British Airways

[lbaspotter]

British Airways retired another Airbus, A319 yesterday moring as 19 year old G-EUOB was flown from London Heathrow to St, Athan.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways is due to make an unspecified number of pilots redundant according to UK pilot union BALPA, as the airline seeks to reduce its costs to try survive the coronavirus crisis.

An airline with quite heavy cash reserves, very profitable for the last few years, and goes for this? What a joke. Even BALPA think it’s a disgrace.

 

[Jerry]

An airline with quite heavy cash reserves, very profitable for the last few years, and goes for this? What a joke. Even BALPA think it’s a disgrace.

I'm un their mind this how they keep that cash reserve! I'd have thought unpaid leave would've been a better option as they'll need the pilots back eventually.

 

[Jerry]

The next 6 months will be a case of survival of the fittest.

I don't think there's any question that BA won't survive this as they are the UK flag carrier. Other airlines though don't have that protection.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

I'm un their mind this how they keep that cash reserve! I'd have thought unpaid leave would've been a better option as they'll need the pilots back eventually.

Yes they will. When demand comes back which it will. I mean I would understand “retirement” of the senior Captains. But to make redundancy’s. Good bloody luck to them - they’ll struggle to go fully back to how they was without the number of pilots they have now compared to then.

 

[Len Fish]

Call me cynical but BA seem to be acting with indecent haste as if they’re taking advantage of the situation to shed staff. Make pilots redundant (instead of asking them to take unpaid leave or laying them off) and then when the time is right re-hire them on new contracts that pay less. It’s not as if the pilots are going anywhere in the meantime and will still be there to re-hire when the crisis is over and flying resumes. If I’ve thought of this you can bet the masterminds at BA have as well.

 

[paully]

In reality BA know that when they resume ops they will do so with a much smaller fleet than they have now. The demand simply will not be there.The old fuel and maintenance hungry 747`s will be scrapped. Ditto the older airbus and I very much doubt the A380 will see the light of day again. They`ve crunched the numbers and hence todays news.

 

[AirBingley]

Is there an element of old contract v new contract in the hope old contract staff leave so they have a more LCC priced workforce?

 

[paully]

The first thing me and the fire eater are doing after this is officially over is a 2-3 week holiday Paully and I reckon 90% of the country will do the same, I reckon the BA website will be very busy to be honest and business will boom.

The main thing for BA is business travel..I suspect that business will very soon get more into technology than flying execs etc round the globe. Imagine if it has worked for months and business life went on, why spend when you don`t have to. You`re a business man, you know what I mean. The travel Insurance industry will be the big pause for Joe Public. I`ve been involved with changes going forward, for a big national organisation, today. Not good. Anything from a virus to dysentry is not going to be covered. It will make a lot of people pause and think. Depends how long things are fractured, but yes it will come back but how long, is another conjecture altogether.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

The first thing me and the fire eater are doing after this is officially over is a 2-3 week holiday Paully and I reckon 90% of the country will do the same, I reckon the BA website will be very busy to be honest and business will boom.

Not sure this will be the case.
In 3 months time the vast majority of workers will have used all their company sick pay, and drawn down their 20/21 holiday pay.
Unless they are prepared to take an unpaid leave, no holidays.
The unknown is seat prices and the positive effect of planes being grounded, air pollution levels in China are falling dramatically, it's thought 100000 people who would have died due to air pollution have now survived .
As somewhat in the climate denier side of this argument, I can see a case to put in minimum price guidelines.

 

[Aviador]

The unknown is seat prices and the positive effect of planes being grounded, air pollution levels in China are falling dramatically

Let's be absolutely clear about this Tarn Spotter. Air pollution in China has fallen because of the Covid-19 virus outbreak closing industries on the ground not because aircraft have stopped flying.

To be honest I'm getting a bit tired of your climate catastrophe moaning and the way you attack people who don't believe in the BBC narrative calling them a "climate change denier".

Do you not think its somewhat hypocritical coming from someone who over the years has made many claims, claims such as owning numerous shares in Ryanair and Jet2 along with running a haulage firm, no doubt responsible for many many tons of CO2 carbon emissions.

This is very much a case of "The pot calling the kettle black".

 

[Jerry]

I don’t give a sh*t what happens in China its down to them we are in this catastrophe.

Actually it's not. It's down to us. We had plenty of warning of whats to come.

 

[Aviador]

The World Health Organisation and the UK government has made it very clear this virus was unstoppable due to the nature of globalisation. This is another reason why WHO say there's no point in closing borders because viruses don't recognise borders. The only reason why most countries are closing their borders is because they will have enough on treating their own people let alone foreigners.

 

[lbaspotter]

British Airways have added a few more flights to the cancellation list on the LHR - LBA route.

March
Thu 19th = BA1344/1345
Fri, 20th = BA1344/1345
Mon 23rd = BA1344/1345
Tue 24th = BA1346/1347
Wed 25th = BA1346/1347
Thu 26th = BA1344/1345
Fri 27th = BA1344/1345

April
Wed 1st = BA1340/1341
Thu, 2nd = BA1344/1345
Fri, 3rd = BA1344/1345
Mon, 6th = BA1344/1345
Tue, 7th = BA1340/1341

 

[lbaspotter]

British Airways have added a few more flights to the cancellation list on the LHR - LBA route.

March
Thu 19th = BA1344/1345
Fri, 20th = BA1344/1345
Mon 23rd = BA1344/1345
Tue 24th = BA1346/1347
Wed 25th = BA1346/1347
Thu 26th = BA1344/1345
Fri 27th = BA1346/1347 & BA1344/1345
Sun 29th = BA1340/1341

From Monday 30th a reduced 5x weekly service will operate as follows.

Mondays
BA1340 = LHR 08:15 - LBA 09:15 / BA1341 = LBA 09:55 - LHR 11:10
Thursdays
BA1340 = LHR 09:10- LBA 10:10 / BA1341 = LBA 11:15 - LHR 12:30
Fridays
BA1340 = LHR 08:10 - LBA 09:10 / BA1341 = LBA 09:55 - LHR 11:10
Saturdays
BA1340 = LHR 11:00- LBA 12:00 / BA1341 = LBA 12:40 - LHR 13:55
Sundays
BA1340 = LHR 08:15 - LBA 09:15 / BA1341 = LBA 09:55 - LHR 11:10

 

[jason1-11]

To show confidence in BA, LBA and the aviation industry as a whole, I have re-booked my 3 cancelled LHR-LBA flights even though I could have received a full refund.

That only leaves a LHR-DUB-LBA-LHR flight in May with BA/ EI which was booked via an external agent.

 

[lbaspotter]

That only leaves a LHR-DUB-LBA-LHR flight in May with BA/ EI which was booked via an external agent.

You better check that EI operated DUB-LBA sector as Aer Lingus Regional carrier Stobart Air has grounded all international flights.

 

[quik123]

I understand BA are stopping all flights to/from LBA as of March 30 until May 1.

 

[lbaspotter]

I understand BA are stopping all flights to/from LBA as of March 30 until May 1.

Also London Heathrow to Newcastle & Inverness. Big reductions on London Heathrow flights to Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen & Belfast City too,

 

[lbaspotter]

DUE TO COVID-19 British Airways have further extended the London Heathrow - Leeds/Bradford route suspension now up until, Monday June 1st 2020.