Originally Posted by
TOM100
Am sure BA/IAG would want to keep a defensive foothold at LGW as an even more highly frequent easyJet would definitely potentially impact the commercial performance of LHR with a highly overlapping P2P catchment. I understood LGW to be overall profitable and if it wasn’t strategically of importance why buy ZB/MT slots ? Could be some negotiation positioning going on here ? I believe LGW is important to protect LHR for BA. But then maybe the world has changed. Then again in time LHR will be full again, poss very delayed R3 if they give up LGW en masses they may never get back in. Then where (with lack of R3) do you expand ? Unless of course they are precipitating no VS, open up London and consolidate and grow LHR - bit of crystal ball gazing LGW flleet takes up VS
If this Covid problem is not solved PDQ, there will not be a full Heathrow again in the next ten years +. There will also be absolutely no necessity to expand at Gatwick, either. The world is staring into the abyss here. The virus will not, of itself, wipe out humanity; but its effect on the economy (through lockdowns etc.) will cause a depression the likes of which will seriously threaten social breakdown. All airlines are threatened with devastation - even if they get Government bail outs. How long will they be able to keep on bailing out the airlines if the virus is not beaten very quickly ? Not very long. I have great sympathy with BA (& all the rest); they have to try & survive - if they can; & they are all playing politics to help them achieve it. Also, there is NO question that BA are using this situation to try & shaft the staff (way over & above what they need to do to shore up their finances). On the other hand, the staff need to be as flexible as they can be & to realise that normal service - or anything remotely resembling normality - is not going to be resumed ; ever ! I wish you all the very best & the greatest luck in the world - & pray that BA & BALPA will achieve the fairest way to proceed.