Originally Posted by
flarmip
Waiting for connections? Ha - not a chance with BA!
It's simply that the flights don't have much margin for error in the schedule - they're planned at between 1h and 1h15m. It typically takes at least 20 mins - and often closer to 30 - from pushback to get to the front of the takeoff queue at LHR. It's at least 5 minutes to touchdown to gate arrival at MAN. For MAN-LHR you're looking at 10-20 mins (depending on traffic levels and the runway in use at MAN) and 5-10 minutes, respectively.
Certainly the way delay tends to build up over the day - with the morning departures generally on-time and the late afternoon ones often not - supports this.
I have observed that there is a lot of sloppiness to the operation though. The modern day disease of poorly-motivated people with no power to improve anything operating processes that don't work etc. Lots of stuff that could be improved - excruciatingly slow handling of passengers at the gate at LHR, various ground handling (steps/busses/baggage handlers) not ready when the aircraft arrives, etc. Non-timekeeping-related aspects of the organisation also show this sloppiness - for example summoning passengers to the gate at MAN with "final call" when the aircraft is still taxiing out at LHR.
They are great (IME) at rebooking automatically and appropriately after causing misconnects, shame they have to do it so often.