A321 if a flight sells more quickly than they’d expected, likewise they’ll often step down to an A319 if it sells slower than expected.
Also not unheard of for an A321 to be stepped up to directly replace an A319 and (less common) vice-versa.

Not happened for a while now (at least 12 months likely longer) but if there’s an exceptional level of demand, either for passengers or cargo, or if there’s literally no other aircraft available when there’s been disruption, they can use any of the widebodies (other than an A380) on the EDI/GLA/MAN/NCL domestics.

 

[Mojo]

The older the Plane the better the seats normally - 319 exit Seats a lot better apart from the humongous 321 Neo ones.

I’m not a fan of the 321Neos as if you want an exit row it also means the awful Recaro seats. On the narrowbody fleet I always select when booking one of the exit rows, unless it’s a 321Neo in which I’d rather have the smaller legroom to get the better seats.

 

[cactustwirly]

I’m not a fan of the 321Neos as if you want an exit row it also means the awful Recaro seats. On the narrowbody fleet I always select when booking one of the exit rows, unless it’s a 321Neo in which I’d rather have the smaller legroom to get the better seats.

No window view either!

 

[SmartDressBest]

Is it just me or are they now a JOKE of an airline?

Just returned this morning from Miami to Edinburgh via Heathrow and it has to be one of the worst ever travelling experiences I've had. It was an A380 for the Miami leg and probably the worst legroom I've had. I couldn't believe this was the flag carrier's flagship aircraft. Also lacking in amenities compared to Delta. At Heathrow and Edinburgh, they also often use buses to get to the plane. I'm fine with that on EasyJet but I'd expect a bit more from a flag carrier. Then there are constant delays and they lost our bags on the LHR-EDI leg to boot.

I won't be choosing to fly them again in a hurry - what's the point in flying the domestic routes (except Aberdeen & Ireland or if you were connecting from another flight) when the train is just as fast? And Delta offer a much better transatlantic product. And at least in mainland Europe, EasyJet & Ryanair are cheaper.

The new uniform is a joke too.

 

[Butts]

Is it just me or are they now a JOKE of an airline?

Just returned this morning from Miami to Edinburgh via Heathrow and it has to be one of the worst ever travelling experiences I've had. It was an A380 for the Miami leg and probably the worst legroom I've had. I couldn't believe this was the flag carrier's flagship aircraft. Also lacking in amenities compared to Delta. At Heathrow and Edinburgh, they also often use buses to get to the plane. I'm fine with that on EasyJet but I'd expect a bit more from a flag carrier. Then there are constant delays and they lost our bags on the LHR-EDI leg to boot.

I won't be choosing to fly them again in a hurry - what's the point in flying the domestic routes (except Aberdeen & Ireland or if you were connecting from another flight) when the train is just as fast? And Delta offer a much better transatlantic product. And at least in mainland Europe, EasyJet & Ryanair are cheaper.

What is this twaddle ?

Is there a Train that gets from Edinburgh or Glasgow to LHR in an hour ?

Never mind Inverness, Wick, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland

 

[DanNCL]

What is this twaddle ?

Is there a Train that gets from Edinburgh or Glasgow to LHR in an hour ?

Is there a plane that’ll get you from Trafalgar Square to Edinburgh Castle in an hour? No.
When taking the whole journey into account rather than just the time the vehicle is moving, the plane isn’t any quicker for London-Edinburgh.

 

[RT4038]

Is there a plane that’ll get you from Trafalgar Square to Edinburgh Castle in an hour? No.
When taking the whole journey into account rather than just the time the vehicle is moving, the plane isn’t any quicker for London-Edinburgh.

I would suggest that when connecting to/from another flight of BA at Heathrow, the train is just about never competitive in terms of journey time and convenience between Heathrow and Edinburgh.

 

[DanNCL]

I would suggest that when connecting to/from another flight of BA at Heathrow, the train is just about never competitive in terms of journey time and convenience between Heathrow and Edinburgh.

Oh absolutely, even for Newcastle that’s the case. But for journeys that are simply London-Edinburgh then the train does compete on time and convenience.

 

[Butts]

Oh absolutely, even for Newcastle that’s the case. But for journeys that are simply London-Edinburgh then the train does compete on time and convenience.

Even London City Airport ?

 

[DanNCL]

Even London City Airport ?

Yes because you’ve still got travel time (just not as much as Heathrow), you’ve still got security (again less than Heathrow) and you’ve still got to get from Edinburgh airport into the city on the tram or bus.

 

[WestCoast]

As someone who does Glasgow - London every other month or so for work events I will tell you the plane is slightly faster and means I can start earlier. I live about 15 mins walk from Glasgow Central too.

