What services you are using?

[752]

Just booked my brother and x4 friends on Jet2's Amsterdam service, 3rd December to the 6th!

Anybody got any travel plans for 2016?! anybody considering giving Vueling a go?!

 

[GolfFox]

Booked my wife LBA - IAH (frequent destination for us) a couple of weeks ago to travel mid October. She/we normally route via Amsterdam on the early KLM as the connections are better (and prices usually a bit cheaper) but missed the recent KLM 'sale'. (Prices went up £250 overnight) BA were over £200 cheaper on this occasion and with an additional discount using Avios. Connections through T5 not quite as good but worth the saving and good to spread the business about and support both airlines.

 

[stewief1]

Flying out to BCN for a weekend getaway in a few weeks with MON then in November off to Malaysia with BA via LHR. Unfortunately we will miss the operational change from the old and tired looking 777-200 to the new 787 by a few weeks!

 

[User001]

Stewie

The entire B777 fleet has been refreshed to the same standards as the new A380/B787 fleet, so, its certainly not old and tired any more.

Has the same IFE/Seats and carpets.

 

[kevinbev]

Not all the BA 777 fleet have had the refurb yet, I flew out on one of the tired ones on 30th Sept from LHR to HKG. The flight was over an hour late setting off due to the aircraft scheduled to do the flight going u/s. Although I preferred the seats on that 777 compared to the new recaro type on the HKG - BNE leg of the Qantas A330-300 the IFE screen was small and dire and kept fading. Sound was poor but slept most of flight anyway. I fly back via SYD to LHR on a BA 777 in a few weeks and then on to LBA so will see how that one goes. When I flew out last week I went out from MAN to Dublin with Ryanair and then from DUB to LHR with BA. Was considering using the EI from LBA to DUB but turned out I made the right choice as the EI flight operated from MAN anyway due fog at LBA. The reason doing it this way was that it was considerably cheaper booking the flight from DUB-LHR-BNE and back via LHR to LBA. I did look at the AMS options as well but this was still dearer. Being a Yorkshire man every penny counts.

 

[tonysmith]

what services are you using

Hi all going to LHR from LBA 2moz 7/10/15 then on to jo' burg with south African airways and back in 2 weeks

 

[752]

Flying LHR - LBA 12th November and LBA - LHR 15th November

 

[yorkguy]

Sadly I drove over the hills this week for a half term visit to Venice as the Jet2 flights from LBA were hugely more expensive than Monarch from Man. The Ryanair flight from LBA was very competitive but I can't stand TSF so always avoid it.
I have to say Monarch were superb both ways - quick check ins and punctual (early) flights. T2 at Man was a dream also. Used the multi storey car park so didn't even get wet and it worked out cheaper than LBA's mid stay surface car park.
Sorry, I always big up LBA, but Man was a class act this week

 

[a300boy]

Your story tells us all why Lbia has little chance and whilst it is still growing the future is a small regional airport serving 30% of the catchment area whilst Manchester mops up the bigger market. Even the management of the place have accepted that and have no plans to chase long haul operations for the forseeable future.

 

[yorkguy]

We talk a lot about accessibility issues but nowhere is far from anywhere in this country. The big deciding factor for many people is choice of destination, flight times and cost. Getting to the airport is often a minor consideration. Whether I drive 70 minutes to LBA or 95 minutes to Man makes no difference to me. In fact the Transpennine train ride to Man would be a total disincentive. Abominable service to be avoided.
I heard accents from all over the north of England and Scotland on our flight. Many people had clearly travelled past their local airports to pick up a better flight option from Man.

 

[Aviador]

So true so it's understandable LBA is concentrating on getting supply and demand right on the short haul ops before worrying about new destinations.

 

[a300boy]

So no future for Lbia then ! we all might as well go to Manchester or East Midlands and sod these people who seem to be unwilling to invest to the level needed to provide Yorkshire with its own decent airport. I am doing the same next month for my next long haul flight so I guess we are where we are and will just have to get on with it.

