British Airways
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Soon to be out of the EU.
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easyJet manage to fit 186Y in their new and retrofitted A320s. The seats are comfy enough for what they do and space isn't an issue. I'd say this is a good move in addition to removing free catering. The 0.0001% of you'll lose will soon be replaced.
Maybe they should have just kept GO & closed down BA short haul?
Won't affect me too much as they have long been on my "avoid if you can" list.
It shouldn't be all about price- if it was, we'd all be shopping at Primark & IKEA & there would be no need for Selfridges. ( other stores are available)
Won't affect me too much as they have long been on my "avoid if you can" list.
It shouldn't be all about price- if it was, we'd all be shopping at Primark & IKEA & there would be no need for Selfridges. ( other stores are available)
It shouldn't be all about price- if it was, we'd all be shopping at Primark & IKEA & there would be no need for Selfridges. ( other stores are available)
I think many of us have noticed no difference in BA prices (in fact increases) compared to last year, after the withdrawal of short haul catering.
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Hampshire
Age: 76
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Well, the "expert" has spoken! Simon Calder is on Radio 4 just now explaining all the ins and outs of the BA reduced seat pitch.
He said IAG want all aircraft across their fleets to be identical and they are going to give them all 188 seats.
Really? It seems Iberia's A319 have 142 seats in one class, while BA have 143 and Vueling have 144. Are they really going to squeeze an additional 56 seats into these aircraft?
Iberia's A320 have 171, BA's have 168, Aer Lingus have 174 and I don't know about Vueling.
Mr. Calder also says BA will be continue to do good business with their Business class. Well, if they maintain that, how will they deal with the A321 fleet going from 131Y & 23C to this magical 188?
Thank goodness we have these experts available to explain everything so clearly to us!
He said IAG want all aircraft across their fleets to be identical and they are going to give them all 188 seats.
Really? It seems Iberia's A319 have 142 seats in one class, while BA have 143 and Vueling have 144. Are they really going to squeeze an additional 56 seats into these aircraft?
Iberia's A320 have 171, BA's have 168, Aer Lingus have 174 and I don't know about Vueling.
Mr. Calder also says BA will be continue to do good business with their Business class. Well, if they maintain that, how will they deal with the A321 fleet going from 131Y & 23C to this magical 188?
Thank goodness we have these experts available to explain everything so clearly to us!
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: East Midlands
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Well, the "expert" has spoken! Simon Calder is on Radio 4 just now explaining all the ins and outs of the BA reduced seat pitch.
He said IAG want all aircraft across their fleets to be identical and they are going to give them all 188 seats.
Really? It seems Iberia's A319 have 142 seats in one class, while BA have 143 and Vueling have 144. Are they really going to squeeze an additional 56 seats into these aircraft?
Iberia's A320 have 171, BA's have 168, Aer Lingus have 174 and I don't know about Vueling.
Mr. Calder also says BA will be continue to do good business with their Business class. Well, if they maintain that, how will they deal with the A321 fleet going from 131Y & 23C to this magical 188?
Thank goodness we have these experts available to explain everything so clearly to us!
He said IAG want all aircraft across their fleets to be identical and they are going to give them all 188 seats.
Really? It seems Iberia's A319 have 142 seats in one class, while BA have 143 and Vueling have 144. Are they really going to squeeze an additional 56 seats into these aircraft?
Iberia's A320 have 171, BA's have 168, Aer Lingus have 174 and I don't know about Vueling.
Mr. Calder also says BA will be continue to do good business with their Business class. Well, if they maintain that, how will they deal with the A321 fleet going from 131Y & 23C to this magical 188?
Thank goodness we have these experts available to explain everything so clearly to us!
He just spurts out random numbers that he'll have half seen somewhere, put them together and then expect everyone to believe it...
Mrs WHBM would also appreciate Mr Calder being removed from being a television commentator, as it will reduce both my shouting and also the prospect of tomatoes being thrown at the screen whenever the imbecile starts speaking.
For myself, though, I can only come to the conclusion that he must maintain his role through having compromising photographs of the Director General.
