Fairdealfrank,
I don't think it is misinformation, but thanks. So if BA want to launch a new route where do the slots come from, this statement would suggest that there are slots available? They clearly are using all slots at the moment?
Despite BD’s Heathrow slots being asset stripped by the LH group (14% of LHR slots reduced to 8%), the amount of slots inherited by BA should not be underestimated.
This "windfall" came before several new longhaul aircraft are delivered, so several point-to-point shorthaul holiday routes from LHR have been introduced in the interim. Some may call them slot sitters (couldn't possibly comment on this), and when those slots are needed for longhaul, these routes may shift to LGW/LCY.
Moreover, come the end of September, BA get another 9 slot pairs from VS when they close LHR-EDI and LHR-ABZ.
My view is not any less valid than yours.
No, it isn’t!
With both airlines being part of the same organisation, my view is that it is completely plausible as it was between 1991 and 2012, that EI was the BA feeder ex Dublin, and BA not serving the route. Fewer flights with larger aircraft is completely workable, i.e. 321's across say 17/18 services offering the same capacity apart from freeing up slots (which you say they are not short of if required), is lower cost and more efficient way of using resources. Couple that with BA not having a base in Dublin could make the business case stronger. This is a scenario that I see as realistic, though I hope it is not.
Thick shorthaul trunk routes need frequency, apart from anything else, business pax demand it. So apart from the circumstances outlined before (BA and EI flights leaving at the same time), most BA and EI on LHR-DUB would probably remain.
Maybe one carrier would do all the flights with the other’s flight numbers on as well, but this isn’t the case on LHR-MAD where both BA and IB are on the route.
Yes this is correct, but I was citing BCN as an example of where BA have moved to an exclusing position. I think BA would have a far greater interesting in being part of LHR MAD in order to access a market that they do not currently serve as comprehensively as IB, i.e. south America. BA service to Dublin will aim to feed passengers to the US as almost all of the destinations are duplicates and as I said earlier, when BA vacated ROI, EI filled the space excellently codeshares in place via London.
I am not suggesting for a second that DUB LHR is a loss maker for BA, I am simply expressing that efficiencies to be achieved by consolidating their position, less flights, bigger aircraft , i.e. 321s rather than 319s and broadly gain the same capacity still at very regular frequencies.
In a position where IAG owns both carriers, there certainly are economies to be achieves, and equally on BHD LHR where loads a far from high, often only in the 60%'s, there is case that EI could be done without or BA for that matter, doesn't mean that either carriers are losing money. There is a commercial logic in rationalising the operation, as has been the case on BCN LHR....
Good points, but does it matter how it's done? No other carrier would want to do the route, so surrendering slots on LHR-DUB to a third (non-IAG) carrier wouldn't be an issue.
Anyone notice how quiet VS has been about this?!
Of course it's about the LHR slots. This is IAG setting itself up in anticipation of a "NO" decision on LHR R3. If or when that happens there is no way IAG is going to continue running 21 plus flights a day on LHR-DUB ad infinitum.
It’s about slots in one respect only: IAG wouldn’t want someone else to grab the EI LHR slots. For the foreseeable, the slots remain allocated on LHR-DUB, LHR-ORK and LHR-SNN, it’s part of the agreement with the Irish government. In the longer term, who knows?
EI short haul product is very similar to VY - pay on board food, baggage fees, seat selection fees etc. Only difference is VY have more bases and possibly a lower cost base.
True, but EI is also more like the former BD:
(1) mostly a shorthaul carrier but also some longhaul routes;
(2) pay on board for various things on shorthaul, but not on longhaul;
(3) separate regional section separate from mainline.
When Little Red ceases its flights to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, the only domestic flights at T2 will be Aer Lingus to Belfast. Is it likely that BA will take over these flights and transfer the slots (under the agreement with the Irish Government, these slots need only be retained for an Irish route, not a specific one) to itself at T5, compensating by transferring 3 Dublin flights to Aer Lingus at T2?
EI’s LHR-BHD are UK domestic, not a UK-(Republic of) Ireland route. Why would it be any concern of the Irish government?
Think EI would move to LHR-5 if part of IAG, it would be stupid not to, especially as the common travel area arrivals section is now established there.