HEATHROW
Longtimelurker
Join Date: Nov 1998
Location: killington Vt
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VAA slots for sale ???
London ?Land Grab? Looms as Branson Mulls Virgin Atlantic Fate - Bloomberg
What would this mean for VAA workers..??
What would this mean for VAA workers..??
From the article :
Ah yes. Would these "lucrative flights" be like the daily 777 flight that Air France started from Heathrow to LAX a year or so ago, which was an absolute financial fiasco for them ?
a “once-in-a-generation” chance for Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and Air France-KLM Group to grow at London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport.
The U.K. billionaire is considering options for his Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., whose 288 takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow are 3 percent of the total. A buyer would be able to use the slots to add lucrative flights to U.S. and Asian business markets
The U.K. billionaire is considering options for his Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., whose 288 takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow are 3 percent of the total. A buyer would be able to use the slots to add lucrative flights to U.S. and Asian business markets
Extra Easter flights
A significant advertising campaign has sprung up for Heathrow all across the London Underground in recent days, on posters and inside the carriages, describing all the improved resources being applied to the airport over the combined Easter and Wedding/May Day consecutive long weekends.
It opens with the surprising news that Heathrow will be operating 1500 extra flights over this time. That certainly got my attention and I looked hard to ensure I hadn't misread it. Yes, all the posters say 1500 extra flights. I wish I could find the ad on the web.
Now let us say that the whole two weekends span 10 days, including the middle days. And that the 1500 extra flights is counting both arrivals and departures. That's still 75 extra arrivals, and 75 departures, on every day of the 10 days.
I'm sure that operators into this desperately slot limited airport, with its constant holding prior to landing due to continuous maximum rate runway operations, where no meaningful extra slots have been available for a long time, every slot from curfew-off at 0600 to curfew on late in the evening is taken daily, and where a SINGLE slot pair has been said to trade for more than £25m, will no doubt be wondering where all this additional capacity has suddenly come from. And ops departments must surely be planning extra fuel for even longer inbound holding than normally.
But do you know, scrutiny of major carrier schedules over this time shows not a single extra service I can find. Not one, let alone 75 extra departures each and every day. So goodness knows how they will carry any extra passengers if they can't be booked.
Do you think BAA have made just a Teeny Weeny little exaggeration in their advertising ?
It opens with the surprising news that Heathrow will be operating 1500 extra flights over this time. That certainly got my attention and I looked hard to ensure I hadn't misread it. Yes, all the posters say 1500 extra flights. I wish I could find the ad on the web.
Now let us say that the whole two weekends span 10 days, including the middle days. And that the 1500 extra flights is counting both arrivals and departures. That's still 75 extra arrivals, and 75 departures, on every day of the 10 days.
I'm sure that operators into this desperately slot limited airport, with its constant holding prior to landing due to continuous maximum rate runway operations, where no meaningful extra slots have been available for a long time, every slot from curfew-off at 0600 to curfew on late in the evening is taken daily, and where a SINGLE slot pair has been said to trade for more than £25m, will no doubt be wondering where all this additional capacity has suddenly come from. And ops departments must surely be planning extra fuel for even longer inbound holding than normally.
But do you know, scrutiny of major carrier schedules over this time shows not a single extra service I can find. Not one, let alone 75 extra departures each and every day. So goodness knows how they will carry any extra passengers if they can't be booked.
Do you think BAA have made just a Teeny Weeny little exaggeration in their advertising ?
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dublin
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Delta to reduce LHR - Boston from 2 June after only starting the route a few weeks ago.
Up to 2 June
2 daily B764
From 2 June
1 daily B764
1 daily B757
Delta to Cut Capacity on Boston
Up to 2 June
2 daily B764
From 2 June
1 daily B764
1 daily B757
Delta to Cut Capacity on Boston
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: UK
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"I'm sure that operators into this desperately slot limited airport, with its constant holding prior to landing due to continuous maximum rate runway operations,"
Sorry whbm, but had a straight to left base from LAM the other friday evening. Less traumatic than a Westcott snatch, but still good fun and quite challenging to get the height and speed off. Even Nigel managed it a few callsigns behind us. All adds to ther drama of the place, what
Sorry whbm, but had a straight to left base from LAM the other friday evening. Less traumatic than a Westcott snatch, but still good fun and quite challenging to get the height and speed off. Even Nigel managed it a few callsigns behind us. All adds to ther drama of the place, what
Sorry whbm, but had a straight to left base from LAM the other friday evening. Less traumatic than a Westcott snatch, but still good fun and quite challenging to get the height and speed off. Even Nigel managed it a few callsigns behind us. All adds to ther drama of the place, what
I've had one or two there as pax myself. Of course when it happens it's then annoying to come within cricket ball-throwing distance of the gate at T5 and then wait 20 minutes for the ground crew to saunter up.However, Nubboy, was that you coming overhead my house (close to LCY) late last Friday with the speedbrakes all thrown out, and quite audible from the ground - like a Stuka !
In passing, didn't BA 38 (the 777 accident) unusually get a straight-in approach and so ran right down to finals with things throttled back, rather than some laps round Lambourne at warmer low level with the power on ?
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: UK
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Unlikely to have been me, maybe someone else found themselves short of track miles. Give me a time and I'll check my logbook
However a light A319 does not like going down and slowing down, so sometimes we put the gear out early to add drag.
However a light A319 does not like going down and slowing down, so sometimes we put the gear out early to add drag.
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Dublin
Age: 34
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Was driving between Ashford and Osterley today and noticed either a 767/777 in an old livery in front of a maintenance hangar which is next to the Jury's Inn. Is this a new aircraft in retro livery or just a very old plane... if so, what is it used for? Cheers, NC.
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: The Nether Region
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Too mean to buy a long personal title
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Berkshire, UK
Age: 79
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<<Less traumatic than a Westcott snatch>>
And I always thought you pilot chaps and chapesses liked them.... Scary bit was being the Heathrow North Director and saying "turn right 190, long base leg 09L" at exactly the time that the South man had snatched one off Midhurst!!
And I always thought you pilot chaps and chapesses liked them.... Scary bit was being the Heathrow North Director and saying "turn right 190, long base leg 09L" at exactly the time that the South man had snatched one off Midhurst!!
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Stafford
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Quite surprised to see Vietnam Airlines opting for Gatwick over Heathrow - I assume it's down to slots. Airlines such as Avianca, TAAG, LAN and Aerolineas Argentias have all been rumoured to starting up Heathrow for ages I've always wondered where all the slots would come from? Are there any slots avaliable or are they accounted for? What happened to CSA's when they pulled out?