ucdtim17

There's no new terminal opening anytime soon. There's a new lounge opening next week that I assume will contract with BA in addition to DY - http://www.escapelounges.com/escape-...akland-lounge/

New international arrivals/customs expansion will open next year to double capacity (they'll need it).

flatlander

Leave the war zone behind, get straight on the plonk up the valley ?

I can see that working, especially with cheaper CW fares.

Tafflyer

Well, I'd take the trip over the Bay Bridge any time compared to suffering a clapped out 772 instead of a 380 or 744.

pauldb

Noticed this article (published 22nd December) talking about a BA route to Sacremento. It's probably just confusion with OAK, but Sacremento might be (or might have been) a BA consideration. It seems quite a coincidence the article picks out Chile and St Helena, which suggests there may be some BA influence here ... and therefore some information sharing???

http://www.cntraveller.com/recommend...tinations-2017

sts603

Epic misspelling of Schramsberg on the drink menu.

ahmetdouas

Who would fly this route exactly? Is it that much cheaper than SFO/SJC? I mean ok its flying to Gatwick, but from what I recall you get the 'ghetto series' 772's on this route with the 2000 IFE and seats?

Calchas

Anyone going to Oakland or the East Bay ...?

Tafflyer

No, I go to and from the East Bay regularly and would never take a LGW 772 on that route in favour of a 744 or 380 to SFO. Getting on to I-80 from OAK is not so much faster as to justify sitting in that over-heated, clapped out piece of junk for over 10 hours. Now, if it were a 789, then I might be convinced.

channa

Other way around. Many East Bay residents don't like going to SFO, as OAK is much more convenient for them.

The marketing for LGW makes it appear easy to get into Central London, so the issue of LGW vs. LHR may not play into many decisions, particularly those who are unsuspecting.

As for aircraft, very few pay attention to that.

And in some cases there may be connections over LGW that make more sense too.

mad_rich

Because it is easy! 4tph on GEX/ Southern taking 30 min (in normal times, granted!) to Victoria vs 4tph taking 22 min on the HEX to Paddington.

Slow, stopping option of 5tph on Thameslink to the City & King's Cross (< 1hr) vs slow, stopping option of 6tph on the Tube to the West End & King's Cross (< 1hr).

I don't buy the 'Gatwick is miles away' idea. Unless you're in West London, connections to/ from Gatwick are likely to be at least as fast and probably more direct than Heathrow.

Leeski

Or north London - takes me exactly an hour to LHR for under £3 off peak, versus the same or longer time to LGW for at least £10 e/w, including three changes of train...

ucdtim17

Is there some logic to the pricing on this route I'm not seeing? Parents want to fly back from London on June 6. Norwegian is $220 economy, $716 in Premium. BA is $1800 economy, $6k+ business and seat map for the plane looks empty (unsurprisingly). June isn't that far off. I guess they're just waiting to drop prices to a more realistic level and then try to fill the plane?

sigma421

The old rule of longhaul air travel (and, once upon a time, all air travel) was that one way fares were very expensive. The same applied to return fares unless you stayed for a Saturday night. The logic being that (relatively) price blind businesses were the main buyers of these one way and short duration return tickets and price sensitive holiday makers would be the only ones staying for a Saturday night.

easyJet and Ryanair started selling normal one way fares (i.e. a return costs (roughly) the same as two one ways) and eventually (almost) all of the European legacy airlines started doing the same. We're (probably) at the start of the same process on longhaul. The new upstart, in this case Norwegian, is selling cheap one-way fares. BA, even though it's only launched the LGW-OAK route because of Norwegian hasn't started doing the same (yet).

Apologies for the ramble. To (actually) answer your question it's unlikely that you'll see anything similar on BA. If you want a one-way fare book Norwegian.

sigma421

Double Post. Please delete

ucdtim17

That makes sense as an explanation, but less so as a business strategy. Fly dense old 772s on leisure-heavy routes to go after Norwegian, but charge 6-10x their fares? Somehow I doubt Norwegian is shaking in their boots.