Now officially confirmed that BMI will replace LX on the LON-BSL route, using an A319. There will be 3 daily flights and the flight will swap from LCY to LHR. On top of this, BMI will also take over the MAN-BSL flight from LX, also on A319.

This way, BMI will have another A319 full time employed for LX, so the question is: where will it come from? From pulling the GLA flights, as was rumoured? Something must be dropped for this, and it can't be just MAN going from 6 to 4....

So that's an addition as LHR-BSL is new. Swiss clearly now changing focus in London with more LHR and only ZRH left at LCY.

Where are the displaced A319s coming from? Has GLA been confirmed as going?

Flights are already available on SWISS.com, the LX flight numbers used are codeshare flight numbers I believe so guessing these will be BD flights with a LX codeshare?

Here's the press release from SWISS:

20.01.2011

London Heathrow – Basel
BD161/LX4429 LHR0715 – 0950BSL 319 x7
BD167/LX4425 LHR1650 – 1925BSL 319 x7
BD167/LX4425 LHR1655 – 1930BSL 319 7
BD169/LX4427 LHR1925 – 2200BSL 319 x6

BD160/LX4420 BSL0725 – 0810LHR 319 x67
BD160/LX4420 BSL0730 – 0815LHR 319 6
BD162/LX4426 BSL1600 – 1640LHR 319 1
BD162/LX4426 BSL1610 – 1650LHR 319 x26
BD168/LX4428 BSL2030 – 2105LHR 319 x6
BD168/LX4428 BSL2050 – 2125LHR 319 6

Manchester – Basel
BD301/LX4431 MAN1215 – 1500BSL 319 x67
BD300/LX4430 BSL1050 – 1140MAN 319 x67

So by looks of it the MAN flights will operate as a W-pattern with the LHR a/c.

Glasgow hasn't been confirmed as going yet. It already operates with only 4 a day on airbus (rest are embraer)

hopefully with new flights like Basel and Tripoli Glasgow will build back up with connecting passengers. Swiss passengers from Scotland will now have to go through LHR on bmi rather than LCY.

If they could just re-align economy domestic services with BA and offer passengers the same in economy and keep the enhanced flexible economy service they could get a lot of business back from BA.

So all these press conferences and announcements from bmi and star alliance and not only is London Heathrow to Glasgow International still on sale, it’s on the same existing frequency. Oh what shock!! This was a ridicules rumour in the first place and the press probably got there scoops from this very thread, it wouldn’t be the first time.

Also, in bmi's own words "No plans to cut GLA-LHR".

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Random Flyer seen eating hat?

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I'll stick my hat in the post for you to eat. Enjoy! ;)

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Interesting that the paper speculates that bmibaby might "step in on the GLA STN route"

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Just like the papers speculation that LHR-GLA would be dropped, they will be proved completely wrong with this, second ridicules idea.

bmi baby wouldn't last six months on the London Stansted to Glasgow International route against easyJet with 6 flights daily, plus Ryanair on the London Stansted to Glasgow Prestwick route.

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Has GLA been confirmed as going?

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Ofcourse it hasn't!!

Swiss are using their own a/c on all Geneva flights in the Summer so that frees up a bmi a/c for the Basle.

As I see it the LHR BSL and MAN BSL requires 2 aircraft, one from the LHR GVA and the other.......??????

Random Flyer, I'd keep your hat warm, it is still looking pretty tasty.

If it was going to go, it would have went yesterday when Wolfgang was getting a lovely wee tour of the new transport museum in Glasgow.

ps, this people trying to get one-up on others is pathetic. This is an internet forum, people need to take it allot less seriously. :)

Which has collapsed to a single daily rotation from TEN. Your understanding of this market is utterly wrong and getting all excited isn't going to change the fact the LHR-GLA continues to bleed serious cash. Who says so? BMI themselves admit the route is losing millions. Unless you think it was making so much dosh that reduced frequency, capcity and service was all part of Baldrick's cunning plan.

bmi's GLA-LHR makes money in the same way MAN long haul made money.......

Did they?! Or did the press say it was losing millions? Two very different sources!

Yes you have said that before and like I have already said, Ryanair are in the weakest position on the London to Glasgow market and this is why they are down to one daily flight.

Well, Skippy, that’s your opinion, like my opinion is you are completely in the wrong and the fact bmi flights from London Heathrow to Glasgow are still on sale, backs me up.

