For your info, the short runways at CDG are for short-haul aircraft. You could try taking off in a 747, but the results might be interesting. Glad you are not in aviation.
silverstrata, this is what you said. The outer runways are NOT for short haul aircraft, they are for landing aircraft as I said. You could take off a B744 from the short runway depending how far it was going. There is no absolute distinction in the runways between short and long haul aircraft though they use mixed mode as well.
Your rant about domestic access to Heathrow rather ignores the fact that English domestic flying into London almost ceased overnight when the East and West coast rail lines were upgraded. Indeed VLM's very profitable LCY-MAN and LCY-LPL ended abruptly soon after. STN-PIK has closed as has GLA-LHR on BD, which carried the codeshare of 14 STAR partners. Perhaps not a goldmine? BA's LHR-MAN is long haul feeder by any other name these days, whereas GLA and EDI have a good point to point and feeder mix.
BD's MME and LBA-LHR services also closed as the P2P traffic went to the railways where the hassle factor was much less.
Is that just my eyes, or are you talking rot again?
OK, please re-read what I have said above and stop insulting me, play the ball and not the man.
And yes, I have also seen a 747 landing on the short - but I did not say that, did I. I said taking off on the short, which would be most interesting.
It seems the "short" runway is 2700m long. Are you really a B767 pilot? The reason I ask is that, for the East Coast US, that would do? We have the B747-400 going as far as GLA-MCO off 2665m every week, including cargo. Believe me sir, it doesn't lift off on the piano keys either so I am baffled why a real professional pilot wouldn't know that. *cough*
Because LHR is so limited in arrivals, it does not have so much domestic - AND IS THEREFORE MISSING OUT ON A GREAT DEAL OF INTERLINING TRAFFIC.
Why do you think that people now fly to AMS or CDG to pick up a State-side flight? Because it is so damn difficult to get a cheap flight into LHR - whereas Easyjet and BMI-B fly direct to CDG and AMS.
No one would want to fly GLA-LHR-CDG if they could fly GLA-CDG direct, which they can. The market does not behave like this anymore and trying to expand based on cheap flights from Europe to the regions is not commercially viable. Against Ryanair and easyJet? Are you serious? If you are suggesting people connect via AMS and CDG to fly to the US, they use KLM or AF, not the locos you quoted, so what you're saying is dislocated and not accurate as BMI baby and easyJet are in no way relevant to flying to the US, you cannot connect on either airline.
And since people are trying to make a 'problem' out of this imaginary Thames fog, this is an issue that needs addressing.
It might look imaginary from LA but since I couldn't see the top of 1 Canada Square this morning, and there were a load of go arounds last night when I was at LCY (on the Thames in case you were wondering) I think it might be real...
But it does not slow down traffic if you have sufficient capacity. If you have another runway you can open for Low Vis procedures, of if your average spacing is 10 nm anyway, then Low Vis procedures make no difference and there are no delays and cancellations because of fog.
You are seriously suggesting we have a spare runway, we use maybe one weeka year? Is there any way perhaps that the South East of England is NOT in any way like DFW? Please stop using CAPs as well, being shouty doesn't make you right.