It costs lots to start a new route but with BA already serving Male which also includes IAG Cargo the costs of trying the route is less.
Its not all about the passenger numbers those aircraft carry cargo.
On stand capacity. With less shorthaul flights this would open up stand 514 516 and 518 for longhaul. As for EI moving to T5, T5 only has one CTA stand / arrivals gate (523) this is being used by the IOM flight at the moment. Stand 522 was built to accommodate CTA flights so I guess could be put bac...
Jump to postMy understanding is a move of other flights into T5 has a IT issue.
LHR T5 has only BA systems, for other airlines they would need access to multi user sets, this would mean a complete hardware change of all PCs.
I can't believe a possible unauthorised person on the airfield and the airport did not go into a ground stop and lock down after a clear security breach! Had this happened in the UK (and its has) we would have put a ground stop on and locked down the terminals.
Jump to postTo some people catering is only a small part of the First experience. Once lock down is over you will get those rich people who think their lives are worth more and First will give great social distancing.
Jump to postWhat I can't understand is why the tower gave taxi permission when you had a possible person on the airfield, that should have been a ground stop. I can't also understand why the flight crew did not ask for an inspection before taxiing to stand,
Jump to postOne thing you have to think about is passenger flows. I will use LHR T5A as an example When you leave the aircraft you are on Level 1 (this means no congestion on the escalators to take you up). You clear immigration on Level 1 those transiting go up to Level 3 and clear security before going down t...
Jump to postI am going to throw in the example of LHR Terminal 2. The arrivals for Terminal 2 MAIN terminal (A gates) is below the departures floor. However, the arrivals in Terminal 2 Satellite (B gates) are above the departures floor... LHR T2B was the old Europier so as such was a add on to T1 so has arriva...
Jump to postLGW has not closed it only operates on a part time bases.
Jump to postWhen LHR T5 was originally designed they looked at this issue. The answer all comes down to the design of the building for LHR T5 its design means you enter the terminal with a large open space, which is carried through to the departures lounge, for departing passengers the environment and feeling i...
Jump to postSilly question looking at the CHX and other parking the Nose wheel is straight and near the grass, anyone know which type of tug was used to park them with.
Jump to postCan't see an issue with cargo being loaded in the passenger cabin. As long as I can remember BA. BMI and some others used to load the overnight mail flights into the cabin. Have also seen a video of a BA 777 with cargo in the seats, it did state rules had been relaxed but did not say which ones.
Jump to postLooking at the photos I hope they have them parked in the correct order, I spent 16 years stand planning and nothing worse than needing the one that is in the middle!
Jump to postLess flights = Less flight crews means more crew laid off or at home.
Jump to postInformation taken from "British Airways, Its History, Aircraft and Liveries" Interchange started in May 1975 due to the B747 being too big and L1011 out of range. Agreement was due for 4 years. In 1978 BA started B747 on LAX route so used the DC10 on 5 x Miami 3 x Montreal plus 2 x LAX (th...
Jump to postSome of the one off flights are caring passengers who were passengers and crew from Cruse Ships who were at sea during the lock down and have been looking for a dock to take them. Also many are carrying supplies and believe it or not Mail, BA are clearing the backlog of mail by loading them in the o...
Jump to postIf the UK can create and make operational a 400 bed ICU in 2 weeks, why would you spend months converting a A380 which then would have to be certified if it was to be used as a flying hospital.
Jump to postMany may change their plans, for example during the building of LHR T5 the original plan was for T5B and T5C building to reach the ends and a Executive lounge in T5C. When 9/11 happened the plans were changed as they expected a large drop in passenger loads.
Jump to postNot sure how much cheaper you can get then free. BA do not pay parking charges at the BA base as it is owned by them. I guess by clearing base you can then move aircraft parked on LHR stands into base, it also allows base to be used to work on aircraft that are expected to fly or need maintenance wo...
Jump to post"And the major reason VS was not making money for a while was that VS was not part of an alliance and that's the major reason Branson went to Delta.[/quote]
Considering VS was part owned by SQ before Delta the option to be part of a alliance was always a option.
Châteauroux is used by BA for flight crew training.
Jump to postOne project their programmes you may have heard of is the "Christmas Shoe Box".
Jump to postI think it is right for the government to look at all options but because they are looking at options does not mean they will be used.
Jump to postThe airport has already started Heathrow staff training for T3 and T4 teams in T2 and T5. At the moment no confirmation of which airlines are going where and when. All we know is it looks like BA will be T5 ops in the summer schedule. If you look at this logically if you have a JV you can withdraw f...
Jump to postWith LHR closing T4 and T3 they will have plenty of parking space.
