What'up with BA in SFO?

Old Jun 16, 2014, 3:02 am
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Cool

Originally Posted by CAlex
I was very surprised though to see that they closed the list at 25, never heard about more than 15 on the VDB/IDB list.

They offered 800$ cash or 1200$ in travel voucher usable only on www.ba.com. With a party of 3, it was an easy decision. For BA, I guess they would rather accept $4.000 for a ticket in Y, pay off someone else 800$ and still increase the avg. revenue per seat...

After taking the offer today, I start to wonder if there is a chance I can get on the same list tomorrow. Wouldn't mind another day at home and extra $ for the summer holidays!
Nice payday. Good luck tomorrow!
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 3:07 am
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Originally Posted by Nyghtwing
LAX has double daily A380s, and they're also taking on VDBs as well as IDBs. They really need their third summer flight back.
That requires more slot pairs.
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 3:23 am
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There is a case for an west coast LGW flight me thinks, much easier to add capacity to LGW than LHR and you could run 3 weekly to LAX and 4 to SFO etc.


cs
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 3:32 am
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Im flying to SFO on Sunday, returning on Thursday. F, for both flights, is sold out*.

*I presume this as I cannot move to any other seat in the cabin...fortunately I am 1K for both!
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 3:34 am
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Originally Posted by Nyghtwing
LAX has double daily A380s, and they're also taking on VDBs as well as IDBs. They really need their third summer flight back.
Or better revenue management. Charge more, lower demand, but more income.


(At least in classical economics. In flyertalk economics sell more I class seats as they are more profitable than J)
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 4:04 am
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Originally Posted by cornishsimon
There is a case for an west coast LGW flight me thinks, much easier to add capacity to LGW than LHR and you could run 3 weekly to LAX and 4 to SFO etc.


cs
Those LGW slots are needed for the a380 flights to NQY.
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 4:47 am
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The SFO market is very buoyant at the moment because the tech industry is doing well.

At least it's not a bad route for the thirsty 744 if the loads and yields are good, and I suspect both are, so it's minimising the negative impact of the fuel burn.

It's definitely a W and J heavy route - these classes are where the extra lift seems to be needed - so if a slot and aircraft were to be available, I'd guess the route could sustain a 772 3 or 4 times a week, especially during high season, without negatively affecting yields (because the 4 class 772 only has 120-odd Y seats).

Thanks,
Mike
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 5:37 am
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I thought the issue with SFO and the A380 is the gate which the business lounge is attached to (and allows direct boarding) can't fit an A380.
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 6:28 am
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How have VS been doing on the route recently? Is it across the board?

I' ve alway found SFO a hugely busy route in all classes and for all purposes of travel. Lots more than tech out that way too.
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 6:38 am
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The SFO-Europe market is on fire right now. The economy has come out of the gates and nobody -- air carriers included -- predicted this.

BA, and the others, will certainly cut the overbooking by selling fewer cheap seats and by raising prices, but that does not happen overnight. Those overbookings leading to oversales are being made largely at walk-up prices. And, that easily justifies paying out significant VDB.

The future does not necessarily portend greater frequencies, but rather higher fares.
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 7:03 am
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Originally Posted by Alan Smith
I thought the issue with SFO and the A380 is the gate which the business lounge is attached to (and allows direct boarding) can't fit an A380.
I'd say that's a red herring at best or a minor impediment at worst. If BA wanted an A380 in the market for the capacity, loss of direct boarding from the lounge wouldn't be a blocking factor.

It's a nicety for us folk with status or in premium cabins, but not an operational show-stopper by any stretch.

Regards,
Mike
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 7:49 am
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SFO is also highly seasonal. Come September suddenly the demand for visitors to SFO and visitors to London will evaporate. There'll still be business travel of course but...

So the earliest I expect we would see any changes would be spring of 2015
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 8:26 am
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Even in low season BA has very often full flights, especially Fridays and Saturdays out of SFO.
What amazes me is that with all the premium pax out of SF, they still use the old 747 in all classes, exception being the one-off times when they have New F (for the few lucky ones). If they would upgrade to A380 they would still make lots of $ on it, as now people travelling to Asia and Africa use CX, EK, SQ, OZ.

Wouldn't it have been better to postpone a route like LHR-AUS-LHR until September and move a 787 to SFO, and then ask AA to add a flight to LAX-LHR instead of opening new routes to Europe?
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 8:28 am
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Originally Posted by CAlex
Wouldn't it have been better to postpone a route like LHR-AUS-LHR until September and move a 787 to SFO, and then ask AA to add a flight to LAX-LHR instead of opening new routes to Europe?
Would it? LHR-AUS is often full in J and W and the fares aren't cheap either.
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Old Jun 16, 2014, 10:12 am
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Originally Posted by mjh0
I'd say that's a red herring at best or a minor impediment at worst. If BA wanted an A380 in the market for the capacity, loss of direct boarding from the lounge wouldn't be a blocking factor.

It's a nicety for us folk with status or in premium cabins, but not an operational show-stopper by any stretch.

Regards,
Mike
I had a very nice chat with the SFO lounge manager last month and he told me that they were going to be starting A380 to SFO next year and that yes, as it was too large to use the existing lounge gates, it would use the gates at the opposite side of the terminal wing and there would be no more boarding from the lounge as a result.
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