British Airways Citiexpress
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British Airways Citiexpress
What ever next...
Come on. By changing the name, changing the onboard service to a 'pay for food and drink' scheme, removing Club Class and slashing fares by up to 40%, do the well educated people at BA Mainline (the owners) really think that they are onto a winner?
You cannot operate a 'Low frills' operation with 3 different aircraft types.
You cannot go from a 'full service' operation to a 'low frills' overnight, slashing fares and still be handled on the ground by your parent company who charges highly inflated prices, and who offers many nice things to both its passengers and staff (ie executive lounges, staff travel - too many overheards) Where is the revenue going to come from, and go to?
Maybe the rumours going round that a certain handling company is in the running to handle BA Connect at UK regional stations, have some foundation as its clear that BA Mainline dont want to have the mill-stone round their neck anylonger. Mr Willie 'Wonka' Walsh is making it clear that the new outfit has 1 year to prove itself, something many people say is impossible. Just another attempt at BA trying to get out of all ties with domestic UK and certain shorthaul routes, while it concentrates on the 'Jewel in the crown' - Heathrow and T5.
It really is laughable!
Come on. By changing the name, changing the onboard service to a 'pay for food and drink' scheme, removing Club Class and slashing fares by up to 40%, do the well educated people at BA Mainline (the owners) really think that they are onto a winner?
You cannot operate a 'Low frills' operation with 3 different aircraft types.
You cannot go from a 'full service' operation to a 'low frills' overnight, slashing fares and still be handled on the ground by your parent company who charges highly inflated prices, and who offers many nice things to both its passengers and staff (ie executive lounges, staff travel - too many overheards) Where is the revenue going to come from, and go to?
Maybe the rumours going round that a certain handling company is in the running to handle BA Connect at UK regional stations, have some foundation as its clear that BA Mainline dont want to have the mill-stone round their neck anylonger. Mr Willie 'Wonka' Walsh is making it clear that the new outfit has 1 year to prove itself, something many people say is impossible. Just another attempt at BA trying to get out of all ties with domestic UK and certain shorthaul routes, while it concentrates on the 'Jewel in the crown' - Heathrow and T5.
It really is laughable!
Re: British Airways Citiexpress
BA have already played the lo-co game and it was called 'Go'. They decided it wasn't their bag and dumped it. I personally feel that BACX is being lined up by management to 'fail' (i.e. difficult to compete in the market with established lo-co players) and then dumped, got-rid-of, whatever.
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Re: British Airways Citiexpress
From my experience of 18 months flying RJ100s out of BHX and MAN, BACX is even more disfunctional than Mainline! As if it weren't bad enough on it's own, it gets pulled in different directions by the parent company, getting stuck with pilots and CC on different contracts and different working practices. I know the pilot secondees have different pay, but at least they fly to the same FTL scheme and ruleset as the BACX contract pilots. Compare that with the mainline CC that they inherited at BHX and MAN. Madness! And the station ground staff at MAN are about the most demotivated bunch of individuals I've ever come across (apart from the drivers who are a great bunch). No wonder BA want to subcontract them all out of work!
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Re: British Airways Citiexpress
It could work if the people who currently work at BACityexpress make it work!!
I.e. Turnaround times cut, cabin tidy up by crew, boarding by crew, the list goes on and on.
People actually want an alternative to the other LCC's.
IF the fares are what they say they will be and available, I think the flexibilty and the seat allocation and on-line part is more attractive to Jo Pub !!!
Lets cheer them on !!!
I.e. Turnaround times cut, cabin tidy up by crew, boarding by crew, the list goes on and on.
People actually want an alternative to the other LCC's.
IF the fares are what they say they will be and available, I think the flexibilty and the seat allocation and on-line part is more attractive to Jo Pub !!!
Lets cheer them on !!!
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Re: British Airways Citiexpress
This is what Ryanair have to say about it!!!
BA CONNECT – JUST ANOTHER BRITISH AIRWAYS RIP-OFF
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline today (10th Jan 2006) welcomed BA Connect as just the latest British Airways rip-off.
Ryanair has checked BA Connect / CitiExpress’ fares and found:
BA Connect’s fares range from £25 to £110 which make them 5 times higher than Ryanair’s fares.
BA Connect applies fuel surcharges
BA Connect is using British Airways oldest, smallest and slowest aircraft
BA Connect will offer BA’s awful punctuality
Peter Sherrard, Ryanair’s Head of Communications said:
“BA Connect is just the latest BA rip off. As Willie Walsh, himself says, “Our current performance is unacceptable”.*
“Passengers will continue to choose Ryanair because they can travel for a fraction of the price charged by BA Connect to more destinations on younger aircraft and “no fuel surcharges” guaranteed”.
BA CONNECT – JUST ANOTHER BRITISH AIRWAYS RIP-OFF
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline today (10th Jan 2006) welcomed BA Connect as just the latest British Airways rip-off.
Ryanair has checked BA Connect / CitiExpress’ fares and found:
BA Connect’s fares range from £25 to £110 which make them 5 times higher than Ryanair’s fares.
BA Connect applies fuel surcharges
BA Connect is using British Airways oldest, smallest and slowest aircraft
BA Connect will offer BA’s awful punctuality
Peter Sherrard, Ryanair’s Head of Communications said:
“BA Connect is just the latest BA rip off. As Willie Walsh, himself says, “Our current performance is unacceptable”.*
“Passengers will continue to choose Ryanair because they can travel for a fraction of the price charged by BA Connect to more destinations on younger aircraft and “no fuel surcharges” guaranteed”.
