LHR-PER: should BA have done it
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,539
LHR-PER: should BA have done it
Suggestion that QF will announce the opening of a non-stop LHR-PER. With current arrangements, this will most certainly involve EK codeshare and not BA one and it is conceivable that it might hurt the BA LHR-SIN-SYD.
TK is also apparently still working hard on plans for a nonstop IST-SYD.
Quite bluntly, since this is related to new aircrafts coming in, should BA have done this, maybe attempting to obtain 8th freedom rights from Oz to fly LHR-PER-SYD instead of LHR-SIN-SYD?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...-perth-london/
TK is also apparently still working hard on plans for a nonstop IST-SYD.
Quite bluntly, since this is related to new aircrafts coming in, should BA have done this, maybe attempting to obtain 8th freedom rights from Oz to fly LHR-PER-SYD instead of LHR-SIN-SYD?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...-perth-london/
Last edited by orbitmic; Oct 28, 2016 at 3:17 pm Reason: confused my freedoms... :)
#3
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Thames Valley
Programs: BAEC, LHM&M, and even a dusty KLFB!
Posts: 894
Suggestion that QF will announce the opening of a non-stop LHR-PER. With current arrangements, this will most certainly involve EK codeshare and not BA one and it is conceivable that it might hurt the BA LHR-SIN-SYD.
Quite bluntly, since this is related to new aircrafts coming in, should BA have done this, maybe attempting to obtain 6th freedom rights from Oz to fly LHR-PER-SYD instead of LHR-SIN-SYD?
Quite bluntly, since this is related to new aircrafts coming in, should BA have done this, maybe attempting to obtain 6th freedom rights from Oz to fly LHR-PER-SYD instead of LHR-SIN-SYD?
Technically, flying on to Sydney with traffic rights would be 8th freedom - 6th is connecting traffic via your home hub. And of course operating this way increases the cost basis again, so would have been unlikely even if the rights were available (which I imagine QF, Virgin Australia et al would have objected to quite vociferously to).
Last edited by DrBernardo; Oct 29, 2016 at 12:32 am Reason: Got my own freedoms confused too!
#5
formerly southsidesilver
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: San Diego,CA
Programs: BA Gold, UA Silver, HH Diamond
Posts: 996
After 7 hours sitting on economy my legs start to hurt, 11 hours its not fun, so I can't imagine 18 hours.
And that's with me walking around every hour or so.
And that's with me walking around every hour or so.
#6
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Thames Valley
Programs: BAEC, LHM&M, and even a dusty KLFB!
Posts: 894
PERSYD block times are just over 4 hours, but that's hardly a short hop! You'd be much quicker going via Singapore.
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,539
And in J, while I have never done 18 hours flights, I have done several 15 hour ones and will do the 16 hour DOH-AKL in a few months. My experience with the 15 hour flights is that quite frankly, they are not harder to cope with than 11 hour ones and one often sleeps better (and they were not even solo seats which I think the new QF 789 will be). Perth is an increasingly important economic centre and also has a wealthy population which makes it a potential candidate for leisure premium flying. I really wouldn't be surprised if the flight was quite successful, and paradoxically, BA's connecting network from LHR may be a strong reason for it!
Last edited by orbitmic; Oct 28, 2016 at 10:55 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Hackney, UK
Programs: BA Exec Club, EI Aer Club, LifeMiles
Posts: 45
Some good points, especially @orbitmic re Perth's wealthy population, diaspora and business ties.
What interested me was finding out that QR's upcoming DOH-AKL service (launching 5 Feb 2017) would surpass LON-PER as the longest flight by distance, clocking in at 9032 miles, 23 miles longer than Qantas's proposed UK-AU non stop.
Further, the AKL flight's block time is actually just 16h10 westbound (17h30 eastbound), so given that both flights would take a similar route direction, the LON-PER flight might actually be less than 18 hours.
What interested me was finding out that QR's upcoming DOH-AKL service (launching 5 Feb 2017) would surpass LON-PER as the longest flight by distance, clocking in at 9032 miles, 23 miles longer than Qantas's proposed UK-AU non stop.
Further, the AKL flight's block time is actually just 16h10 westbound (17h30 eastbound), so given that both flights would take a similar route direction, the LON-PER flight might actually be less than 18 hours.
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,539
Some good points, especially @orbitmic re Perth's wealthy population, diaspora and business ties.
What interested me was finding out that QR's upcoming DOH-AKL service (launching 5 Feb 2017) would surpass LON-PER as the longest flight by distance, clocking in at 9032 miles, 23 miles longer than Qantas's proposed UK-AU non stop.
Further, the AKL flight's block time is actually just 16h10 westbound (17h30 eastbound), so given that both flights would take a similar route direction, the LON-PER flight might actually be less than 18 hours.
What interested me was finding out that QR's upcoming DOH-AKL service (launching 5 Feb 2017) would surpass LON-PER as the longest flight by distance, clocking in at 9032 miles, 23 miles longer than Qantas's proposed UK-AU non stop.
Further, the AKL flight's block time is actually just 16h10 westbound (17h30 eastbound), so given that both flights would take a similar route direction, the LON-PER flight might actually be less than 18 hours.
#10
Join Date: Mar 2016
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 254
Slightly off topic, but it is something I'd genuinely like to know. What's the proportion of economy passengers on that kind of flight who purchase an all inclusive (or partially inclusive, such as flight+flydrive+hotel) holiday, which may happen to be on BA? Because most of those would really only do it the once, irrespective of the service.
Last edited by andrelux; Oct 28, 2016 at 10:55 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Programs: BA Gold, Mucci
Posts: 2,068
Considering the capacity of the Qantas 787-9 will be 42 Business, 28 Premium Economy and 166 Economy for a total of 236, I don't think it will be hard to fill the aircraft.
Some people don't want to stop in Dubai or Asia and just want to get there, and stopping in Perth is no different to the alternative. It will have the cachet of being the first direct Australia to UK service too, so people will want to give it a go. Australians have a good knowledge of Qantas as just about everyone in the country has a Frequent Flyer card with them!
#14
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
I wouldn't do it for fear of being stuck with someone with whom I have no desire to share any kind of enclosed space for so long, e.g. noisy, smelly etc.
That would not be nice!
13 hours is about my limit.
That would not be nice!
13 hours is about my limit.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,539
But in J you would have no neighbour. The 789 offers an evolution over the 330 J suite, which is really quite nice!