British Airways

[a300boy]

Never any information given as to why they do this either !
I would not use this service for the reasons you highlight and my next visit to London by air will be from Manchester.

 

[lbaspotter]

The decsion by British Airways to drop Leeds - Heathrow rotations is strange to say the least. Especially when passenger figures continue to climb.
But it's bloody typical as always that the big bad on other side of hill Manchester gets extra Heathrow rotations in the winter every day by British Airways.

Need I say anymore?

 

[AirBingley]

Well despite my earlier comments just booked my BA flights for next summer (upgrading with Avios on the LBA part to see what the new club service is like) so fingers crossed for not too many schedule change notifications!

 

[cmj]

This completely undermines confidence in the route and results in business travellers opting to fly from MAN instead. Talk about shooting one's self in the foot. Or maybe they have other motives? Fortunately, as LBASpotter says there is good news to cancel out the bad, but this BA route is vital to LBA and as such this change to the schedules is bad news.

I guess if they fly from MAN with BA instead, BA won't really care - they will still get their passenger, just on a different plane. If they fly from LBA with KLM instead, it's a passenger lost to another carrier.

 

[a300boy]

Which is why they can cancel Lhr Lba rotations at will.
So disappointing when the pax figures continue to improve !

 

[Seasider]

Good job its just a slot sitter then!

Well that's what everyone said when British Airways first announced its intentions of serving the London Heathrow - Leeds/Bradford route.

Good to know winter is coming. Hope CHC is a good airport to go spotting?

CHC is a very good airport to spot at and take .

 

[White Heather]

I guess if they fly from MAN with BA instead, BA won't really carree - they will still get their passenger, just on a different plane. If they fly from LBA with KLM instead, it's a passenger lost to another carrier.

Well I was told yesterday that KLM are doing superbly well out of LBA and we all know that they have recently declared their wish to increase numbers further. Seems BA are giving them a helping hand.

 

[Finger66]

Good on KLM. BA are to some degree deluded. Yes a certain few pax will go over the hill to stay with BA, but if they choose to kill LBA to LHR a greater number will still wish to fly locally with KLM going to be the big beneficiary. So come on BA, wake up and smell the coffee. Your route is growing so keep the frequency, get the night stopper in and upgrade to the A320. No one is pretending 8 a day on an A320 is needed, it isn't, but a night stopper with up to 4 flights a day would work. Better timings and a choice of frequency appeals to the business traveller. That's where your money is.

 

[stewief1]

We have booked a trip to Thailand for feb/march next year and against my better judgement booked it with BA. Just received notification that our early morning return journey connection on the LHR to LBA rotation has been cancelled and they have shifted us to the second rotation resulting in a 7 hr delay. Very frustrating. Naturally as this constitutes a cancellation of a flight we are not forced to accept the change and I am now arranging either cancelling this sector altogether or reroute to MAN. I have flown with BA for years and lots of times from LBA, but owing to the service demise, how they treat their pax and this latest event, I have had it. They have completely undermined my confidence in them and, despite the convenience of BA from LBA will be loling for alternatives in the future.

 

[oldendays]

I hope David Laws is on the case with British Airways and their increasingly casual attitude. They are taking the p**s and an explanation must be sought for this situation. A bus company carrying on like this would have the route taken off them.

 

[White Heather]

Until I raised this issue with LBA management on Thursday they had no idea what BA had done so clearly BA hadn't informed them. Believe me when I say that LBA managers were very concerned at what I told them and although David Laws had left the meeting by this time (he had another meeting to attend with an ex LBA MD from some years ago), the message I gave was going to be passed to him as a matter of urgency. So yes, I am sure David will be on the case with a view to finding out what they are doing. There is another meeting in September and I will be chasing up at that time to see what the outcome is. As they are cancelling flights though, it is highly unlikely this decision will be reversed and we are going to have to put up with only 2 rotations a day most of the winter - only half what we had when the route first launched.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Heather

Am I reading you correctly?

