IAG to establish budget long-haul operation out of BCN [branded as Level]
Dec 26, 2016, 2:33 am
#46
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold & GGL & CCR, HH Diam, Bonvoy Titanium, IHG Spire, Tastecard
Posts: 7,549
Yes that's absolutely correct (not necessarily as the reason, nobody would know anyway, but certainly as a key aspect of the initiative), AF plan to employ "volunteer" AF staff under new (higher productivity) contracts. That's the same they did for the "Bases Province" and seems to be the new default AF management solution to change employees' contracts without being seen to. Very bizarre...
so it would be interesting to see if IAG / BA considered this for 'similar' reasons at LGW whether on new or existing routes....
Dec 26, 2016, 5:21 am
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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: 30,514
At any rate, it has been my prediction for the new MAN routes: if they open an actual MAN base, a lot of crew who are effectively based in the area will be interested, and I'd expect BA to try and 'rewrite' them into a worse-than-MF/LGW contract.
Dec 26, 2016, 8:08 am
#48
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Berkhamsted, UK
Programs: EasyJet Flight Club
Posts: 127
The idea of spinning LGW off into its own carrier from BA would be an interesting thought, especially if they have got the cost base there low enough to compete with the likes of Norwegian. With IAG becoming ever more generic between the carriers, maybe it could happen?
Dec 28, 2016, 4:33 pm
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
The idea of spinning LGW off into its own carrier from BA would be an interesting thought, especially if they have got the cost base there low enough to compete with the likes of Norwegian. With IAG becoming ever more generic between the carriers, maybe it could happen?
Why not devalue the operation and keep the same name, thus best of both for a few years until the management move on?
(A rhetorical question, of course.)
Dec 29, 2016, 4:22 am
#51
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Usually in SAN or Central Europe.
Programs: AA:EXP/1MM. Accor/Radisson:Silver; HH:Gold; ICH:Plt Amb.
Posts: 22,307
It's what Lufthansa has done with the CityLine A343s. A small J cabin (with the same J seats used in LH's longhaul fleet). A normal sized W cabin. And a Y-heavy main cabin. I think they hold just under 300 passengers total. Cabin interior-wise, it's really just like a regular LH A346 or A333. Only with a reduced J cabin.
Jan 5, 2017, 4:46 pm
#53
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,762
Jan 5, 2017, 6:00 pm
#54
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,797
They have two new A330s coming this year so I assume two old ones will be going across as they arrive, and then the A350s start arriving in 2018.
Jan 5, 2017, 6:14 pm
#55
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: LHR, LGW
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,421
Is this business concept a WW/AC idea? In 2-3 years time AC can move back to Spain and Chair this new LCC then retire with a big IAG pension. BA gets a new CEO and goes back to being a better product all over again. Just throwing my thoughts out there!!! And wishful thoughts!! 
Jan 6, 2017, 4:35 am
#56
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London
Programs: plenty - ggl, ccr, etc, etc.
Posts: 1,704
Is this business concept a WW/AC idea? In 2-3 years time AC can move back to Spain and Chair this new LCC then retire with a big IAG pension. BA gets a new CEO and goes back to being a better product all over again. Just throwing my thoughts out there!!! And wishful thoughts!!
Jan 6, 2017, 4:38 am
#57
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Wedged somewhere between BTS and VIE ✈
Programs: Star Alliance Gold (A3 Gold), Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,338
I heard this a few times here, did Alex Cruz really make such a big pig's ear of Vueling? If so, how the hell did he get the job at BA?
Jan 6, 2017, 6:12 am
#58
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 169
Wonder if IB, EI, AA and BA will codeshare?
Jan 6, 2017, 11:03 am
#59
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 1,351
Jan 6, 2017, 11:08 am
#60
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,762
Apparently LAX's Twitter account let the cat out of the bag, but they have deleted their tweet: http://www.preferente.com/noticias-d...30-264217.html