Given the amount of traffic EK and others have taken from the regions outside M25 on that route, I would think further Australia flights a dead duck for BA.
Maybe non-stop service with a premium heavy 787 might work in terms of Perth and I suggest they should buy Qantas’s slots/route authorities at LHR (because they might as well give up the Kangaroo Route altogether, since they have effectively handed their customer base to Emirates), which would mean 1 slot would be released and they would return to Melbourne
Maybe they were indulging in a bit of nostalgia, since once upon a time BA served all of those. PER has cropped up recently in rumours surrounding possible 787 destination but IMHO there's not a snowballs chance in hell that you'll see BA back to any of those places anytime in the future. I suspect BA are only continuing to serve SYD because of the termination of the Joint Service Agreement with QF.
Like I said, I am not sure how reliable this info is to be honest, but PER would work if the 787 was premium heave and could do it non-stop, MEL could also work (since it is growing rather fast in terms of an airline destination) if they find SYD viable
To an extent that is possibly true, BA has to "guard the hub" and look to the future. Certainly have no objections to a BA nonstop TPE (or as a HKG add-on as before) in principle, but would not expect it to be at the top of any wish list, precisely because of the easy transfer at HKG with CX.
Looking over the longer term, a better use of the slots could be: SGN, especially if it's up and running before VN move from LGW to LHR-4; JKT; SCL; LIM; increased frequencies to MEX, PVG, PEK, GRU, GIG; other cities in China, Brazil; cities in many other up and coming parts of Asia, South America and Africa; plus more domestic feeder links to help ensure the viability of some of these new routes (the hub principle).
I suggest that they should launch more routes to South America, North Africa, East Asia/China, South East Asia, South Asia, East Africa, Middle East and maybe even Europe (for hub connections), but most of all Domestic (British Isles), but to do that they need to buy a lot more slots at both LHR and LGW
Remember LH/LX/OS/SN is allowed to hold 70% of the slots at FRA and similar amounts (any idea of getting exact figures?) at MUC and ZRH, BA holds 52.5% at LHR and 15% at LGW, so they could have no problem adding a lot more slots legally
Currently in Saigon (HCM) and came in via EK and DXB. Flight was 777 2 class which seemed quite full. Business class 90% with a number of English accents and talking to crew EK appear pleased with this new route. However as you have posted BA are not very go ahead with new routes and days of trailblazing appear to be behind them.
They are planning to launch new routes (Seoul and Leeds for example), but the problem is that even buying BMI (which adding a lot more routes to their network) they need more slots at both LHR and LGW
Maybe those English accents had taken advantage of EK's excellent flights from the regions and chose a stop half way rather than have to trek down to LGW. One stop via Dubai to me was fine when I went to Ho Chi Minh rather than 1 stop in London or a train/car ride down
In the fear of starting the usual discussion I would remind you not everyone wants to fly from the South East.
Remember fair number of those “English” people would come from the South East as well…
As a Londoner, I would say a lot of people in the area don’t want to fly from LHR/LGW either! 
But it is of benefit to Britain if we have more of those passengers of flights of British Airlines, because remember, all that money going to EK is going towards Dubai
I live in Yorkshire in UK, and BA jst cut Gatwick shuttle from MAN so VN not option. Have used them here on this trip, and in the past and have had no problems with them. However still prefer EK and change in DXB rather than Gatwick, and probably not even when they move to LHR T4 where VN are moving to I am told out here. Service ok but not yet comparable with Gulf or SQ for me.
I though BA’s scrapping of Aberdeen and Manchester was a mistake considering that it could become a hub for new routes (that face no competition from LHR) such as Saigon until LHR is expanded
You still can fly from some of the regions to LGW and connect to VN, it keeps the money and jobs in the UK.
Do Vietnam have LHR slots then for T4? Do tell...
That number has declined over recent times, just recently Aberdeen and Manchester went, I feel that BA should set a base for routes to new and current destinations (that either face no competition or no competition at LHR) at LGW until LHR is expanded and to make it work, it would be a lot more flights to regional destinations
Vietnam Airlines currently has no slots at LHR and if it wants to, it would have to pay a fortune for that to happen…
Not yet, but it is the likely outcome, they're sitting in the LGW waiting room at present. Let's hope they don't have to wait as long as CZ.
Maybe if DL buy into VS and slots have to be divested....
The trouble is that those slots don’t come cheap for a start, also I doubt if AF/KL/DL would have to divest slots if they buy VS, maybe from slots they don’t need once they take apart the airline
Willie Walsh reportedly told a recent conference that
“my personal belief that a third runway will never be built” and that “we are planning for life without it.
