I just don't think BA can have an LCC model within the busniess.

Look at Go and BACon.

If they are keeping the branding, and lowering the service, then this would be like TED. Which I don't think has been a success.

Or they could go BMI - and cut the onboard service on short hauls.

I think they should stick to what they are - expensive, but good quality. The M&S of the skies. They do this, and they do it well.

Now, saying that, Jet* seems to be going ok - so who knows! Interesting times.

or they could do a deal with bmi and keep the baby name so not as to devalue the BA brand .............

Named after a bloke who went looking for something and found something completely different? Geography is supposed to be big with airlines !

I can see how it would work. Turn the LGW operation (SH) into a high-class low cost airline (more akin to GO - with costa coffee/allocated seats), with the standard routes at the moment - mix of popular city breaks and bucket and spade.

Why not a London icon...say, project Jack The Ripper :E

Concerned that BA could come under pressure from the deveved assemblies and other areas of the Uk who take afront to the withdrawl of all services outside of London is to create a new group of airlines. The new regional airlines will be modled on the old Cambrain and North-East airline of BKS which were absorbed into BA and the BA manchester fleet.

The new arilnes will be.

Wippet Air

Based in Manchester and flying to many cheap popular destinations with the oldest aricraft we can find our uniques services will include.

Free carriage of wippets, ferrets and racing pigeons.
Warm still beer served with each meal
Local delicacies on offer such as Hollands meat pies, chicken tikka masala and fish n chips.
Pot belly class will offer a premium service for those of a larger dimension.
Locally recruited staff to assist with language difficulties such "Ey up"

Flights will operate at unreasonable hours and be subject to major changes as this is good enough for them up North.

Heading up this new division will be Tamara Tomkinson Jones assisted by Giles Cholmondley-smyth. Tamara who has an extensive six months of working for BA within the "Europe bread purchasing division" was quoted as saying she was looking forward to her time in the North as despite her extensive travel experiences throughout the world she had never ventured North of Watford Gap.

Giles brings with him a wealth of expereince from the City where he assisted developing Countries and belies he is well positioned to hel Wippet air develop into a truly leading third world carrier.

"One really knows how our ethnic services should be organised. I'm looking forward to helping these poor folk escape the deluges manchester is know for" Tamara will be undergoing language training

Given the American name, I would guess this is the 319 service out of LCY to the US.....

Why would BA get into locos when they are flogging off all their franchises?

TA

BA seems to have lacked long-term vision for a considerable period of time and goes from "hyping" an innovation like Four Corners or Go, only to dump it within a relatively short period of time. Now I know the standard BA line about Go (e.g., bought for £25m, sold for £110m) but imagine the company Go could have become within the Single Market. I was a great fan of Go and was sad to see easyJet take over. There is, I think, a market for a quality low cost short haul operation (of the type, dare I say it, represented by Go) where little things (like seat allocation on check in) which mean a lot to many travellers, in my view, can be incorporated. I could, of course, be wrong.
The way things have been with BA I wouldn't be surprised if Open Skies (the airline) is shut down, sold, merged etc. within a year or two; the same for any putative short-haul equivalent if that's what "Columbus" is about.

With a little research, Columbus is about driving costs down at Heathrow, more akin to what they have done @ LGW, but on a much bigger scale. Setting BA up for $200 pb

Looks as though many LGW BA B737s are going to have a long summer holiday, as well as a good few LHR BA B747s. The B767 fleet is also earmarked for 'parking'.

This is the start of UK airline consolidation in the early stages...

Whatever the rights and wrongs of BA, when they begin to show signs of financial woe, then other UK carriers WILL follow...

No carrier is immune from the ever increasing costs of fuel.

Project Columbus could potentially have disasterous consequences for BA (short term) but especially existing cabin crew. (permanently)

Disasterous for BA because if they think that crew are going to accept these changes with open arms then they are deeply misguided and will I am sure face weeks of industrial action.

Columbus aims to end all current terms, conditions, pay scales and agreements of all current BA cabin crew (inc LGW which the currently still considered to be too costly)

Crew who decline to move on to the new contracts (owned by a subsidiary) will either have their contracts bought out or side stepped altogether.

BASSA have been shocked by the level of planned cuts and the amount of work already completed (planning & legal) by BA.

It's about time some of those Gatwick 737s were put out to pasture!

BA has flown to Valencia many times over the years. Management merely looked at somewhere to serve that already has too many flts to and from the UK and might be difficult to fill = Valencia good for 'LLadro'.

Valencia per se isn't random: it's Spain's third-largest city. However, as aforementioned there's considerable competition:

EZY: LGW-VLC = 10x weekly
EZY: STN-VLC = 7x weekly
FR: STN-VLC = 14x weekly
XG: LHR-VLC = 7x weekly

(Frequencies based on the 10th-17th July.)

That's 38 weekly frequencies, or an equiv. of nearly 5.5 flights per day on LON-VLC.

There might well be seasonal reductions, but nevertheless there's considerable competition even before BA enters - as very much a latecomer. Still, they'll be the only full-frills airline on the route.

Does anyone know the rough segment composition of LON-VLC? I'm guessing firstly VFR, secondly business, thirdly leisure (including myself in the past).

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how it performs.

What will its frequency be?

tristar500
There are (I believe) 57 747-400s. How many is "a good few" do you suppose?:rolleyes:

And which summer are you thinking of?:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I suspect your comments are a little uninformed.

Just on side note, Would BA look at buying out a lcc that may need some financial backing, or taking one over such as jet2/globespan or even baby, rather than starting one from scratch? Jet2 would get BA back up in the northern regions, again, despite the odd BA problem, people are attracted to the brand, You could have a hybrid offshoot with the jet2/Ba logos . Just a thought .... ??

Take off BA got out of regional flying nearly 2 years ago why would they want to go back and have to pump money into something they have no interest in ? BA are not interested in anything north of LHR

Tandemrotor...

Since Iam not WW, I dont know exactly how many a good few is but time will tell. As for the LGW 737s, again who knows. Iam going on info passed by BA crews in the job currently, so I hardly think Iam 'uninformed'... This is after all, a 'Rumour Network'... :ugh:

Maybe you could call SKY NEWS and find out for yourself. They seem to have an inside track on lots of things... :ok:

It has been stated for a good while now that BA will, like many other airlines, park some of its less efficient aircraft: British Airways will ground part of its fleet over rising fuel cost - Times Online

Here's a good related article:

Special anna.aero briefing: Capacity and route reductions provide opportunities for niche carriers (and LCCs) | anna.aero

I made my remark about the choice of VLC employing my usual sarcasm. But I am right there is no more space for anyone else and I assume the remark about full frills from JNP employs a little sarcasm too?