This message is primarily aimed for Saab 2000 in direct response to a question posed on another thread.
I spoke to my brother (the BA 737 Capt) this afternoon to get an update on what is happening on this route. The plan seems to be changing rapidly but currently this is the situation. The ATR’s are to be kept until November and will remain the principal type on the route. There is a small possibility they may be kept until the following spring but it is unlikely. The RJ100 remains the back up aircraft until March when back up reverts to the 737-500 using a restriction on the payload. At present the plan is to implement the 737-500 permanently on retirement of the ATR although another BA source of mine is 50/50 as to whether the route will be continued at that time.
Sorry I can’t be more positive but that is the most up to date news I can get from within.
Regards
wys
By: wysiwyg - 19th January 2003 at 09:29
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
Yes they were operated last season I believe but for a while it looked like they would be scrubbed this year. However they now look set to return although the hoped for Dominican Republic, etc won’t run from NCL.
By: EGNM - 18th January 2003 at 13:18
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
here here!! – the 330 flights to sandford – are the from NCL yea? – i thought JMC already operated these from there along with BY and MYT?
By: Saab 2000 - 18th January 2003 at 09:33
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
EGNM, when new independent domestic carriers are set up in the next few years to fill the void left by BA’s regional insufficiency, I think we will all be laughing. The truth is small and independent carriers are the future of regional airports if they want to sustain their domestic services as they have the city/airport/island at heart in their priorities. So I hope we can go back to the heyday of carriers like Brymon, Cityflyer and Manx.
Anyway, we have to remember BA got itself into this mess by merging all the subsidiaries into one-Citiexpress. They took profitable companies and forced them into one bad managed, unorganised company and made a loss.
By: wysiwyg - 18th January 2003 at 00:54
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 18-01-03 AT 00:58 AM (GMT)]My brother tells me BA are planning to have an all jet fleet (with the exception of some franchises operating turboprops in their colours).
EGNM – I spoke to the base manager in NCL today who told me there may now be a small number of Sanford flights this summer on the 330.
By: EGNM - 18th January 2003 at 00:21
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
ERJ friendly_ what a larf – EGNM had 4 based J41s for IOM, SOU, LGW, DUB, ABZ, and BRS – and what are they doing – pulling ut – full stop! – ok the IOM, SOU, ABZ are been transferred to Eastern – these are the original services that were fklown at the turn of the millenium, but i belive with the basing of ONE – YES 1 ERJ they cud have service both LGW and DUB as a buisness airline 2x daily EACH! – But of course that big airport over the hill gets preferance – Manchester – can’t wait till we get some1 to take over these routes and just larf at BA!!
By: Saab 2000 - 17th January 2003 at 18:23
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
Wishful thinking on BA operating the -Q400 Mongu. With their current attitude I doubt catering for airports with shorter runways is on their priority list. This idea being reinforced by their regional operations reorganization.
Plymouth can’t fit anything larger than a Dash 8 into the airport, yet with BA’s fleet downsize and two type operation, they seem to have shrugged Plymouth off and left them in the lurch like many other regional airports. Consequently its seems as if BA have the perspective that your ever ERJ friendly or else. So I doubt anymore prop aircraft will be fitting into their fleet plans.
By: mongu - 17th January 2003 at 10:39
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
A runway extension seems absolutely necessary. I think the IOM needs one too, although the main runway at just over 1,700m is just, just long enough for most needs – but it’s a struggle with 737/A320 size aircraft.
Does anyone know how the A318 will cope with short runways – is this a possible contender for GCI or IOM? Failing that I hope that BA adopt the Dash 8-Q400 for shorter runways.
By: Saab 2000 - 16th January 2003 at 20:42
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 16-01-03 AT 08:44 PM (GMT)]Mongu,
Research undertaken by the States Of Guernsey reveal that airlines will pull out of Guernsey in the next couple of years if the runway is not extended by 250m. Guernsey does have a need for larger a runway capability equivalent to Jersey’s even if it is not as long, to accommodate the new generation of regional jets of between 50 and 100 seats, which cannot operate to Guernsey; the fact that services from Cardiff, Plymouth and Bristol have been lost following the introduction of regional jets, suggests that this is true.
Moreover, the ERJ 145 can only operate into Guernsey if it is operated at low capacity. With the popularity of the ERJ 145 it means that island has lost many airlines, thus we have lost vital airlinks to the UK and in the case of BA, their world-wide network. I am pretty sure it was also the case bmi pulled out of GCI.