For myself, though, I can only come to the conclusion that he must maintain his role through having compromising photographs of the Director General.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: england
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I remember Simon from school, he was an excellent tennis player as I recall. British Airways didn't really operate from LGW till the late 80s, but he might have had a job with British Airtours. I managed to get a proper job within aircraft engineering, but it looks like poor Simon ended up with the "Tourism and Leisure" cop out!
I think his dad was quite clever though.
I think his dad was quite clever though.
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Whilst it's true that there is much less to distinguish BA short-haul from the LCCs, that doesn't really tell the whole story.
The BA LHR short-haul network has been transformed beyond recognition over the past five years.
It's remarkable to think that five years ago BA did not operate one single flight to Ireland.
No-one thought five years ago BA would return to Dublin, Belfast, Inverness and countless other destinations at LHR.
There's also the very successful programme of what must be at least 20+ summer seasonal routes to Ibiza, Nantes, Montpellier, Biarritz, Mykonos etc.
Operational performance has also improved considerably. It used to be routine for BA to cancel its entire domestic schedule the moment there was any severe weather at LHR. And a little over ten years ago the BBC's TV news bulletins were leading with passengers queuing up outside T4 demanding heads should roll because BA cancelled its entire LHR short-haul programme because of fog.
The BA LHR short-haul network has been transformed beyond recognition over the past five years.
It's remarkable to think that five years ago BA did not operate one single flight to Ireland.
No-one thought five years ago BA would return to Dublin, Belfast, Inverness and countless other destinations at LHR.
There's also the very successful programme of what must be at least 20+ summer seasonal routes to Ibiza, Nantes, Montpellier, Biarritz, Mykonos etc.
Operational performance has also improved considerably. It used to be routine for BA to cancel its entire domestic schedule the moment there was any severe weather at LHR. And a little over ten years ago the BBC's TV news bulletins were leading with passengers queuing up outside T4 demanding heads should roll because BA cancelled its entire LHR short-haul programme because of fog.
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For as long as I can remember people have been calling the imminent fall of BA.
It wasn't that long ago the airline was resigned to a retreat to fortress LHR, saddled with its pension deficit and an ageing 747 fleet it didn't have the money to replace.
The airline has grown its passenger numbers by around 30% and transformed its LHR route network over the past few years in which time bmi mainline has disappeared and Virgin Atlantic has gutted its route network.
IAG is also far better placed than Air France KLM and Lufthansa Group to respond to competitive pressures and has achieved more than both of these groups put together in half the time
The
It wasn't that long ago the airline was resigned to a retreat to fortress LHR, saddled with its pension deficit and an ageing 747 fleet it didn't have the money to replace.
The airline has grown its passenger numbers by around 30% and transformed its LHR route network over the past few years in which time bmi mainline has disappeared and Virgin Atlantic has gutted its route network.
IAG is also far better placed than Air France KLM and Lufthansa Group to respond to competitive pressures and has achieved more than both of these groups put together in half the time
The
He said IAG want all aircraft across their fleets to be identical and they are going to give them all 188 seats.
Really?
Really?
As was explained to me by a manager at a certain airine the master plan is that IAG as an entity buy the airframes, only on delivery X years down the road do they decide which "airline" is going to actually operate airframe Y or airframe Z. - Vuelling, Iberia, or BA etc. hence the idea of ordering a common floor/seat plan.
Please don't shoot the messenger.
Join Date: Dec 2011
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Maybe they should have just kept GO & closed down BA short haul?
Won't affect me too much as they have long been on my "avoid if you can" list.
It shouldn't be all about price- if it was, we'd all be shopping at Primark & IKEA & there would be no need for Selfridges. ( other stores are available)
Won't affect me too much as they have long been on my "avoid if you can" list.
It shouldn't be all about price- if it was, we'd all be shopping at Primark & IKEA & there would be no need for Selfridges. ( other stores are available)
Had it operated out of LHR (and maybe LCY and LGW) like the rest of BA it would probably have been as sucessful as the AF, LH, IB equivelants.
