Crew&Management Gossip [New route LHR-TPE-PER]
Sep 22, 2016, 5:00 am
#1
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Crew&Management Gossip [New route LHR-TPE-PER]
I have now had this suggested from 2 different sources (one crew member and one management analyst) that BA are looking at expanding into Asia and that the next destination should be TPE, with a tag-along PER, once daily.
Apparently TPE would not have enough traffic, so PER will deliver some through traffic on LHR-TPE-PER. Also, the plan is to use 787-1000 on this route, but might have to use something else before those beauties are delivered in early 2019.
Apparently TPE would not have enough traffic, so PER will deliver some through traffic on LHR-TPE-PER. Also, the plan is to use 787-1000 on this route, but might have to use something else before those beauties are delivered in early 2019.
Sep 22, 2016, 5:11 am
#4
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Not sure that you'd be able to stay on the plane in TPE - can you do that in SIN to SYD?
Presumably MH has the KUL-PER market sewn up; otherwise LHR-KUL-PER would be 1k miles shorter than LHR-TPE-PER.
Presumably MH has the KUL-PER market sewn up; otherwise LHR-KUL-PER would be 1k miles shorter than LHR-TPE-PER.
Sep 22, 2016, 5:19 am
#6
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I understand what BA is after is entering TPE market, as they see big growth potential there and are adding PER because they need to get some through traffic because presumably LHR-TPE or LHR-PER by itself would not have enough traffic.
Sep 22, 2016, 5:20 am
#8
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I agree, but I understand BA thinks there is a demand for PER-LHR, which should fill in enough of the plane to make the complement of PER-TPE and separately TPE-LHR viable, so they can enter TPE market without making it too big a risk.
Sep 22, 2016, 5:22 am
#9
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It would be quite an odd one. LHR-TPE-MEL would seem to make more sense as it's much more 'on the way':
LHR-PER = 9,009 mi
LHR-TPE-PER = 10,027 mi = 11.3% diversion
whereas
LHR-MEL = 10,503 mi
LHR-TPE-MEL = 10,671 mi = only 1.6% diversion
ETA: Having said that, I see there are no existing TPE-PER flights, whereas China Airlines fly TPE-MEL (with QF codeshare), so I guess BA may be attracted by a monopoly route.
LHR-PER = 9,009 mi
LHR-TPE-PER = 10,027 mi = 11.3% diversion
whereas
LHR-MEL = 10,503 mi
LHR-TPE-MEL = 10,671 mi = only 1.6% diversion
ETA: Having said that, I see there are no existing TPE-PER flights, whereas China Airlines fly TPE-MEL (with QF codeshare), so I guess BA may be attracted by a monopoly route.
Last edited by Ldnn1; Sep 22, 2016 at 5:33 am
Sep 22, 2016, 5:25 am
#10
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I was certainly puzzled by the choice, but someone at BA must have ran the numbers and made sense of tagging PER rather then MEL after TPE.
Sep 22, 2016, 5:27 am
#12
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Don't know the routes well, but could it be there is more competition in MEL (being closer to SYD and all), so yields could be better from PER.
Sep 22, 2016, 5:36 am
#15
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I suspect so. I doubt that whoever is in charge of studying potential new routes happen to share their thought with crew members anyway, and even when new routes are considered, the approval chain will be complex, long, and uncertain. The fact that BA happens to still need to figure out what exactly Brexit will mean to the business and will need to wait months if not years to have some sense about those effects will do nothing to simplify that approval process when it comes to any form of risky expansion.