Airlines have said they need a runway extensio based on their future plans. Crossair, Channel Express, British Airways and other airlines say they require a runway length of 1,700-1,800m. These facts confirm that a runway extension is of strategic importance for the continued success of the business community, tourism and for the well-being of an island community. One airline already said that if the runway is not extended, it will be another company that will add its name to the list of airlines that will move out of Guernsey.
At the moment though the States are going around in circles and ignoring the true issue. One report says it is needed, the other says it is not. In my view GCI needs a longer runway capability to safeguard the islands future simple as that.
On the up side at least we are getting a new terminal outa’ them…
By: wysiwyg - 16th January 2003 at 19:14
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
Interesting conversation with my brother today. Apparantly the CFM engine in the 500 series is significantly ‘chipped down’ from how it is in the 300. As a result even though the 500 weighs significantly less it doesn’t perform as well. A lot of BA staff think it would be better to put the 300 on the route for performance reasons but the planners won’t allow this as the load limitation would cause less seat wastage on a 500 compared to the 300. The plan is that only ATR type seat numbers will be sold for the 737 flights.
By: mongu - 16th January 2003 at 13:10
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
Is there any prospect of the Gsy authorities extending the runway – possibly on the back of pledges by airlines to use the extra length?
By: wysiwyg - 16th January 2003 at 08:53
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 16-01-03 AT 08:54 AM (GMT)]That 737 must depart GCI with the bare minimum fuel to make it to JER. I would also imagine it only picks up a half load of passengers in GCI and then tops up with passengers in JER. Can you find out if that’s the case Saab?
By: EGNM - 15th January 2003 at 22:48
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
146 – sounds very exciting for them!
By: Saab 2000 - 15th January 2003 at 18:05
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 15-01-03 AT 06:11 PM (GMT)]It was over last time at Xmas taking the Portugeese workers back to Madiera. It goes via JER…
I heard rumours the fleet was going towards the ATR and that last years lease was just a test bed. I guess if they were to apply to run the LGW route (if BA pulled out) then it could trigger GR to consider the ATR.Anyway, this year they are apparently leasing the BAe 146 from Titan (from the rumour I heard) for the summer season.
Sorry for leaving the STN route out…off the top of my head I was bound to forget something :7
By: EGNM - 15th January 2003 at 11:37
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
the latter wa smy thinking – i thought the 735 to LGW wud b ok with pax numbers due to the small amount of fuel in comparison, and if a 735 with holiday makers and all their luggage can do it i rekon that the BA shud have no probs!
By: wysiwyg - 15th January 2003 at 08:01
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
Yes, I was wondering if it could be enough of a trigger to encourage a change to the ATR. I think Aurigny’s main interest would be to stop Flybe’s dominance. By the way the list doesn’t show Aurigny’s main GCI route to STN.
Saab – can you confirm that SATA are using the 733 to Funchal and that it doesn’t involve a tech stop somewhere to uplift fuel. Surely it can’t haul itself and all that fuel and all those passengers out of that short runway.
By: EGNM - 14th January 2003 at 21:13
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
Maybee with the ATRs – i reckon the SAAB340 might be a little too small for the run
By: Saab 2000 - 14th January 2003 at 19:00
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
Forgot about the IOS Skybus to Newquay.
By the way Wysiwyg, do you think Aurigny would be interested in LGW if BA pulled out? It has never been a scenario to cross my mind, I have always thought Flybe might up their frequency and have a monopoly of the route.
By: EGNM - 14th January 2003 at 18:18
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
cheers 4 that – 733 to funchal – a fair bit of fuel on their with pax Wys – surely the BA can’t lose that much capacity!
By: Saab 2000 - 14th January 2003 at 18:13
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
Further argument to Guernsey getting an extension on the runway!
The Guernsey schedules at the momenmt are:
Flybe:Exeter, Gatwick, Birmingham, Southampton
Aurigny: Amsterdam, Dinard, Jersey, Alderney, East Midlands, Manchester and soon Bristol.
British Airways: Gatwick
Le Cocqs: Bournemouth (Application to the CAA)
Swiss: Zurich
VLM: Scheduled flights to some European destinations in the summer.
The largest aircraft GCI recieves regulaely is the BAe 146, however, SATA have operated the 737 into GCI on charters to Funchal.
By: EGNM - 14th January 2003 at 13:32
RE: BA LGW-GCI news for Saab 2000
🙁 – oh well – does guernsey just have this scheduled servied, the Aurigny runs and the BE ones? – other than this largest a/c something like a Dash 8?
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January 12, 2003 at 7:06 pm