I'm with Kipper on that. Late notice £250 return on the train in filthy standard class. I'll give BA more than a fair crack of the whip on this inc a little disruption. The ex-BMI a/c are very smart and you're only on it for perhaps 50mins.

City centre to city centre is always best by train for convenience but there's plenty of people who miss the BD service and now is their chance to prove it.

Re LGW-LHR in fairness it's just not the same is it. I never caught it once, it was a non-starter. BA have just pulled MAN-LGW as it was only used for low yield caribbean conx and couldnt justify itself.

LBA-LHR caters for business people heading to West London, M4 corridor and the airport itself (plenty of all those) and also to connecting passengers.

BMI were very busy on the route for many many years. It died IMO because BMI lost the plot re check-in among many things, LBA security and access was lamentable post 911 and most importantly when BMI/BMED happened they needed slots for the mid haul routes as BA recalled the 12(?) slot pairs they owned but leased to BMED as part of the franchise arrangement. LBA and MME copped it.

Admitedly the train also finally got its act in order during the mid noughties also.

I agree ACARS that history suggests this won't pass muster but i, genuinely, believe that it might. Not all the BMI slots are timed for LH, BMI was a SH airline. There isn't an infinite list of places you can flyto SH wise and LBA now has it's chance to prove it's worth. I think that it needs 3 well timed services a day and it could fill them regularly. One needs to be an early morning ex LBA ideally.

Here's hoping.

FY

PS Only today a mate told me he's booked LBA-LHR-JFK for New Year and his travel agent knew nothing of this and he had to specify "LBA domestics please" (personally I think that's a disgrace but there you go)