GA will be interesting, as they have a long history of ops from LGW (albeit with an enforced break in recent years).
My feeling is that it would make more sense, and be a more valuable use of an LHR slot if they were operating direct to CGK (rather than via AMS as per the current LGW op).
This could become viable with numbers of premium pax and availability of connections at LHR.
Pabely - I think you misunderstood. By "GA" I mean Garuda Indonesia, who recently re-started ops from LGW (to Jakarta, via Amsterdam).
So did I in the original comment about that carrier.
However much spin the bosses at Gatwick put on it the airport has been and always will be the waiting room for Heathrow in terms of long haul scheduled destinations end of. Shudder to think if Heathrow gets a third runway - very very doubtful in my opinion - what would Gatwick look like - no BA for starters?
No VS either?
Given Vietnam Air is a member of Skyteam, their natural European hub is presumably Paris. This is reinforced by the fact France ruled Vietnam as a colony for many years, meaning trade and cultural ties are present along with a large Vietnamese community in France.
It would seem a little perverse for passengers outside the UK or Ireland to choose to connect in London unless said passengers have a love of backtracking. I don't therefore see what Heathrow really adds to Vietnam Airlines that Gatwick cannot provide, apart from higher costs and the magic prestige dust that comes with flying to Heathrow.
Anyone able to counter this opinion ?
(1) Pax are unworried about back-tracking and doing dog-legs. If they were, EK, EY and QR would not be as successful as they are.
Almost all connections on these carriers involve going the "long way round" via DXB, AUH and DOH.
Check it out on great circle mapper if you think this is wrong.
(2) What LHR offers VN (and others) that LGW cannot are premium pax and the availability of connections. Simple as that.