Is it the case that the professional LBA management was not aware of something important that concerns their airport yet amateur aviation website members seemed to discover it easily? Doesn't say a lot for the airport management and its staff in terms of ears to the ground whether BA told them officially or not.

 

[KARFA]

Good on KLM. BA are to some degree deluded. Yes a certain few pax will go over the hill to stay with BA, but if they choose to kill LBA to LHR a greater number will still wish to fly locally with KLM going to be the big beneficiary. So come on BA, wake up and smell the coffee. Your route is growing so keep the frequency, get the night stopper in and upgrade to the A320. No one is pretending 8 a day on an A320 is needed, it isn't, but a night stopper with up to 4 flights a day would work. Better timings and a choice of frequency appeals to the business traveller. That's where your money is.

As someone who regularly used the flights an A320 and four flights a day would be overkill at this stage. I just want BA to make sure they run the current normal schedule of 3x M-F & sun and 2x Sat.

 

[KARFA]

Heather

Am I reading you correctly?

Is it the case that the professional LBA management was not aware of something important that concerns their airport yet amateur aviation website members seemed to discover it easily? Doesn't say a lot for the airport management and its staff in terms of ears to the ground whether BA told them officially or not.

I don't think BA informed LBA though. Unless you are on those flights and have forward bookings you wouldn't immediately know. I happened to have some flights rebooked and then took it upon myself to trawl through the BA timetable from Jan-Apr to work out what was going on. I don't think it is reasonable to start making derogatory comments about LBA management on this one. It is encouraging that now they know they are taking it seriously and going to raise it with BA.

 

[LeedsPilot]

I don't think BA informed LBA though.

Surely that's the point? It might only be the removal of some flights for a short time but I'd still expect them to know about it as well as to why it's happening.

 

[Finger66]

I think there are three things to consider here:
1. The new LBA management will be on BA' s case now they do know, albeit they probably should have been aware earlier.
2. BA have a very bullish attitude to all things, and what they say goes, so whilst the winter batch of cancellations will not get reversed, it may at least be opening up further dialogue between LBA and BA around keeping the full schedule operational S18 onwards.
3. In with all this, as our new MD seems to know what needs putting right this may be the opportunity to push for a night stopper because that is probably the routes second biggest failing behind the regular cancellations

 

[Finger66]

I think there are three things to consider here:
1. The new LBA management will be on BA' s case now they do know, albeit they probably should have been aware earlier.
2. BA have a very bullish attitude to all things, and what they say goes, so whilst the winter batch of cancellations will not get reversed, it may at least be opening up further dialogue between LBA and BA around keeping the full schedule operational S18 onwards.
3. In with all this, as our new MD seems to know what needs putting right this may be the opportunity to push for a night stopper because that is probably the routes second biggest failing behind the regular cancellations

 

[KARFA]

Surely that's the point? It might only be the removal of some flights for a short time but I'd still expect them to know about it as well as to why it's happening.

How would they know if they are not informed? Do you think LBA management should be checking every week the timetables for all operators months in advance just in case the operator had reduced flights without saying something directly to the airport? I am unclear specifically what you think LBA should have done which they didn't?

 

[LeedsPilot]

How would they know if they are not informed? Do you think LBA management should be checking every week the timetables for all operators months in advance just in case the operator had reduced flights without saying something directly to the airport? I am unclear specifically what you think LBA should have done which they didn't?

I'm not having any digs at LBA management, all I'm saying is that it says a lot about the relationship between BA and the management that they didn't inform them about such a change. Memos about things totally irrelevant in comparison to this often get passed around, it's surprising BA didn't send LBA management any form of notification about it.

 

[KARFA]

I'm not having any digs at LBA management, all I'm saying is that it says a lot about the relationship between BA and the management that they didn't inform them about such a change. Memos about things totally irrelevant in comparison to this often get passed around, it's surprising BA didn't send LBA management any form of notification about it.

Yes, certainly agree with that