BA enforces check-in deadlines
Don't be tardy if you're flying with British Airways. In a bid to boost punctuality, the airline is cracking down on latecomers and will now turn away passengers arriving late for check-in, no matter the reason. Says a spokesperson, "We will now strive to shut our check-in when we say we will."
In the UK, no passenger will now be accepted later than 30 mins before a domestic or short-haul flight and no later than 45 mins for a long-haul service.
Says BA's CEO Willie Walsh, "Ensuring that aircraft depart and arrive on time should be a fundamental concern for everyone, right up there with safety and security. It's something our customers expect BA to get right. Our current performance is unacceptable."
BA is worried because its punctuality now trails that of the budget airlines. This is something which passengers will not accept because they are paying more for what they perceive is a premium product.
The latest Civil Aviation figures for flights at major UK airports in 2005 indicate that 67% of BA flights departed punctually (classified as within 15 mins of schedule) whereas the comparable figures for its low-cost rivals were 72% for Easyjet, 73% Flybe, 76% Monarch and 81% Ryanair.
One reason why these budget carriers have better punctuality is that they rigorously apply check-in deadlines. BA is now taking a leaf out of their book.
Other measures which BA is adopting include making sure that staff reach the plane on time, boarding passengers along with closing the gates and aircraft doors promptly.
Check in times vary across the BA network. For example, at New York JFK the deadline is 60 to 120 mins, at Bahrain and Dubai it's 60 minutes whereas in Sydney it's 45 mins while 45 mins will suffice in Singapore.
Readers should also note that the 30 min deadline in the UK also applies at London's compact City airport where some rivals have 15-20 min deadlines.
For more information go to
BA website
Report by Alex McWhirter
The LGW Express: it hasn't gone yet
The Gatwick Express is under threat and the future looks grave. But there's hope yet. Airport operator BAA believes there is still a good chance of saving the fast rail link and it has proposed a modified service to the Department of Transport. The proposed service would retain some of the elements of the current service such as space for heavy baggage and the ability to buy tickets on board, but, to free up space at the airport platforms, the Express would start and terminate at Three Bridges station further down the line.
Gatwick Express is under threat because this link between Gatwick airport and London Victoria has been accused of taking up too much track capacity. The Express services are lightly loaded compared with commuter trains sharing the same tracks, so the argument goes. As a result, the government wants to scrap the Express and replace it with a stopping service to make better use of track space.
But the proposal has come under fire both from BAA and the major airlines. In particular, Bob Schumacher, UK director of US airline Continental says, "The proposal to do away with a dedicated non-stop service is outrageous. If implemented it would make Gatwick less attractive as a London gateway." On the other hand critics argue that the Gatwick Express must move with the times.
Travel patterns have changed (thanks to new office and residential developments in and around the capital) since the Gatwick Express started over 20 years ago. In the British Rail days the Gatwick Express had the market all to itself. But today's privatised railway has produced competing services with fares that can be substantially cheaper depending on where you start your journey.
Says a spokesperson for Gatwick Express, "The price competition has changed our way of thinking. Unlike Heathrow Express we carry more leisure passengers so our fares must be tailored to their needs. That is why we have and we will continue to pursue ticketing deals with airlines."
But the Gatwick Express serves only Victoria in Central London while some passengers find competing Thameslink and Southern trains more useful as they serve areas to the East and North of the capital and call at hub stations like East Croydon and Clapham Junction. There's no doubt the Gatwick Express suffered with the closure (following the events on September 11), for security reasons, of the airline check-in facilities at Victoria station. In the Express' heyday passengers could check-in their bags and board the train secure in the knowledge they wouldn't miss their flight.
"The closure was a great shame," says the spokesperson, "but we plan to assist passengers by installing flight information screens near the Victoria platforms later this month. It means passengers will know if their flight is on time before they even leave the station." For more information go to
Gatwick Express
Do you think the Gatwick Express service should be scrapped? Join in our survey on the Business Traveller home page.
Report by Alex McWhirter
Orient Express reaches half century
Orient-Express Hotels this week acquired its 50th hotel - Casa de Sierra Nevada, a 33-room boutique hotel in the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Simon Sherwood, President of the company said, "Casa de Sierra Nevada is a significant acquisition for Orient-Express, being the 50th property in our unique portfolio. It complements Maroma Resort and Spa, our property on the Riviera Maya and is our second hotel in Mexico,"
Opened in 1952, Casa de Sierra Nevada is housed in nine Spanish colonial buildings –or casas - dating from the 16th to 18th century including the Casa del Parque, a fort in the 17th century and later a customs house for the silver trade; and Casa Principal, the former residence of San Miguel de Allende's Archbishop in 1580 and an official historical landmark. The casas also have cloistered outdoor courtyards with fountains, small gardens and al fresco corridors. Guest rooms and suites capture the rich history of the area and are decorated with hand painted tiles, bovedas (curved/domed ceilings), polished copper sinks, and original paintings by local artists.
