LHR News 10 is archived now, so thought I'd start a new one.

LHR+NEWS#ID5844665" target="_blank">www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/ge...rchid=5844665&s=LHR+NEWS#ID5844665

All the T2 moves are almost done, with the final ones taking place on the 22nd October. Also some BA moves from T1 to T3/T5 on the 26th. www.heathrowairport.com/flight-information/airline-moves

Seems Icelandair along with El Al will stay put until T1 closes in 2016?

I've not had the T5 experience yet as I tend not to use BA long haul out of Heathrow, but with BA's Belfast flights moving over on 26th October, looks like a visit to T5 is imminent.

FI and LY will be in T4 before then with JJ moving to T3. T1 is already semi closed with Pier 4 domestic being withdrawn next week. BA will be gone end of the winter, they won't have the full building just for three airlines.

I going to miss the views from gate 8, T1. Had a final look around yesterday before going to DUB.

Quoting hotplane (Reply 3): I going to miss the views from gate 8, T1.

Agreed...one of the best places to spend a spare half hour while at LHR. A Costa, peace and quiet, and the world's heavies right outside. Last time I was there, one of BA's 787s was towed right past the window.

I heard from a BA employee that some 747 flights are moving from T5 to T3 due to lack of space.

Quoting hotplane (Reply 3): I going to miss the views from gate 8, T1. Had a final look around yesterday before going to DUB.

Quoting flyingcello (Reply 4): Quoting hotplane (Reply 3): I going to miss the views from gate 8, T1. Agreed...one of the best places to spend a spare half hour while at LHR. A Costa, peace and quiet, and the world's heavies right outside. Last time I was there, one of BA's 787s was towed right past the window.

I'd forgotten also about that. Many a pleasant hour I spent at what I called the 'big window'. BA 747s were towed past so close that you could almost touch the winglet if there was no glass. I agree also about the Costa, I usually had a hot panini, and one of their giant march mallows!

FI will be moving into T2 not T4 - according to what my colleagues are saying, Although it is not LHR official. I guess the closure of VS little red will leave some room for them, as T2 is rather busy now.

Given FI are not in STAR, I wonder why they're not T4 bound with the rest of the non aligned?

Other LHR news for W14:

'London Heathrow falls further behind its European rivals this winter as Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris all report growing networks'.

http://www.anna.aero/2014/10/15/lond...urther-behind-its-european-rivals/

Quoting skipness1E (Reply 2): BA will be gone end of the winter

Is there a date for the final BA flight out of T1? I want to visit the ex-bmi lounge for a final time. I was just looking for flights to LUX, and according to ba.com and T1 is being used right through to Oct 2015 (the last date bookable).

What is the timeline for T1 demo and rebuild?

I think the T2 extension into the T1 area has been delayed. Presumably the Europier demolition is also delayed.

Quoting hotplane (Reply 12): Presumably the Europier demolition is also delayed.

This is not dependent on the extension, it needs to go ASAP once T1 closes as it's in the middle of a taxiway now.

That's true. The centre line already matches up north and south of the Europier.

Quoting AviationAware (Reply 11): What is the timeline for T1 demo and rebuild?

T1 is still accommodating the major part of the T2A Phase 1 baggage handling system, so its not possible to put it down any time soon. I guess the timeline to extend T2A depends also on the recommendation of the Airport Commission. A 3rd runway may bring a 6th Terminal rather than an extension of T2.

last i heard was 2019 at the earliest for any extension to the new terminal. iI they can handle all the moved airlines there isn't much need for more space. Knocking the europier down is more important, although that was said to have been put back too. However that may change....

There is no T6 as such in the plans anymore AIUI. This summer, HAL revised their proposal, bringing the 3rd runway slightly closer in. This reduced the footprint of the expansion, preserving more of Harmondsworth, including the listed buildings and the M25/M4 interchange, which would have been a bitch of a structure to modify. What this means is that the terminal assets between the current North runway and the new one is reduced to a satellite, that will be linked to a much expanded T5.

The vision now is for a more unified Heathrow terminal with 2 "front doors": West (T5) and East (T2). T3 goes as does T4 maybe though they seemed a little indecisive on that one. Instead, additional remote satellites would occupy that space.

Apologies if this has been discussed - I know tha BA's BHD and DUB flights are moving from T1 to T5, but what is happening with the remaining BA flights from T1? Amman–Queen Alia, Baku, Beirut, Cairo, Hannover, Luxembourg, Lyon, Marseille, Rotterdam/The Hague?

