BA 747 at LHR T3

[airsmiles]

Not very exciting I know, but when arriving at LHR Thurs at 7.45am we taxied past a BA 747-400 parked at T3 (on a stand).

Is this normal as I thought they all used T4.

airsmiles

[Globaliser]

Currently, BA's Miami flights operate from T3.

It's a bit of a pain and a shame, particularly as the BA lounge at T3 has now closed and pax have to use the 'orrible AA one instead.

[airsmiles]

Thanks Globaliser,

hadn't noticed it before but it's not everyday I taxy past T3 at 7.40am !


airsmiles

[Localiser Green]

When my parents went MAN-LHR-MIA and back last summer on BA I assured them the instructions on their tickets from the travel agents to go to T3 for their onward leg from LHR must have been wrong.... but after checking it out myself discovered that was in fact the situation.

What is the issue here, space at T4? Just seems an awful shame to spoil the BA LHR longhaul arrangement by having a single flight every day going from a completely different terminal!!

I wonder just how many passengers on average mistakenly show up at T4 every day for that MIA flight... must be a bit of a headache for the BA staff?

[knobbygb]

I too thought this was odd - why just the two Miami flights?

Arriving off the early morning one recently - had to treck all the way across to T4 to use the arrivals lounge. They should at least provide an airside bus for those who wish to use it - I had to catch the underground!

I'll be annoyed if someone tells me it's because of lack of gates at T4, as we had to wait 30 minutes for our gate at T3 to become free and this was at 5:40am :uhoh:

[HZ123]

The reasons are a bit wolly. As it will be opposite T5 BA anticipate that as T5 will be opened in stages they will see a/c parked at T3 which may be used as an overspill area.

There was also some talk that if and when the AA/BA situation becomes deeper intwined some flights might be operated jointly from T3 by both BA / AA so another good reason for keeping a presence there.

In October a number of lonhaul flights move to T1 - Japan/ China I believe and the T3 operation enables T1/T3 staff to keep their hand in with widebodied aircraft.

[Globaliser]

I always thought it was space issues (quite a lot of waits on longhauls for gates or stands at T4, too) that have made BA operate one or two routes from T3 over the last few years.

But a couple of months ago I read something by an (apparent) insider who said that with an increasing Star presence at T3, BA has decided to keep a couple of flights there so as to keep its seat on the T3 airlines committee, so giving additional backup to AA's and CX's oneworld voices to help prevent them getting ridden over rough-shod. As a diehard cynic, that explanation seems to me to have the ring of truth about it.

[Gonzo]

knobbygb,

If you'd arrived that time for T4, the wait could have been even longer.

Gonzo.

[blackbox]

Wait for "project iceberg" - which involves the transfer of some BA Longhaul routes from T4 to T1, due to swap in winter '02/04 season...

[MarkD]

Oooh... LH at T1? YYZ please!

[Globaliser]

JNB, NRT, HKG or something like that, I hear. Anyone have anything concrete?

[Point Seven]

The only thing concrete is that the long haulers will still have to hold for stands. Two SAA's come in every morning and every morning one, or both, have to hold for stands.

Project Nochangetherethen more like.;)

P7

[Gonzo]

Or maybe 'Project EvenmorecarnagethanT4isatthemmoment'?