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Why the LHR to MAN flight change?
Hi all My connecting flight has been changed leaving me with a long Sunday afternoon in Terminal 5. The original LHR to MAN has disappeared from BA.com. I assume this means that I’m on the earliest connection? Can anyone shed any light please? https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f15110d1f.jpeg |
The number of LHR-MAN flights is being substantially reduced over the summer. It's down to 6 on weekdays, 4 on Saturday and 5 on Sunday.
There are far better options than BA with a connection at LHR these days from MAN. |
This has also happened to me, coming back from LAX in April - now facing a 5 hour wait in LHR... flight booked with Avios and 2-4-1 so I can't use alternatives ex MAN. BA withdrew all direct services from Manchester some years back, insisting that everyone connects via LHR. Now many other airlines have come in, offering much better (often non-stop) options than a connection via LHR.
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Id ask to switch to either 0940-1520 via Mad on IB if you needed to be back earlier Or 1200-1715 via LIS on TAP if you wanted a quicker total trip time. |
It's not just MAN, I need to go to NCL on a Friday morning in February, the first departure is at 09.50 as opposed to the more usual 07.15ish.
Maybe BA want to drop domestic services. Schedules like this are reminiscent of BD dropping services and then declaring the route was not profitable when they had made it useless to business travelers who in general are paying higher fares. I opted to get the train, it will be an earlier start but I'll get there nearer the time I need to and it will be a more relaxed and pleasant journey for less money in F than BA wanted for Y. |
Originally Posted by navylad
(Post 30591464)
Id ask to switch to either 0940-1520 via Mad on IB if you needed to be back earlier Or 1200-1715 via LIS on TAP if you wanted a quicker total trip time. |
Originally Posted by lhrpete
(Post 30591558)
It's not just MAN, I need to go to NCL on a Friday morning in February, the first departure is at 09.50 as opposed to the more usual 07.15ish.
Maybe BA want to drop domestic services. Schedules like this are reminiscent of BD dropping services and then declaring the route was not profitable when they had made it useless to business travelers who in general are paying higher fares. I opted to get the train, it will be an earlier start but I'll get there nearer the time I need to and it will be a more relaxed and pleasant journey for less money in F than BA wanted for Y. it appears the early flight has been dropped for a couple of weeks in february, it is there on the 8th and the 22nd with those early flights priced from £77. The train will indeed be an early start (first train 0612 arrives 0939), £57 for “F”, although railway F is certainly not equivalent to airline J IMHO, and I think I’d rather fly up the night before than spend over 3 hours on the train. Good luck with your trip. |
I've a similar situation coming back from YYC in October. Was a 4 hour wait in LHR, but they've cancelled the 6pm LHR-MAN and put us on the 9pm instead. Will probably get the train home instead of flying, as will be home before 9pm. Am hoping that in the next couple of months they'll add another flight back in (I seem to remember reading that the next lot of flight changes are in March) as currently the flights LHR-MAN on a Saturday are 2pm and then 9pm.