Orient-Express Hotels will manage the property, in which previous guests have included Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith and the late Anthony Quinn. Transport options include flying into either Mexico City (a three and a half hour drive away) or the Guanajuato-Leon Airport (one and a half hours away). British Airways and American Airlines fly to both Mexico City and Guanajuato-Leon airports from the UK, while Continental and United fly to Mexico City.
Orient-Express intends to invest US$5 million in renovations and enhancements to the property, including the development of 20 new suites, a full service spa and a new pool and garden area on an undeveloped parcel of land. Casa de Sierra Nevada will continue to operate during renovation and refurbishment of rooms.
For further details, visit
Orient Express
Report by Tom Otley
JAL cuts flights to Heathrow
Japan Airlines (JAL) is cutting flights to London Heathrow this summer. The carrier's Tokyo-London service is a casualty of a new management plan to concentrate on more profitable routes.
As a result JAL says the London-Tokyo service will be halved from two flights to a single daily service operated by a B777 twin jet. At the same time the daily Osaka service will change from a B747 to a B777.
The more fuel-efficient B777s will also replace B747s on flights between Amsterdam, Paris CDG and Tokyo in September and October. Passengers will find JAL's latest lie-flat style seats installed on these B777s and the carrier says that route frequencies will be revised in a year's time.
In the past the UK-Japan routes were money-spinners. But the Japanese economic slowdown and, one suspects, fierce price competition on a route where airlines used never to offer decent discounts, has dented JAL's earnings.
There are regular economy class seat sales while indirect carriers are luring away business travellers with keen pricing. For example, when Business Traveller checked the cost of a return London-Tokyo business class ticket for the week commencing February 20 with agent Airline Network we were quoted rates of between £1,825 and £2,380 with leading carriers like Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and SAS. This is roughly 50% less than the fares charged by the direct flight carriers such as British Airways, JAL, ANA and Virgin Atlantic.
In other news, JAL has exchanged a memorandum of understanding with the Oneworld alliance (whose members include British Airways, American, Qantas and Cathay Pacific). If all goes according to plan, JAL will fly as a Oneworld member in a year's time.
Meanwhile, JAL continues to be affected by fuel rationing at Heathrow (following last December's Buncefield terminal blaze). Flight JL404 to Tokyo at 21.00 is cancelled on a number of days during February. Flight JL402 at 19.00 remains unaffected.
For more information go to
JAL UK site
Report by Alex McWhirter
Will Air New Zealand fly Auckland-Hong Kong-London ?
Rumours continue to circulate that Air New Zealand (ANZ) will announce an additional Auckland-London service to commence later this year. But instead of being routed via Los Angeles (as at present) this new service will reach London via Asia. Hong Kong is tipped as the most likely stopping point.
ANZ has enjoyed a direct flight monopoly since British Airways (BA) pulled off the Auckland route several years ago. But ANZ's policy of serving New Zealand via the US neglected the increasing numbers of people wishing to travel from Europe via the traditional Asian routing. It allowed rival carriers such as Emirates, SIA and Cathay Pacific to step in and exploit this market.
Traffic via Asia has grown so much that Emirates, for example, has found enough passengers to fly three times daily between Dubai and Auckland. While SIA now serves Auckland twice daily plus, like Emirates, with other flights to Christchurch.
ANZ is obviously after a share of this business and a recent air treaty between the UK and New Zealand paves the way for expansion. The carrier would still need traffic right approval from the Hong Kong authorities but in London, even if Heathrow couldn't provide a landing slot, ANZ would surely find the red carpet rolled out at Gatwick because the Sussex airport is keen to attract long-haul services.
ANZ's existing US routing is less popular than before because of new security procedures at Los Angeles [Transit passengers at Los Angeles are photographed, fingerprinted and must reclaim and recheck their bags even when the flight is a through service]. ANZ's CEO Bob Fyfe told Business Traveller. "We are meeting customer resistance from passengers travelling through Los Angeles. This is a problem we would look to address."
Finally, the Star Alliance (of which ANZ is a member) is anxious to secure a presence on the key Hong Kong-London route which is almost entirely dominated by rival Oneworld airlines. ANZ's new service would fit the bill.
ANZ declined to confirm or deny the rumours. A spokesperson told Business Traveller, "The UK-Air New Zealand open skies agreement has opened the way for us to increase our services to London. We are looking at all the options but at the end of the day it all depends on what's best for our business."
For more information go to
Air NZ UK website
Report by Alex McWhirter