Britannia to FLL / Buenos Aires / Santiago!?
 

Just a quick question for anyone who might know more about this. Starting November this year, Britannia are flying fortnightly LGW and MAN to Fort Lauderdale direct (763s).

In addition on some dates additional flights are going from Bournemouth, Cardiff, East Midlands, Shannon, Glasgow, Exeter and Luton to FLL using a mix of 763s (and some 762s via BGR on the outbound leg).

Now I am guessing this is related to cruise passengers? A cheaper option than putting them all on BA to MIA I guess? But to my knowledge BY have never done this before.

Also I noticed several such flights from the UK "regional" airports named above to Barbados (now i don't know for sure but I am guessing Exeter to Barbados is not a regular BY route?!).

From Barbados on certain dates the 762s continue on to Santiago and Buenos Aires then straight back to BGI (one-off services).

Have Britannia teamed up with some cruise company to provide these charter flights to and from the UK? Seems a pretty sensible use of surplus capacity in the Winter I suppose, but would be glad of any "official" explanation of these activities.

Cheers.

sounds to me like it's for P&O Cruises

my mate tells me that Monarch (A330) and EAL (B747) will be running alongside the BAL unit(s)

Look at 'Bath Travel' cruise programme from Bournemouth - Will explain the BOH bit.

The above posts are substantially correct LG. It has actually been going on for years, mostly for P&O and Cunard, and the destinations may vary. The major charter airlines tend to use their traditional winter surplus capacity (as you deduced) to secure such contracts and keep the aircraft (and crews!) earning their living. Also included can be Hadj ops and, once upon a time, Downunder (wistful sigh. . . .).

It can also add a pleasant bit of variety for the few who get to fly one or more of these ops. Hope this helps.

I did a P&O cruise last November and flew in and out on VS (didn't want to fly down in Y class). Got to BGI and it looked like a Britannia car park! At least 5 76's and 3 75's.

Are Bournmouth, Cardiff & Exeter long enough in the wet to do FLL in one or will we be via SNN or similar - come to think of it, are BOM & EXE long enough to get a 763 in on any day?

Bournemouth (BOH) should be good enough for a FLL direct, certainly via Bangor if necessary. Exeter flights will go via SNN each time I think, and only on 762 as the -300 is not cleared into EXT.

:) :D :D :)

BOH is long enough for a B747-200 with 440 PAX to fly direct to/from New york. Bath Travel used a Monarch A300-600 to fly to Havana in March, no probs their. Runway is 2271 metres long.

Thanks - and now I have the right 3 letter codes as well!

Sorry to disappoint, but Monarch A300-600 did not and cannot go direct ex BOH. It made a tech stop in YQX, and was operating at a reduced passenger load...

Aircraft Recognition
 

What dtbd, were the 3 Britannia 75s perchance the result of the excellent VS hospitality clouding your vision?

All the 767-300 UK-FLL flights are direct (those operating from BFS, BHX, CWL, EMA, GLA, LGW & MAN)

All the 767-200 UK-FLL flights are via BGR (those operating from BHX, BOH & MAN)

Interestingly, the 762s have no planned stops on the return legs (from FLL to BHX, BOH, MAN).

I imagine they are covering their backs in some cases with the 762 range @ MTOW. Tailwinds should get them back in one go even fully loaded, but I dare say the MAN-FLL 762 flight will make it outbound a couple of times this winter with no stop.

Remember as a kid flying 757-200s 2 years running MAN-BGR-MCO and back in the days when MON & AMM weren't equipped with nice A330s and 763s! Never stopped @ BGR on the way back either time with the tailwind, even though a refuel was scheduled.

Anyway the Britannia boys should have some nice stopovers in FLL and South America to look forward to this Winter it seems. Do their 762s still have ETOPS, don't recall them using them over the pond for some years now.

The 762 flights to FLL will be planned via BGR but if operating conditions favour on the day then we will do all possible for them to operate direct. BGR will only be a fuel stop, not crew or pax drop off.

Coming home is not a problem because of the jetstreams in the winter, flying time is around an hour quicker eastbound....

BAL B762's are ETOPs approved as normal, last winter saw them doing quite a bit of the cruise programme...

:) :D :D :cool: :D :D :)