Are BA closing LGW?

[Birds2perches]

Can anyone shed any light on this? I've heard from various sources, some credible and some not so, that BA are slowly closing down their LGW base as it's not making enough money. They have already begun shedding routes and cutting down on staff. If they close it though, what will happen to the jobs of the crew? Reason I'm asking is that if they are given the option of being LHR based (which they would have to be by employment law)they may not need to recruit outsiders for some time. Thanks for the info on the language front. Nice to know.
:)

[OneLeft]

BA is all a bit in the air at LGW at the moment, but the next 3/4 weeks should shed a lot of light.

I can't see them closing LGW, as the slots alone are very valuable, and if they give them up, they will never get them back. A lot of reorganising is more likely, especially with Cityflyer, Eurogatwick and AML.

Less transfer traffic and more point to point is probably good for shorthaul, not so good for longhaul which depends on transit pax.

As for transferring crew to LHR, as most at LGW are employed by subsidiaries, very few would be 'legally' entitled if parts were closed down.

Time will tell,

D1L

[This message has been edited by OneLeft (edited 18 November 2000).]

[Porcupine]

Plans are already afoot to transfer most of longhaul up to LHR,a project has just been signed off called Operation Iceberg,and this project is to use T1 as a longhaul terminal as well T4,the idea is that you would put flights like NRT there bacause most of the traffic is going on to europe,so its easier for them to transit, you will also find that similar is going to happen at T4 with S/H using it.I suppose they are going to try and hub and spoke the operation.Its all going to take about 2yrs.As for crew transfering,they will trickled up as traffic is tranferred,or given the option to move to the new LGW op,(what ever that turns out to be),or to take severence.I dont think any c/crew in EOG or C/Flyer will get a look in as they are not part of the NSP and do not hold BA contracts(F/Deck do though).From were I sit it appears that its going to go back to the way it was before 1988,when B/Airtours was operating it as a cheap base(but what do I know I could completely wrong.)
P.

[OneLeft]

Not sure about the Hub And Spoke theory.....

You could argue that it is Hub And Spoke (or transfer) work that has turned LGW into the loss maker it is for BA. They aren't likely to repeat this mistake at LHR.

As you rightly say though.....what do we know.

D1L.