Thanks

Quoting 8herveg (Reply 18): Rotterdam/The Hague?

Wouldn't be at all surprised if this route was closed, as passenger numbers are falling rapidly since the opening of LCY-RTM on BA CityFlyer.

Surely these slots can be made more productive for BA elsewhere.

British Airways LHR - RTM - LHR .
Total pax/month and avg. pax per flight

Jan-14 - 9.405 pax/month = 52,3 pax/flight
Feb-14 - 9.853 = 58,6
Mrch-14 - 10.641 = 57,2
Apr-14 - 10.500 = 93,8
May-14 - 9.623 = 85,9
Jun-14 - 9.509 = 84,9
Jul-14 - 9.438 = 84,3
Aug-14 - 8.927 = 79,7
Sep-14 - 8.015 = 71,6

www.caa.co.uk

Quoting factsonly (Reply 19): Wouldn't be at all surprised if this route was closed, as passenger numbers are falling rapidly since the opening of LCY-RTM on BA CityFlyer. Surely these slots can be made more productive for BA elsewhere.

The advantage of the RTM and, indeed, the LBA services added since BA integrated BD into its operations could be the very short rotation time.

It may be that both the LBA and RTM service were launched simply as slot sitters. They could have been temporary, awaiting delivery of additional aircraft to the BA long-haul fleet. However any plan to discontinue such services may now be impacted by the demise of Little Red.

As far as I can determine under the terms and conditions of the granting of the Little Red remedy slots they used for their flights to ABZ and EDI they will be returned to BA next September. See here:

http://ec.europa.eu/competition/merg...6447_20120330_20212_2323262_EN.pdf

When BD was integrated into BA Willie Walsh said that around 12 of the slot pairs obtained with the BD purchase would be used for new long-haul flights. So far we have seen two new destinations, AUS (added last March) and CTU (added in September '13), although there have been some frequency changes such as the addition of the BA097/96 YYZ. service.

Now the ball game has changed. BA seem to me to face the likelihood of 'recovering' the Little Red remedy slots. But it does not have the aircraft in its fleet to use them or even slot sit on them. No doubt they will find a way of addressing this. For example it could be a new lease of aircraft like the ten 320s that will soon join their LGW fleet. Another possibility might be to postpone previous plans to retire some older aircraft.

I wonder if the launch of new very short-haul services to LBA and RTM - see above - was for slot sitting purposes. Here the comparatively short time to complete a rotation could be a way to limit the additional frames needed to operate these slots. To illustrate this consider the five times daily BA Cityflyer RTM-LCY-RTM rotation. From the inaugural flight on 30 March last until 21 June it was operated by a single aircraft, Saab 2000 G-CDEB.

The current Little Red remedy slots - assuming they are returned to BA - will be sufficient to add eight or nine daily long-haul destinations that would require eight or nine more long-haul aircraft to operate them. So routes that I have thought might be slot sitters may now become semi-permanent or even permanent.

If the remedy slots will be returned to BA then at least in the short term BA has the problem of a large number of LHR slots without the equipment to operate them all as they might like.

Here BA probably needs to be cautious. There is a possibility that a new long-haul flight will be an immediate success like the AUS rotation appears to be. There is also a possibility that a new long-haul service may not live up to expectations as is apparently the case with CTU. So a cautious, one step at a time process may be indicated.

According to Wikipedia regarding destinations changing terminals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Heathrow_Terminal_1

British Airways Mid-haul: Amman-Queen Alia, Baku, Beirut, Cairo (moves to T5 on 15 October 2015)[citation needed]
Shorthaul: Hanover, Luxembourg, Lyon, Marseilles, Rotterdam (moves to T3 on 24 June 2015)[citation needed]

UK & Ireland: Belfast-City (moves to T5 on 26 October 2014), Dublin (moves to T5 on 26 October 2014)

Could someone on this forum confirm the terminal moves except for Dublin and Belfast? Which other BA flights from T5 are moving in to T3?

[Edited 2014-10-21 10:51:06]

[Edited 2014-10-21 10:51:26]

Quoting VV701 (Reply 20): It may be that both the LBA and RTM service were launched simply as slot sitters.

