RJ's are still at man till the end of the month i believe then are been sold/leased to swiss?

I can not imagine what Swiss would want the RJ's for. There is the usual complacency from LGW BA staff as on Page 2. Our understanding is that BA PSU /Operations & ramp have a 60 day improvement notice from GB Airways. Correct me if I am wrong but that consists of 40% of their work and GB must be able to get the work performed by Servisair or whoever for considerably less. So there is no room for being smug.

Complacent? Maybe HZ123,

And I don't disagree that BA's ground operation at LGW has room for further improvements.

CFE were somewhat analogous to GB in their ability (as a separate company) to outsource things like ground handling. Not exactly the same as CFE were in the south terminal, of course. Gatwick Mangling weren't particularly great in my experience, but when CFE switched supplier to the newly setup British Midland Handling operation (since bought out by Aviance), I can honestly say that they were a great bunch, who worked darned hard and really pulled their weight. They came running when late to meet an aircraft on stand, for example.

The thing with BA's ops at LGW though, is that although there may still be some fat to be trimmed, the whole operation is really pretty efficient compared to Heathrow. They have made lots of cuts amongst the ramp staff at LGW, to the point where the operation regularly suffers. Not enough dispatchers on duty at certain times to deal with all the aircraft arriving/departing. It is frustrating as a pilot to rush from pillar to post on an unscheduled aircraft change in an effort to keep the show on the road, only to find there is then a 40 minute wait for a dispatcher.

Some days in the summer, after the opening of the new bridge over to pier 6 and the subsequent cull of drivers, there were only 5 drivers working during the day shift. When you think that it takes 3 of them to deal with the stupid design of hi-lift vehicles that BA have, if you have carry-off passengers on a remote (or other busing) stand, that doesn't leave many drivers left for crew or passenger buses.

All I'm saying is that at LGW, most staff groups have made significant improvements in productivity, often to the point where it impinges on customer service... At that point it becomes a management failing to have extracted so much productivity IMHO. We are a pretty close knit bunch at LGW and usually all pull in the same direction pretty well (obviously there is the very odd exception).

Compared to the excesses up the road, I really think it's time to leave LGW alone for a while. Being continually asked to give more and more, when other staff are still being hosed down with money for going to unpopular destinations or doing their normal shift over a bank holiday weekend, is not my idea of rewarding an already pretty committed and hard working workforce.

As for pulling out of LGW, there is precedent here to prove that it isn't a good idea. 5 years ago, CFE occupied most of the south pier stands most days, and in a BA livery. There weren't many stands available for the competition: When 'integrated' into the north terminal operation, suddenly all those previously occupied stands, were vacant... And who do you think occupies them now? Yes, the largest Low Cost operator at Gatwick (to coin a phrase). I like to think that BA management won't make the same mistake again, especially as they seem to have decided to take the battle back to Ryan/Easy. At the very worst, they are making their life more difficult until the fuel prices really begin to eat into the low cost's margins (as a higher overall percentage of their fixed costs).

BA does have lots of inefficiencies, even at Gatwick... It's the way it is and there are historical reasons for all of it. The management are firefighting quite aggressively all the time. I just want to see them get the bits that are blazing the worst under control before continuing to chuck buckets of cold water round the edges.

I do accept much of what you state but we at BA have to look to the GSA's as surely the way we should be operating and at a similar level to their costs. For example an Aviance Push Back is circa £50.00 a BA push £130.00 and our accident rate is not much better than theirs.

Hear! Hear! Bravo!!!

At last, someone who sings from my hymn sheet!

...And, while you're at it, if WW looks in on this forum, can you PLEASE dispel once and for all the rumours that we, the ground staff, will be sold as a "transfer of undertaking" to a ground handling agent!!!

HZ123

Lufthansa want 146/RJ for all of their regional affiliates (due challenging terrain in south central Europe perhaps?) - and now Swiss is an LH affiliate they get them too.

Can he also do the same at MAN and provide a bit of job reassurance.

Mark D, yes LUFTY have got a lot of 146's/RJ, however they nearly always leave on time, the BA aircraft (in my unhappy experience of travelling), spend most of their time tech, with the passengers in the terminal.
Now, WW. Unless there is a remarkable change from the norm he will continue the worn path of being scared to do anything at LHR and just decimate the 'regions' even more. Samr old, same old.

I don't know. WW isn't afraid to of getting his hands dirty, that's for sure. Time will tell whether he'll have to face off to those in LHR or whether he'll win them over by other means.