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Is it possible to charter a BA plane?

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Old Oct 29, 2018, 5:15 pm
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by billyb750


Not particularly fussed on the airline; only thought BA as the origin would ideally be LCY, and on an Embraer 170 type plane (around 75 passengers). Hence nominally thinking BA given they have these sized aircraft already running from the preferred origin airport. But it does come down to cost, so whatever is cheapest is best!
There are others, Jota Aviation or WDL on the 146, Titan on their A318, Cityjet on their RJ85, Eastern Airways Embraer 170 etc....might all be a better set up for a charter and all generally a bit more in the ad-hoc charter business. If I wanted to move 75 people from City and didn't want to use a broker I'd start with Jota.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 5:25 pm
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by billyb750


Not particularly fussed on the airline; only thought BA as the origin would ideally be LCY, and on an Embraer 170 type plane (around 75 passengers). Hence nominally thinking BA given they have these sized aircraft already running from the preferred origin airport. But it does come down to cost, so whatever is cheapest is best!
Cello Aviation also have the AVRO RJ-100/BAe 146 and have operated from LCY before.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 5:31 pm
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One thing to consider about a charter versus commercial travel is whether the company has a policy about putting too many key company personnel on the same plane.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 5:33 pm
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Originally Posted by cameramaker
Cello Aviation also have the AVRO RJ-100/BAe 146 and have operated from LCY before.
There's a tiny flaw in this plan. Cello Aviation went bust and ceased trading on 12 Oct 2018.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 5:37 pm
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Originally Posted by stuart_f
There's a tiny flaw in this plan. Cello Aviation went bust and ceased trading on 12 Oct 2018.
Ah that’s a shame. They offered a reasonable service on the flights I took with them from LCY when they were subbing in for CityFlyer.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 6:04 pm
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True, but it goes to show that offering a good product and decent customer service doesn't necessarily result in a profitable airline.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 7:38 pm
  #22  
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 8:09 pm
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Originally Posted by billyb750
Hence nominally thinking BA given they have these sized aircraft already running from the preferred origin airport.
If you're chartering the aircraft, it can come form anywhere and depart at whatever airport you want, it doesn't need to be based at a particular airport to fly out of it. Atlas air is another charter operator, but their planes are probably too big for what you want.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 8:26 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by billyb750


Not particularly fussed on the airline; only thought BA as the origin would ideally be LCY, and on an Embraer 170 type plane (around 75 passengers). Hence nominally thinking BA given they have these sized aircraft already running from the preferred origin airport. But it does come down to cost, so whatever is cheapest is best!
actually that would be CityFlyer not ba!! They’d be separate airlines for chartering purposes with ba being mainline! That said city jet will likely be a better bet, also bmi regional and Flybe would charter planes of that sort of size
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 8:48 pm
  #25  
 
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I use Air Partner (a broker) located out of the Gatwick area, they can pretty much get me whatever I want, wherever it is needed. Importantly they have signed up to our pretty onerous T&C's with very high levels of coverage for liability, hull insurance etc.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 11:50 pm
  #26  
 
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I was thinking Titan had a BAe 146 but no longer; the only LCY-capable aircraft they have now is the ex-BA A318. Great for a plush charter trip but I have to think it won't be cheap per seat.
CityJet have a lot of LCY-capable aircraft, it being one of their main operating bases in the past, and they're now a wet-lease specialist.
Unfortunately like almost every other formerly-scheduled, now wet-lease/ACMI carrier you have to ask how long they'll be around in the long term but they probably will last at least a year or two longer. Times are hard for smaller scheduled airlines, but CityJet do at least have some ongoing longer term wet-lease contracts.
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Old Oct 30, 2018, 12:07 am
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by flatlander
I was thinking Titan had a BAe 146 but no longer; the only LCY-capable aircraft they have now is the ex-BA A318. Great for a plush charter trip but I have to think it won't be cheap per seat.
I don't think Titan have any crew qualified to operate the A318 at LCY anymore though.
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Old Oct 30, 2018, 12:11 am
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by flatlander
Unfortunately like almost every other formerly-scheduled, now wet-lease/ACMI carrier you have to ask how long they'll be around in the long term but they probably will last at least a year or two longer. Times are hard for smaller scheduled airlines, but CityJet do at least have some ongoing longer term wet-lease contracts.
They operate a dozen CRJs for SAS, a handful of RJ85s for AF/KL and, since Sunday, a pair of RJs for EI on DUB-LCY. That side of the business should be a steady earner. They do have a fleet of Russian jets no-one wants to lease. That could be a problem.
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Old Oct 30, 2018, 12:14 am
  #29  
 
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You are best to go through a broker, who will arrange the supplier who meets your needs best (in terms of your priorities - cost, departure/arrival times and locations, aircraft type etc).

Just because an airline is based at an airfield that you want to use, it may not always be the best/cheapest option for your chartering needs.
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Old Oct 30, 2018, 3:28 am
  #30  
 
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I know BACF have flown occasional charters such as the one you describe, from LCY and elsewhere. More so outside the peak summer season, of course. For up to 76/98 seats we’ve got the right aircraft, and the onboard product has ranged from standard ET or CE for all to something a bit more bespoke depending on what the charterer wants.

Some of these have since ended up reoccurring yearly, others just happen as a one-off. There been 2 such ones I can think of which happened earlier this year.

They’re usually arranged trough a broker which then contracts us in, and Air Partner had certainly been using BACF in the past so should have the contact details.

Alternatively, you could of course try getting in touch directly with the relevant people at BACF who manage this, and put your requirements to them to see if something may or may not be possible. I’m not sure if I can share their dedicated contact details here, but if you tried something involving say the full name of the airline, and the word charter, maybe with a dot somewhere in between and then added the usual @BA.com suffix, who knows...

I do not speak on behalf of British Airways/BA CityFlyer. My posts on this site don’t necessarily represent either companies' positions, strategies or opinions.
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