Author Topic: BA - here we go again ????? (Read 10945 times)

John R · « **on:** March 07, 2007, 09:01:12 AM »

I can hardly believe it. My Newcastle flight cancelled - rebooked with BA Connect from Manchester and I have found this :-

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British Airways has sold the regional operations of its subsidiary airline, BA Connect, to Flybe - a move that will lead to about 900 flight cancellations.

The airline said it would offer passengers alternative flights with either BA or Flybe, or a full refund.

The airports affected include Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bristol.
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Anybody know any more !!!!!!!!

John R

PS (edit) Just realised my service from Manchester is run by GB airways. However I'm still not sure of our position etc.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6418391.stm is of interest

Panic over as I have just found on the BA site :-

What about services operated by GB Airways from Manchester, Nottingham East Midlands and Bristol?
Services operated by GB Airways are unaffected by this announcement.

I'm leaving this message on as it may be of interest to anyone else who thinks that they MAY have been affected by the changes

Mike from Sussex · « **Reply #1 on:** March 07, 2007, 12:22:11 PM »

Flybe have announced the closure of the Bristol operations.

From BBC News:

Flybe said it would offer passengers booked on affected services after 25 March alternative flights from other airports.

"My team and I took a long hard look at BA Connect's loss-making operations out of Bristol and regretfully could not make a viable economic case for their retention," said Flybe chief commercial officer Mike Rutter.

Mike G · « **Reply #2 on:** March 07, 2007, 01:49:54 PM »

It seems that whether you book independently or through a tour operator, you are liable to have changes not of your making forced on you. Hopefully, on arrival and enjoying that first Mythos, local wine, or whatever, all the hassle will be considered worth it.

Mike

John R · « **Reply #3 on:** October 25, 2007, 11:48:36 AM »

I have just received an email from British Airways with respect to their GB Franchise.

It says :-

"You may have heard news this morning that easyJet has announced its intention to purchase British Airways' franchise carrier, GB Airways and that British Airways will terminate its franchise agreement with GB Airways with effect from 30 March 2008.

All BA flights with a flight number between BA6760 and BA6999 are operated by GB Airways.

We would like to reassure you that flights to all GB Airways destinations will continue to operate normally with the full British Airways service up to and including March 29, 2008. If you have a booking on a GB Airways flight up to and including this date your flight will not be affected.

If you are booked to travel after March 30, 2008, you will be contacted with details of your new flight once easyJet's purchase of GB Airways is complete. We expect this to be in the next eight weeks.
For more information, please visit http://www.ba.com"

Also from their press statement on their website :-

"The deal between GB Airways and easyJet is expected to be completed within eight weeks. During this period flights will operate as normal. On completion, passengers can accept to be rebooked on easyJet or will be entitled to a full refund."

INTERESTING

Ironically we are travelling with XL in 2008 (Tesco Vouchers) but I was planning to spend my airmiles with BA in 2009. Oh well.............

Just found this on a Google search :-

"We have bought GB because it will allow us to expand, particularly out of Gatwick. As far as Manchester is concerned, at this point we just don't know. We've not made a decision."

Ploppy · « **Reply #4 on:** October 26, 2007, 07:03:38 PM »

Quote from: John R

Ironically we are travelling with XL in 2008 (Tesco Vouchers) but I was planning to spend my airmiles with BA in 2009. Oh well.............

Don't feel too bad John, I don't think you could have used the air miles anyway. Another forum member who came out this year on BA couldn't as it wasn't a 'real' BA flight.

John R · « **Reply #5 on:** October 26, 2007, 08:02:41 PM »

Quote from: Ploppy

Quote from: John R
Ironically we are travelling with XL in 2008 (Tesco Vouchers) but I was planning to spend my airmiles with BA in 2009. Oh well.............

Don't feel too bad John, I don't think you could have used the air miles anyway. Another forum member who came out this year on BA couldn't as it wasn't a 'real' BA flight.

Strange because I did a dummy booking last month on the airmiles site and it completed the whole scenario for a BA flight using GB airways from Manchester to Heraklion - up to the point of paying - telling me the various airmiles options for subsidising the payment. I'm not that worried - 2009 is far away !!

John R

musicman · « **Reply #6 on:** October 27, 2007, 09:51:30 AM »

Well we had booked with BA for next August, as they were very good in May this year when we visited.

Not sure what is happening, but it will not be for the good, as Easyjet are a budget airline, and the price I paid for our flights 11 months ahead are not on a par with a budget airline price.

I would expect to of paid around a half of what I did booking that far in advance.

So I am not sure if we will visit next year now, as it depends on what Easyjet decide.

So having arranged everything, I might just have to unarrange!!.

Ploppy · « **Reply #7 on:** October 27, 2007, 03:23:07 PM »

Hmmm, I've just tried (booking with Air miles) and it says that BA doesn't fly that route, yet you can book through the main BA site.

The route map doesn't show the route either but does show other GB Airways flights.

Quote from: John R

Strange because I did a dummy booking last month on the airmiles site and it completed the whole scenario for a BA flight using GB airways from Manchester to Heraklion - up to the point of paying - telling me the various airmiles options for subsidising the payment. I'm not that worried - 2009 is far away !!

John R

jenny · « **Reply #8 on:** October 28, 2007, 12:03:13 AM »

Humph!!!

