There is a fine distinction, legally they are not a cartel. However if they were to become as dominant as you would like, then they would cross that line.


That's why people keep trying to explain to you why certain things you mention wouldn't pass the regulators.

When BA and AA got anti trust immunity they had to surrender slots to allow competition. With your super whizz bang plan, there would be no one capable of running any surrendered slits as they'd all be in one enormous cartel. I'm sure I've given a presentation to you as a client, this is all sounding terribly familiar....

Relevant regulation here is at a EUROPEAN level not planetwide(!)

A380 Configuration
 

A preliminary seat plan for the new A380 aircraft has been posted on the website thebasource.com

British Airways Airbus A380 14F/97J/55W/303Y Seat Map

If the seat plan is accurate then it looks like the A380 will carry a total of 469 passengers and will be configure 14F/97J/55W/303Y. Below is further details of which cabins will be fitted on which deck along with the cabin configurations

First

First will be situated on the main deck deck of the aircraft. The cabin configuration will look very much like the cabin currently fitted to the 777. It will be configured 1-2-1. The cabin will be be fitted with 4 rows on the sides with single seats with 3 rows in the middle of the cabin exactly the same way as on the 777.

Club World

BA plan to fit a CW cabin on both the main and upper beck of the aircraft.

Main Deck - Will be situated behind First on the main deck cabin and will be be fitted with a total of 44 seat. The cabin will be configured 2-4-2.
Upper Deck - 53 seats will be fitted in a 2-3-2 configuration. A galley will split the cabin into two. There will be 25 seats in front of the galley and 28 seats behind the galley.

World Traveller Plus

The 55 seater cabin will be configured 2-3-2 and will be situated behind the CW cabin on the upper deck.

World Traveller

WT will be fitted to the rear of the aircraft on both the main and upper deck.

Main Deck - Will be fitted with a total of 199 seats in a 3-4-3 configuration
Upper Deck - Will be fitted with 104 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration

Interesting that First will be on the main deck. Normally BA go out of their way to minimise footfall through the First cabin. With one staircase at the front of the aircraft, will they use both L1 & L2 doors for boarding? L2 looks awfully close to the wing for an airbridge, not much margin for error for the airbridge driver! If not using L2, there'll be a lot of traffic walking through the First cabin.

Just out of interest does anyone know what BA plans to do with the BMI Maintenance bases at Heathrow and East Midlands? I did read somewhere that the Heathrow hangar was being rebranded as a BA hangar. I see aircraft are still positioning to EMA for maintenance. I also remember reading that the current contract with a maintenance company in Sofia ends in January 2013 and that some former BMI engineers would then be needed in UK for maintenance work. Is this correct? It may be an idea to keep the EMA base as with an increasing fleet the capacity may be needed.
I know that BA opened a hangar at Prestwick to enable extra capacity for specific work in Airbus aircraft. Are there any plans to keep this going?

Thanks.
V.

Rumours doing the rounds about an imminent announcement of LHR-Chengdu. 787 likely equipment. Some time in the second half of 2013.

Kind regards

Mike

'Scuse my ignorance but what is the link to Chengdu? Is there a common industry out there that requires the link?

Not knowing all that much about the Chinese market, I can't help feeling that with only PEK, HKG and PVG ops at present are there not other "bigger" Chinese destinations that might be higher up the list in terms of unsatisfied demand? Very ready to accept I'm wrong on this if anyone can give a bit more insight into this market?

This might prove useful in any discussion about a Chengdu route
List of the busiest airports in the People's Republic of China - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

All the bmi engineering personnel at LHR have transferred over to BA. The bmi hangar is being rebranded to BA but no one is 100% certain what will become of it. It might just be a casualty hangar. The EMA hangar will be closed once the last A321 comes out after having it's cabin mod, then the staff will be made redundant.

Zooker

Most BA CC are not very good at doing one of the important elements of doing what they are hired for which is to look after passengers -

So does BA have sufficient MX capacity at CWL, LHR, LHR, GLA & PIK without the EMA facility ?


cs

Quite a sweeping statement, and I would say you are wrong.

