It depends. Your British business traveller heading to Edinburgh for the day or German going back to Frankfurt might buy a coffee, but someone heading back to Hong Kong may well pick up a Gucci handbag or Tiffany necklace

According to another poster on another thread he comments on the fact that Ethiopian have applied for two daily 'transit' slots at LGW.

Is anyone able to confirm this as the airline has only recently announced that it intended to expand their presence in the United Kingdom.

With the most recent expansion on long haul routes out of Lgw by Norwegian, how many 787's will they have based aat Lgw to deliver this programme?

11


........

Qatar returning to Lgw from 23rd May, 2 daily.

Qatar
 

Going straight in to compete with Emirates would seem. Both flights are on 788's and depart in the 8:50-9:30 and 15:00-16:00 range (changes each day).

Any idea who will handle them?

2 months - not a lot of notice to fill these birds!

Using some of the recently acquired Monarch slots by BA perhaps ?

seems to be 3 flights on Friday/Saturday for most of the summer for Qatar.

The extra flights on the Friday and Saturday during the peak summer period will be A332 where as the rest of the schedule will be B788.

I see the Tianjin Airlines flights to Xian are now operating from the full Lhr. More slots found for a service that was to operate from Lgw. Isn't Lhr great at finding slots for services that were to operate from Lgw. I wonder when someone in Government will ask Lhr for their definition of "full".

You’ve asked this before. LHR is full, someone has to trade a slot for you to get one.
It’s called churn and had been a common feature in the 37 years since LHR was opened up to new airlines once again in 1991 after having been declared full in 1977.

Heathrow didn’t find new slots for this, the airline would have gone to market and paid a sum of money, or gotten some of the rare slots that go to new entrants.

Skipness, you are correct, I have asked that question a number of times. I know you are a big supporter of Lhr expansion and I respect your opinion, I just see is as a monopoly that is determined to not let Lgw get a foothold in the long-haul business market. Keep the whole business travel market at Lhr then all can charge higher fares. We are told yields are higher at Lhr, surprising that isn't it. A self fulfilling prophesy, isn't it? The whole business travel market is set up to support Lhr, right down to FF programmes, deals, big travel agents. A not very flattering article in the Sunday Times yesterday on how Lhr manages it's finances. Just another reason why Lhr should not be allowed to expand this time, we will all pay for it.

Walking towards check in at North terminal and directions for Ethiopian Airlines and Air China (and Qatar- but we knew that) check in areas have been installed. Any idea when they start?

Check inn areas have been installed?

Can you elaborate on that a bit more, considering that neither Air China or Ethiopian have confirmed a return to LGW I find it rather strange!

Qatar which we're already aware of will be using the South Terminal joining other Oneworld and IAG members, they will also make use of the British Airways lounges.

Ethiopian and air china both hold slots for S18 but that's as far as it has gone thus far.

Even so why would Gatwick have check in areas installed already if neither airline has even confirmed operations, it's not as if there are loads of spare check in desks available at the North Terminal for this to happen.

"Directions for check-in areas" will be something like a list of airlines with the terminals they operate from, so there's no harm is including a few airlines that don't use the airport.

But what is the point of having a list of airlines and having ones listed when they don't even operate from the airport!

It may well be the case that Gatwick Airport never got round to taking away many of the former signage at the North Terminal from when Air China operated into LGW up until two years ago but even that I find strange considering that the terminal has recently been revamped.