Also is this ALL BA flights going to T5 or just internatinoal/selected domestic.

Some spanish flights will be operated from T3 along with (I think) some Japanese ones (?)

See my post #36 above.

Terminal 2 will close when terminal 5 opens.

This is due to the reduced amount of traffic

I was under the impression that T2 was closing and being demolished to make way for the new Heathrow East Terminal, not because of lack of traffic.

1L.

jobs will go and will continue to do so.

Yes, you are absolutely right, but right across the company not just at check-in, and not just as direct result of SSCI. You seem to think that the terminals are going to become ghost towns, devoid of human life except for passengers scratching their heads in front of blank check-in screens. This certainly is not the case.

If the low cost airlines keep eating into BA’s profits

They may keep BA on its toes, but as the worlds most profitable airline for several years and on target for the same this year I don’t think the loco’s have quite beaten BA yet.

they may be looking at pilot reductions soon

And this would concern me for what reason? If you look at my profile you’ll see I’m cabin crew.

Now that would be funny!

Hysterical.

1L.

You can’t take this single subject in isolation as it connected to the fact that the British Airways staff pension fund has a HUGE hole in it and how the company intend to deal with that fact. It is however convenient that forthcoming changes in European law make it easy for BA to up the retirement age, which suits the needs of the pension, whilst claiming that they can’t avoid doing so.

This is simply one part of an 8 part plan to plug the pension deficit without costing the company any more.

Kevin is right in that the pilot community feels very strongly about the subject of pensions, and it will be interesting to see their reaction to the companies proposals which we were advised of only yesterday.

One irony in this is that last year a group of about 25 cabin crew who were coming up to retirement at 55 approached the company to ask for the option to stay on until 60 and were flatly refused!

1L.

I wouldn’t say considerable.

The main T5 building (T5A) has no ability to be expanded, but there is scope in the design of the satellite buildings (T5B and later T5C) to allow for additional gates to be added at the ends.

Talking about the operation, not the building!

1L.

Ok guys, checked at work. T5 will 100% certain only be BA. A key part of BA’s agreements with the BAA is for exclusive use of the terminal, and I might say we are paying through the nose for that agreement, both in monetary terms and conditions. The rest of Oneworld will be at T3, but I don’t know if that will be exclusively Oneworld.

When T5 opens only one satellite will open so for upto the first couple of years some flights will operate from T3. At the moment this is planned to be South America and Spain (to link in with IB) but has not been finalised. Once the second satellite opens all BA flights will operate from T5, shorthaul from the main terminal and longhaul from the two satellites.

Also T5 is indeed big enough for the whole BA operation, and has room for some considerable expansion as and when it’s needed.

1L.

That’s not quite the case.

As before the aircraft and flight crew are provided by mainline BA.

You probably know that the British Airways Regional (BAR) operation was incorporated into BA CitiExpress (BACX), now BA Connect. The BACX crew now fly the BA connect fleet, while the BAR crew operate only the 767 on the JFK route.

So to answer you question Aircraft: Mainline, Flight Crew: Mainline, Cabin Crew: Connect.

1L.