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BA to lease 9 Qatar A320s + crews during strike

BA to lease 9 Qatar A320s + crews during strike

Old Jul 1, 2017, 1:30 pm
  #301  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 246
Currently on BA465 operated by Qatar Airways. A couple of observations. A letter is given out at the gate informing passengers of option to rebook on BA flight. When I tried to do that through Gold line they refused me stating it was still a BA ticket. At the gate it was too late. The safety video loaded onto my A320 was for a totally different aircraft. At the point of showing the exit configuration it showed a set-up similar to an A330/777-200 and gave info about life jacket location on sleeper seats etc. Not a good start!
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Old Jul 1, 2017, 4:51 pm
  #302  
 
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deboyzoned all widebodied QR aircraft have lieflat seats. However only 9 of the 39 QR A320s have lie flat seats, the remainder having sloped seats. The nine so called longhaul aircraft are insufficient for all longhaul routes so they very often flown by the other, sloped seat, shorthaul version. '

The aircraft leased to BA are all shorthaul aircraft with sloped seats!
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Old Jul 1, 2017, 5:19 pm
  #303  
 
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Originally Posted by victairinternational
The safety video loaded onto my A320 was for a totally different aircraft. At the point of showing the exit configuration it showed a set-up similar to an A330/777-200 and gave info about life jacket location on sleeper seats etc. Not a good start!
Was it a QR safety video? You'd have thought they could just play exactly the same video that QR normally use when operating normal flights. Getting the locations of life jackets and emergency exits wrong is a serious error - I'd contact the CAA about that...
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Old Jul 1, 2017, 6:04 pm
  #304  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
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Originally Posted by Deltus
Was it a QR safety video? You'd have thought they could just play exactly the same video that QR normally use when operating normal flights. Getting the locations of life jackets and emergency exits wrong is a serious error - I'd contact the CAA about that...

I actually mentioned it to the CSD. The video was a Qatar Airways, minimally branded one. It is not the current one featuring FC Barcelona that they use on their mainline services. I assume they have it for charters/leases. It features Qatar staff but it is very generic

The CSD didn't seem too concerned about it. She said that they only have the one video and she literally pressed play on the video machine. She said it is there for general guidance and not specific which I thought was a nonsense. She said that the specific info was on the safety card, so it didn't matter if some of the details on the video were wrong as long as people knew how to wear the life jacket.
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Old Jul 1, 2017, 6:17 pm
  #305  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
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Some more remarks about my MAD-LHR Qatar experience.

- Announcements were made to the British Airways standard scripts with the addition of QR. "...all of us at Qatar and British Airways would like to welcome home our customers who live here and..."

- A320 had 5 cabin crew, 2 in business and 3 in economy.

- Complimentary food and bev service in economy. Consisted of full bar akin to former Eurotraveller complimentary bar, a hot pasty (chicken or veggie) and cake in a Qatar Airways box - I could imagine this being the pre-landing snack on a QR long haul flight, an Alpen bar and a yogurt. Qatar plastic plastic cups used and BA hot drink cups used.

- As well as the incorrect safety video used I noticed landing was done with business class curtain closed, full recline was available on row 14 (front overwing exit), I thought it was required to block the recline due to the exit behind. On the other hand a very detailed overwing exit briefing was given and the crew asked for an acknowledgement.

I'll be putting my pics on my Instagram comeflywithv tomorrow.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 1:08 am
  #306  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
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Originally Posted by victairinternational
I actually mentioned it to the CSD. The video was a Qatar Airways, minimally branded one. It is not the current one featuring FC Barcelona that they use on their mainline services. I assume they have it for charters/leases. It features Qatar staff but it is very generic
I think I read over in the QR forum that football themed safety video was being retired. I can't remember the date but I think it was the end of June. So maybe what you saw is the current or soon to be current QR video.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 2:16 am
  #307  
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 373
Originally Posted by simons1
Mostly Filipinas - sorry that's nonsense. Their crews are well spread, its why for example EK usually announce "our crew today comes from 12 different countries and speaks 14 different languages".

In my experience only Saudia had a leaning towards Filipinas but that has changed in recent years as they have recruited more widely.

There is no doubt in my mind that if QR needed to put together all-EU crews they could.
air crews don't need visas if departing within certain time limits and as part of a crew list or similar. Something to do with the UK main Immigration Act where they don't need "permission" in the form of a visa.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 2:47 am
  #308  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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Originally Posted by victairinternational
As well as the incorrect safety video used I noticed landing was done with business class curtain closed, full recline was available on row 14 (front overwing exit), I thought it was required to block the recline due to the exit behind. On the other hand a very detailed overwing exit briefing was given and the crew asked for an acknowledgement.
I think it may be different standard operating procedures. I noticed when I flew QR long haul that the approach to the safety demonstration differs from what I am used to on BA (with the crew standing in the aisles) which is different again to QF where they take it even further and always do the demo manually along with the video.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 5:53 am
  #309  
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This caught my eye blasting over the M25 this mornings, completely white livery. Checked Plane Finder and it shows BA ! Where's it from and where's it going?!
Attached Images   
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 5:55 am
  #310  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Northumberland (The big bit between Newcastle & Scotland).
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You caught this chap heading for Edinburgh (text taken from The BA Source).

Hi-Fly A340-300 CS-TQZ positioned Amsterdam – London Heathrow as BA9253 this morning in order to operate the following British Airways services:

BA1438/BA1443 London Heathrow – Edinburgh
BA348/BA349 London Heathrow – Nice.

Last edited by Bat 21; Jul 2, 2017 at 6:07 am Reason: Pasted wrong info
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 5:59 am
  #311  
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Originally Posted by mikeyfly
This caught my eye blasting over the M25 this mornings, completely white livery. Checked Plane Finder and it shows BA ! Where's it from and where's it going?!
In addition to the QR aircraft it seems they've also hired in at least one A343 from Hi-Fly.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 6:02 am
  #312  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Originally Posted by LordBuckethead
In addition to the QR aircraft it seems they've also hired in at least one A343 from Hi-Fly.
BA have two HiFly A343s today, as there are three 767s out of action, 1 in scheduled mx at CWL and 2 tech at LHR. Nothing to do with the strikes or the QR leasing.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 6:04 am
  #313  
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They look peculiar in white! Had assumed diplomatic / royal flight of some kind. Not that exciting operating a U.K. Domestic!
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 6:17 am
  #314  
 
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It's operating about 90 minutes late. It not the usual London arrival at Edinburgh so that no doubt will not be helping.
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Old Jul 2, 2017, 7:26 am
  #315  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
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Originally Posted by mikeyfly
They look peculiar in white! Had assumed diplomatic / royal flight of some kind. Not that exciting operating a U.K. Domestic!
And IIRC, this aircraft has the old EK interiors......another improvement on the regular BA offerings in CE/ET.
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