Try The BA Source - you can look on their seat diagrams, and also view which specific aircraft fly the routes.

There was a suggestion on the Cork forum a few weeks ago that BA were sniffing around as to a possible long awaited return to Ireland's southern gateway.

Do any of the BA specialists on here think there may be anything to the suggestion or is it morely likely to continue as is with the Aer Lingus/British Airways codeshare?

My feeling is that it would be a huge shot in the arm for Cork though it has been a great pity that the old Cork flight number, the BA838/9, has now been allocated to a Heathrow Dublin service.

I guess that means we will just have to return to the Albion 670/671!!

Thanks & greetings from Cork! :ok:

I flew to Lanzarote in 2006 with BA from Gatwick (GB Airways).

I see (from my booking) that the LHR/SIN/SYD is going back to a 777 for summer 2013. Anyone know which config 777?

Ta

The service that operates right through to SYD will switch to a 77W

ah in that case I'll be changing my reserved seat I think (I had one reserved upper deck when I booked as it was 744, now I have a seat with no windows)

Shame, much prefer the 744 Upper Deck to a 773

16A is a good window seat on the 777-300. Easy access without disturbing anyone but no storage bins at floor level as per the 747 upper deck and not as much space surrounding the seats.

hi Dutchman, thanks for that, looks a nice seat for the fact you don't need to step over people. Is it noisy being right next to 4 lavs which are presumably shared with Traveller Plus?

Didnt find it noisy at all. Only 2 toilets on that side of aircraft behind row 16. They are not supposed to be shared with WT+. A thick rope is put across the aisle in front of the dividing curtain to keep the cabins seperate but you will always get the odd one or two coming in from WT+.
Only downside is the meal service starts at the front of the cabin so the full choice may not be available by the time the crew reach you.

IAG have placed a takeover offer for Vueling. That will be MAD and BCN nicely covered. Vueling will be operating to LGW from S13.

So if IAG buy all Vueling shares does this mean they will dump Iberia Express ? I don't see the point of having two LCC covering the same market, particularly as I2 is definately the poorer product

So far IAG has said Vueling will keep its own operations and management but it's no coincidence this comes before the Iberia restructuring announcement. I think IAG will want to keep Iberia Express as it carries the Iberia brand and has a two class product. But if it can't than buying the remainder of shares in Vueling is an effective insurance policy. Either way, IAG is not going to get its own way.

The media cites the problems that IB have had with Unions all about the subject of Iberia Express. If IAG will own Vueling and Iberia Express, makes no sense whatsoever to have 2 low cost airlines under the same unbrella, both Spanish.

Iberia Express, is just Iberia by another name with high fares especially on domestic Spanish routes, e.g. since Ryanair cancelled ALC MAD fares up to crazy levels, not that they came down too greatly when FR were there.

IAG need to simplify their operations. Perhaps it is time to consolidate all low cost operations into one entity, that is a brand that could easily be transferred to any market. Question is, is Vueling going to be hard to market as a brand in the UK? Not entirely sure that it will at this stage.

Vueling is an effective name in Spain, a fusion of english and Spanish, meaning effectively 'The sport of flying'..

Interesting to hear Willie Walsh say yesterday that 'IAG will seek to develop a “more aggressive” plan for operations at Gatwick, a focus for leisure flights and point-to- point services that don’t link up with long-haul operations' Looks like there is more to come for BA Gatwick. Also on one slide shown at the results presentation yesterday it was said that Gatwick's cost base had been reduced to that of lower cost operators which will bode well for further expansion and newer aircraft.
Great to see Tenerife and Arrecife back. Maybe Palma, Madrid and others to follow. Also during summer there may be demand for higher yield passengers flying to such places as Corsica-just me speculating!! Fort Lauderdale has often been mentined too as another long haul possibility. Interesting times ahead.

Vueling being bought out may be the key. They pay their staff peanuts if somr of these boards are to be believed, just the right cost base for an IAG presence to the sun from Gatwick against EZY.

Do BA still self handle (ooh missus) above the wing or did passenger services actually go to Swissport as well?

It seems odd to me that IAG would buy a low cost airline. I thought they had just shut one down, baby.http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/sowee.gif

Vueling is doing very well at the moment, sadly Baby weren't.

BA still self-handles above the wing at LGW. Outsourcing below the wing is reported to save £12m pa.

I am starting to think that overall BA buying IB was not a very good idea, admiringly, they gained a lot of South American routes, but at the same time IB need to reorganise and restructure and Spain is not doing to well at the moment

Personally I feel if BA want to improve their South American network, they should have spent the money buying IB on buying further LHR slots

I have also felt in the past that LH or KLM where better merger partners in the past (the problem was airline alliances for a start)

Quote: "I am starting to think that overall BA buying IB was not a very good idea, admiringly, they gained a lot of South American routes, but at the same time IB need to reorganise and restructure and Spain is not doing to well at the moment

Personally I feel if BA want to improve their South American network, they should have spent the money buying IB on buying further LHR slots

I have also felt in the past that LH or KLM where better merger partners in the past (the problem was airline alliances for a start)"

Technically BA didn't buy IB, it was a merger and both carriers are a part of IAG.

IIRC, the original plan was for BA and KL to merge. KL was not in alliance at the time, and had the merger gone ahead, KL would have almost certainly joined Oneworld. This didn't work out and AF merged with KL and the latter joined Skyteam.

That only left one large European carrier, IB. LH obviously wasn't up for merging with anyone, having already taken over several smaller European carriers: SN, OS, LX and BD.