Originally Posted by
etiene
Completely agree and did not mean to suggest otherwise. BA are painted into a corner here and cannot repeat their hand-me-down strategy at LGW this time out. Not sure if they had meant to but got snookered by pandemic fallout or if this was intentional over the course of a decade or so, but at this point they’d have to needlessly refit brand new cabins to move LHR aircraft to LGW. No chance.
I think covid or no covid this would have been the same outcome.
The hand me down approach has run its course, both on LH (mainline) and SH (with EF)
LH wise if they continue with this strategy they would only buy themselves a few years plus the huge cost of refitting airframes and then be faced with the same situation
same on SH with EF, for now, the EUUx ex LHR fleet are replacing the older GATx fleet but these are 17/18 years old.
the G-EUYx aircraft are 12-16 years old so could then replace the G-EUUx aircraft but again it’s just a sticking plaster.
Especially with EF competing with U2/W9 they can’t keep hanging into old aircraft