I guess some of the mainline crews may not be overly happy with it but I must've been mixing things up! And anyway i'd say the chances are slim since LGW had raised fees for smaller aircraft recently (much to Flybe and Aurigny's disapproval) and Cityflyer would have to order a few more Embraer's too.

The scope agreement prevents non mainline pilots operating for BA out of LHR or LGW. These flights would be classified as charters in the same way as Titan.

They do of course have considerable spare capacity between Saturday lunchtime and Sunday lunchtime, when LCY is closed - the fleet I am shortly going to pass by on the LCY ramp late on a Sunday morning will be parked in exactly the same positions as when I passed them yesterday lunchtime. So if there's an aircraft shortage for whatever reason over at Gatwick during the weekend, positioning them down there for a couple of rotations makes eminent sense to BA, compared to money going out of the business to Titan or whoever.

According to thebasource(dot)com:

CityFlyer E170 Operates from LGW (11th August 2012)
BA CityFlyer Embraer E170 G-LCYF positioned London City – London Gatwick last night as BA9252 and operated the BA2902/BA2903, BA2906/BA2907 and BA2908/BA2909 London Gatwick – Manchester rotations today.

Seems it can be done - as mentioned above they will classify it as a charter to please the unions. For the general public, they'll be none the wiser as all staff will be in BA uniform in a BA liveried aircraft (dare I say nicer than the 737!).

Still, it rarely happens and Titan must be making a mint from BA at the moment. They seem to have at least one aircraft (sometimes 2) permanently stationed at LGW operating for BA recently.

BA Citiexpress/BACON operated alongside mainline at LGW for many years remember... A while back now mind.

I know they never operated the same routes, but was there any 'friction' between crews, or have the agreements/clauses changed since then?

A 4th A319 is now based at LGW. G-EUOI has joined G-EUPS, G-EUPT & G-EUPV

Permanent or to cover a broken 734?

Looks as if it is being used to cover a unserviceable 734. The following 734's are currently out of service

G-DOCG - Has been at BA's GLA Maintenance facility since 30th July
G-DOCO - Last operated 13th August
G-DOCW - Has been at BA's GLA Maintenance facility since 3rd August

Titan are also continuing to operate a 737 and a 757 for BA ex LGW. The following flights are showing as being operated today by Titan.

737 (G-POWC) - BA2622/BA2623/BA2666/BA2667 (LGW-NCE-LGW-RAK-LGW)

757 (G-ZAPX) - BA2606/BA2607/BA2716/BA2717 (LGW-NAP-LGW-AGP-LGW)

Some of the 319's have not been well either. I was on EUPV when it broke in Malaga late last month

Aircraft going 'Tech'
 

The web site 'BASource'
Records a fair number of flight cancellations in the past few weeks, from both LHR & LGW.
Admittedly they may not all have been attributable to Aircraft Tech issues.
Does anyone have any info on why so many cancellations/Tech issues?

The core B737-400 fleet is ageing ( 18-20 years old now) and in order to reduce financial losses they are working them quite hard. However given the age of the aircraft, perhaps too hard when balanced against reliabilty.

BA to double frequency of Heathrow-Dublin to 8 daily this winter:

British Airways to double number of Dublin-Heathrow flights

BA at Dublin
 

Decided to see what the new BA experience DUB - LHR was like and booked 5 of my upcoming flights with them as a test.

Flight No. 1
No online check-in.
No airport machines to check in on.
Luckily I arrived at airport 2 and a quarter hours ahead of departure time. Only three check-in desks manned, one reserved for the oligarchs. Had only hand luggage but had to line up behind a long queue of very large bags, no doubt many going onwards from LHR. Took just under one hour to get to the desk and get checked in. You would think that, with only desk check-in available, they'd have made some effort to man the vacant desks.

Flights 2-5
Within 7 days of booking the other four flights I have already received four emails that they are all cancelled and I have been rebooked on earlier/later flights.

What a way to treat customers.

Well there's nothing wrong with 2-5, they've given you warning quite soon after booking and re-accommodated you onto the nearest available flight for free, it may be inconvenient but you can't call it bad customer service. Airlines chop and change schedules all the time.

Whilst accepting that all carries chop and change in this day and age of fast computers - I do think that ayroplain has every right to feel he has been let down. His description of waiting an hour to check in with on a carry on IS very poor.

To get 4/5 flights canx and swapped? Not an impression any company should be giving. If they had apologised and offerred an upgrade or something, maybe. But, unfortunately, each booking is treated separetly and the computer would not know it is pi$$ing off the same customer x4 times in a row!

It sounds as if the same rotation was canx across a mopth or so. Yes - it happens. Yes - they told him in good time. No - it's not clever to do this.

ayroplain Do you have Blue Card? If so, you might be able to protest to greater effect. But don't hold your breath.

BA at Dublin
 

No. However, I'm not the type that would desert an airline on one bad experience. It took at least 10 bad ones before I gave up the ghost on EI.

I would have thought, though, that BA would have put in a special effort in setting up on this route and create a good impression. I haven't used a check-in desk on short haul over a great many years so, having to waste an hour on a snail-like queue, was a very frustrating experience. I mean it's 2012 and no self check-in? In addition, the very abrupt and sullen check-in bloke never even looked directly at me during the entire check-in process. Probably he was totally cheesed off as well.

I think you need to take account that the Dublin route is a BA flight number but as I am aware is still operating under Bmi out of T1. The merger of the two airlines is a massive task and once the route transfers to BA you will then be able to check in online. Lots of challenges for everyone but as a customer you just expect and want it to work. Stick with it and as the merger progresses things will flow better. Things like self check in etc take a little bit of time to sort but I am sure BA are on it.

Does BMI self-handle at Dublin or use a handling agent ? Are BA continuing with these arrangements or have they gone out to another agent ?

If you whipped out a Blue Card and played the DYKWIA game you wouldn't get much of a response. :rolleyes:

Its a tricky time, plenty of teething issues to work through - IT being one of them. BD's computers barely functioned at the best of times. Asking them to talk to BA's systems and vice-versa is hugely tricky, especially when people are flying under both BD and BA PNRs.

Waiting an hour though is unacceptable, more desks should have been opened. Not sure about the handling situation in DUB but if BD were self handling I very much doubt BA would take on the staff/equipment; more likely they would put it out to a third party like they have done around the rest of the UK.

Body Found in Landing Gear
 

How weird and very strange.... BBC News - Body found on British Airways flight to Heathrow