MARK 101
I can assure you connecting over CDG/OLY is not accepted in much of France , However even with TGVs there remains a core domestic market for day returns to the capital to supplement onward connection banks. French regionals notably Nantes, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseilles and Nice have a differing dynamic when it comes to international traffic flows to that of the UK - Focused on the Francophone world and the Megreb no surprises. And there remains a healthy competition for traffic by none other than Easyjet while the AF/KL group and partners continue to operate a reasonable domestic network of routes avoiding Paris completely and the Transavia brand provides substantial international traffic from the regions for the AFKL business .
Being “forced” over Paris isn’t the reality it first seems.
The animosity to BA|(IAG) is now steeped in the fog of time among those in the late forties and above that might remember dirty tactics obfuscation and indeed deceitful behaviour to block competition ( well carriers stealing their jewels perhaps ).
The carrier made huge mistakes in the rapidly liberalised markets particularly from the regions, including wrong sizes aircraft unsustainable frequencies and high fares. Continuing to target foreign long haul operators head on where they saw threats. While competitors and the flexible fares ( non network) airlines were rapidly eating their lunch and offering a vast array of point to point routes and affordable fares.
The development of the alliances ( which allegedly removed Qantas, and Cathay for some years) was another way to control traffic and manipulate customer choice to accept inconvenienced multi stop long haul often with a promise of a discounted flight at some later date across the superhubs.
Well this concept was imported from the US domestic market where it functions to allow the big three to operate railway type service in a vast country - Fundamentally its domestic with a few international links as an add on.
BA closed regional services and tried to apply similar approach to within EU traffic and in general that bit hasn’t worked .
Indeed it took external (NONE UK) legal changes to allow much of the genuine growth seen in the last thirty five years, and more so the last fifteen years without BA .
US/EU Openskys and the European single aviation market , the EU openskys treaties with Morocco and Israel, and the UAE bilateral have been the key.
Right now through we have COVID19, we have the changed European status the impact of the end of freedom of movement for EU citizens and a weakened US service agreement to overcome- these will also effect the UK hub in Slough Windsor Spelthorne and Hounslow !
In my opinion aviation is going to be hit for some years ahead from the UK even as we return to some sort of societal normality in 2022 and beyond.
Forget 30 million indeed forget 25 million terminal passengers for Manchester for some years .
The industry has convulsed and the scars and negative economic impacts will be deep and long lasting
In the UK we now have fewer players than at anytime since the fifties; not particularly healthy yet tragically there are some that want the only carrier able to keep BA remotely honest to fail.
Rant over .
Last edited by Rutan16; 24th Mar 2021 at 07:44.