In my experience (Gold card, frequent short and long haul travel)...
SOME BA CC are not very good at looking after passengers.
MOST BA CC are very good at looking after passengers.

And I would say you are wrong

In my experience (a mere Silver card, frequent short and long haul travel)...
MOST BA CC are not very good at looking after passengers.
SOME BA CC are very good at looking after passengers.

Pwalhx, I think every airline has it's disgruntled passengers and others who don't recognise the same criticisms.

As a regular long-term commuter to the USA, and having sampled all of the American carriers, I will confidently recommend BA to anyone. Yes, you get the odd poor cabin member on BA but I've had the same experiences on Virgin but far more on Delta, American, United and US Air.

Where I really get steamed up over BA is their appalling excuse for a customer service helpdesk.

I do not disagree at all about the American carriers and will conceed the BA are better then any of them, however that does not mean the service is good enough when compared to other carriers because quite frankly it isn't. You are right maybe I am disgruntled in that both legs to/from Chicago in October BA wanted to downgrade me, that hasn't helped my view but is a seperate issue.

I do not go westbound a lot and if I had the choice a lot less of my travel to the Far East would be on BA.

Little bit off topic, but I normally fly BA City Flyer to Ibiza, and I think the service is excellent. In every airline you get the odd crew member who has an attitude problem. I just hope that you wrote in or spoke to the cabin manager.

fr-

Sliver card holder and regular BA customer short and long haul.

The vast majority of BA crew are great and consistently deliver a great service - Certainly looking forward to what they will offer on A380 and 787!

If you want bad service try AA!

pwhalx
I share your view on BA Cabin crew, and would extend it to include their staff in T5 lounge the last time I was there (2 years ago). Also agree with the previouse posters view on American carriers, and we only use them on internal US flights when west bound. Unlike your good self, after the debacle 2 years ago of lost luggage, staff attitude, broken ICE, broken seat, poor food we said as a company (and personaly) enough in enough, and have not flown any of my staff (or myself) with BA since. Like you, most of my travel is not to the land of the free, and is mostly Far East, Africa, South America so do not have to put up with US carriers. However having bounced round the mid west in early spring this year courtesy of Delta, I am very glad I do not have to !. Now use Lufty,SQ,EK and have not had any issues yet. Outbound to Saigon on Friday am with EK and I am not expecting any problems, could not say the same over my last flights with BA which were more of a lottery.

Mrs Mac however continues to fly the flag on her trips to DC, as US carriers only option from NW UK at the moment, and not direct. Her reports on her 9 trips in 2012 also include the same issues as I reported at variouse times, and bags have failed to arrive back at Man on 4 trips (being delv by Mr Reg later in the day with whom my wife is on first name terms !)

All of our flights are Business class, so if BA Business Class is like that you, have to wonder what its like in the back.

Sorry, i disagree about AA, am an AA platinum card holder and while the service offered is not what it used to be, especially in coach on domestic routes i find the majority of flight attendants to be really nice and offer good service. I fly BA a few times a year and find service is either great or poor, not really inbetween and this is due to flight attendant attitude.

Quote: "'Scuse my ignorance but what is the link to Chengdu? Is there a common industry out there that requires the link?

Not knowing all that much about the Chinese market, I can't help feeling that with only PEK, HKG and PVG ops at present are there not other "bigger" Chinese destinations that might be higher up the list in terms of unsatisfied demand? Very ready to accept I'm wrong on this if anyone can give a bit more insight into this market?"

Chengdu is in one of the up and coming areas of China. The extraordinary growth in China in recent years has largely been in the east, now there are attempts to develop the interior.

By the way, there is also a China Southern link to Canton from Heathrow.

I suspect the talk about Chinese routes may be significantly overstated.

The two principal commercial centres in China are Beijing and Shanghai. Nowhere else comes close. And yet BA cannot even justify a daily service currently to either, they are only six a week to both places. Virgin Atlantic also has not been able to work their Shanghai route up to daily yet. I would expect at least a daily service to both before lesser places start/need to be exploited.