Wizzair UK to base one of their new A321NEOs at Gatwick, other 3 at Luton.

Vokes55

Very true, short haul will continue to be a pertinent driver for LGW's recovery going forward, and it is encouraging to see EZY building up their LGW station again in conjunction with Wizz Air's new base here. With this in mind, what are BA's plans RE. LGW short haul? Presumably these aren't likely to be reinstated until the W21 schedules, given the majority of BAs traffic still seems to be consolidated at LHR?

Saying that, I do hope that LGW will experience a bounce back in long haul as demand for international travel starts to rebuild itself. LGW had a pretty good and diverse long haul airline and route portfolio prior to Covid, and it is absolutely devastating to see it disappear. The departure of DY long haul has more-or-less wiped out all of LGW-USA services with the exception of MCO which is now only served by BA following the departure of VS. Hopefully LGW will be able to rebuild this going forward as there clearly is demand for LGW-USA services in the long term. Same thing goes for services to the far East. I was recently talking with someone in airline relations at LGW and they are keen to get Cathay Pacific back at Gatwick in the next year or two once things stabilise, on the back of the success of the HKG route in conjunction with their LHR operation. So demand and success of long haul at LGW clearly is there and has worked before (e.g. Emirates and Qatar servicing both LHR and LGW simultaneously) and hopefully long haul airlines will come back to LGW once there is sufficient demand to justify.

China Airlines
 

Sadly it looks as though CI LGW-TPE suspension has now been extended until late October, with the route continuing to operate to/from LHR in the interim.

Regarding Cathay, there is in all likelihood going to be a huge influx of people in Hong Kong holding British passports moving to the Uk. This should make Gatwick very feasible for services.
As to Emirates, at present their booking site certainly for November only shows the early afternoon service and this is not good for connecting to many connection destinations from Dubai. The previously morning and evening services were much better for this. Fortunately I have been able to book Qatar Airways morning services, and avoid the BAW ones.
Many other Far East destination offered for example by TravelBag were from Heathrow in place of Gatwick.

JW95

very encouraging for GAL that EZY are growing their base and I believe have got some ex DY slots? That combined with WIZZ is positive for the airport.

although a much smaller operation than EZY, GAL must be very keen for BA to bring some sort of SH operation back but not sure if or when as when the slot waivers return the airline won’t want to risk any LHR slots, but on the other hand wouldn’t think they would want to lose pretty much their entire LGW slot portfolio

i guess until summer, autumn when hopefully things start to move again we won’t know

Only North Terminal.

No actually your wrong, the South terminal is also following suit even though no flights , they are making sure no one drops off and then takes the transit over to the North
Grim ....

👍 Charge will be going live at the South Terminal on 12th April I think? I wonder what are the chances of the South Terminal reopening to flights this year and BA, Ryanair, Wizz Air et al. moving back?

I cant see the South terminal opening before s22

772 - could you perhaps see the South terminal opening for maybe two or three months over this summer ? Maybe mid July to mid October ?

MARKEYD

I believe the 'transit' is actually a bus, so really grim.

Slamming a fiver to drop someone off is harsh whereas a £3 airport fee per ticketed passenger wouldn't even be noticed. It's the stripping out of costs which have caused a lot of the friction between airports and users. We know they don't come free but people see a bundled cost in the small print of your ticket as the cost of doing business but see machines charging you money before accessing security, (looking at you NQY, the 2nd most officious airport in the UK after MAN!) or taking a fiver off grandad for dropping you off at the kerbside as daylight robbery. Just up the airport usage charges FGS. It's not as if Luton becomes way more attractive to save £3 in a bundled charge at LGW!

And get slammed by the airlines for increasing charges and forcing them to put up air fares?

davidjohnson6

Personally, no I don’t.

I can’t think GAL would open the South until they have to. This summer, even if things go well, BA, what 7/8 flights a day?, little to no DY, no VS, no EK until w21 I believe, a smaller EZY/BY operation than pre covid. Sure we may see small VY, EI, GR ops plus a few other smaller airlines.

I assume landslide checkin terminal capacity, will be the driver for opening the South as in terms of airside, plenty of stands to use and even if it got busy plenty of coaching gates down at the cow sheds gate 45 to coach pax to aircraft.

All up in the air and subjective, but until EZY get up to a sizeable operation I think North has the room for what looks likely this summer.

SWBKCB

By *THREE BRITISH POUNDS*, yes, slam away.

brianj

I suspect CX will opt to restore the FIVE daily pax schedules into LHR before LGW gets a look in.

MARKEYD

Following suit but not applicable yet because they not in place as of last Saturday.

Skipness One Foxtrot

BUT the family of 4 who live in Redhill and get the train pay £12 for no benefit.

That's why I said £3 rather than £5. Unbundling of costs has been the way of the industry but as in most things in life we don't know when to stop.

It's not rational, it's perception and it the perception could be removed with the nominal fee. Decent infrastructure needs to be paid for, otherwise every airport would be Luton and every airline would be Spirit. (Looking at you British Airways A320 NEOs)

Airlines need to understand that airports need to make money.