Grrrr, Schedules
Oct 31, 2014, 11:15 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MAN/BHX
Programs: ABBA
Posts: 6,027
Grrrr, Schedules
I'm back to work next week, but not travelling overnight until December thanks to nano-paulwuk (he's far tinier than his big 2 y.o. brother, micro-paulwuk)
Events have conspired over my two weeks off, and I was looking up a day trip to Brussels, from Manchester, for the day.
SN have a direct flight at 0635, arriving 0900, which is great, tends to be about £500 in economy. Flybe pulled out a year or two ago, and Easyjet don't fly there. Of course BA don't fly these really useful, lucrative, short haul flights out of the regions, but not a problem, as I can connect at Heathrow.
But with a connection you're looking at about 3-4 hours each way, rather than 1.5. Not a problem, as I'm nice and productive, especially on the way out with a dom-int connection.
But it relies on the right planes and the right times. Back in Summer 2013, I took the 2140 BA1410 7 times from LHR to MAN. I also took BA8108 on July 4th, an ex-BMI flight, which left at 2200 on a tiny Embraer. These were really useful flights.
For the mornings I took BA1371 a fair bit too, leaving 0600 from MAN, arriving 0700 into LHR.
However BA's domestic schedules on early and late flights have been really trimmed back, and this season is terrible. BA1371, the first flight, now leaves at 0650 or 0655 rather than 0600. At the weekend the first arrival into LHR doesn't get there until 0905, meaning the earliest flight out of LHR is 1005.
In the evening the last departure is often at 19:50, with 2000/2005 on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. That's 2 hours earlier than it used to be, and means any flight arriving after 18.30 is a risky proposition.
This not only kills day trip potentials from Manchester on BA (there's now 3 hours less than were 18 months ago), but increasingly affects connections to long haul destinations, meaning a night in a hotel at heathrow (and the last flight from MAN isn't something like 2300, it's early, killing your evening). It's very annoying.
Events have conspired over my two weeks off, and I was looking up a day trip to Brussels, from Manchester, for the day.
SN have a direct flight at 0635, arriving 0900, which is great, tends to be about £500 in economy. Flybe pulled out a year or two ago, and Easyjet don't fly there. Of course BA don't fly these really useful, lucrative, short haul flights out of the regions, but not a problem, as I can connect at Heathrow.
But with a connection you're looking at about 3-4 hours each way, rather than 1.5. Not a problem, as I'm nice and productive, especially on the way out with a dom-int connection.
But it relies on the right planes and the right times. Back in Summer 2013, I took the 2140 BA1410 7 times from LHR to MAN. I also took BA8108 on July 4th, an ex-BMI flight, which left at 2200 on a tiny Embraer. These were really useful flights.
For the mornings I took BA1371 a fair bit too, leaving 0600 from MAN, arriving 0700 into LHR.
However BA's domestic schedules on early and late flights have been really trimmed back, and this season is terrible. BA1371, the first flight, now leaves at 0650 or 0655 rather than 0600. At the weekend the first arrival into LHR doesn't get there until 0905, meaning the earliest flight out of LHR is 1005.
In the evening the last departure is often at 19:50, with 2000/2005 on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. That's 2 hours earlier than it used to be, and means any flight arriving after 18.30 is a risky proposition.
This not only kills day trip potentials from Manchester on BA (there's now 3 hours less than were 18 months ago), but increasingly affects connections to long haul destinations, meaning a night in a hotel at heathrow (and the last flight from MAN isn't something like 2300, it's early, killing your evening). It's very annoying.
Oct 31, 2014, 12:40 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: not far from MUC
Posts: 6,620
SN have a direct flight at 0635, arriving 0900, which is great, tends to be about £500 in economy.
Last edited by shorthauldad; Oct 31, 2014 at 1:08 pm Reason: typo