Winter Schedule Changes bmi/BA
 

As from the winter schedule some changes are taking place

Abz - Lhr Upto 8 Flights per day all Flights to Terminal 5
Edi - Lhr Upto 12 Flights per day all Flights to Terminal 5 Some flights 767 a/c
Man - Lhr Upto 11 Flights per day all flights to Terminal 5
Belfast - Lhr Upto 7 flights per day all flights to Terminal 1 and a new timetable

Some others and a bit more info via the link

http://www.britishairways.com/travel...e/public/en_gb

shame for those of us who are bhd-based and were looking forward to getting into the GF lounge in T5 with our newly matched BA-G cards...

... in fact I suppose this is entirely within expectation if we are to believe that a handover to EI (or sharing with) of the BHD-LHR route is on the cards. Either way, the terminal change in the chaotic hub of LHR is a real disincentive to connect to a BA flight from BHD except when unavoidable. :(

I don't know if it's that. It looks to me more a consolidation of their "old" services (ABZ/GLA/EDI) and the bmi equivalent for the sake of simplicity. It's easier for passengers if routes are delineated along the lines of of "flying to EDI go to T5, flying to BFS go to T1" then "flying to EDI on BA XXX then go to T5, flying to EDI on BA XXX go to T1" etc.

It's a lot easier from a point of view of scheduling and aircraft positioning for BA too I'd imagine (as by that time all the bmi operating will be finished with, and the aircraft and crews will be BA ones).

Absolutely...

The BHD flights won't be going to T5 for as long as BA codeshares with EI (for precisely the same reasons that BA's services to SYD & SIN [same as QF's services on these routes] and to HEL [same as AY's services on this route] depart from T3).

BA could not sell tickets to a single destination on flights that may depart from different terminals - relying on every passenger to correctly decipher the flight number to get to the right terminal just would not work.

I would have hoped that the ex-BD lounges at T1 would have been upgraded to Galleries standards by then, as far as catering is concerned at any rate.

There is, in any event, not enough room at T5 for all BA flights. Some flights currently at T5 or LGW will be moved to T1.

Flights to ABZ, EDI and MAN will cease at T1 - and be replaced on the domestic routes by LBA - 19 flights into 4. DUB and BHD will remain but this will make for a very empty domestic lounge and gates - but presumably the lounge will remain open?

I'd expect they shut the London room and use the GBL only.

But I've been there when its been almost full, could it cope with more pasengers? Could they instead move EI to the main part of the terminal and get on with demolishing the excess parts of T1 in advance it is total anhiliation.

EI wouldn't like having to give up their Gold Circle lounge, which only recently got a bit of a makeover.

well T1 is due to be demolished before too long, though it's not clear which part will go first and which part will remain until T2 Part 2 opens.

But likely mostly with *A passengers who wanted something a little less soulless than the *A lounge. A combined BA/BD dom/intl probably still won't generate enough pax to fill it now.

first flight from BHD 0735!!!
 

The new winter schedule has allocated the first flight of the day BHD-LHR to 0735 (vs 0650ish). This could be a major issue for those of us who need to start the day pre-1000 in central london. Might help BA keep their loads as light as possible though ;)

When were you there to see that? It used to be the designated FTL lounge for Lufthansa group airlines, so I can imagine this put great pressure on the place at times.

There's now no longer an FTL lounge at T1 as I understand it, which makes sense at the *G lounge used to creak at the seams especially when the UA flights ended up running late (which was every time I was in there).