I understood that Go was very much Bob Ayling's (and Barbara's) concept, and when Ayling left the "establishment" at Heathrow moved against it at board level because they felt it was cannibalising their yield (and thus their bonuses) from Heathrow. That it was notably more successful than them grated as well. Although Go operated from Stansted it ran to destinations served by BA short haul.
After much self-centred bickering from board members it was eventually sold to its management, who in turn within a year had their financial backers for the buyout made an "irresistible offer" by Easyjet, and who took the fast buck route. Barbara was not happy.
Of all the LCCs that were around at the time, it seemed the best run operation. It could be said that its principal advantage was it was not saddled with the huge admin overhead and pension liability of BA mainline.
After much self-centred bickering from board members it was eventually sold to its management, who in turn within a year had their financial backers for the buyout made an "irresistible offer" by Easyjet, and who took the fast buck route. Barbara was not happy.
Of all the LCCs that were around at the time, it seemed the best run operation. It could be said that its principal advantage was it was not saddled with the huge admin overhead and pension liability of BA mainline.
Join Date: Aug 2002
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It also paid their staff market rate, a hell of a lot less than BA at the time.
They're not successful.
Iberia Express exists only to terrify Iberia employees into taking major salary cuts to save Iberia mainline. Same livery, same owner, little difference to consumer, living proof IAG could close Iberia short haul over time and no one would really notice.
Germanwings has Lufthansa costed overheads and a Lufthansa unionised workforce, Eurowings is supposed to make this go away.
Air France's HOP is the latest incarnation of a bonfire of Euros in that space.
What BA did eventually do was shred it's service levels so far back and took and axe to it's cost base so much so that British Airways at Gatwick is now hat Go was at Stansted a decade and a half ago but still a UK superbrand and making BA money without cannibalising BA itself.
Had it operated out of LHR (and maybe LCY and LGW) like the rest of BA it would probably have been as sucessful as the AF, LH, IB equivelants.
Iberia Express exists only to terrify Iberia employees into taking major salary cuts to save Iberia mainline. Same livery, same owner, little difference to consumer, living proof IAG could close Iberia short haul over time and no one would really notice.
Germanwings has Lufthansa costed overheads and a Lufthansa unionised workforce, Eurowings is supposed to make this go away.
Air France's HOP is the latest incarnation of a bonfire of Euros in that space.
What BA did eventually do was shred it's service levels so far back and took and axe to it's cost base so much so that British Airways at Gatwick is now hat Go was at Stansted a decade and a half ago but still a UK superbrand and making BA money without cannibalising BA itself.
Last edited by Skipness One Echo; 8th Mar 2017 at 12:07.
Join Date: Nov 2000
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I have now had the chance to sample BA's domestic South Terminal product. I was favourably impressed by the check-in/bag drop area and the Club/Exec Lounge but at least on the flight I was on there was a problem processing pax at the gate as only one security agent (and one machine) to check the boarding card photo. This led to a queue from gate 12 down the centre pier, about 100 yards long. Also not impressed that all domestic arrivals are coached.
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Arguably BA should have kept Go and let it take over LGW and the regions.
However, it needed to pay down debt to shore up the balance sheet post 9/11.
But I doubt it would have immunised LHR short-haul from the LCCs who have largely converged their products in any event and BA has maintained brand coverage at LGW, albeit with an inferior product than before.
It also has to be said that at the time ceding LGW and the regions to Go would not have been possible without a battle and given what lay ahead (pensions and LHR ground staff working practices) arguably it would have been picking the wrong battle with the unions.
However, it needed to pay down debt to shore up the balance sheet post 9/11.
But I doubt it would have immunised LHR short-haul from the LCCs who have largely converged their products in any event and BA has maintained brand coverage at LGW, albeit with an inferior product than before.
It also has to be said that at the time ceding LGW and the regions to Go would not have been possible without a battle and given what lay ahead (pensions and LHR ground staff working practices) arguably it would have been picking the wrong battle with the unions.