Quote: "It is also true that there has been nothing stopping BA launching new routes to Asia if it really wanted to do. What doesn't help BA in Asia is:
a) LHR's position in Western Europe means it is not placed to pick up connecting trafffic from mailand Europe like transatlantic; and
All of Europe's five major hubs are in the west of the continent, in fact four of the five are remarkably close to eachother!
Quote: "b) Lack of local partners to provide onward connections and distribute BA's flights in the local market to private and corporate customers.
BA is evidently making a push into Asia with Seoul and Chengdu but it has always been clear it needs the support of local partners. It claims the codesharing with JAL and Tokyo routes is already helping to drive up traffic."
Yes, this is the main point. JL and CX are BA's only local (Oneworld) partners in Asia, so HKG has the highest frequencies and BA goes to both NRT and HND in Tokyo.
China is mostly Skyteam territory, and south east Asia is mostly Star Alliance, BKK, SIN, etc., so adequate connectivity at the LHR end of BA's Asia routes is critically important.
Quote: "This is true if you are visiting offices in Kings Cross and happen to live next to Leeds train station (poor you). However, there are not many people in that category.
At our offices in the Heathrow/Thames valley area we have a periodic day visitor from Leeds, who was a regular on the old BMI service until it stopped a few years ago. Firstly he now had to drive in from the outer suburbs to central Leeds, passing close to LBA on the way, this is unreliable in journey time in the morning peak and congested, once he missed the train because of this, and he needs to allow well over an hour. Then find a car park, which few central train stations are well endowed with.
Arriving at Kings Cross (the train journey alone having taken twice as long as the flight did, of course, even taking a couple of circuits of Bovingdon into account), it is standing/squashing/watch your pockets on the Underground to Paddington, even on those occasions it is not disorganised, wait for next train from there, jog trot out towards Berkshire, taxi for final stretch. His experience is this is way less reliable that the old flight arrangements.
On returning to Leeds in the evening you are apparently quite lucky to find your car has not been broken into/damaged by the undesirables who haunt the streets between the station and the parking. He says his daughter would not go into central Leeds late in the evening.
The rail fares from Leeds to Kings Cross alone on business hour trains are considerably more expensive than flights used to be (or are going to be with BA).
So that's why people don't "get the bloody train". Rail travel in Britain, 21st century style."
Exactly, nicely put, WHBM, it's the same for those who live near LHR, and it will be the same with "high speed" trains.
Journeys are different and people need choice, it's a case of rail and road and air, it's not "either/or". If it's practical to provide the choice, as in the case of BA LHR-LBA, it should not be criticised.