Event driven equipment changes
Jan 6, 2017, 9:15 am
#1
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Event driven equipment changes
On a related note to this post I'm always surprised that BA don't seem to do equipment changes on a macro level. Do they ever put on larger aircraft based on event driven demand? Mobile World Congress in Barcelona always drives crazy fares and completely sold out flights but is served by A320s. Heathrow to BCN on 26th of Feb returning 2nd March is almost completely sold out despite the fact the fare is £1k+ in ET.
Jan 6, 2017, 9:51 am
#3
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On a related note to this post I'm always surprised that BA don't seem to do equipment changes on a macro level. Do they ever put on larger aircraft based on event driven demand? Mobile World Congress in Barcelona always drives crazy fares and completely sold out flights but is served by A320s. Heathrow to BCN on 26th of Feb returning 2nd March is almost completely sold out despite the fact the fare is £1k+ in ET.
You know months ahead exactly what type of plane BA will have on any route, and so far the plane type I have been on has never changed from the plane type I booked.
Jan 6, 2017, 10:04 am
#5
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Although only insiders would know what the actual numbers are, it's not difficult to imagine a scenario in which it is more profitable for BA to use its capacity/resources in the usual way and just rake in the high-yield fares on the short-haul route than to increase capacity on the short-haul route by cancelling a long-haul rotation.
Jan 6, 2017, 11:48 am
#7
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I think the issue is also lack of airframes.
even a short rotation still needs the a/c for a good 5+ hours and not sure many are not in use (or having service etc) that would allow such swaps.
I am sure they have used larger a/c in strike / weather situations (where lack of planes wasn't an issue).
even a short rotation still needs the a/c for a good 5+ hours and not sure many are not in use (or having service etc) that would allow such swaps.
I am sure they have used larger a/c in strike / weather situations (where lack of planes wasn't an issue).
Jan 6, 2017, 12:10 pm
#9
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Not necessarily an equipment change but year before last I flew to Nice on the Sunday afternoon of the Monaco Gran Prix. The plane flew out with an almost empty CE cabin of half the plane - the biggest id ever seen. The rest of the plane was full. Clearly the economics of bringing back lots of CE passengers outweighed the loss of Y revenue on the way out (and given that a return in CE for May half term was £1k vs £150 for ET you can see why!)
Jan 6, 2017, 2:32 pm
#10
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Well, most people won't have payed those prices. It's only when you are last in line to buy a ticket that you only have the most expensive tickets to chose from. Those planning ahead will find much cheaper fares available.
Jan 6, 2017, 8:15 pm
#11
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Not necessarily an equipment change but year before last I flew to Nice on the Sunday afternoon of the Monaco Gran Prix. The plane flew out with an almost empty CE cabin of half the plane - the biggest id ever seen. The rest of the plane was full. Clearly the economics of bringing back lots of CE passengers outweighed the loss of Y revenue on the way out (and given that a return in CE for May half term was £1k vs £150 for ET you can see why!)
Jan 6, 2017, 10:02 pm
#12
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The 777 is 1hour and 30min. It's not that much of an issue. It's simply BA currently focused on cutting costs, thats why they are not bothering with swiping anything.
Jan 6, 2017, 10:06 pm
#13
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Paddy's Day weekend they certainly put the 321s to good use for the LON-DUB routes last year including additional flights from both LHR and LCY
Jan 7, 2017, 12:17 am
#14
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Doesn't that confirm that turnaround times are an issue? i.e. you can't simply swap a 777 in the usual slot times - you'd need to fiddle the schedule too.
Jan 7, 2017, 1:24 am
#15
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In years gone by, BA did used to switch to widebody aircraft for routes with major events. I recall travelling LHR - Hannover (for CeBIT) on a 747. Mightily impressed that the crew were able to complete a full meal service (back in the days when you still got a meal in Economy!) and still had time to do a duty free run too!
These days I think BA prefers to keep things as simple as possible and just seeks to optimise its revenue through the mix of premium J/Y fares.
These days I think BA prefers to keep things as simple as possible and just seeks to optimise its revenue through the mix of premium J/Y fares.