edi-traveller

I was waitlisted for the first EDI-LCY on Monday - but didn't get on as it was full - had to go on the second LHR.

As for Haggis Airways (!!!) I haven't used them since returning to EDI one evening when the Hars (Fog) was thick at EDI, and because those Scot Airways planes don't have auto-land we got diverted to Prestwick and it took them 5 hours to get me home.

Shuttle-Bored

DLR = Docklands Light Railway. There is a project underway to extend the network out to LCY - scheduled to open in late 2005.

lowlyblue

Sorry, DLR stands for 'Docklands Light Railway'. This is a light rail system that is effectively part of the underground network. It is due to be extended to London City Airport by late 2005.

As you can see from this map: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/images/zone_big.jpg
it is currently under construction and will provide direct access from Bank station in the heart of the City, London's financial district.

This is not to be confused with 'Crossrail' which is basically a large east-west tunnel that will connect mainline services between Liverpool Street and Paddington that is still at a very early stage and is expected to start its process of authorisation in Parliament early next year.

Morland

I thought it went due to noise restrictions - all those people who now have to live near the M25 complained about the noise from helicopters so the transfer service switched to coaches.

yyzlhr

An then all the people living near the M25 complained of the pollution from the coaches. Next idea...??? Train-- no- it would have them compalining about he ongoing engineering works....

Raffles

Spooky .... it really does seem like it will open on time and to budget (not that it matters, since its a fixed price PFI deal). As did the Greenwich extension.

Shame about Thameslink 2000, Crossrail, East London Line extension etc!

Swanhunter

Interesting. I've never used LCY as I can normally make it home to sunny West Hampstead in a shade over an hour from LHR via the HEX and a cab. Schlepping out on the Jubilee line, then catching a bus doesn't seem terribly fast or efficient.

I really ought to give it a try one day.

economyman

Can't comment on LCY - never been there. I did 15 minutes from wheels down to M23 in rented car at LGW a few weeks ago. Admitedly, that's a one off!

edi-traveller

It was BA1458 - but our corporate J tickets don't allow interlines.............

SchmeckFlyer

My own record is AMS, arriving on BA flight from LHR. Timing from the minute I stepped off the aircraft, I was in the center of AMS in 35 minutes.

Worst ever was Paris last year just after the strikes ended... took HOURS to get to town... I was so miserable and it was so hot.

Shuttle-Bored

Neither does ours... But, for example ( ), there's nothing to stop us cancelling the ticket (even after check-in), getting the TA to book a one-way ticket on BMI, and a one way ticket on BA.... Admittedly, only saved me an hour, but there was a seat in a restaurant with my name on it!

edi-traveller

Kin 'ell. Who'd think I was a frequent flyer!!

WHBM

Great to see the support for London City, my local airport too, from so many here. The real problem for the BA routes is the low frequency, compared to high frequency on their parallel Heathrow routes, as this is almost entirely a business traffic airport where frequency is a key attribute. This is where Scot Airways (mafia notwithstanding ) score over BA on the Edinburgh route. I still predict that BA will be out of LCY by this time next year.

LCY is in growth mode again. After rapidly rising usage it had a couple of recent years when throughput fell off noticeably, being one of the few UK airports to record a significant decline. But they have made some good investment to allow them to handle more aircraft at peak times and things are on the rise again. BA has not been a success story there though and their routes get chopped around; of the original operations to Glasgow, Paris and Frankfurt, only FRA remains. It really is an airport where small airlines do better, the greatest success being VLM who now have many routes.

I don't know if the Docklands Light Railway, whose current extension has made the front of LCY a building site currently, will have as great an impact as some think. It's my local transport too (you can see the trains on the current route from the departure lounge windows at LCY). I find it is slow, driving is quicker, it's low frequency, and it doesn't plug in particularly elegantly into the Underground. It's better for the West End as you can change to the Jubilee Line at Canning Town and get a fast run on that. The evening rush hour journey by taxi out from the City to LCY which used to be plagued with traffic delays has improved greatly in recent months as the A13 roadworks have been completed. The DLR is not really business traveller-calibre transport, and the current project to strip out many of the seats in the trains to provide more standing room will only make it more downmarket.

Regarding the rapid times through LCY we all seem to enjoy recording, I have managed sub-60 seconds from coming down the aircraft steps to getting into a taxi, which is something I don't quite think Heathrow could manage !

Well it was certainly designed for 3+3. One of the earliest 146s, aircraft No 6, operated out of LCY some years ago for Cityjet to Dublin and still had it's original seating in this style. It was only when the 146 began to be sold in quantity in the US with its lardbutt population that seating size became an issue. Originally supplied 3+3 they were reseated. Many of these aircraft later came back to Europe and retained the 2+3 seating; quite a number of them still operate through LCY.

jahason

One more benefit of LCY - it forces my company to buy a club ticket even if I return to LHR

Aston

Used to try and avoid that aircraft on a twice weekly basis. The other CityJet 146's had comfy leathette seats IIRC. In a stunnining shade of pale green! Shuttle'ing between LCY and DUB, and living in Bow was a dream. A few times timed it to leave home, cab to LCY, check-in staff expecting me, through the teminal, pick up the DFs (that's instantly dated this) on the plane with the door closing behind me and an on-time departure. Used to get extra G&Ts from the aircrew too come to think of it. Dodgy aircraft, dodgy airline but fun times. End of nostalgia

LCY is great just so long as you don't miss the curfew and get re-routed to STN. That's hell.