dingobingo

Yes I know - 6 hours in cramped SH Y are not fun, but I've done it before on holiday airlines and it's survivable. I was happy to see BA reinstating their SSH flights but wondering which aircraft will it be. Likely to be 321s? Or any chance of getting a 767?

corporate-wage-slave

My bookings are showing on the seat plans as A320 - and the "new" 171 seater ones without a bulkhead in front of 1A/B/C, stretching back to row 29, with a row 13 (emergency exit).

KARFA

It will be an A320 or A319 from LGW. There are no A321s or 767s at LGW. In good news though you will get 140 TPs each way on CE.

dingobingo

Interesting, so these A320s have the exit rows at 12 and 13 instead of 11 and 12?
yes, row 1 CE could be a very nice way to get to SSH

Shame they don't start sooner, I could do with a visit in June. I guess there's always CAI with a short onward hop but I've often found the prices very high

KeaneJohn

Same as mine..though having been on one of these to Glasgow recently I am thinking why did I even contemplate this.

People knock them but the 737s in CE were quite comfortable and had lots of legroom.

BA or bust

Likewise happy that BA has brought the route back, but last time I went was in CE in a 734 which was just about OK. In the new 'enhanced space' CE for nearly six hours?

NO THANKS!

dingobingo

Oh I know, CE in the old 734 to SSH would have been a dream!! or even A or C in first Y row.

Land-of-Miles

I wouldn't quite go that far, it wasn't that good when GB Airways flew this route for BA. It was good in the brief time BA flew a longhaul 777 from LGW.

I have a TFS flight in CE later this week which I am not looking forward to but SSH in the new config, no thanks I would rather fly Egyptair.

paul4040

You surely jest!

It's nearly six hours of being sat in a Y seat with likely no moving map and no IFE...

Let's hope they stock up on alcohol eh?

Yesitsme

The SSH is planned to go on a 320, the GAT* type! which has no bulkhead at the front. I can honestly say that we're not looking forward to it, as it's a very long day for us crew, and little chance of a break, especially working at the front. It'll be a 13 hour day for the crew, so please do go easy on us I don't know if it'll be catered like other B4s, we don't know the details yet. I do hope the company comes up with something in regards to the bars at least, otherwise we're going to have major trouble on this route. Sorry to sound so pessimistic about it, but I can't find any enthusiasm for this one.

cornishsimon

Do the G-GATx A320s have the ability to have bar/catering trollies loaded in the hold so as to return cater the flight ex london ?

If not surely they could outsource this locally ?


cs

RDinJER

I went to SSH in J on a 772 a few years ago with SHMBO, very good BA Holiday deal for 5 nights and using MFU as it was in those days (flight was very empty in all classes both ways - two of us plus the Captains family in J coming home).

One word of warning, though it may well change, the 'lounge' was up an escalator and is literally a dark room with views of the apron. No TV no wifi, no papers, nothing. There was a table with several cans of soft drinks and some packets of crisps, nothing more, nothing less.

At check the guy in front of me was kicking up a fuss as he was told that lounge access was for passengers in CW only and not extended to G/SCH. As I was both I didn't get to ascertain on which basis I was admitted to the 'room' but we soon retreated downstairs to the bar.

Given the night flight outbound it was worth UUA in those days but for a LGW 320? nah. I'm going to FAO next week with Monarch - I'm not sure it can be any different than a GAT* 320 for 2 hours.

Gaza

I remember saying this many years ago on FT and I will say it again now: many people on here have lost all sense of reality. Only a small percentage of people will enjoy the trappings of First and Business Class, the rest will endure Y to SYD, AKL, et al. I say this as someone who hasn't done LH in anything other than F or J for 15 years.

On the subject of SSH; the vast majority will go to SSH on charters, just as I will be doing in 3 weeks time. We've booked an extra holiday and flying anything more glamorous wasn't an option, mostly from a financial standpoint. The only saving grace is I've coughed up a bit extra for the extra legroom seats on the BY757s -
http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/2013/0...legroom-seats/

It won't be good but a laptop full of some new movie releases, the first 2 seasons of Breaking Bad and hopefully a few beers will see me through it.

ukgooner

Is this confirmed? I thought it would just be the extended TPs you get for Club Europe - ie 80tp each way.

Im glad of this route too. Ive just done it on EasyJet and can confirm I did survive with the seat pitch on offer on BA.

I will be very glad of the middle seat free and a decent meal service to at least while away some of the time.

The 777 service was a nuts schedule with nuts prices (in J) to match. I'm glad they didn't try to revive this.

Magic01273

Booked to go out on this route at the end of September in CE - so I will report back! Have done it on EasyJet before so I'll do a "compare and contrast". I know how much everyone enjoys those ^