But why open new stations to do that? (granted RTM got an LCY route as well). Extra flights to MAN, BRU, CDG and/or AMS (similar duration routes) could have served the same purpose, avoided opening a new station, and avoided the negative publicity that would surround a route withdrawal

[Edited 2014-10-21 13:11:36]

How come they're using the old domestic gates for some flights to/from RTM & HAJ ? Only route is via UK & Ireland security.

Quoting Humberside (Reply 22): But why open new stations to do that?

I reply with three questions:

Should we and stock exchange investors believe Willie Walsh when he publicly states that BA will use around twelve former BD LHR daily slot pairs for new long-haul flights?

If we should believe in at least the principle if not the numerical accuracy of what he said, which BA flights currently operated out of LHR do you think might be used for those approximately ten daily rotations?

Here note there are other reasons that I think the LBA and RTM flights could possibly slot sitting operations:

1. Apart from MAN, the two shortest services BA operates out of LHR (even if only by a whisker) are the LBA and RTM rotations. So no alternative routes except MAN would use less fuel. And I think we can rule out your suggestion of MAN. If BA had gone this route just over three months before the pre-announced Little Red flights to MAN were scheduled to start both Branson and the competition authorities would almost certainly have accused BA of flooding the market to drive VS away.

2. Along with the also new LHR-ZGB flight, the services to LBA and RTM were launched on 9 December 2012. This was only six weeks after the end of Summer Season 2012. That was the date to which BA had previously announced they would operate the former BD timetable so as not to inconvenience passengers who had pre-booked any BD flights. So it is pretty clear these new flights effectively used ex-BD LHR slots.

3. Launching a totally new thrice-daily service like the then new LBA service is pretty unusual when that route had not previously been flown. A more cautious single or double daily (morning and evening) launch is much more the norm.

4. Without knowing the detailed costs I think it likely that landing and other charges for using secondary and tertiary local airports like LBA and RTM are significantly lower than at the major international hubs like AMS, BRU and CDG that are suggested as possible alternative slot-sitting destinations.

Nevertheless this is all conjecture. If others have alternative ideas as to which BA LHR services might be slot sitters I would like to hear them.

Quoting VV701 (Reply 24): Without knowing the detailed costs I think it likely that landing and other charges for using secondary and tertiary local airports like LBA and RTM are significantly lower than at the major international hubs like AMS, BRU and CDG that are suggested as possible alternative slot-sitting destinations.

You may know this better than I do, but I strongly suspect BA could be slotting sitting on LHR-AMS as well, as the frequency on this route has recently been raised to 10x/day on certain days of the week with new flights only 40-50 minutes apart of existing services.

EXAMPLE:

- BA0426 LHR 09.40 - AMS 11:50 BA Sun, Wed, Fri 5hr.20mins lay-over
- BA0427 AMS 17.10 - LHR 17:25 BA Sun, Wed, Fri

Quoting Humberside (Reply 22): But why open new stations to do that?

"Opening a new station" is a rather grand name for arranging a ground handing contract with one of the cross-Europe handling companies that BA already deal with elsewhere so already understand BA requirements. There are no BA employees at these airports, no infrastructure apart from the odd sign, and flights are return-catered from LHR.
Check-in and gate staff staff in generic uniforms with BA scarves or ties, and a contract lounge provide the pre-boarding experience.

Quoting VV701 (Reply 24): 1. Apart from MAN, the two shortest services BA operates out of LHR (even if only by a whisker) are the LBA and RTM rotations. So no alternative routes except MAN would use less fuel. And I think we can rule out your suggestion of MAN. If BA had gone this route just over three months before the pre-announced Little Red flights to MAN were scheduled to start both Branson and the competition authorities would almost certainly have accused BA of flooding the market to drive VS away.

I was suggesting the slots could have been split out over a variety of existing short routes. One or two extra rotations to MAN as part of that surely would not have caused a huge issue?

Quoting VV701 (Reply 24): 2. Along with the also new LHR-ZGB flight, the services to LBA and RTM were launched on 9 December 2012. This was only six weeks after the end of Summer Season 2012. That was the date to which BA had previously announced they would operate the former BD timetable so as not to inconvenience passengers who had pre-booked any BD flights. So it is pretty clear these new flights effectively used ex-BD LHR slots.

Indeed, but that doesn't necesarily rule out any plan to release slots for long haul in the future by frequency reductions rather than cancelling entire routes.