Jump to postBA are already doing LHR NQY route.
Jump to postLook at Missingx.com to see how many companies charge for lost property. Lost property is a big problem and a very expensive problem I work for an airline that has 4 runners and 2 drivers per day decapitated to lost property. The airline also has a contract with an external company to manage lost an...
Jump to postWith only T2 and T5 at the moment only having domestic gates we would have to see some major works in T3 or VS would have to operate out of 2 terminals.
Jump to postRiding the brakes and wing walkers are down to local airline / airport conditions. I know BA at LHR only use wing walkers on tight stands and A380 push backs. Due to "Robo tugs" most narrowed body flights push with one person.
Jump to postIt is possible that some news outlets may see the APU as a engine.
I know some are saying they had to wait for the doors to open, could this be due to the crew waiting for the engines to shut down? Just imagine what happens if you blow a chute near an engine which is still running.
Do BA use T5A for widebodies? I seem to recall only seeing narrow bodies there. BA's 763s regularly operated from T5A, although I don't know if allocations have changed since they left the fleet. There are 4 gates are outright B763 capable gates, including 1 in domestic area. Then there are 3 narro...
Jump to postOne thing I’ve always wondered about when travelling mainly through UK airports is, that departure gates are only announced shortly before boarding begins. Other large airports like FRA, MUC, and AMS seem to announce the departure gates well in advance. Why is it different? It always makes me feel ...
Jump to postI heard that the late reveal of gate and platform for long distance trains are due to the bombings in 1980-1990s. So the terrorists could not know which train / airplane to target. Maybe Lofty can shed some lights on this urban myth. I have to say have never heard of that one. Think historically El...
Jump to postT5A does have 3 wide body stands, BA chooses not to use them as one is ok but the other two you loose 2 narrow body stands.
With any terminal move never say never.
Stand costs are very complex as they are based on weight of aircraft and time of day. If you look at Stand cost V cost of off pier stand (airline steps, airline buses including drivers and fuel etc) you would see that off pier is not that much cheaper. At Heathrow this is due to the airline or handl...
Jump to postI can only speak for Heathrow, I have been a stand planner for 16 years, in that time I have covered T1 T4 and T5 and at no time have I ever been told not to publish stands to keep pax in the shops. Lets look back a bit. Many terminals in LHR used to have closed gate lounges, in fact T3 still does, ...
Jump to postCan I just get read of the idea about shopping, T5 don't leave publishing gates to keep people in the shops. In fact they are looking at ways to publish gates earlier, whist keeping the flexibility to stand change and avoid passengers having to run from one gate to another. If a flight is on the gro...
Jump to post9/11 put a stop to T5B and T5C being built to the end as per the original plan, some short sighted bean counter at Heathrow Airport Limited decided they would see a drop in passenger numbers! so to deliver on time and with-in budget the plans were changed. I can say at night and around about 1400 T5...
Jump to postJames If I have one stand with a jetty and 3 aircraft, I will look at the following: 1. Aircraft size V size of stand needed later. For example if I put a B787 on a A380 stand will that mean I will not have a A380 stand later. 2. In hot weather does the aircraft have a serviceable APU, if one of the...
Jump to postAs a stand planner, I can say that costs are not a consideration when planning stands.
It is complex process and one that is looked at years in advanced for example some airports will give you slots but are unable to offer on pier stand at that time.
My understand is they have to give 14 days notice and that the unions will not do this until after the court appeal has been heard. Think about this can flight crew bring an airline to a halt. With no flight crew you can wet-lease and operate a reduce service, also if flight crew are away from home ...
Jump to postThe problem with LHR started before alliances, main carriers invest sometimes millions of pound in new lounges etc. This does mean they are not happy being told to move terminal when they join / change alliance. Prime example of this would have been Virgin, T4 was due to be the terminal for those ou...
Jump to postMy understanding was all wiring for all Concorde's (both Britsh and French) where produced at what is now Brooklands (Weybridge).
For anyone interested Brooklands Museum has a Concorde and a great hanger on Vickers and how aircraft were made, as well as cars and buses.
Until you see the deal done never rule anything out with IAG! who would have thought they would take the MAX
Jump to postSilly question one of the photos shows a Tow Bar at the front, if they were using a conventional tug during push back and the nose span would not the tug been span too? OR do they use TBLs which would mean the nose wheel was not correctly secured in the Crandall so was free to spin. OR like LHR T5 d...
Jump to postJust for clarity
VY Operates 2 flights into LHR T3 on some days.
Loose load a/c can and at times do operate into T5. Wetlease and on occasions when we have to borrow LGWs fleet.
Having flown in row 1 on a B747 the view is very special especially when you have a number of windows.
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