Originally Posted by
Rated De
If the blocked out seats at 45 detailed in the other post are accurate then that route is well beyond the optimum for the aircraft.
...
- Losing 19% of the ASK capacity makes the route all the more marginal..
45 seats blocked is correct. However nowhere near 19% of the ASK. 70 business and premium seats are of course full and provide a disproportionate % of the revenue. Opposite direction is full seats and will no doubt have fr8 on board too.
The reason for seat blocks is not so much the LHR WX , but the enroute winds at the moment. 35kts headwind for 8000nm adds well over an hour to the flight time. Last four PER LHRs I did were under 17 hour while three days ago it took us over 18 hours. Still slid down final with over 5 ton and three alternates in hand.
Once the headwinds abate in a few days I expect the seats will become available again.
No freezing fog in balmy London at the moment. It is 7 degrees. Don’t know what all the fuss is about.