Another one bites the dust!

[Quickcall]

As of Sept. 7, 2009, PHL-LGW service will be suspended. Didn't Scott Kirby just say in one of those CLT meetings the company had no plans to discontinue this service? Also, kind of short notice isn't it?

If they knew this was coming why didn't they offer more flight attendant leaves?

 

[USstew23]

Probably because the 767 that's currently being used will be freed up to do Island flying and then will eventually go to CLT-GIG and CLT-HNL or maybe they will be rotating 767's in for MTC and they have already figured this into their staffing model (not that they've ever figured out how to properly staff, or for that matter they've never even figured out how to get an honest word out of their mouth)!!

 

[bigbusboy]

Dropping PHL/LGW shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. It's been rumored and expected ever since LHR service started. I suspect CLT/LGW will be the next to go if they get more slots in LHR. What is surprising is the lack of agressivness for obtaining more slots in LHR. I've been hearing CO just got 5 more.

 

[nycbusdriver]

Probably because the 767 that's currently being used will be freed up to do Island flying and then will eventually go to CLT-GIG and CLT-HNL or maybe they will be rotating 767's in for MTC and they have already figured this into their staffing model (not that they've ever figured out how to properly staff, or for that matter they've never even figured out how to get an honest word out of their mouth)!!

Minor (maybe) point. PHL-LGW is a 757, not a 767. Has been that way for well over the year and a half I've been flying it.

Don't know what it is about LGW, but I heard Continental pulled out of LGW, also..

 

[cltflyer1]

I personally don't want clt-lgw to be changed to clt-lhr. Any flights you have heard about being switched ala phl-lhr usually have an aircraft down grade in less than a year and i don't want to see that happen to clt-lhr and therefore am perfectly happy with clt-lgw on a 333.

 

[USstew23]

Minor (maybe) point. PHL-LGW is a 757, not a 767. Has been that way for well over the year and a half I've been flying it.

Don't know what it is about LGW, but I heard Continental pulled out of LGW, also..

yeah you're right after I did that I started thinking something doesnt' sound right about what I said.

 

[usairways85]

Don't know what it is about LGW, but I heard Continental pulled out of LGW, also..

CO has been out of LGW for a while, they now have 6 daily into LHR (3x EWR, 2x IAH, 1x CLE seasonal i think)

I personally don't want clt-lgw to be changed to clt-lhr. Any flights you have heard about being switched ala phl-lhr usually have an aircraft down grade in less than a year and i don't want to see that happen to clt-lhr and therefore am perfectly happy with clt-lgw on a 333.

So far it looks like PHL-LHR will see the A332 in the winter and next summer so that isn't much of a downgrade from the initial A333 and an upgrade from the current 762.

 

[JS]

With the massive amount of air traffic into LHR, won't this make delays on London-bound flights worse?

I'm not as familiar with London air traffic as I am with the U.S. so correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[phllax]

Could it just be a seasonal reduction for the fall and winter? Has the European slot auction for next summer taken place yet? If so, we know they've got them and will have to use them. If it hasn't taken place and they don't re-bid for the LGW slots, we know it's gone for good.

 

[ClueByFour]

The PHL-LHR timeslot is horrible. You lose the entire morning in London.

 

[PHL]

The PHL-LHR timeslot is horrible. You lose the entire morning in London.

But there is still a lot of time to feed *A connections.... I'd still like to see a morning departure to London from PHL.

 

[bigbusboy]

Could it just be a seasonal reduction for the fall and winter?

Not likely. Moving all operations over to LHR is the longterm plan contingent on slots. I'll predict, based on nothing but my own gut feeling, CLT/LGW will become CLT/LHR within a year.

 

[HPearlyretiree]

The PHL-LHR timeslot is horrible. You lose the entire morning in London.

Evidently that is changing in October, going to leave PHL 2 hours earlier.

According to the employee newsletter.

 

[FA Mikey]

Changing for daylight saving time.

 

[nycbusdriver]

I personally don't want clt-lgw to be changed to clt-lhr. Any flights you have heard about being switched ala phl-lhr usually have an aircraft down grade in less than a year and i don't want to see that happen to clt-lhr and therefore am perfectly happy with clt-lgw on a 333.

I'm not sure how the CLT-LGW is doing, but if the loads are not conducive to using an A330, expect to see a 757 on it shortly. (It will likely happen as soon as the CLT 767/757 pilots are trained for transoceanic flights...probably no later than October.)