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Re: British Airways Citiexpress
I would hope that BAC survives intact with this temporary fix. However, this may be to little to late. BAC needs some new aircraft with greater capicity to make a sucess of this. Bring out the EMB190.
Re: British Airways Citiexpress
I wonder how many Business Class (or whatever Imperial Airways calls it these days) passengers will still choose to fly with ba ConAir when this new 'product' 
is 'rolled out'? They'd put up with a cramped flight in a 145 if fed and watered well, but as Econopax having to pay for as yet unknown standards of catering? Somehow I don' think so.
is 'rolled out'? They'd put up with a cramped flight in a 145 if fed and watered well, but as Econopax having to pay for as yet unknown standards of catering? Somehow I don' think so.
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Re: British Airways Citiexpress
Beagle,
You are of course not known for your pro-BA stance - if you read the posts on the related thread you will see that most customers agree you will be less cramped on an EMB-145 than a 190 seat 737 and you will certainly get on and off much quicker.
You are of course not known for your pro-BA stance - if you read the posts on the related thread you will see that most customers agree you will be less cramped on an EMB-145 than a 190 seat 737 and you will certainly get on and off much quicker.
Re: British Airways Citiexpress
Porky, yes, I freely admit that I am no fan of the ba management who were responsible for the despicable 'Dirty Tricks' era.
But Brymon deserved considerable praise.
ba ConAir will need to have some USP to attract Business Class pax, although you're probably right that the ERJ-145 is less cramped than Lufthansa's horrid little CRJ-200s with their 2 seats per side. But the ConAir BAe146 will have the unpopular middle seat for Business Class passengers, whereas Lufthansa Regional keep the middle seat empty for Business Class travellers....and provide free catering, of course. At a price - but probably a price that someone else will be paying?
I was considering switching to BACX after the latest Lufthansa imetable fiasco, but not now that the 'product' is being dumbed-down.
But Brymon deserved considerable praise.
ba ConAir will need to have some USP to attract Business Class pax, although you're probably right that the ERJ-145 is less cramped than Lufthansa's horrid little CRJ-200s with their 2 seats per side. But the ConAir BAe146 will have the unpopular middle seat for Business Class passengers, whereas Lufthansa Regional keep the middle seat empty for Business Class travellers....and provide free catering, of course. At a price - but probably a price that someone else will be paying?
I was considering switching to BACX after the latest Lufthansa imetable fiasco, but not now that the 'product' is being dumbed-down.
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Re: British Airways Citiexpress
Sitting here in the tower, potentially its good news as long as:
.
1) It lowers airfares (especially at BHX)
2) Keeps the movement figures up.
3) Keeps you guys in jobs.
.
The key to it will be its employees. They must buy into the concept of LCCs. If they dont, it will be a BUM potch-up of an outfit.
.
www.egbb.co.uk
BBB
.
1) It lowers airfares (especially at BHX)
2) Keeps the movement figures up.
3) Keeps you guys in jobs.
.
The key to it will be its employees. They must buy into the concept of LCCs. If they dont, it will be a BUM potch-up of an outfit.
.
www.egbb.co.uk
BBB
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How correct is the ppjn indication of the Dash 8 fleet expansion for BACX? I wonder if this will still go ahead or whether BA connect will think about using something larger (737?) to compete with the likes of easy, ryan etc.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
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The Boeing 737 (4/500) has been rumoured to be going to BAcitiexpress for a while now, but the sticking point (one of them) is the fltightdeck crew pay. Birdseed Airways were not prepared to pay the citiexpress guys the same as mainline.
The B737 fleet may yet go to 'a subsiduary' as the summer schedule shows yet more Airbus flights T/F LGW on the domestic network, including the last one out of LGW in the evening to EDI (nightstop), and the first one out in the morning. Its listed as an A319 which is Y126 comapred to a B737-400 with Y146.
The B737 fleet may yet go to 'a subsiduary' as the summer schedule shows yet more Airbus flights T/F LGW on the domestic network, including the last one out of LGW in the evening to EDI (nightstop), and the first one out in the morning. Its listed as an A319 which is Y126 comapred to a B737-400 with Y146.
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BA Connect, becoming known as Bacon. Is this a pre-cursor of the big carve up? The Locos a t BHX are wetting themselves over who's going to pick what route off the Bacon carcass.... If I was at Bacon, I'd be reaching for the big black and yellow handle...
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Elixir,
"and we all know Ryanair's publicity machine can be thoroughly trusted don't we!" Dis-information when spouted long and loud enough has always been a powerful tool. You only need to look at Germany in the late 1930's to see that. Journalist's, lawyer's and Ryanair's marketing department. What a better world this would be without them.
In response to the the thread however. Although it is with some skeptisism that I view the proposals, I hope for the sake of the employees, there is some success.
"and we all know Ryanair's publicity machine can be thoroughly trusted don't we!" Dis-information when spouted long and loud enough has always been a powerful tool. You only need to look at Germany in the late 1930's to see that. Journalist's, lawyer's and Ryanair's marketing department. What a better world this would be without them.
In response to the the thread however. Although it is with some skeptisism that I view the proposals, I hope for the sake of the employees, there is some success.