British Airways buys two Airbus A318s for London City Airport services "Confirmed!"
 

British Airways has signed a firm contract with Airbus for two Airbus A318 aircraft to launch services between London City Airport, in central London, and New York. The A318 is the most modern and largest aircraft certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the steep approach procedures which are required at London City.


http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre...ways_a318.html

Possible Routings:

EGLC-EGPF-KJFK
KJFK-EGLC
Or EGLC-EINN-KJFK.



Intresting buy.

A bit like Hooters'; ' "Tacky yet completely unrefined"

This is interesting, yet completely insignificant!

A disaster in progress!

Not literally I hope

No, it's not literally in progress yet. :)

How much time will the extra stop add to the westbound flight?

Will there really be any significant advantage over 'conventional' longhaul - apart from avoiding the misery of Heathrow, that is?

I can't see it having much appeal, to be honest.

Short trip from the City to LCY - time saving ***
Expedited check-in - time saving **
Preclearance US Immigration at the Shannon stop - time saving ******

This is possibly the worst timing imagineable.

Oil prices and record high and climbing....

Credit crunch means financial institutions and business travel in general set to shrink.....

And don't even start on the green issues......

I'll put money on that it will never even start. They will be used on shorthaul in normal config.

Call me a pessimist but.....

Inspired thinking
 

To operate Longhaul (with tech. stop) from LCY is an inspired idea. LHR has to be one of the most dreadful airports in Europe - because of its popularity and the lack of investment in passenger facilities and infrastructure (I'm not talking damn shops either). So to launch a service from a London airport where passengers can get from its front doors to the aircraft in 15 minutes has to represent a giant step forwards in passenger service. So what if it has to tech. stop - you are still ahead of the crowd after you have taken off following refuelling. Those at LHR will be doing battle with my "friends", the goons "doing security" at LHR. They'll still have to battle their way past thousands of people to get to their gate to find their aircraft is delayed.

PM

Not the most timely start up for a new service. I am sure it will be great for staff travel when the numbers expected are not achieved. If there is very limited space at LCY for parking will the a/c at times then move to SEN. Are there other companies about to start up from LCY with longhaul intentions. As LCY are also bidders for purchase of SEN there bid might make sense if there are to be more longer routes served because presently I fail to see why LCY would want to purchase another airport so close which also is very limited in what it can operate.

I suspect BA are talking up plans for their service to stop anyone else doing it. It may also have seal the long term chances of EOS. BA needs to make sure that any threat to its most profitable routes is killed off. I think its about 50-50 that the flights will happen. As long as no one else is doing it then BA does not need to either.

Would be quicker to swim to New York than go on a A318 :}

It makes huge business sense for City Types who believe their time is money.

32 searter A318 parked down in LCY, proposal I believe is check in closes 30 mins before take off. Hop to Shannon to re-fuel for TA and do US boarder controls (and soon customers) clearance, pop to JFK, swan through the crowds and into your waiting taxi/limo.

Compare that to fight your way from the Canary Warf/City to Heathrow. Check in 2 hours prior to take off, queue through LHR security, sit in the lounge, queue onto Aircraft, taxi to runway, queue for take off and then to JFK. Queue for passport control and then queue for customs.


I suspect time from London desk to kerb side in JFK with the new LCY/A318 service will be shorter than traditional services.

Sounds like a brilliant bit of lateral thinking to me.


JAS

Having once worked in business travel I can see this being a major success
as the people who will use this will be the top bosses and bank officials who want to save as many hours by leaving the office and being at the airport yesterday and not getting stuck in mega traffic jams on the way the LHR
and going through endless delays at security, check in and boarding.
They are already corportate high rollers who will have already been sounded out by BA probably years ago and their needs and wishes well known by BA marketing and corporate sales

Ian

Is there really a best time to launch long haul from LCY when offering a business product?

The bankers and investors based in the city really wouldn't know if there was a difference of a couple of pounds onto their ticket. They earn so much they would probably pay for the service due to:

1. Distance to the city
2. Can carry on using their BA frequent flyer programme
3. Avoid LHR, LGW and STN
4. Fly from one of the best airports in the country - and even if you don't like it you will only have to be there for 15 minutes!
5. Avoid US customs in the states, especially at JFK where it is terrible whatever class you fly in.
6. Fly on the eqivalent of a private a/c

BA have to fill less than fourty seats each way twice daily - pretty easy really, and they can pretty much charge what they like.

Agree this is a good move by BA. I can see it being popular with City folks and profitable regardless of the oil prices.

Only slight concern is the tendency for LCY to be closed by fog pretty frequently during autumn / winter. I hope when that happens BA communicate with their customers better and handle the resulting cancellations / transfers to SEN a little more effectively than their counterparts at Cityflier have been known to do ;).

13Alpha

"Not the most timely start up for a new service".

This is exactly the time to start being creative, and frankly it's quite surprising that BA have opened their eyes to alternatives like this.

Small capacity, high yield, convenient, route protecting... and escaping LHR which is such a thoroughly miserable experience as a passenger...

Good luck to them :ok:

I know this a thread that has a view from Europe, but just think of the appeal from NYC! Non-stop from NYC to the City of London. Check in with a small crowd and easily be at the Bank of England 45 mins after landing at LCY. Magic!

And then leave Bank station one hour before the departure for NYC and be sure of getting the flight. Drink chamagne during the Tech Stop rather than queing in security at LHR - once you'v got there!

Goldmine.

Imagine the shock horror when the executives find themselves diverted to SEN. They might be forgiven for thinking that that they have gone back in time like the TV programme 'Life on Mars'. Every cloud has a silver lining but I still can,t see why LCY wants to but SEN. Please explain

PS; Like open skies will the 318 have retro fitted large windows.

Those flights from the City will be full - whether or not it means more empty seats on BA LHR services is another matter. I work with many frequent US travellers and for us its really good news.

Door to door with the wind is expected to chop the journey time by 3 hours, maybe half that the other way - and avoiding LHR - priceless.

A thorn in the side for Silverjet or not ?????????