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I really don't get the fascination with LHR. It commands a high premium precisely because it IS restricted.
LHR is a dump and a traffic mess, I'm glad CO goes into LGW. STN was shortly before 9-11, so nobody really knows how it would have done under normal circumstances. |
Originally Posted by entropy
I really don't get the fascination with LHR. It commands a high premium precisely because it IS restricted.
LHR is a dump and a traffic mess, I'm glad CO goes into LGW. |
Originally Posted by entropy
I really don't get the fascination with LHR.
Years back I flew CO - to ZUR via LGW on paid J. The CO 747 was late - because one of the four engines was shut down mid flight (thus lower speed) and I missed my BA connection from LGW to ZUR. Only option was to then take bus to LHR. Since it was a full paid J - I requested the rebooking from LHR since I did not want to wait until late that evening or the next day and CO paid for the bus transfer. |
Originally Posted by ElkeNorEast
Personally, I'd rather CO flew into Stansted. Lots of connections to European destinations, 45 minutes from terminal to Liverpool Street, beautiful new airport...
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Originally Posted by ElkeNorEast
Personally, I'd rather CO flew into Stansted. Lots of connections to European destinations, 45 minutes from terminal to Liverpool Street, beautiful new airport...
Heathrow is a mess. |
Originally Posted by CO 1E
Standsted's too far from London, IMO. I'm willing to do 30 minutes on the Gatwick Express, but 45 minutes is pushing it.
Depends on where you're going, really. If you're headed into the City, then Stansted (or my fave airport, London City) are good options. If you're a tourist, then Gatwick Express to touristy-hotel central is better. Personally, after 9 hours on a plane I'm not going to quibble over 15 minutes on a train ;) |
Originally Posted by cova
LHR has the most number of connecting options to other places in the world. LGW is pretty much a terminating point
S. |
Originally Posted by dan1431
I was searching SkyTean.com for some info and came across this article
which clearly mentions the other US SkyTeam partners except CO. My guess that this is simply a mis-print but could it be forshadowing of things to come? Quote: LONDON, June 9, 2006 – Today, nine SkyTeam carriers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with British Airport Authority (BAA) to co-locate their facilities in Terminal 4 at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) providing easier connections and more convenience to the nearly 3.5 million SkyTeam passengers who travel through LHR each year. According to the agreement, by 2008 carriers with existing LHR service, including Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Czech Airlines and Korean Air, will join KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which currently serves its passengers in this terminal. Other carriers – Aeroméxico, Delta Air Lines, and Northwest Airlines – will have the option to operate in this terminal should they serve LHR in the future. dan1431 |
Originally Posted by cova
LHR has the most number of connecting options to other places in the world. LGW is pretty much a terminating point - plus LGW has lots of charters. Yes, there are connection options from LGW but limited with maybe one flight a day.
Years back I flew CO - to ZUR via LGW on paid J. The CO 747 was late - because one of the four engines was shut down mid flight (thus lower speed) and I missed my BA connection from LGW to ZUR. Only option was to then take bus to LHR. Since it was a full paid J - I requested the rebooking from LHR since I did not want to wait until late that evening or the next day and CO paid for the bus transfer. I often have to fly from IAH with onward connections to other European airports (often on seperate tickets or need a LON stopover on one leg). For example, I have to often fly IAH-OSL with a stopover in LON on the way back. There is no way to get to OSL from LGW and LGW-LHR transfer is a nightmare, so I end up flying AC IAH-YYZ-LHR often, with a SK LHR-OSL-LHR added to it. I could buy a IAH-LON-OSL-AMS/CDG-IAH ticket, but it is often more expensive than two seperate tickets as they become full C fares even when D fares are available. |
Originally Posted by CO 1E
I don't get it either. It only takes 30 minutes to get from LGW to Victoria Station on the Gatwick Express, a mere 15 minutes more than LHR to Paddington on the Heathrow Express. And LGW, while no prize of an airport, is much less congested than LHR.
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Originally Posted by sbm12
How often would you really find yourself booking a CO flight to LHR only to change to another carrier to go somewhere else in the world, rather than leveraging AMS/CDG/MXP/FCO/SVO and the SkyTeam alliance? That's what it is actually useful for. And most of the places you can get to from LHR you can also get to on one of those carriers with just the one stop in Europe.
S. |
LHR has the most number of connecting options to other places in the world. |
Originally Posted by LonLH
LGW is an airport with a very restricted service- and most of the long haul flights (except to the US) are from LHR.
I often have to fly from IAH with onward connections to other European airports (often on seperate tickets or need a LON stopover on one leg). For example, I have to often fly IAH-OSL with a stopover in LON on the way back. There is no way to get to OSL from LGW and LGW-LHR transfer is a nightmare, so I end up flying AC IAH-YYZ-LHR often, with a SK LHR-OSL-LHR added to it. I could buy a IAH-LON-OSL-AMS/CDG-IAH ticket, but it is often more expensive than two seperate tickets as they become full C fares even when D fares are available. BA's fares out of IAH are almost always competitive with others...even to LHR. |
I wish they'd build a direct, fast rail line between Heathrow and Gatwick and effectively make Gatwick the 6 & 7th terminals for Heathrow.
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I think that it might be time for CO to revisit their EWR-STN service. Travelling from LHR to the city is painful-you must take a slow tube ride, the express to Paddington and then either a slow cab/tube ride or take a $300 taxi ride. Now that traffic levels are more normal, I think the service would do quite well.
As to connecting to another Sky Team carrier at LHR, it seems like the UK has the highest airport fees in the world which would make such connections uneconomical. In terms of CO versus VS, I find the VS seats among the smallest in the sky. I'm slightly taller than average, in good shape and barely fit into the seats. From SFO I have non-stop service on VS...otherwise I would always take CO or one of its partners to the UK. |
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