Quoting andy33 (Reply 26): "Opening a new station" is a rather grand name for arranging a ground handing contract with one of the cross-Europe handling companies that BA already deal with elsewhere so already understand BA requirements. There are no BA employees at these airports, no infrastructure apart from the odd sign, and flights are return-catered from LHR. Check-in and gate staff staff in generic uniforms with BA scarves or ties, and a contract lounge provide the pre-boarding experience.

There is the marketing and promotion involved. And this is where I have my biggest doubts about slot sitting. BA put in effort to promote LBA/RTM-LHR, gain customers etc. Yet if they pull LBA-LHR in particular they will be headline news for all the wrong reasons in local/regional media. All the marketing/promotion will mean very little any longer. The customers they attracted won't automaticallly be going to MAN to catch BA, or travelling directly to LHR. The biggest beneficary would probably be KLM

It just strikes me that quietly adding frequencies on existing routes for slot sitting then quietly removing them when long haul growth is planned would have far less PR risk and involve far less marketing effort than launching new routes then potentially axing them a few years later as the services potentially become established

Whatever BA's thinking is behind LHR-RTM/LBA, time will tell if the routes remain in the schedule

As for what will be used for long haul growth if not LBA/RTM slots - frequency cuts on existing high frequency routes, possibly supported by upgauging. The LHR-AUS thread also mentioned increasing the number of seats on short haul aircraft which could help with capacity if frequencies are trimmed

[Edited 2014-10-22 13:31:08]

[Edited 2014-10-22 13:36:21]

Quoting VV701 (Reply 24): ithout knowing the detailed costs I think it likely that landing and other charges for using secondary and tertiary local airports like LBA and RTM are significantly lower than at the major international hubs like AMS, BRU and CDG that are suggested as possible alternative slot-sitting destinations.

BA started with 3xdaily LHR-RTM rotations, but they also raised the frequency LHR-AMS by 4 flights a day in that same period in end of 2012, that raised another thing, that was my eyebrow  . How do you want to make a route to RTM work if you compete with yourself by adding even more flihgts to AMS? That was just overkill.
despite this, the route LHR-RTM had good growth rates in the first year. The growth stopped when the LCY-RTM was introduced (taking some O&D traffic away from LHR-RTM), and it became worse when the afternoon-flight was dropped.

My best guess is that BA is using LBA and RTM as sort of slot-sitters, but they choose slotsitters with potential to remain in the network later if they prove to be succesfull / feeding the longhaul network properly.
If they would be slot-sitting alone than they could have better started LHR-OST which would take even less fuel and lower airport charges, but also fewer passengers.

I sincerely hope that BA will remain on the LHR-RTM route. As it has a good added value for the Rotterdam-the Hague region. i have not traveld on the route yet. but i see weekly people who travel on the route, in my case that is mainly ships crew, superintendents, technicians and surveyors who board/disembark our ships in the port.
BA is also slotsitting on the route to AMS, let hem cancel some of the many flights to AMS, and even better, move the flights from T1 to T5 in order to make it a better feeder for the (BA) longhaul network.

Quoting VV701 (Reply 20): To illustrate this consider the five times daily BA Cityflyer RTM-LCY-RTM rotation. From the inaugural flight on 30 March last until 21 June it was operated by a single aircraft, Saab 2000 G-CDEB.

that was one of the a/c but there have been more.
Currently the route is operated by the ERJ170.

AMS flights already use T5.

Quoting Humberside (Reply 27): I have my biggest doubts about slot sitting.

What we know for certain is that:

1. Willie Walsh said at the time of the purchase of BD that some of their slots would be used to launch around a dozen new long-haul services.

2. At the time of the purchase BA did not have the equipment to operate anywhere near twelve additional long-haul services.

3. Under the EU use-it-or-loose-it rule BA has to use each and every one of its slots on a minimum of 80 per cent of possible occasions in each and every Summer and each and every Winter season if it is not to have those slots confiscated.

4. Since buying BD BA has added two new long-haul routes and increased operations on other long-haul services but has added nowhere near 12 new long-haul flights.

5. BA still does not have the equipment to add up to ten new long-haul rotations.

Until recently the above facts required BA to operate slot-sitting flights if it was not to loose slots. This has been done in the past in more obvious ways.

