BA and LHR need each other, both are joined at the hip. BA have nowhere else to go and LHR needs a large hub carrier to be based there. Expect that there will be some sort of accomodation. There is a deal to be done.
Not going to help LHR's case one bit. Think Willie is scared of easyJet
Not necessarily, unlike AF, LH, AA, DL and US, he ain’t scared of the ME3 and welcomes their competition. Could it be the same for U2? As mentioned above he has VY as an "attack dog".
What Willy W is really saying, as it appears the only way the R3 project is going to be financed is by a hefty chunk from the airlines, then as BA has 50% of the LHR movements then ego 50% of the airline cash is required from BA. He has said repeatedly he will not be putting money into the project. So it will have to be government money, have they any?
Not really a problem, it will be passed on to pax (by all LHR carriers) and they will swallow it, because as we all know, pax,
especially premium pax, want to be at LHR.
No such guarantee would exist if it was LGW charging pax for a new rwy.
Probably a negotiating ploy by Willie Walsh.
A very significant percentage of BA traffic is actually inter Europe point to point and the current disruptive forces of flexible fares operators including Eayjet pose more threat to BA than even the ME3 and competing alliances via their own hub and spoke systems in the London markets.
Easy jet are no mino to be ignored -
In fact IAG know threat very well and Vueling are the tool to attack and destabilize this market.
Exactly, expect a huge presence of VY at LHR once U2 move in.
I think the point that anothertyke was making is that ultimately it's the consumer that pays HAL's charges, through air fares.
Clearly, but isn’t that the case at all airports? This is why governments jump on the bandwagon with the likes of APD.
Easyjet tend to shy away from pressure quickly and at LHR you and themselves would be mistaken if only EZY will enter LHR, EZY will have their own fight at LHR not just with BA. Didn't take long to drive them out o Rome or at least a big slice of operations and be sure FR and Vueling will be there as well and FR may say no now but it will happen.
Fair comment,
maybe add BE and BD regional to the list, but don't think we'll see FR at LHR. LHR can't provide quick enough turnarounds and taxiing times would be too long and LHR won't provide a dedicated no-frills terminal. Same as CDG and FRA which are also no-go airports for FR. U2 and BE are very different operations.