Long haul from A bus gates?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,105
Long haul from A bus gates?
Flying on BA33 to KUL this weekend and it looks as though this flight regularly goes from A10. Why on earth would BA schedule a bus gate for a late night flight with F passengers beginning a 13 hour journey on a bus? Surely there is a spare gate in B or C at that time?
#3
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Be grateful it is not a 744!! ( I have had a few of those but not recently) I think the use of A10 has reduced compared to a few years ago but it is not that unsual to see a long haul flight with A10 against it in the display screens in the lounges.
Regards
TBS
#4
Join Date: Feb 2009
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I’ve had the full-on bus treatment from A10 to both JNB and JFK - I assume this is just (random-ish) stand allocation which doesn’t take into account the merits of a particular flight.
And in any case if you’re an airport/airline/areoplan buff you can take some pleasure from the experience of being close up to all the aircraft; if not, well, you’ve thirteen hours to enjoy the best of BA, functioning F loos on the 789 permitting
And in any case if you’re an airport/airline/areoplan buff you can take some pleasure from the experience of being close up to all the aircraft; if not, well, you’ve thirteen hours to enjoy the best of BA, functioning F loos on the 789 permitting
#6
Join Date: Apr 2015
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Posts: 5,249
I’ve had the full-on bus treatment from A10 to both JNB and JFK - I assume this is just (random-ish) stand allocation which doesn’t take into account the merits of a particular flight.
And in any case if you’re an airport/airline/areoplan buff you can take some pleasure from the experience of being close up to all the aircraft; if not, well, you’ve thirteen hours to enjoy the best of BA, functioning F loos on the 789 permitting
And in any case if you’re an airport/airline/areoplan buff you can take some pleasure from the experience of being close up to all the aircraft; if not, well, you’ve thirteen hours to enjoy the best of BA, functioning F loos on the 789 permitting
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,105
My default with BA longhaul (unless I’m in in F, which sadly I am not this time) is to head to the B lounge. So I will ask any bag drop and hope they know already.
#9
Join Date: Jun 2016
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I have had a flight to BOS depart from an A bus gate - the upside was the gate was right below the CCR, so I got to enjoy extra time there. The downside was that ‘priority’ boarding really just meant extra time on the bus, with of course a lot of standing in a queue up the stairs to the aircraft at the other end anyway: not the best ground experience for an F ticket
this was for the 8pm BOS flight on a Sunday night, so clearly a more peak time business travel slot (for those Monday morning US meetings) and not a time you’d expect LHR to be all that busy at the stands!
this was for the 8pm BOS flight on a Sunday night, so clearly a more peak time business travel slot (for those Monday morning US meetings) and not a time you’d expect LHR to be all that busy at the stands!
#10
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: London, UK
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Posts: 1,181
What day are you flying? Can monitor and find out where the inbound is parked
EDIT: Having just had a look, it seems to come in as BA242 from MEX at 1435. With that long a ground time, there's a chance it could be towed off (not that the last few I checked were!).
EDIT: Having just had a look, it seems to come in as BA242 from MEX at 1435. With that long a ground time, there's a chance it could be towed off (not that the last few I checked were!).
Last edited by fluffymitten; May 16, 2019 at 2:17 am
#12
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Interesting. How do you monitor this?
#14
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All sorts of long hauls go from A10. I don't think that there is a pattern. As a CCR visitor, I personally prefer to go from A10 than from the C gates I must say.
#15
Join Date: Jun 2010
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I've never departed A gates on widebody longhaul but have arrived and been bussed in a few times. Which actually suits me fine tbh as 1) I am not that precious about a short hop on a bus even if in F for the rest of the journey and 2) I more often than not travel HBO, so it's pretty much the quickest day from a/c doors to my Uber home.