One such example was when BMed sat on a pair of LHR slots. It positioned an A 320 from LHR to CWL (LAJ004) in the afternoon in the Winter 2006-07 season. Then it positioned it back to LHR (LAJ005) the following morning.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6441103.stm

Another exampled was when QF operated a wet leased Flightline BAe 146 to operate MAN-LHR-MAN 'feeder' rotation every morning, This despite the fact that its then JSA partner, BA, operated flights on that routing very close in timing to the slot-sitting QF rotation. Also despite it reportedly sometimes operating with as many as three passengers. See in particular Reply 10 here:

BA BAe146 Flights From MAN (by Planespotterx Jun 14 2005 in Civil Aviation)?threadid=2168292&searchid=2169025&s=qf+man+146+lhr#ID2169025

Quoting Humberside (Reply 27): Whatever BA's thinking is behind LHR-RTM/LBA, time will tell if the routes remain in the schedule

This may now not happen if BA inherits the Little Red remedy slots next September. Unlike the former BD aircraft that BA kept and operated out of LHR effectively using them the former BD slots that it retained, it disposed of the small BD A 330 fleet and has returned some of the former BD 320s to their lessors. This means that BA currently do not have the aircraft in their fleet to operate these former 'remedy' slots. So if those slots are returned BA will likely use them for any new services it operates from the beginning of the Winter 2015-16 season. Further we may see BA leasing in more short-haul aircraft to operate more slot-sitting flights until they can permanently right-size their long-haul fleet to operate future new long-haul services.

In summary if those 'remedy' slots are returned BA could be at least temporarily embarrassed by a richness in their LHR slot holding compared to a paucity of aircraft to use all of that holding.

Quoting VV701 (Reply 30): In summary if those 'remedy' slots are returned BA could be at least temporarily embarrassed by a richness in their LHR slot holding compared to a paucity of aircraft to use all of that holding.

Yers I tend to agree. Would one possible solution be to move some of the beach fleet from LGW for a season or two and operate some of its long haul flights from LHR - or are the slots at LGW as desirable to BA as those at LHR?

Blood Indian fireworks causing havoc again.

Let me rephrase my argument slightly (and I had forgotten about the Little Red slot which will change the situation if they return to BA). Why do entire routes necessarily have to be cut to fund BA long haul growth? Why not frequencies on existing high-frequency routes, an option which doesn't seemt to get as much attention?

Quoting jumpjets (Reply 31): Would one possible solution be to move some of the beach fleet from LGW for a season or two and operate some of its long haul flights from LHR - or are the slots at LGW as desirable to BA as those at LHR?

I do not think that any of the LGW slots are as desirable as most LHR slots. Nevertheless if BA were to move flights from LGW to LHR I think that U2 would smile broadly and immediately pick up the more desirable slots if not all the slots that BA had vacated.

Quoting Humberside (Reply 33): Why do entire routes necessarily have to be cut to fund BA long haul growth?

They do not. For example if the LHR/RTM rotations were designed as slot sitters they will also have tested the temperature of a possible permanent operation. Indeed here this service, launched on 9 September 2012, may have been the direct catalyst for the launch of the LCY/RTM service on 30 March this year. Nevertheless in this case, rightly or wrongly, new flights and particularly new services launched within days of the actual assimilation of BD operations into a BA designed timetable are most likely to be looked at as potential slot sitters. The three new short-haul destinations launched soon after the start of the 2012-13 Winter season were LHR-LBA and LHR-RTM plus the daily LHR-ZAG flight. And as others have suggested the launch of the RTM/LCY service appears to make the fate of a continuing BA LHR/RTM service more uncertain. However the future of RTM as a BA destination from LHR probably depends on the number of transfer passengers using the service.

Quoting Humberside (Reply 33): Why not frequencies on existing high-frequency routes, an option which doesn't seemt to get as much attention?

Certainly additional services added to existing high-frequency routes, like LHR/AMS as suggested by factsonly in Reply 25, are candidates as possible slot-sitters.

Quoting thijs1984 (Reply 28): that was one of the a/c but there have been more

Sorry. I did not make myself clear enough. By saying that one specific aircraft had operated five RTM-LCY-RTM rotations a day over a period of 84 days I was trying to make the point that slot sitting on a very short route like LHR-RTM was more manageable in terms of aircraft availability than would be likely on a longer short-haul route. Of course the aircraft used to launch the LCY/RTM service had to be replaced at some time so it could undergo routine maintenance. In this case the aircraft that operated all flights RTM-LCY flights between the service launch on 30 March and replacement on 21 June this year was returned to this route only six days later on 27 June. This was because it was painted white with 'BRITISH AIRWAYS' titles and Speedmarque while the two aircraft that operated this service while it was undergoing maintenance, Saab 2000s G-CEIC and G-CERZ, were both painted in full Eastern Airways livery.

