Once again, the "Brain Trust" of the OW schedual makes have found new ways to force us to other airlines. For many years I have been able to fly every 3 or 4 months between MNL and Malaga via LHR. Leave MNL 8PM Sunday night and arrive AGP at noon on Monday for work. Now (maybe it is because of LHR's new T5) the LHR flight has been move to Gatwick. I am sure I am not the only person who would be going to AGP on BA via LHR????

Sure there is still an late after noon flight LHT-AGP but why sit and wait for 8hours???????? Now my office has found that I can fly (Sunday mornings only) LHR to Malaga (IB)with a change of panes in Madrid, so it will be MNL-HKG-LHR on CX and then IB. I guess the chances of my checked bags making in would be slim and none????

Given all the countless possible combinations of origins, destinations and transit points, airlines cannot possibly please everybody with their schedules. There is no such thing as a perfect schedule, except maybe for some airlines that have no partners and refuse to interline with anyone else.

The pains thing sounds about right.....

For many years BA has had a 8am service LHR-AGP with full loads. Now it seems that the flight is better suited to run Gatwick Malaga. Keep in mind many, many flight from both Asian and Eastern North America arrive LHR intime for this connection to AGP. Well I admit many of those travelling to The Costa del Sole may be starting their trip from the London Area, the enite idea of these airline alliances is to provide seemless service.

This is not the first time that the One World partners have gone out of their way to ruin a simple connection. Both CX and AA have done wonders in changing their LAX arrivals and departures in order to tease us frequent travellers. Let's not even get into what occurs at JFK.

You may be missing my point. It isn't possible to have every possible combination as a seamless connection, at least not unless there is limited options (eg the no interlining airline example I referred to above).

I also get annoyed when some connections are horrible (I have one coming up on same airline which switched from easy morning connection to a horrid middle of the night arrival and wait several hours with terminal shut until my onward flight). However, I still prefer the enormous flexibility that alliances offer compared to not having so many options.

I'm sure that's exactly what happened - the carriers involved have entire teams of people that are thinking up new ways to make interline connections inconvenient.

Your position is well taken, but having done this trip some 20 times since April 04, I find that almost one third of the flight is full of people connecting at LHR. Others who know the baggage area at AGP can see how busy the "glass" customs area is with people waiting for their bags. BA is now running a late morning flight from Gatwick, but clearing customs at LHR and transiting by bus is not the solution. I fully understand that, in the modern airline industry, all carriers can not fit their timing 100%, but CX has a daytime flight that arrives LHR at the same time the afternoon flight leaves for AGP. On my score card that makes a LHR connection 0 for 2. I can understand BA and SQ not working out their scheduals in order for this to work, but you would think the One World Group could find a reason to make us want to travel.

But after being refused admission to the AC loung at LHR T3 last summer (Flew in SQ F transiting to MIA on Virgin C) as the Virgin Clubhouse does not open until 7am, I lost all faith in these airlines of any alliance really wanting to co operate. The ironic thing is that I am Super Elite with AC and had someone from Montreal speak to the lounge staff when I used my mobile to call them at home.

Misunderstood AC reference to mean Admirals Club

Might be of interest to you: there is now hourly high-speed AVE train service between Madrid-Atocha and M�laga. The trip is just under 3 hours. If you could find better routing MNL-MAD then switch to the train, it might be less painful than the LHR-LGW transfer or the 8-hour LHR layover. Depending on the amt. of luggage you have, the transfer from Barajas to Atocha can be easily and cheaply made on Madrid's Metro.

Unfortunately this will likely point out the complete void in service between Asia and Spain so you will still be connecting again after HKG but at least you will have many more choices (FCO/FRA/CDG/AMS/HEL, etc.).

General question: Any guesses if/when JL/CX/IB will finally connect Spain to Asia??

Funny thing. Up until this month IB had an afternoon flight AGP LHR which connect to CX(2) and BA(3) for HKG. As per the train, excellent idea if I had the time and only one bag, but I still need to get to Marbella. We have an inhouse TA and she works harder then most of our staff. This trip I am flying back AGP FRA on LH, and then SQ via SIN.

There was a lot of talk a year or two ago about IB serving BKK or HKG, but I haven't heard anything lately. Maybe others (and you know who you are) have more info.

LHR is fairly quiet at that time of a Sunday morning, but with just over an hour between scheduled arrival of the CX from HKG and the IB departure, you may not make it in time . The connection in MAD is also pretty tight. Still, it'll probably save you having to carry your own bag from AGP to wherever you're staying .