Aviation Discussion

[eoff]

I've only used LCY a couple of times but, based on that, I agree - one of the fastest, easiest train to plane experiences.

I have many times arrived for an evening flight after a meeting in London to find my flight delayed and an uncomfortable crush in the terminal. The last time I was there I had something to eat before arriving at the airport in order to minimise the time spent in the terminal.

As for the catering my last LCY flight was Dec 2019 so not sure of latest situation. It seems BA itself has now dumped M&S catering for pre-booked food and is giving water/snack on board. The current service may be a temporary situation of course.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've only used LCY a couple of times but, based on that, I agree - one of the fastest, easiest train to plane experiences.

I find Luton smoother if you pay the "queue jump fee". OK, not as easy train to plane, but it will be when the new shuttle opens.

City is too busy for the terminal, the only fix is to build a new one. It's probably nice at quiet times but I still prefer Heathrow.

 

[Bald Rick]

I disagree, departing from LCY isn't as bad as you make it out to be especially as the transfer time from arriving off the DLR to passing though security is quite fast and painless. If it wasn't for the cost of flying out of there, I would use it more because of how quick it takes to get from arriving and onto your flight.

LCY is fantastic if you are in central London somewhere near the DLR or Jubilee. So convenient and quick. On my last trip out of there the terminal was busy but not crowded, easily avoided by heading towards the gates.

However everything changes in the next year. With Crossrail opening, getting to Heathrow from central London becomes much quicker and easier. And with the DART opening at Luton, getting there from central London gets about 15-20 minutes quicker.

 

[Butts]

Only problem (if you are flying Business) with LCY is no Lounge to imbibe copious quantities of free alcohol

 

[nlogax]

Only problem (if you are flying Business) with LCY is no Lounge to imbibe copious quantities of free alcohol

Guess there's no need for a lounge when security and departure wait times are so short. Tbh for the thirty min periods I've usually been waiting there I've found it nice to just sit with a coffee at a window and watch the runway and apron goings-on. It's a fascinating operation especially being so close to it all.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Too many places to list haha.

People have already mentioned Prague and Budapest. Both incredibly beautiful cities, but they can be incredibly touristy (pre-Covid obviously) and are nowhere near as cheap as they used to be. Still, if you haven't been, they are definitely worth visiting. If you go, I'd definitely go outside of the summer holiday peak as they are both just too busy.

I have also traveled a fair bit around the Czech Republic. There are some truly beautiful towns and cities there which tend to be less touristy. Check out Cesky Krumlov, Pilsen (home of the beer) and Brno which are all interesting.

Poland is another country which is surprisingly beautiful. There's the obvious Krakow and Gdansk, but there are more off the beaten track places which are really nice like Torun. Poland's another place which is nowhere near as cheap as it used to be. I was in Warsaw last summer and all of the relatively trendy bars packed full of locals in the centre were pushing 15 zloty plus for a pint of beer. That's about £3. You can still get a sub £1 in Poland, but only in the provinces in less fashionable bars.

If you want less touristy and cheap, Ukraine is also decent. Lviv is a little like how I imagine Krakow was 20 years ago. Wizz and Ryanair both fly there from the UK so it's not too difficult to get to. Kiev also has its charms considering it's a major city.

In terms of tourism to the CEE region, there's still many decent and affordable places, the only issue is that you really need a car to make the most of it. For instance, Eastern Slovakia is still very affordable, Kosice hasn't been decimated with mass tourism, and there are a lot of interesting things nearby, such as a wealth of attractions related to the famous Battle of Dukla Pass near Svidnik.

Agreed about the Czech Republic - there are so many nice places to visit which haven't been wrecked with mass tourism. Hradec Kralove and the surrounding area is a great example - it's not popular with German or Polish tourists, so you often find good local restaurants for a very good price.

Anyway, anyone looking for a very cheap trip at a good price would be wise to go to Bosnia. Outside of the very centre of Sarajevo, it's still very very cheap, even in places which started to see tourism as a result of the costs of Croatia (Trebinje, for example). Last time I was there, a coffee in a very nice village cafe about 50km south of Bihać cost about 40p each.

 

[Butts]

Can any "high flyer" advise me about paying for seats on BA Services when you achieve Silver or Gold Status.

My question is can the free seat reservation status brings be applied retrospectively.

By that I mean used on flights you booked before achieving status but didn't pay / reserve a seat at the time.

 

[221129]

By that I mean used on flights you booked before achieving status but didn't pay / reserve a seat at the time.

I'm fairly sure that is the case yes.

 

[TravelDream]

Can any "high flyer" advise me about paying for seats on BA Services when you achieve Silver or Gold Status.

My question is can the free seat reservation status brings be applied retrospectively.

By that I mean used on flights you booked before achieving status but didn't pay / reserve a seat at the time.

Yes, you can. Once you add a booking to a silver account, you can select seats.

What I don't think you can do is get a refund if you had previously paid for a seat.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Yes seats can be booked free including short-haul exit seats at any time on any existing booking when Silver, but furthermore I suspect if you call the Silver line (assuming you've gone into Silver - I thought you were already a lifetime Gold or something!) I suspect you could probably get a refund. You'd have to call. If no success, hang up and try again!

 

[Butts]

Yes seats can be booked free including short-haul exit seats at any time on any existing booking when Silver, but furthermore I suspect if you call the Silver line (assuming you've gone into Silver - I thought you were already a lifetime Gold or something!) I suspect you could probably get a refund. You'd have to call. If no success, hang up and try again!