T |
Originally Posted by navylad
(Post 30591602)
The train will indeed be an early start (first train 0612 arrives 0939), £57 for “F”, although railway F is certainly not equivalent to airline J IMHO, and I think I’d rather fly up the night before than spend over 3 hours on the train. Big seats reminiscent of US domestic F including singles if you pick correctly, full fry up, endless offers of tea, coffee and juice and other extras. Three hours go by very nicely I could understand your conclusion if the train were far more expensive or also in Y... but to spend a £ and time on a night in a hotel to avoid the above seems unnecessary! The early start would be required for the flight if it were available too, unless our contributor lives particularly close to LHR. |
Originally Posted by ENTP
(Post 30592167)
Have you tried InterCity F - ie not the commuter crap around London? Big seats reminiscent of US domestic F including singles if you pick correctly, full fry up, endless offers of tea, coffee and juice and other extras. Three hours go by very nicely I could understand your conclusion if the train were far more expensive or also in Y... but to spend a £ and time on a night in a hotel to avoid the above seems unnecessary! The early start would be required for the flight if it were available too, unless our contributor lives particularly close to LHR. Whilst you poibt to both options of travelling on the morning being early starts, for me I can leave my flat in central london for the flight at 0630, vs leaving at 0500 to get the train and be at work for 0930 whilst the train is still arriving into the station. With status, I can get a full fry up should I want prior to the flight in the lounge and not to mention earning TPs and Avios for the flight, meanwhile the LNER first class lounge won’t be open as it doesn’t open until 0700. If the early morning flight was not available, I would fly up the night before yes, I find getting up at 4-430am has consequences for productivity, whereas 6am has little effect on my level of fatigue for the following days. Plus only a third of LNER trains are actually currently arriving on time or early with a third having a significant delay in contrast expertflyer shows a 98% reliability with the early morning flight. As for claiming the seats are like Us domestic F, I would completely disagree. This https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9be1ca956.jpeg is not https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e9c7cd96b.jpeg And I would much rather spend an hour in a seat for the journey than over 3. So yes, when there is £20 in it, I’ll stick to flying. When there isn’t the first flight and I need to be up in morning, I’ll head up the night before and enjoy decent sleep. YVMV. |
Originally Posted by navylad
(Post 30592546)
LNER, who the train will be with, website now states F breakfast consist of either a hot bacon roll, plus a small pain au chocolate, small youghurt and a bananna, ertainly not a fry up as was previously served. https://www.lner.co.uk/the-east-coas...mq=menu1#menu1 The offering during the rest of the day is also comprehensive and beats CE by a country mile. Normally the journey time is about 2:50 - 3:10 but early and late services are a bit longer. From home my usual cab company take about ten minutes more to get to KGX rather than LHR at that time of the morning and in NCL I can walk to my destination in ten minutes rather than need a cab from the airport so for me it's a journey of equals. I noted your earlier comment about 8th February - there is no early service that day as it's the one I needed it. Each to their own as ever but I increasingly use the train as opposed to the hassle of T5, security and liquid restricion annoyances, the chimps tea party which is T5, the hand luggage scrum on boarding - and even with priority the number of people who will bump you with their over size, over weight, over entitlement carry ons that are not policed and then on that route, return departure from NCL where the security staff seem to think they need to shout at everyone all the time with a level of arrogance only matched by the TSA. |
Originally Posted by lhrpete
(Post 30592683)
If you look a little further you will find that the bacon roll is a Christmas week offering when numbers are low. The normal offering resumes on 2nd January and is more comprehensive:
https://www.lner.co.uk/the-east-coas...mq=menu1#menu1 The offering during the rest of the day is also comprehensive and beats CE by a country mile. Normally the journey time is about 2:50 - 3:10 but early and late services are a bit longer. From home my usual cab company take about ten minutes more to get to KGX rather than LHR at that time of the morning and in NCL I can walk to my destination in ten minutes rather than need a cab from the airport so for me it's a journey of equals. I noted your earlier comment about 8th February - there is no early service that day as it's the one I needed it. Each to their own as ever but I increasingly use the train as opposed to the hassle of T5, security and liquid restricion annoyances, the chimps tea party which is T5, the hand luggage scrum on boarding - and even with priority the number of people who will bump you with their over size, over weight, over entitlement carry ons that are not policed and then on that route, return departure from NCL where the security staff seem to think they need to shout at everyone all the time with a level of arrogance only matched by the TSA. as for not having issues with other pax I’d certainly disagree tyour assertion that the train is any less of an issue here than a flight, I’ve regulary been bashed by large suitcases, awkward seating arrangements sat opposite and sharing leg room with others and individuals who decide to watch films or use their mobile on the train without CC to assist. No security check for sure, but I tend not to need much inquire for a day trip and the F wing rarely has queues of any significance; my experience is relatively pain free here. For mr, my sleep is more precious but as you say, each to their own, enjoy your train journey. |
Originally Posted by navylad
(Post 30592732)
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