New Route - Dammam

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Mar 19, 2019, 6:06 am

#16

george77300

Join Date: Jul 2018

Location: London, UK

Programs: BAEC Gold

Posts: 1,020

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keep it Riel

"The route will be the only direct flight from London and launch as a daily service via Bahrain."

A direct route via somewhere. Makes sense in airline speak but is a bit daft in the real world...

Yes. It will be direct and not non-stop. The two have different meanings in regards to airline flights. It is a global thing.

Non-Stop: Flight A to B. As it says, no stops.

Direct: Makes a stop. The flight number and/or aircraft remain the same. Boarding pass is the same. Often you stay on-board the aircraft while others embark/disembark.

Connecting: You transfer at an airport to a different plane with a different flight number and a different boarding pass.

A bit ambiguous for sure.

flygirl68 and florens like this.

Mar 19, 2019, 7:13 am

#17

BA Humbug

formerly mattking2000

Join Date: Nov 2012

Location: DXB

Programs: BA|AC|AZ|SPG|H|FPC

Posts: 1,183

Quote:

Originally Posted by etiene

Both might be explained by BAH being the larger destination, but with the timings for such a short hop does it really obviate much pain versus the limo transfer?

As someone whose new company (a) insists i get a full day of work before hopping on a flight to the next city and (b) has recently made it company policy to ban Bahrain-Khobar travel on the King Fahd causeway (not sure the story behind this), it is welcome news and great timing

wrp96 and etiene like this.

Mar 19, 2019, 8:11 am

#18

LCY8737

Join Date: Nov 2004

Programs: BA GGL, LH FTL

Posts: 3,577

Quote:

Originally Posted by etiene

I'm curious as to why this is doing BAH then DMM, rather than either the other way round or a triangular LHR-BAH-DMM-LHR...?

Both might be explained by BAH being the larger destination, but with the timings for such a short hop does it really obviate much pain versus the limo transfer?

Saudi Arabia is a pain for visas - even transit. A BAH-DMM-LHR would bring all sorts of issues - DMM-BAH-LHR is much easier, because it allows the BAH-LHR traffic to not go through KSA.

wrp96, etiene and george77300 like this.

Mar 19, 2019, 9:10 am

#19

haapalainen

Join Date: Apr 2012

Location: HEL

Programs: BA Gold, OZ Diamond, LH Silver

Posts: 553

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCY8737

Saudi Arabia is a pain for visas - even transit. A BAH-DMM-LHR would bring all sorts of issues - DMM-BAH-LHR is much easier, because it allows the BAH-LHR traffic to not go through KSA.

I flew Lufthansa A333 on their FRA-DMM-BAH route and back a couple of times in 2017. One had to stay on the plane during the stop in DMM with alcohol and magazines hidden in the overhead bins. No need for a Saudi visa though. And the flight time between DMM and BAH was not much more than 20 minutes. LH has since changed their routing and currently flies to DMM via KUW.

etiene likes this.

Mar 19, 2019, 9:20 am

#20

etiene

Join Date: Mar 2017

Location: AMS

Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody

Posts: 2,456

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCY8737

Saudi Arabia is a pain for visas - even transit. A BAH-DMM-LHR would bring all sorts of issues - DMM-BAH-LHR is much easier, because it allows the BAH-LHR traffic to not go through KSA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by haapalainen

Certainly for the triangular version I was thinking of the stay-on-the-aircraft paradigm - I've done that a couple of times with TK from JRO [via MBA] and they [used to] do the same with DAR and ZNZ at least. Visa issues do make sense if one is going to backtrack though.

Mar 19, 2019, 9:25 am

#21

hearingdouble

Join Date: May 2017

Posts: 305

I wonder whether BAH-DMM will be bookable as a Fifth Freedom flight. Could be of interest to TP runners.

Deltus likes this.

Mar 19, 2019, 11:31 am

#22

chgoeditor

Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Jul 2003

Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Programs: AA Gold

Posts: 15,637

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullswood

Will that be the world's shortest international air route?

Before the causeway was built, it was advertised as the world's shortest international flight (and most expensive per mile).

Mar 19, 2019, 11:38 am

#23

DorsetKnob

Join Date: Apr 2014

Location: Kazakhstan

Programs: BA Gold, AirAstana Silver (much use as chocolate teapot)

Posts: 867

Don't see the sense in this. I used to work in Jubail which is north of Damman. It was almost always quicker to fly to Bahrain then drive up to Jubail than fly into Damman & go north. With the stopover cannot possibly be quicker plus you avoid passport control at Damman which was always a nightmare.

Mar 19, 2019, 11:42 am

#24

rapidex

Join Date: Nov 2010

Posts: 5,596

Quote:

Originally Posted by hearingdouble

I wonder whether BAH-DMM will be bookable as a Fifth Freedom flight. Could be of interest to TP runners.

You must be joking. The agro of Saudi far outways the value of any Tier Points.

secretplantofightinflation, Gastrocnemius and Wapping Flyer like this.

Mar 19, 2019, 1:28 pm

#25

hearingdouble

Join Date: May 2017

Posts: 305

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapidex

You must be joking. The agro of Saudi far outways the value of any Tier Points.

Not if you're already based in Saudi...!

Mar 19, 2019, 5:32 pm

#26

Davidjonesk

Join Date: Jul 2016

Posts: 143

I wonder what the cabin and flight crew will do.

Will they fly LHR-BAH-DMM and stay in DMM or will they stopover in BAH and have a different crew doing BAH-DMM-BAH?

Mar 19, 2019, 5:37 pm

#27

JP Flyer

Join Date: Mar 2018

Location: EDI

Programs: BAEC GGL

Posts: 177

Quote:

Originally Posted by haapalainen

In the early 90’s the Muscat flight went via Dhahran and the crews had to shut all the bars when they entered Saudi airspace and account for all empties etc. The real problem was if the aircraft went tech at Dhahran, which happened to a colleague of mine. Duty free bought in Muscat was confiscated and if I recall correctly the passengers had to stay in the terminal overnight.

Mar 19, 2019, 5:46 pm

#28

Ldnn1

Join Date: Aug 2013

Posts: 8,750

Quote:

Originally Posted by Globaliser

Only because the real world uses language far too loosely, including often choosing to use jargon because it gives the impression of being "in the know" when the user doesn't actually know what it means.

I disagree entirely. I'm a linguist, and my view is that it is BA which is using language far too loosely in that PR.

Mar 19, 2019, 6:06 pm

#29

binman

Join Date: Mar 2009

Location: UK

Programs: BA Gold / Hilton Diamond / IHG Diamond Ambassador / Marriot Bonvoy Gold

Posts: 2,527

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP Flyer

it was operated by a Tri-Star and had an awful reputation for reliability. It went tech a lot in DMM including memorably one Christmas Eve!

IAMORGAN likes this.

Mar 19, 2019, 7:15 pm

#30

wandering_fred

Join Date: Sep 2004

Location: country Western Australia

Programs: QF SG(LTS) - AA LTG(1MM)

Posts: 2,771

Many years ago BA flew non-stop into DHA, the airport that preceded DMM. Though if I recall it was from LGW not LHR.
I recall ne flight out - 13 Jan 1991. BA's last before the "Gulf War"

Happily reminiscing about wandering
Fred

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