Jaibird,
LOL.. yes think you saved your teeth by 24hrs as it starts 1st August.
Crewmeal,
I hope it is advertised properly, fares seem good and some good connections, and with only 18 Business Class seats ideal for BHX market share you would think..
In relation to the extension not being needed for this flight, well if I had researched properly I would have found that flight time to Delhi is about 8hrs 30 mins, and to Orlando, 8hrs 50 mins..
So if the current TOM 767 can make Orlando direct, then its not a problem for the AI 787 with probably less weight is it ? So I was wrong too.
We will have to therefore judge the extension, as its a long term investment against routes over 9 hours, and see in 20 yrs whether we have picked up enough such routes to claim it was worth it..it is silly to claim its a failure before it has a chance to prove itself.
Re Qatar , I certainly wouldn't rule it out yet, in fact a few crew that I know say their are strong rumours it will be starting soon.However whether crew have access to inside info that is 100% reliable I don't know.
The Air India announcement shows some full fare longish haul airlines are interested in BHX, that should add hope to our Qatar aspirations perhaps.
Nigel