When I go by train for a 10:00 meeting in the City of London, I catch the 04:28 Avanti off Glasgow Central which means leaving my flat around 04:00, arriving Euston at 09:12. The Northern Line to Bank and walk adds half an hour or so meaning I can arrive just before 10:00 ll being well. About five hours door to door.

When I go by plane for the same 10:00 meeting in the City of London, I would catch the 06:30 BA Cityflyer from Glasgow Airport to London City meaning leaving my flat around 05:10 for a 15 min taxi with an hour for security which is plenty for Glasgow. Plane arrives 08:05, DLR half an hour to Tower Gateway then walk means arrival just before 9am all being well. Under four hours door to door.

I do tend to prefer the train as it is less hassle but it isn't quicker for me in my central(ish) Glasgow to central London example. It will also be cheaper nine times out of ten.

The Cal sleeper is the most efficient way but since I can't sleep on it very well I tend to avoid it.

 

[hotelmode]

Is there a plane that’ll get you from Trafalgar Square to Edinburgh Castle in an hour? No.
When taking the whole journey into account rather than just the time the vehicle is moving, the plane isn’t any quicker for London-Edinburgh.

Hardly anybody travels from Trafalgar Square to Edinburgh Castle any more than they travel from Heathrow Airport to Edinburgh Airport. They travel from somewhere to somewhere and comparing city centre to city centre times is no more valuable than airport to airport. Not everybody has homes and offices that are both within easy walking distance of city centre stations, and lots of people do live and work close to Heathrow or in the M3/M4 corridor.

If it takes 30 mins to get to Heathrow and 90 to get to Kings Cross the choice isn't quite as obvious as you might like to think it is.

 

[Butts]

One disadvantage of Air is that they rarely travel anywhere near the speed they are capable of due to economy/ATC et al. If they could open up the after-burners the time advantage would be enhanced considerably particularly from INV and ABZ.

If you had an Embraer 190 leave Inverness at the same time as The Caledonian Sleeper it could fly down to LCY back up to ABZ down to LCY again back up to EDI down to LCY up to Glasgow and be back at LCY before the sleeper pulled into Euston.

 

[RT4038]

One disadvantage of Air is that they rarely travel anywhere near the speed they are capable of due to economy/ATC et al. If they could open up the after-burners the time advantage would be enhanced considerably particularly from INV and ABZ.

A disadvantage compared to what?

 

[HullRailMan]

One disadvantage of Air is that they rarely travel anywhere near the speed they are capable of due to economy/ATC et al. If they could open up the after-burners the time advantage would be enhanced considerably particularly from INV and ABZ.

If you had an Embraer 190 leave Inverness at the same time as The Caledonian Sleeper it could fly down to LCY back up to ABZ down to LCY again back up to EDI down to LCY up to Glasgow and be back at LCY before the sleeper pulled into Euston.

Exactly how many aircraft used on domestic flights do you think have after burners and would travel at supersonic speeds to Inverness?

 

[DustyBin]

A disadvantage compared to what?

Good question!

 

[Butts]

A disadvantage compared to what?

Trains being able to hit their maximum speeds on stretches of the line.

Exactly how many aircraft used on domestic flights do you think have after burners and would travel at supersonic speeds to Inverness?

That was tongue in cheek an Aircraft can easily get from LCY to INV in an hour or thereabouts using existing utilised speeds.

 

[Brooke]

I think I’ve posted it before, but I find the breakpoint versus the train (living in E2) to be roughly Manchester and Newcastle .

These flights can be extremely competitive on price if travelling against the flow.

Glasgow and Edinburgh are always faster for me by plane (and also often cheaper and more reliable).

 

[AlastairFraser]

I think I’ve posted it before, but I find the breakpoint versus the train (living in E2) to be roughly Manchester and Newcastle .

These flights can be extremely competitive on price if travelling against the flow.

Glasgow and Edinburgh are always faster for me by plane (and also often cheaper and more reliable).

Glasgow, certainly, but Edinburgh now has Lumo, so may be cheaper end to end (especially with airport travel costs).

 

[AlterEgo]

Trains being able to hit their maximum speeds on stretches of the line.

Do you think aircraft don’t hit their maximum speeds flying from London to Scotland?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

While I'm not here to start or worsen a plane vs train debate, and I've had good experiences going to Scotland on both, the fact Heathrow and Gatwick aren't in Central London actually make them more attractive to me. People who highlight the fact they're not Central seem to do so as if it's a flat disadvantage, maybe for people where London is the destination, but many using it as the origin/point to conclude the final trip at don't always want London, but often just outside of it. I live really rather close to Heathrow, so landing there would actually be far more beneficial for me than alighting from King's Cross or Euston into Central London.

 

[Butts]

Do you think aircraft don’t hit their maximum speeds flying from London to Scotland?

Do you think aircraft don’t hit their maximum speeds flying from London to Scotland?

Yes, look on Flight Aware or other such site that details flight statistics.