Ta for all the replies.

I have zero tier points but if all my bookings go ahead will be Gold within 6 Months with the new 1125 point requirement.

 

[Butts]

Flew down to Birmingham from Edinburgh this Evening - both Airports were thankfully deserted with no queues at Security in Edinburgh.

Service positively heaving compared to when I last made this journey before x-mas - 63 onboard The Easyjet Flight as opposed to 15 on that occasion.

Took her 45 minutes in the air.

 

[najaB]

It will be interesting to see what Heathrow is like on Saturday morning. 2h 45m between an international arrival and domestic leg at six in the morning. Normally way more than enough time but of late, who knows.

It was either that or an eight hour connection.

 

[telstarbox]

JetBlue are launching a London to NY service - using both Heathrow and Gatwick. The aircraft will all be A321 Long Range.

 

[Bald Rick]

JetBlue are launching a London to NY service - using both Heathrow and Gatwick. The aircraft will all be A321 Long Range.

Presumably using LHR and LGW with different flights!

 

[Aictos]

It will be interesting to see what Heathrow is like on Saturday morning. 2h 45m between an international arrival and domestic leg at six in the morning. Normally way more than enough time but of late, who knows.

It was either that or an eight hour connection.

Will you let us know what Heathrow is like on Saturday morning then?

 

[paul1609]

Presumably using LHR and LGW with different flights!

Given the spare slots available I wouldnt be surprised to see Ryanair starting heathrow to Gatwick Shuttles. The National Express coach fare is higher than a lot of Ryanairs flights.

 

[Bletchleyite]

JetBlue are launching a London to NY service - using both Heathrow and Gatwick. The aircraft will all be A321 Long Range.

Interesting...many people say they'd hate a narrowbody on a long-haul, I'm not so sure because...

3-4-3 777: 4 middles, 4 aisles, 2 windows, so 4/10 (0.4) seats are bad
3-3 321: 2 middles, 2 windows, 2 aisles, so 2/6 (0.33) seats are bad

 

[najaB]

Interesting...many people say they'd hate a narrowbody on a long-haul, I'm not so sure because...

The main reason that everyone I know hates narrowbody long-haul isn't middle seats, it's the single aisle. It makes boarding a pain (people are more likely to have larger carry-on) and it sucks getting stuck behind the service cart when you need to get to the toilet.

 

[Bald Rick]

Expect a lot more of this. Not necessarily from Heathrow.

 

[jfollows]

Expect a lot more of this. Not necessarily from Heathrow.

Sorry, a lot more of what?

 

[Aictos]

Expect a lot more of this. Not necessarily from Heathrow.

I look forward to more long haul A321 routes being opened up as it opens up more long haul destinations that wouldn't be feasible with a widebody aircraft such as a Boeing 777 or Airbus A330 but a Airbus A321 would be more then sufficient and help that market grow.

The introduction of JetBlue to London is just the start of a long needed change to the status quo of international air travel.

 

[Speed43125]

Sorry, a lot more of what?

'Long and Skinny' - type routings. I'm pretty sure it goes under a more common name, but this American one will do for now

 

[jfollows]

'Long and Skinny' - type routings. I'm pretty sure it goes under a more common name, but this American one will do for now

Ah yes, makes sense, thank you. Like the 757 Manchester-Newark I once used, I guess, which was perfectly fine with me both ways.

 

[Bald Rick]

Sorry, a lot more of what?

A321neo LR / XLR on 4000mile trips.

 

[TravelDream]

Airbus claims a 4,700 mile range on a 2-class A321 NEO XLR. These are always far above actuals though. At best, I think a 4,000 mile trip would be pushing economically feasibility.

A321neo

The A321 is the longest-fuselage member of Airbus’ best-selling, single-aisle A320 Family, comfortably seating 170 to 200 passengers in a typical two-class interior layout, and as many as 220 in a higher-density arrangement.

www.airbus.com

At 4,000 miles, Islamabad, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Lagos and New York are all within range of Heathrow.

 

[Bald Rick]

Airbus claims a 4,700 mile range on a 2-class A321 NEO XLR. These are always far above actuals though. At best, I think a 4,000 mile trip would be pushing economically feasibility.

A321neo

The A321 is the longest-fuselage member of Airbus’ best-selling, single-aisle A320 Family, comfortably seating 170 to 200 passengers in a typical two-class interior layout, and as many as 220 in a higher-density arrangement.

www.airbus.com

At 4,000 miles, Islamabad, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Lagos and New York are all within range of Heathrow.

Airbus are selling on the basis of 4000 miles, and using New York, Istanbul and Singapore as example bases.

 

[TravelDream]

Airbus are selling on the basis of 4000 miles, and using New York, Istanbul and Singapore as example bases.

Look very carefully at that graphic again and I think you will find I was right in what I said and your correction is wrong.

Airbus are selling it with a 4000 nm range. NM = Nautical mile.
I was referring to miles as we commonly know them (also known as the statute mile or international mile).


Secondly, this is a British forum. I think it's reasonable to base range on London rather than Singapore or Istanbul...

 

[Bald Rick]

I wasn’t correcting you - I was agreeing with further examples.

 

[TravelDream]

I wasn’t correcting you - I was agreeing with further examples.

Apologies.
Sometimes written text can make meaning a little more difficult to discern.

Still I think it's important to point out that 4700mi or 4000nm is quite unrealistic in real-world operations and 4000mi/ 3450nm is more realistic.