Who says LHR-GLA is losing millions? The press?! Of it must be right then, because we all know they are always on the money when it comes to aviation.

random_flyer what makes you think it makes money?

The Telegraph article wasn 't all made up if you read it, the numbers make sense. Falling traffic, rising tax, steady competition, falling yields, better opportunitiues elsewhere. A good analogy is that BA pulled out of Ireland entirely in 1991, massive market but weak profits.

Not something they're often guilty of surely. What's changed in the market that kills FR but somehow leaves BD in profit?

The fact the route has not been cut. The fact there are upto 14 code-shares on one single flight.

When I use the flight, seats are not the cheapest and loads are always healthy.

Now a simple yes or no question; can you book LHR-GLA online now with bmi?

As you pointed out passenger numbers have fell, so the weakest fall with it. The weakest here is Ryanair. Not bmi. This is why Ryanair have cut to one daily flight are bmi will continue with 6 daily return flights.

GVA was operated on an A320, BSL will be operated on an A319. This A320 will be used for LH flying from BHX/MAN.

The BSL flying programme only requires 1 A319 as the MAN flights will be operated as a W-pattern with the LHR a/c.

If you don't mind me asking RF, how do you know Wolgang P-S was visting the Riverside Museum? I do agree that you would expect an announcement to have come yesterday if he was here. Unless of course he'd been invited up by BAA GLA and the council/city marketing board to try to persuade BD not to can GLA-LHR, or at least launch BD Reg GLA-FRA/BRU if LHR was canned?

The journalist who wrote the story often posts here and is normally quite au fait with what is going on in the airline world, so I wouldn't totally write off what has been said. There's often no smoke without fire, so I'd suggest that you should still have your hat on standby!

Well, quite ;)

BMI did not deny the losses when I put a *very* high figure to them. It is definitely in millions, I suspect in double figures. The majority of these costs are fixed operational: base and facilities at GLA and the cost of operating into LHR. (Makes you question why they are blaming BAA when clearly the economics of the route have been weak for some time).
As someone astutely pointed out here, closing bases would be a more likely next step than closing routes altogether but I have no evidence that's the plan.

Personally I guess BMI (and others) are in such trouble on domestic routes that they're willing to entertain speculation about route closures in order to gain political traction or embarrass BAA into a rethink or get help from the government. I wish them luck, but...!

Was slightly surprised to hear GLA mentioned as DUB has already been crippled by closure of its base and the introduction of a rubbish timetable, while MAN is surely the most unsustainable route in the longer term.

TCX69:

You'll have to explain to me how the BD160 and BD161 (not to mention the BD 168 and 169) can be in the air at the same time going in opposite directions using only one aircraft. Is this the german secret to greater aircraft utilisation?

It needs 2, and the other one will come from GLA.

ajamieson:

You may have a point, but these are pragmatic germans. The route is losing millions, it isn't going to get fixed by some political machinations. However, there is an opportunity to fire a broadside at the authorities, CAA etc and stimulate some debate, before closing the route and base shortly afterwards. The base does come with a cost, but the alternative is using, more expensive, LHR crew and paying for hotels etc in GLA. The route is simply not viable, end of.

It is an interesting debate and I cannot pretend to know about yields and what makes money for any operator.
I have used BD on many LHR-GLA-LHR runs...and the loads vary quite considerably in my opinion. Indeed thefirst north bound flight on a Saturday Morning not that long ago had 17 pax but yes I have been on fully laden A319's and A320's

I am old enough to just about remember the DC9 service all these years ago that had good loads and possibly at prices similar to days cheapest fare. But I still assume that business people are willing to pay the fares asked for short bookings. Perhaps its actually the service on board that BD is now lacking. Apart from the seat allocation they are effectively like all other low cost operators - buy on board etc.

But yes I would be sad to see them go and wonder just what would happen to the prices on BA when they have sole rights on that service to LHR. I also feel that once again the GLA users would suffer with the loss of a one stop - baggage checked through to destination use of Star Alliance - and that is a shame. Its hard enough i am sure for many from GLA having to fly south, just to fly North again for trips to say North America and having to route even fuirther into europe like FRA (if Gla gets such a direct route) can be also frustrating.

Needless to say GLA-FRA etc has been tried on a number of occassions and even if it was re-invented with smaller ac etc - I just wonder how long that would last to.

Nivsy