LBA-LHR Under Threat

I used to work in travel in the 80s when Britsh Midland flew 5 DC9s a day from LHR to LPL. Our travel office put quite a bit of business through them, but the route had stiff competition from BA’s MAN shuttle which was more frequent, plus at the time Liverpool as a City was not doing too well. The train has improved of recent years and its really a better option city centre to city centre, but what is still a real problem is using the train and getting to LHR.

In my opinion regional air links severed from LHR, just divert passenger to easier hubs like Amsterdam.

I flew on BMI from MAN to LHR on the last flight of the day on a Friday about 3 weeks back, sat on a very comfortable A319 with about 20 on board.

Leeds-London

I first operated the LBA-LHR service nearly 20 years ago on the DC9. I said then that when the competition was the train we really shouldn’t stand a chance. I believed that when the railways got their act together we would quickly pull off the likes of BHX,EMA,LPL,LBA,MME, MAN and perhaps eventually GLA and EDI. I felt at the time it would be about 10 years before LBA ended.

LPL was pulled about 5 years later, but this had more to do with low yield and withdrawl of subsidy by Liverpool City Council than the trains becoming competitive. BHX and EMA didn’t last much longer, there just wasn’t the money to be made on either of those routes.

I was wrong about timing on the other routes because it has taken longer than anticipated or the train companies to get their act together, but it is happening now. MAN-LHR might hang on for a while because of the higher volumes, but that to cannot be judged to have a long term future.

The only question that really remains is which goes first, MME or LBA? Whichever it is, the other will follow fairly quickly.

exmpa

BMI flights are a ripp off.

They are not a rip off.
The difference in fares, if you front up on the day, between BMI and ECNX (was GNER) is pence.
BMI have some excellent early booking fares as do the train company.

However the big problem for BMI is that the train is more flexible with its half-hourly service.

Also more people are now transitting via Amsterdam instead of Heathrow.

BMI flights are a ripp off.

Mr Bishop already spouting forth about both services.

That’s odd.

I thought he was all in favour of competition…… :rolleyes:

A 2hr journey time from city centre to city centre will kill off the British Midland LBA-LHR run, in a similar fashion to the demise of air services between Liverpool and London once fast rail services between Lime Street and Euston arrived.

This doesn’t just apply in the UK. Look at what’s happened to internal air services in France since the advent of the TGV network.

Things change. Deal with it. 😎

The start of the end was the introduction, by GNER, of a half-hourly Leeds – Kings Cross service last year, which has seen double figure percentage passenger growth.
DTV – LHR will probably go the same way once GCR start Eaglescliffe to Kings Cross in the new year.
Mr Bishop already spouting forth about both services.

A 2hr journey time from city centre to city centre will kill off the British Midland LBA-LHR run, in a similar fashion to the demise of air services between Liverpool and London once fast rail services between Lime Street and Euston arrived.

This doesn’t just apply in the UK. Look at what’s happened to internal air services in France since the advent of the TGV network.

Things change. Deal with it. 😎