Code Sharing Gone Mad?

[MerchantVenturer]

I just had cause to check the Edinburgh arrivals board on BBC Ceefax and saw this interesting arrival.

2205 Heathrow BD 064 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow SQ 2964 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow GF 5264 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow LH 6520 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow NH 6861 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow TG 7014 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow TP 8903 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow OS 8967 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow MH 9616 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow JK 9617 Landed 2200
2205 Heathrow SK 9767 Landed 2200

This one arrival took 3/4s of one Ceefax page all on its own. I presume it is a bmi flight adorned with the code sharers' numbers.

I imagine any non-aviation worker or non-enthusiast would be very impressed with the number of flights arriving at EDI from LHR at ten o'clock at night.

With more groupings/code shares it can't be long before one flight has a complete page to itself.

I suppose it has to be shown like this but I wonder whether it might be more of a confusion than a help at times.

[leonbrumsack]

I find it can be most confusing! I am responsible for organising crew matters in the UK for a foreign airline, and recently had to arrange a pick up for a captain arriving as a passenger on a flight from Zurich, with a LX flight number. It took quite a while and lots of hunting to find out whether the flight was actually with Swiss (who operate from LHR T2) or a codeshare with BA (who operate from LHR T4). Thankfully, I arranged for the driver to be at the right terminal for the captain...

I assume if I was slightly confused by this, it must be even worse for those who do not work in the industry!

[Copenhagen]

Well, at least EDI's punctuality stats improved with ten flights arriving early like that!

Perhaps we can get some PR guru to spin out the number of possible flights between EDI and LHR is now over 100 daily. :O

Perhaps airlines need to move away from airline codes and onto Alliance Codes, such as OW, SA, ST, that would make things much easier.

[Globaliser]

Is there any truth in the rumour that Michael Bishop once described BD as the "tart of the skies"? As in "we'll codeshare with anyone if the price is right"?

[brabazon]

I think at one time BD had something like 14 code shares on one of its flights.