Ask the BA Staffer and Heathrow ATC
Oct 16, 2012, 12:31 pm
#1501
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Oct 16, 2012, 1:02 pm
#1502
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 387
Mother Earth is conspicuous by her absence in AC next door, your old NATS colleague must have missed working on that one!
Oct 16, 2012, 1:18 pm
#1503
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ISTR he wasn't that interested in technical issues, though. That's why LATCC Comms sat on my desk! When I left the fat files ran to 12 volumes!
Oct 17, 2012, 11:05 am
#1504
Join Date: May 2008
Location: YYZ
Posts: 2,636
positioning flights
Forgive me if this has been asked however using the nonexistent search function on my mobile device is a challenge.
If there is an aircraft swap between LHR and LGW, my understanding is that there is a skeleton crew who ferry the plane for the short hop. What prevents BA from using outstations served by both airports to facilitate swaps. E.g. AMS for 320s. I guess it involves more logistical planning but wouldn't there be benefits too such as fuel savings, crew pay and slot usage?
Edit: Are there any Long Haul destinations served by both London Airports?
If there is an aircraft swap between LHR and LGW, my understanding is that there is a skeleton crew who ferry the plane for the short hop. What prevents BA from using outstations served by both airports to facilitate swaps. E.g. AMS for 320s. I guess it involves more logistical planning but wouldn't there be benefits too such as fuel savings, crew pay and slot usage?
Edit: Are there any Long Haul destinations served by both London Airports?
Last edited by evanderm; Oct 17, 2012 at 11:14 am
Oct 17, 2012, 11:22 am
#1505
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: London, England.
Programs: BA
Posts: 8,476
If there is an aircraft swap between LHR and LGW, my understanding is that there is a skeleton crew who ferry the plane for the short hop. What prevents BA from using outstations served by both airports to facilitate swaps. E.g. AMS for 320s. I guess it involves more logistical planning but wouldn't there be benefits too such as fuel savings, crew pay and slot usage?
Secondly, this only works if you really want another aircraft back. A review of the ferry flights between Heathrow and Gatwick shows it's almost unknown for an aircraft to be moved each way on the same day. There are only a handful such movements a month (disregarding things like repositioning weather diversions) anyway. They generally accompany aircraft at the beginning/end of heavy maintenance, or fundamental changes in the fleet size.
Lastly, the schedules at overseas points are constructed independently, so the opportunities for two aircraft being there simultaneously are limited in any event.
Oct 17, 2012, 11:43 am
#1506
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Oct 17, 2012, 11:53 am
#1508
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: LON, RUH and DXB
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Oct 18, 2012, 12:06 pm
#1510
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: London, UK
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Here's one for the crew: Who decides who whether the drop down screens get used for the map/inflight data?
Tuesday night flew LHR-ABZ on G-EUUJ (BA1316), and the screens were used for both safety video and for the moving map, etc.; came back on G-EUUR (BA1315) last night, and the screens were used for the safety video and then not dropped down again.
Any SOP or was there another reason (inc, but not limited to 'not being bothered') that they weren't used during the flight?
Tuesday night flew LHR-ABZ on G-EUUJ (BA1316), and the screens were used for both safety video and for the moving map, etc.; came back on G-EUUR (BA1315) last night, and the screens were used for the safety video and then not dropped down again.
Any SOP or was there another reason (inc, but not limited to 'not being bothered') that they weren't used during the flight?
Oct 18, 2012, 12:16 pm
#1511
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They should be used, maybe the moving map wasn't working, it happens occasionally?
Oct 18, 2012, 12:42 pm
#1512
Join Date: Jul 2011
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It wouldn't be because they couldn't be bothered though!
Oct 18, 2012, 1:05 pm
#1513
Join Date: Nov 2009
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Right - now here's something that's dear to my heart after recently having two EU delays that have been significantly longer than the flights themselves...
Why is it that the ground staff/screens always seem to say/display 'delayed 30 mins' followed by 'delayed an hour' followed by 'delayed 90 mins' followed by 'delayed 2 hours' and so on, when it is obvious that the aircraft carrying out said flight has not even left LHR/LGW yet?
It drives you mad, as if you know the plane is nowhere near, why do that? At least if they were honest then you could plan accordingly.
Bizarrely, I even showed ground staff at LHR recently that there was no way the flight could be on time, since they told me the AC reg and I looked at it on flightstats and could see it had only just left its destination!
Why is it that the ground staff/screens always seem to say/display 'delayed 30 mins' followed by 'delayed an hour' followed by 'delayed 90 mins' followed by 'delayed 2 hours' and so on, when it is obvious that the aircraft carrying out said flight has not even left LHR/LGW yet?
It drives you mad, as if you know the plane is nowhere near, why do that? At least if they were honest then you could plan accordingly.
Bizarrely, I even showed ground staff at LHR recently that there was no way the flight could be on time, since they told me the AC reg and I looked at it on flightstats and could see it had only just left its destination!
Oct 18, 2012, 1:59 pm
#1514
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NCL
Programs: BA Marriott Gold
Posts: 7
The reason you get a creeping delay is because BA are trying to improve on the situation of the inbound flight being late. They need to find an appropriate and available aircraft plus flight crew and cabin crew. Sometimes this works out by getting a stand by aircraft or one coming off maintenance and by finding standby crew. Sometimes it is not possible to resolve. If they immediately posted a 2-3 hour delay then found crew and aircraft you can guarantee passengers will go missing causing further delay.
Oct 19, 2012, 1:09 am
#1515
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London
Posts: 1,546
"Are there any Long Haul destinations served by both London Airports?"
BA serves JFK from two London airports.
I think the use of "both" in this question is a bit odd. London has at least six major airports - and BA serve three of them.
BA serves JFK from two London airports.
I think the use of "both" in this question is a bit odd. London has at least six major airports - and BA serve three of them.
