RE: BWIA
I think Tristars are still going to LHR?? Not very sure. They are A340-300s with a 2:4:2 layout. here is a liitle article i had from BWIA….I think BWIA scheme looks nice on the A340s.
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New Aircraft for London
Caribbean Beat January / February Issue
We are about to complete our fleet renewal programme
The start of a new year is a time to look forward – and 2002 is going to bring some important new changes to BWIA. Already our first class passengers and members of Club BWEE are enjoying our fine new first-class lounge in Trinidad – it has been operating with limited facilities since the new Piarco airport terminal opened last year, but now it is fully operational. The large curved lounge area has dividers for maximum peace and privacy amid first-class comfort. A French café provides refreshments and light snacks, and an Internet Café provides three work-stations. There’s even a small boardroom for that last-minute meeting, and of course private washrooms.
This is a world-class facility, and we’re very proud of it. I encourage our regular clients to make use of it, either by enjoying BWIA’s first class luxury service or by becoming a member of Club BWEE, which provides a range of other privileges too, including first-class check-in and priority stand-by status. But the “big” thing in 2002 will be the introduction of new aircraft to replace the Lockheed L-1011 Tristars which have served us so well for so many years on the route between the Caribbean and London. We have already introduced new aircraft on the Caribbean routes served by our hubs in Trinidad and Barbados, and on our North American routes. And for some time we have been looking for the right aircraft to serve London efficiently and economically. Now buying an aircraft is not as easy as buying a car: with a car, you can walk into a showroom, or have a sales rep drive a car to your front door, test-drive it, place your order, and in a day or two everything is fixed up. But buying an aircraft is a different story.
Choosing a new aircraft affects every single part of an airline. Pilots must be trained to fly it; mechanics must be trained to maintain it; marketing people must develop new sales plans. And, of course, everything depends on the financial people who have to say whether it makes sound financial sense, and whether or not we can really afford what we want to buy. At the airport, we have to be sure that the facilities can handle the new aircraft, that our cargo needs can be met, and that the aircraft can be cleaned and prepared to leave within our scheduled timeframe. Cabin crews have to learn new layouts and new systems for safety and emergencies, galleys and washrooms. We have to assess audio-visual and entertainment facilities. We have to be sure that the aircraft can handle the baggage which we need to carry. Our purchasing and supply people have to make sure that we have adequate sources for spare parts. We have to enter into elaborate contractual arrangements with engine suppliers and financiers.
All this takes plenty of time, as you can imagine. But every input has to be right. There’s no showroom where you can pick out a new US$90 million aircraft (or a slightly used one for US$72 million – that’s roughly what we expect to pay for each of the two new almost-new aircraft we will be deploying on the London route). The research, the investigation, the quantifying and the justifying, take at least six to nine months – and that’s just to pick the aircraft type we want. We then have to go out and find the actual aircraft, negotiate terms, get Board approval, work out our seat configuration, our colour schemes, our cabin décor and fittings. Well, we are nearly at the end of this process now, and by late summer or early fall we expect to have two new aircraft on our transatlantic route. If you’re curious to know what they will be, watch this space: by the time the next Caribbean Beat appears, the decision will have been made.For the moment, I will just say that all this is fully in line with our long-term plan. The replacement of our L-1011s is due, we have planned for it, and we are spot on target with our schedule. This is the year when we complete our fleet renewal programme, giving BWIA one of the most modern fleets in the air. You’ll like the new aircraft, I promise you.
Conrad Aleong
President and Chief Executive Officer
BWIA
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