Originally Posted by
Snodderz
You can't blame LBIA for that. Sure, it's altitude and location do cause a higher frequency of weather related diversions/cancellations, however, not on this occasion.
That particular flight arrived at the LBIA hold with over 70 mins of holding fuel available. How long did he hold for, roughly 45 minutes? Whilst other aircraft were landing, he then set off back to LHR. Why? Why not MAN, LPL, NCL, MME or another Yorkshire airport - DSA? Why wouldn't they divert into DSA and set you off on a quick coach journey to LBIA? On top of that, why would they return to LHR, which was suffering from long delays due to heavy winds?
British Airways wanted their aircraft back in LHR as soon as possible, due to the aforementioned delays. BA had already cancelled flights for later on in the day. One of these cancelled flights was the early afternoon LHR-LBA rotation. So not only have they not taken you anywhere, they've cancelled the next flight to your destination.
Less than 10 minutes after the BA decided to return to Heathrow, visibility was up to 3000. BA's indecisiveness and preferential routing are what caused yesterdays delays and cancellations. Not LBIA. So don't try and use their mistakes as a discredit to LBIA, or Yorkshire.
Let me take some time to explain why you are 100% incorrect snodderz.
Firstly you are mixing up two separate issues; Operational decisions by Airlines and Inability of airports to handle flights.
The point is if the BA had been able to make an approach and landing at the destination it was intended to land at it would not have had to divert anywhere. The amount of time it spent holding over LBA is irrelevant (the aircraft also had to hold over NW London). An airport built at a lower elevation would not have had the associated thick low cloud (the vale of York was 10km or more). If an airport is unable to accept an aircraft for whatever reason then it has 100% failed at providing the service it is intended for. BA could have diverted their plane to Timbuktu if they had so desired. The origin of the failure is the airport and that is where the buck stops. It stops at Leeds Bradford Airport and it goes absolutely nowhere else.
It is not the airports that rule anymore it is the airlines. Provide a fit and proper operative, efficient airport and you have a chance at attracting the airlines. The more the inefficiency and failure of an airport to its job the more chance the airlines will turn their backs. Do you think the owners of LBA will be criticising BA for only holding for 3/4 of an hour? No airline wants to spend valuable time and money doing circles at 9000 ft above the airport where they are meant to be arriving at.
This is why Yorkshire and Leeds city region needs an airport that is not built at the highest elevation in the country because it causes a huge amount of inefficiency and failure. In a nutshell the airport is very far from ideal (as the previous operators of the airport have stated). It is not just one issue - it is a long list. Elevation and associated weather being just one of the issues that affect the operation of LBA.