 

[Aviador]

Can you check your private messages a300boy.

 

[752]

Whilst many of you are saying Yorkshire PAX are using competitor airports like MAN and EMA, I am sure you are all aware that PAX from LBA are not just from Yorkshire.

A lot of passengers in the Premier Lounge and on my Monarch flight to ALC had Geordie accents, meaning they are not travelling from their local airport. Many peoples decision to fly from an airport is mainly due to price and obviously flight times.

Many people from Manchester, Liverpool and Hull all travel to LBA, boycotting their own local airport. I'm sure passengers from the midlands even travel up to LBA if the price and times are right. As I know if times and prices are not suitable from LBA, we will definitely use DSA, EMA, LPL, MAN, NCL & HUY.

 

[yorkguy]

Precisely Ap1995. Get the right destinations with good prices and good timings, and people will drive anywhere within reason. I have also used all the northern airports over the years as well as LGW, LHR, STN. I will always try to use LBA as a first choice on principle, but it isn't always possible.

 

[a300boy]

Fully agree guys ! But the airports stratergy is to stop leakage of yorkshire residents flying from Manchester.

 

[Aviador]

Fully agree guys ! But the airports stratergy is to stop leakage of yorkshire residents flying from Manchester.

That's true but you can't stop people from flying from a different airport. Everybody had their own reasons for flying from an airport perhaps one further away from home. Price, timings, choice of destinations.

 

[GolfFox]

Busy couple of months and putting my faith in LBA. Please don't let me down!!! Out to Paris next Monday on LS315. No return offering on Wednesday when I come back so have gone for BA via LHR. The earlier timing of the 'late' inbound is frustrating as it means leaving Paris earlier than I should be doing! The following week it's Berlin - again on BA and again the return timing into Leeds means I have to leave a bit earlier than I should. Come on BA - we are trying to support the service - give us some encouragement with decent timings!!
Off to Houston for Christmas and in the end decided on the 06.10 departure KLM via AMS where the connection time to IAH is optimum. My wife flew to Houston three weeks ago and we booked BA as we got a good price and used some Avios to get a further reduction, but because of the poor timings cannot connect with the earlier flight out of LHR so have to sit around for the afternoon flight which doesn't get into Houston until early evening. On the way back, the situation is reversed - the 07.00 arrival from IAH into LHR misses the morning connection - so its another long wait for the early afternoon flight up to LBA. The luggage was labelled 'Long Transfer' which says it all! Wife was adamant she didn't want to do that again although it did take her 1 hour 30 minutes to get through passports and another security check in T5 so it wasn't quite so long a wait as it might have been had the process been efficient. Lost that one I'm afraid BA!
The BA service seems to be doing really well now with increasing passenger numbers even with lousy timings. I wonder how many more passengers they could tap into with better connection timings?? (My wife for one!!!!)

 

[AirBingley]

The East Coast Main Line is closed between Grantham and Peterborough Saturday 30 January 16 and no advance tickets are available - thankfully BA had a £47 hand baggage only fare for the afternoon flight! The morning flight was already on sale at higher fares!

 

[752]

Booked my parents and 2 friends flights to ALC next September, decided to book early as weekend flights in September cost us nearly £300 each this year!!

Out with Monarch 3pm on Thursday 15th (Regularly use this flight, great timings)

Back with Ryanair on Sunday 18th on the afternoon flight. (Don't realty use Ryanair however the timings suited better instead on Monarch's late Sunday departure) Also Ryanair was cheaper then Jet2.

I don't mind what airlines they are using as long as its from LBA and supporting the Airport!!

Side note: Flew up from LHR on Thursday 12th on the late Northbound, I would say surprisingly about half full with a very windy landing due to the storm. Flew back to LHR Sunday 15th on the afternoon flight with loads being a lot better, id say about 2/3rd's full. all in all an excellent service again by BA.