LGW Short Haul Night stopping
Dec 26, 2019, 3:11 pm
#2
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They don't have very many shorthaul night stops out of LGW compared to LHR, it seems a specific aspect of LGW's economics that they minimise night stops. You can see this indirectly by the relatively small number of aircraft that leave LGW after say 19:00 hrs - they generally want their aircraft and crew back for the night. NCE has been a night stop in the recent past.
Dec 26, 2019, 4:18 pm
#3
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At one point AMS was a nightstop and it was always a terrible performer back into London when I took it - a nomination for the "quiet flight" thread on occasion! So I don't see it returning, LCY handles the O&D demand and LHR the connections. + Easyjet have a ex-AMS flight now
Dec 26, 2019, 4:34 pm
#4
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I guess LGW is less crowded than the other two so parking isn't as much of an issue. And if it saves a night stop for crew I guess BA have done the math here... They probably need early flights for the "provincials" coming to the capital but it isn't necessarily the case for foreign locations.
Dec 26, 2019, 4:55 pm
#5
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With LGW being made up of many seasonal low frequency leisure routes (what a mouthful), there isn’t really the demand for night stopper services.
One candidate for a night stop though is probably VCE. It has a high frequency from LGW and given that BA axed the LHR night stop flight (as the slots were better used on another route) it could prove useful. It would also mop up some of the exMonarch evening departure slots.
Even AGP could work; popular city, holiday hotspot, plus a large expat community which could connect on further.
One candidate for a night stop though is probably VCE. It has a high frequency from LGW and given that BA axed the LHR night stop flight (as the slots were better used on another route) it could prove useful. It would also mop up some of the exMonarch evening departure slots.
Even AGP could work; popular city, holiday hotspot, plus a large expat community which could connect on further.
Last edited by BAeuro; Dec 26, 2019 at 5:05 pm
Dec 26, 2019, 6:57 pm
#6
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Gatwick doesn't have the same night time curfew restrictions as Heathrow. Therefore it's relatively common to have aircraft operate multiple European rotations during the day and land back at base past midnight in the wee small hours before starting with another set of daily rotations a few hours later. The logistics mean there isn't the need to have aircraft back earlier as is the case at Heathrow and City. Nor to the greater degree is there the need to operate first flight into LGW from Euro business destinations as the majority of services are geared towards the leisure / Mediterranean sun destinations. The exceptions being (but not limited to) where crew do night stop (JER/EDI etc...)
Dec 26, 2019, 9:13 pm
#7
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One candidate for a night stop though is probably VCE. It has a high frequency from LGW and given that BA axed the LHR night stop flight (as the slots were better used on another route) it could prove useful. It would also mop up some of the exMonarch evening departure slots.
Dec 27, 2019, 3:45 am
#9
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I had an overnight at LGW for a trip to ZRH....Hilton is the only convenient hotel...Whilst the Marriott is technically possible to walk to, you certainly don’t want to do it mid winter
Dec 27, 2019, 3:53 am
#10
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Venice was a nightstop at one point - though going back quite a few years now I think. But again Easyjet are in there now (with it's Venice base, so no hotel costs etc) + I imagine a big segment of the BA clientele is ex-UK, which generally doesn't want a crack of dawn flight back, especially leisure traffic. I am surprised they have cut morning LHR flights though, I would have thought these carried plenty of decent yield US connecting traffic
As I understand it they are allowed between 2330L and 0600L with a shoulder period from 2300-2330. These allow for delayed aircraft and the occasional flight (such as when BA use it to position prior to a flight with more restrictive hours at a maintenance airport), but generally no noisy scheduled flights.
The quota takes into account the type of plane and how noisy it is- a Vulcan for example with take a lot of quota points!
Dec 27, 2019, 4:18 am
#11
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I would have thought that a morning departure ex AMS to LGW would have carried a few business day trippers from AMS, as the connections into central London and South Coast are pretty good, but as someone above pointed out, maybe the Gatters clientele is largely UK base, in which case I can understand why the early morning flight into LGW was a poor performer. Judging by my own habits, these days I try and fly out the night before and stay in a hotel to ensure I get a full day's work done, even if the trip is do-able in a single day.
Dec 27, 2019, 4:48 am
#12
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LGW does have a night curfew arrangement by quota. I was on a U2 flight back from a meeting at the Scotish April Ent a few months ago and we were delayed and then had to wait in the hold at LGW gone midnight before the necessary permission was obtained to land.
As I understand it they are allowed between 2330L and 0600L with a shoulder period from 2300-2330. These allow for delayed aircraft and the occasional flight (such as when BA use it to position prior to a flight with more restrictive hours at a maintenance airport), but generally no noisy scheduled flights.
The quota takes into account the type of plane and how noisy it is- a Vulcan for example with take a lot of quota points!
As I understand it they are allowed between 2330L and 0600L with a shoulder period from 2300-2330. These allow for delayed aircraft and the occasional flight (such as when BA use it to position prior to a flight with more restrictive hours at a maintenance airport), but generally no noisy scheduled flights.
The quota takes into account the type of plane and how noisy it is- a Vulcan for example with take a lot of quota points!
There’s BA flights scheduled to land at LGW well past midnight.
Dec 27, 2019, 5:24 am
#13
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LGW does have a night curfew arrangement by quota. I was on a U2 flight back from a meeting at the Scotish April Ent a few months ago and we were delayed and then had to wait in the hold at LGW gone midnight before the necessary permission was obtained to land.
As I understand it they are allowed between 2330L and 0600L with a shoulder period from 2300-2330. These allow for delayed aircraft and the occasional flight (such as when BA use it to position prior to a flight with more restrictive hours at a maintenance airport), but generally no noisy scheduled flights.
The quota takes into account the type of plane and how noisy it is- a Vulcan for example with take a lot of quota points!
As I understand it they are allowed between 2330L and 0600L with a shoulder period from 2300-2330. These allow for delayed aircraft and the occasional flight (such as when BA use it to position prior to a flight with more restrictive hours at a maintenance airport), but generally no noisy scheduled flights.
The quota takes into account the type of plane and how noisy it is- a Vulcan for example with take a lot of quota points!
Dec 27, 2019, 6:06 am
#14
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More details here
https://www.gatwickairport.com/busin...d/night-noise/
Dec 27, 2019, 6:42 am
#15
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Yes there are indeed a small number of flights during the night curfew some of which are scheduled flights, indeed about 2k more than standard and about 2.5 times as many as Heathrow, sorry for not having been clearer.