My old boss predicted this last century, when Richard Branson first started Virgin Airlines - said fine, Branson was only flying the oversubscribed destinations, thus forcing BA to reduce their prices, which would mean loss making routes would have to be cut due to lack of subsidy except BA wouldn't be able to cut them to begin with due to their charter to provide a service (you know like the Beeb, GPO and corporation buses) - whilst Branson was not encumbered by this restriction.

Good ol' free enterprise.

It's our own fault for being so totally unrealistic about the real price of things. In 1969 we paid 49gns to Doug Ellis for a MATO budget self-catering holiday in Majorca. I was earning £8.15s 0d a week. So what would a 17 yr old earn for a 35hr week as a clerk in an insurance office now? At even £5 an hour that would be £175 a week - so by the same token that holiday should cost £1,029 !!! It's exactly the same with the price of milk, etc etc etc

Perhaps it really is time to get real? LOL

Rowena & Carl · « **Reply #9 on:** October 28, 2007, 10:19:12 AM »

Quote from: jenny

Humph!!!

My old boss predicted this last century, when Richard Branson first started Virgin Airlines - said fine, Branson was only flying the oversubscribed destinations, thus forcing BA to reduce their prices, which would mean loss making routes would have to be cut due to lack of subsidy except BA wouldn't be able to cut them to begin with due to their charter to provide a service (you know like the Beeb, GPO and corporation buses) - whilst Branson was not encumbered by this restriction.

Good ol' free enterprise.

It's our own fault for being so totally unrealistic about the real price of things. In 1969 we paid 49gns to Doug Ellis for a MATO budget self-catering holiday in Majorca. I was earning £8.15s 0d a week. So what would a 17 yr old earn for a 35hr week as a clerk in an insurance office now? At even £5 an hour that would be £175 a week - so by the same token that holiday should cost £1,029 !!! It's exactly the same with the price of milk, etc etc etc

Perhaps it really is time to get real? LOL

We have booked already for next June with BA from Manchester & for the first time booked the same flights for some friends too typical it could all go horribly wrong now if they decide they are not operating that route any more.

Rowena

fenman · « **Reply #10 on:** October 28, 2007, 06:20:42 PM »

[We have booked already for next June with BA from Manchester & for the first time booked the same flights for some friends too typical it could all go horribly wrong now if they decide they are not operating that route any more.

Rowena
[/quote]

Easyjets contract with Liverpool airport means that they cannot operate from Manchester , unless they can renegoate that contract. in the end it will all come down to money or a trip via Liverpool

fenman

Tony and Sandra Smith · « **Reply #11 on:** October 28, 2007, 09:48:06 PM »

A trip via Liverpool Airport is not that bad. Honest

Tony

John R · « **Reply #12 on:** October 28, 2007, 10:44:02 PM »

Quote from: Tony and Sandra Smith

A trip via Liverpool Airport is not that bad. Honest

Tony

Maybe I'm just being pessimistic but I just don't see Easyjet taking on those GB Airways Crete flights from the North. They might continue the Gatwick ones ??
We shall have to wait and see.

John R

Chas · « **Reply #13 on:** October 29, 2007, 11:29:40 AM »

Quote from: John R

Quote from: Tony and Sandra Smith
A trip via Liverpool Airport is not that bad. Honest

Tony

Maybe I'm just being pessimistic but I just don't see Easyjet taking on those GB Airways Crete flights from the North. They might continue the Gatwick ones ??
We shall have to wait and see.

John R

The critical factor is the "flight slot allocation" - GBA have slots at Manchester. They can't just switch them to Liverpool (or Gatwick).

A slot is simply a time allocation for a flight to take-off or land, where the aircraft goes to or from does not matter to the airport. The airline can use it's slots for any flight it thinks fit ... a summer slot to Heraklion could be a winter slot to Florida.

Having paid for the GBA slots, Easyjet could sell them to another airline but they could equally keep them and kick the Liverpool restrictions into touch (restraint of trade) and fly from Manchester to anywhere but Heraklion. I reckon that they will try for the latter option but that's just my opinion.

As you say, John, "We shall have to wait and see.".

Tony & Sandra - Liverpool Airport is OK ..... the only down is if you have to get there via Hunt's Cross (on the train)!

Tony and Sandra Smith · « **Reply #14 on:** October 29, 2007, 02:54:40 PM »

Quote from: Chas

Quote from: John R
Quote from: Tony and Sandra Smith
A trip via Liverpool Airport is not that bad. Honest

Tony

Maybe I'm just being pessimistic but I just don't see Easyjet taking on those GB Airways Crete flights from the North. They might continue the Gatwick ones ??
We shall have to wait and see.

John R
The critical factor is the "flight slot allocation" - GBA have slots at Manchester. They can't just switch them to Liverpool (or Gatwick).

A slot is simply a time allocation for a flight to take-off or land, where the aircraft goes to or from does not matter to the airport. The airline can use it's slots for any flight it thinks fit ... a summer slot to Heraklion could be a winter slot to Florida.

Having paid for the GBA slots, Easyjet could sell them to another airline but they could equally keep them and kick the Liverpool restrictions into touch (restraint of trade) and fly from Manchester to anywhere but Heraklion. I reckon that they will try for the latter option but that's just my opinion.

As you say, John, "We shall have to wait and see.".

Tony & Sandra - Liverpool Airport is OK ..... the only down is if you have to get there via Hunt's Cross (on the train)!

We fortunately live on the Wirral so it's a quick nip through the Tunnel to John Lennon airport (better for us than the trip to Manchester.)
Tony