What are the options? Stagnation, buying rivals for their slots, expanding services from other UK airports, starting longhaul services from hubs outside the UK?
Stagnation seems unlikely; buying rivals could soon run into regulatory problems; the Openskies experience suggests that the last of my options is unlikely to be an immediate success.
That leaves expansion elswhere in the UK, but where? Withdrawal from the MAN-LGW route suggests that LGW can be ruled out. So is BA going to challenge the growing presence of foreign carriers on long-haul routes from the UK regions?
I think he made that remark on Question Time…
The only way they are going to compete with its rivals is buying buying a lot more slots at both LHR and LGW, at LHR, they should look at Aer Lingus, TAM, Qantas, Finnair and Cathay Pacific (maybe Royal Jordan, Qatar Airways and Japan Airlines) as well for a start (along with buying Virgin Atlantic), as for LGW, they need look at Easyjet, Aer Lingus and Flybe
For LHR what BA need to do is launch more flights to the regions and Europe to allow better connections for its medium and long haul flights, they should also launch new routes (ones that either face competition from LHR or are the most profitable) towards South America, North Africa, East Asia/China, South East Asia, South Asia, East Africa, Middle East and Europe
At LGW, that is where the real change is, not only (via Easyjet, Flybe etc) would they gain routes Domestic and Europe wise, but they should launch most of the new routes (that face no competition at LHR) to the areas stated above, now remember this is only for the short and will move to LHR once it is expanded enough to fit those flights
Remember LH/LX/OS/SN is allowed to hold 70% of the slots at FRA and similar amounts (any idea of getting exact figures?) at MUC and ZRH, BA holds 52.5% at LHR and 15% at LGW, so they could have no problem adding a lot more slots legally
As for the UK regions, I don’t see it happening as long as a big chuck of the wealth and population of the UK is in the South East, remember LCCs have reduced yield to a extent that is its financially impossible for BA to offer anything more than to London and Medium-Long Haul is Hub-Spoke (hence done by overseas airlines), which make then viable
BA had a change to create and fortify a “Northern” Hub/Focus city of some sort at Manchester, but blew it and doing it now would not be worth it financially, Manchester is best served OW wise by overseas members
Pretty soon I wont be able to fly there from my local airport, and a short hop to LGW to conenct with a foreign carrier is hardly going to contribute massively to the UK economy. And to counter the argument foreign carriers flying to airports outside the South East are bringing money into those economies that would otherwise be funnelled to the one region that needs it the least. The economic benefit argument works both ways
If you fly with a UK airline to a hub from the regions, it provide a small (but not unimportant) economic benefit to the UK, since the money you pay for those flights (the flight itself and the connecting flight) will go towards an airline that pays taxes (which we all benefit from) in the UK, if you use it towards a overseas airline, the most they are going to pay is the airport fees, the rest goes towards their home country
It a shame it has happened…
It is said that frequency is everything. (Continental, now United, certainly seems to think so on the Newark route, those liking twin aisle aircraft might think otherwise.) BA's offer to certain middle east destinations such as Doha and Muscat does not appear attractive. Qatar operates four daily non-stops flights to Doha, BA a single one stop flight which cannot be attractive to the business traveller. Now that Qatar has joined OneWorld do you see this continuing? One problem with a codeshare is that T5 is full and a transfer to T4 is not ideal, but its probbaly liveable with.
Now that Oman operates a daily non stop from LHR might it be worth BA operating non stop with a 321? Some of the slots could come from reducing TLV to double daily.
I suggest Qatar should sell their slots at LHR to BA, who can then release some slots that can be used for new routes (although BA’s LHR-DOH service would still have a codeshare from Qatar)
As for LHR-Muscat, currently (looking at BA’s fleet), it can be done by A319, A320 (just) and 767-300ER
In the future (based on what BA is ordering or could order), it can be done by A319neo, A320neo, A321neo, Boeing 787-8 and Boeing 787-9
Do you think there is enough demand for a 767/787 or would an A319 do?
Manchester is not the way forward to fix the problem of the UK’s Airport capacity because a big chuck of the wealth and population of the UK is in the South East, remember LCCs have reduced yield to a extent that is its financially impossible for BA to offer anything more than to London and Medium-Long Haul is Hub-Spoke (hence done by overseas airlines), which make then viable
BA should expand at LHR and LGW by buying additional slots at both airports until LHR is expanded
Last edited by BALHR; 7th Dec 2012 at 12:17.