LBA-LCY? Your Thoughts

Well how will it fare if DFS got the connection

I used to fly the LCY -LBA-LCY route with BMI quite a lot for work – on a few occaisions I was the only pax on the ATR they used…..I am not surprised they shut it down!!

On further research I am going to concede that I was wrong and you were indeed correct on this point. With the weird and wonderful way slot allocation works I haven’t quite got to the bottom of this yet though.

I’m now starting to think I’m right again. If anyone is interested the relevant info is more or less here:

http://www.acl-uk.org/

That is not the point though. The point is “opportunity cost”.

What can they now do with those LHR slots that they couldn’t do before? What would they rather operate, LHR-LBA or LHR-LAX?

No brainer. This route and others are for the chop, whether they are filling the planes or not. 🙁

There not going to drop it beacuse “SFO” is better. They will drop freqiunces and make it a bigger a/c EG A321/A330-200

This leads me on to a question that has been bothering me for a while. When BA ****** off to T5 what will happen to all the space they use up in the domestic bit of T1? With no customs and immigration services all this space is surly going to be pretty hard to use. Are LHR slots based on runway availability or gate space, if the latter does this mean that BD could really expand their domestic ops?

No. The divisions between T1D and T1 are being knocked down, and it is becoming one big T1.

I agree it’s a shame but unless LHR slots open up airlines will have to use the ones they have for the most profitable routes.

This leads me on to a question that has been bothering me for a while. When BA ****** off to T5 what will happen to all the space they use up in the domestic bit of T1? With no customs and immigration services all this space is surly going to be pretty hard to use. Are LHR slots based on runway availability or gate space, if the latter does this mean that BD could really expand their domestic ops?

SMB prides its airline to be a truly British airline that has representation within the country.

SMB is in business to make money, not to be sentimental in representing the country.

If he can use the LHR slots to fly to more profitable places he will do so. If he can’t he won’t. Simple as that.

Using the regions to feed the LHR network seems to be obligatory, without the regions it doesn’t make sense

Try telling this to BA, who have retrenched their domestic operations continually for years now.

It was my understanding that some of the slots to UK regional airports had some kind of protection

None whatsoever.

It was my understanding that some of the slots to UK regional airports had some kind of protection

That is not the point though. The point is “opportunity cost”.

What can they now do with those LHR slots that they couldn’t do before? What would they rather operate, LHR-LBA or LHR-LAX?

No brainer. This route and others are for the chop, whether they are filling the planes or not

What makes you think BMI will drop the regions completely to further develop its LHR operations, SMB prides its airline to be a truly British airline that has representation within the country, I for one think BMI will reduce frequency but not chop them altogether,

Using the regions to feed the LHR network seems to be obligatory, without the regions it doesn’t make sense.

They wouldn’t fly the leg four times a day if there wasn’t business!

That is not the point though. The point is “opportunity cost”.

What can they now do with those LHR slots that they couldn’t do before? What would they rather operate, LHR-LBA or LHR-LAX?

No brainer. This route and others are for the chop, whether they are filling the planes or not. 🙁

I would not think that the LHR route will be with us much longer either.

I beg to differ…Last time I flew LBA-LHR-LBA the Airbus A319 was full.

They wouldn’t fly the leg four times a day if there wasn’t business!

When BD were on the route a few years ago I used it a few times, and it was great. However, on one trip LBA-LCY there was a total of 5 people on the aircraft, Captain, First Officer, two flight attendants and, err, me. This was the early morning flight too, a load factor of 2% (the aircraft was an AT4) sums up why they pulled it.

As has been said before a train leaves for London every half hour during the day and takes little over 2 hours. This will ensure that no LCY/LGW/STN flights will start from LBA and I would not think that the LHR route will be with us much longer either.

I am not sure that LCY-LBA would work as LCY is primarily used by business travellers, not tourists. I am also not sure there would be enough of a demand to be able to use an ERJ effectively.

I believe that Eastern Airways attempted to do LCY-NCL using a Dornier 328, and that did not work out so they dropped it, so perhaps the same would apply to LBA.

Indeed they only non business travellers on the odd people going to hit the mountains,

London City will never be able to have a route function like london – Leeds for the fact their is to much competition with the trains and the airport being where it is.

The Leeds – London railway line provides just too much competition sadly. I took this on Friday night, and the journey time is a shade over 2 hours.

One of the reasons MAN-LCY has worked so well is because the West Coast Main Line linking Manchester and London has effectively been closed for the last few years, so bad have the engineering works been.

If anything over the next few years Leeds will lose London air links rather than gain them. LBA-LHR is a primary source of slots for bmi to use for Transatlantic routes. I already go to MAN to catch flights to the US, Africa, and elsewhere, and tbh by rail it is sometimes quicker than the horrendous road journey from the City Centre of Leeds to LBA.

LCY-LBA will always be desired by a small group of people (myself included. This route took me to Leeds for the 1st time back in March 2005 so its very sentimental to me indeed!), but the train is just too competitve sadly, especially with additional frequencies likely in the near future 🙁

Well considering that one of the key sectors of Leeds economy is financial services, i think their should be a LCY link, it will be good for the Leeds economy and facilitate Leeds as a back office.

My guess would be that the two cities are just not far enough apart for the route to be appealing to the businessman who would be expected to part with his company’s cash, at least not in sufficient quantities to make the route viable. Leeds City-Kings Cross takes three hours at most. LBA-LCY might only take fifty minutes or so but the LBA is not the most accessible and with check-in and security your total journey time would be getting on for that three hour mark.

I know there is a MAN-LCY service of similar distance but Manchester is a much bigger conurbation so maybe there are enough businessmen there for the route to be viable, even though for most the train is equally as convenient (and a bit cheaper).

Well i was reading a old issue of airports of the world and the article about london city. It said that LCY-LBA was a route that got suspended becuase the route wasn’t profitable. Well i was just thinking now that Yorkshire It’s Self is becoming more Economised and Leeds is playing a “major” part in the tourist industry in yorkshire briningin it back into service.The service could be oparted Twice a day by a ERJ145/135 6 Times a Week given Yorkshire another link with London.

I am not sure that LCY-LBA would work as LCY is primarily used by business travellers, not tourists. I am also not sure there would be enough of a demand to be able to use an ERJ effectively.

I believe that Eastern Airways attempted to do LCY-NCL using a Dornier 328, and that did not work out so they dropped it, so perhaps the same would apply to LBA.