Seems KLM have re timed and renumbered KL1007 to KL1011 at weekends.

Suspension of London Heathrow (LHR) - Rotterdam (RTM) services

British Airways services between London (LHR) and Rotterdam (RTM) will be suspended from the start of the Summer 2015 season on 28 March 2015. The decision to suspend these services has been taken due to commercial reasons.

BA.COM

It seems that Transaero have started a St.Petersburg to LHR service today, which was news to me. How often are they operating?

Transaero Airlines, Russia’s second-largest carrier, is to launch a twice-weekly direct service between London Heathrow and St. Petersburg.
The service, the first time the route has been operated by the airline, is due to start October 29, the company says.

http://rbth.co.uk/news/2014/10/09/tr...n-st_petersburg_flights_40457.html

So twice a week, thanks. Not quite the same as the old Tu104 service to Leningrad in the 1970s!

It's in another thread, but for Summer 2015 VY is dropping BIO-LHR (twice daily) and the route is being picked up by BA operating as BA466/468 (LHR-BIO) and BA467/469 (BIO-LHR).

Quoting FlyCaledonian (Reply 40): for Summer 2015 VY is dropping BIO-LHR (twice daily) and the route is being picked up by BA operating as BA466/468 (LHR-BIO) and BA467/469 (BIO-LHR).

I believe that currently VY only operates a single daily rotation to LHR from BIO. It is scheduled to arrive at LHR at 18:15 (VY7296) and departs at 19:05 (VY7297).

VY operated one daily to BIO and one daily to LCG. These are dropped and replaced by 2 LHR-BIO with BA. Now that the 2 RTM are also dropped, BA might announce new routes or route increases.

Quoting AIR MALTA (Reply 42): VY operated one daily to BIO and one daily to LCG. These are dropped and replaced by 2 LHR-BIO with BA. Now that the 2 RTM are also dropped, BA might announce new routes or route increases.

According to the 'BA Source' site BA is also adding a second LHR-LCA rotation (BA664/665), although it is only 6-weekly - no Saturday flight. Slightly odd, as for a number of years BA operated daily LHR-LCA (on a 767) with a seond flight on a Saturday.

Quoting AIR MALTA (Reply 42): VY operated one daily to BIO and one daily to LCG. These are dropped and replaced by 2 LHR-BIO with BA.

The drop of BIO from 2 to 1 must be recent. Not sure what BA as donde with that slot. Vueling also operated LHR-FLR, which changed to LGW, that with LCG made for 4 daily rotations. LCG is not (yet) affected and is available for next summer. Whether it will move to LGW or if BA will operate it, is not happening just yet.

Heathrow exec says there are 30 airlines queueing up to get into Heathrow, Air China says they could operate 4 flights a day if they could. If that was so, why are they only operating A330-200s on the 2 services now?


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...have-a-30-strong-waiting-list.html

Quoting fcogafa (Reply 45): why are they only operating A330-200s on the 2 services now?

It probably has eyes on operating from additional Chinese airports not increasing frequency.

It mentions in the article that some North American carriers are on the waiting list to serve LHR too - what airlines would they be? AA/US, DL, UA and AC already fly to LHR......unless they're talking about those airlines wanting to fly other routes? And in which case, which routes would they be?

Quoting hotplane (Reply 23): How come they're using the old domestic gates for some flights to/from RTM & HAJ ? Only route is via UK & Ireland security.

Security at T1 was centralised some years ago so everyone goes through to the same departure lounge. It is similar to T5 where in theory any flight can depart to a UK destination from any T1 gate, BUT they can only arrive at certain gates.

Quoting 8herveg (Reply 47): It mentions in the article that some North American carriers are on the waiting list to serve LHR too - what airlines would they be? AA/US, DL, UA and AC already fly to LHR......

The article says '. . . the waiting list includes airlines from North America, South America and Asia . . .'. While it does not say that any of these airlines already have some flights to LHR neither does it say that any of them are would-be newcomers to the airport. So AA/US, DL, UA and AC could possibly all be seeking to increase their LHR presence.