London City you've finally lost me
Jul 26, 2015, 4:04 am
#46
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,111
LCY is still lovely compared to STN 
It's less nice than it used to be, for sure.
BA Citiflyer's increasingly frequent cascading delays affecting several flights in a morning, are a serious problem. STN may be awful on the ground but the Orange Mob run on time and their aircraft don't break down (usually).
Update: overall their punctuality stats are a bit worse that BACF, but on EZY I still don't experience the long delays because of broken aircraft that BACF have given me several times this year .
It's less nice than it used to be, for sure.
BA Citiflyer's increasingly frequent cascading delays affecting several flights in a morning, are a serious problem. STN may be awful on the ground but the Orange Mob run on time and their aircraft don't break down (usually).
Update: overall their punctuality stats are a bit worse that BACF, but on EZY I still don't experience the long delays because of broken aircraft that BACF have given me several times this year .
Last edited by flatlander; Jul 26, 2015 at 4:11 am Reason: Facts, who needs facts
Jul 26, 2015, 4:25 am
#48
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,111
Jul 26, 2015, 10:27 am
#49
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,839
Jul 27, 2015, 5:12 am
#50
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Singapore
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 48
I think we have a different reading of "quite a bit better". Not at all surprised at BA being considerably poorer in the ">1 hour bucket".
Jul 27, 2015, 6:05 am
#51
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,839
Indeed I was! Apologies. I'm genuinely surprised, but I guess we only have personal experience of what we actually fly rather than all flights. I'm clearly unlucky....!
Jul 28, 2015, 3:33 am
#52
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: M&M FTL (*Silver), KLM/AF blue
Posts: 343
Maybe related to the summer holiday: but wen throught security in 5 Minutes yesterday and staff was really nice and chatty.
The airport being so overcroweded seems mainly be related to the fact that roughly 50% of the waiting area is reserved vor "dinner only" and was completely empty while the rest of the airport was overcrowded.
(I know in other countires just would sit down any way as act of civil disobedience... guess that is a no go in UK)
But more seriously: I am always surprised that in a country like the UK where Healt and Safety is such an important concern, the authorties allow for such overcrowding like LCY airport. I don't see how you can evacuate this airport in case of a serious incident, looking at the check in hall or athe depurtare waiting hall. This is a serious security concern to me! In other european countries such things would not be allowed I think...
The airport being so overcroweded seems mainly be related to the fact that roughly 50% of the waiting area is reserved vor "dinner only" and was completely empty while the rest of the airport was overcrowded.
(I know in other countires just would sit down any way as act of civil disobedience... guess that is a no go in UK)
But more seriously: I am always surprised that in a country like the UK where Healt and Safety is such an important concern, the authorties allow for such overcrowding like LCY airport. I don't see how you can evacuate this airport in case of a serious incident, looking at the check in hall or athe depurtare waiting hall. This is a serious security concern to me! In other european countries such things would not be allowed I think...
Jul 28, 2015, 4:52 am
#53
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,180
Your post brought back memories. I used LCY frequently in 1992, when I started working in Paris. Back then, LCY was struggling to develop its business and there were times when it was like a ghost town. It even closed completely at some times over the weekend if I remember well. As for the flights to CDG, there were times when the crew outnumbered the passengers. Happy days.....
I'm afraid that LCY is a victim of its own success. Now the aircraft carry twice the number of people - and along came docklands. Once again, LCY was designed before the full impact of the effects would be known. Driving to LCY when it first opened was like going on to some industrial estate.
I travelled on BA1 one day when fog came down the Thames and LCY was in chaos. It looked like a refugee camp - there were people everywhere. Nothing was able to land, so the airport was full of people and there were no aircraft. Ours was one of the only to have landed that morning - another was a Cityjet Avro whatever.
As for conformance at LHR - I think that it is now so long to get through the shambles with a sourpuss face that calls itself security that they should set it for 1 hour minimum. Try getting to the C gates in heels in 35 minutes!
Jul 28, 2015, 4:54 am
#54
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,180
Jul 28, 2015, 5:49 am
#56
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,752
How much for 35 mins/ That is totally a rip off.
The airport should try and learn from Toronto City - a delight. Free coffee and biscuits and stuff all round (no need for a airline lounge - but recognition from the airport operators I think) ....pleasant gate staff and security.
the problem with London and this blasted South East development means it just costs pax more money, little service and delays.
The airport should try and learn from Toronto City - a delight. Free coffee and biscuits and stuff all round (no need for a airline lounge - but recognition from the airport operators I think) ....pleasant gate staff and security.
the problem with London and this blasted South East development means it just costs pax more money, little service and delays.
Jul 28, 2015, 5:52 am
#57
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Lincoln, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 1,267
Really? Is that based on recent experience?
My recent experience of numerous flights at both LHR and LGW is that baggage handling times are dramatically better than previously. My most common experience both long haul and short haul has been the luggage beating me to the carousel.
Indeed the biggest delay I've had in disembarking recently was having to wait for those with ridiculous amounts of hand luggage struggling to remove it from the overheads. These same passengers then walked past the carousel on which that flight's luggage was already revolving.
Time savings going HBO are now illusory much of the time - indeed from my experience delays in departing while trying to stow excessive hand luggage and in disembarking while people struggle to retrieve their luggage have outweighed any time spent waiting for luggage.
Domestics may be different as the time spent at immigration isn't part of the equation, although I have not waited more than five minutes recently for a JER flight's luggage to arrive at LGW (that used to be horrendous).
I am sure someone will be along to tell that BA always lose their luggage or they always have to wait a minimum of 45 minutes at the carousel.
All I can say is that that certainly hasn't been my experience recently.
My recent experience of numerous flights at both LHR and LGW is that baggage handling times are dramatically better than previously. My most common experience both long haul and short haul has been the luggage beating me to the carousel.
Indeed the biggest delay I've had in disembarking recently was having to wait for those with ridiculous amounts of hand luggage struggling to remove it from the overheads. These same passengers then walked past the carousel on which that flight's luggage was already revolving.
Time savings going HBO are now illusory much of the time - indeed from my experience delays in departing while trying to stow excessive hand luggage and in disembarking while people struggle to retrieve their luggage have outweighed any time spent waiting for luggage.
Domestics may be different as the time spent at immigration isn't part of the equation, although I have not waited more than five minutes recently for a JER flight's luggage to arrive at LGW (that used to be horrendous).
I am sure someone will be along to tell that BA always lose their luggage or they always have to wait a minimum of 45 minutes at the carousel.
All I can say is that that certainly hasn't been my experience recently.