Jet Time operating for mainline BA at LHR this summer
 

Looks like BA once again is wetleasing Jet Time for some flights this summer - just noticed it on a GLA-LHR flight in June. This seems to be over and above the Titan-operated flights at LGW.

The last time this happened, Jet Time used a 737 that required remote stand/bus at all airports and forcibly gate-checked everyone's rollaboard luggage, leading to delays. BA was also inconsistent about allowing customers with existing bookings to switch to "proper" BA flights.

Check your bookings!

So far BA have contracted Titan Germania and Jet Time, and are still looking for more aircraft.

You forgot Aer Lingus, BA CityFlyer and NEOS, that well-known Italian holiday charter airline.

Plus Jota Aviation.

BA Cityflyer have used them on an adhoc basis over the past few years. BA Mainline have never.

As for Jet-Time - this is also incorrect.

Indeed I did. And I used to work for NEOS..

I used Jet Time a couple of time between LHR and CPH when they were running that route last time. Generally I preferred them to the "proper" BA flights on the same route.

In LHR it was always a remote stand, but in Copenhagen it was at the terminal. Is T5 not capable of attaching jetways to 737s,,was it just random coinsidence, or another operational reason? No problems with my carry on for those flights.

I think there are also baggage handling issues with 737s at T5 because it assumes all baggage is in cans and 737s don't usually use cans, baggage is loose loaded. So I think these are easier to handle at a remote stand.

It begs the question why base the JetTime 737 at Heathrow, and not swap it with a Titan 320 at Gatwick?

Interetsing, so that means that the even BA A319s will be with containers for hold luggage. I thought it was relatively rare for the A319/A320 to use containers.

For the short-of-memory, this is the 2016 thread about Jet Time's last sojourn with BA, including the somewhat odd policy of forcibly gate-checking all wheely bags. It starts off with a lot of assurances that the service will be very similar to BA, the ends with people's actual experiences painting a somewhat different picture!

I wonder if the same issue will occur with RFS wrongly being unavailable on Jet Time-operated flights?

Does anyone know when what dates BA are leasing aircraft?

I travelled in 2016 on a Jettime flight and could bring my wheely bag onboard.

It's my further understanding that BA standardising on an Airbus short haul fleet was partly to be able to use containers (ULDs) for all baggage, to have a standard (and less labour-intensive) way to load all aircraft.

The 737 (and derivatives) hull design is old enough that it has inward-opening doors, as it was designed before there was high confidence in outward-opening door locking mechanisms. Therefore it can't handle containers well, as you can't put the last container in just behind the door and close the door as you can with an outward-opening door. Also, the hold is not ULD-shaped.

The A320 (and derivatives), being newer, was designed with outward-opening doors and ULD compatibility from the start.

LHR T5 does have a few baggage belt loaders but you rarely see them in operation - if you look at the stand equipment around LHR T5 aircraft the belt loader is conspicuous by its absence, compared to somewhere like Stansted where almost all baggage is loose-loaded (Easyjet, Ryanair, etc). Instead, a set of ULD trolleys and a container loader is present.

I enjoyed my last JetTime flight was a bit different and meant no BoB :)