@FlyMonarch – I would think that the limiting factor would the payload you could lift off the LCY runway with the Embraer 145 – severely restricted pasyload/range or both. I don’t think that the Embraer 135 is all to efficient for LCY operations anyway.

What about the A318 then, compared to the ERJ145? Does the A318 have better STOL characteristics, or is it that the A318 would be in a VIP config and as such have a reduced number of pax compared to, say, a typical ERJ145 layout?

I was gonna post a question asking why an EK 777 was parked up remotely, no need now. What was the reg?

There was 3 Emirates 777s in today –

A6-EBX – Tech
A6-EMP – UAE8017/8018 (picking the tech pax up)
A6-ECB – UAE17/18

Answer.

Sorry have to disagree with that, although i agree Heathrow is the main problem, that is by BA’s own doing. THEY chose to be a one airport airline!, if ,for example, American or United chose to only fly long distance from,say, New York for the entire US they would have the same issues. BA’s desire to be London Airways is what is causing them so much bother, not Heathrow’s fault that an airline wants to use it as it’s sole gateway airport.
There is lots of extra runway capacity available to BA, at Birmingham, Glasgow,Manchester,Cardiff,Newcastle,Belfast,Aberdeeen,Leeds etc… BA just choose not to use it.(Cue bleats about BA being a business and not here to pander the needs of the “countryfolk”… Shock Stat: Not only Londoners fly BA!!!)

This was along the lines of what I was thinking. Agreeably, it is a bit of a Catch 22 scenario – BA want to streamline their business to maximise profits/reduce losses and an easy way to do that may be focusing all their long haul from one hub and drawing the passengers from the regions. However, to do this at an airport with severe capacity constraints and inferior infrastructure? Why don’t we pretend that there is more than one airport in the London area? And for the sake of argument, why don’t we say that it might be an idea that BA conducts long haul operations from more than one London airport to share the load? (I know they have/do, but I mean a true spread of services, not just a spattering) Just my opinion of course 🙂

Although I didn’t see the programme, I will try and pick it up on the interweb on some catch up thing as this discussion sounds quite good! I’d like to see the webmaster save a transcript of this thread and send it in to Dispatches so they get a point of view from people who read/talk/breath about this kind of thing all day long!

??? Are you referring to the Southern Cross on the tail?

I think he ment the Union Flag in silver before the tail. bmi-esq but perhaps a bit more subtle.

Twenty one Scottish MP’s have tabled a House of Commons motion suggesting British Airways rebrand as “London Airways” ! :D:D;)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7660797.stm

Oh, if only it was possible to force them to change their name to that! Sadly, we all know it will never happen and they will never do it willingly 🙁

Mrs Coupe, 49, said: ‘It was a decent-sized plane full of holidaymakers – it wasn’t a small plane – so it was devastating to be told that even a big plane like that couldn’t cope with all our weight being at the back.

In April that year, the couple decided to go on a week’s holiday to Guernsey with son Chris – and that’s when the plane from Southampton couldn’t take off.

So….it was either a Blue Islands Jetstream 32 or more than likely a Flybe Dash 8? They were correct, not ‘small planes’ at all :rolleyes: Maybe Dean would be able to say if the aircraft are that sensitive? Must have been pretty fully laden for it to make a difference?

Conor; whereas the technology is being developed for onboard internet access, it is not yet at the full commercial stage. Even if it is being trialled now, it will likely be restricted to First/Business class. My suggestion: put some music/movies on your laptop and listen/watch those during the flight (that’s if the on board IFE isn’t up to much).

I flew Prestwick to Rome (Ciampino) in the new year, which was one of their “long” routes (5ish hours) and I was ok (at 5’11”). I think what would get to me on a Ryanair aircraft, in routes over 5 hours (say, 8 to the US) would be the lack of IFE and complimentary food/drinks.

It is always the case in life however – you pay for what you get. I think people sometimes have difficulty understanding that.