LHR Destinations on US Airways

[BuffaloJoe]

AA never owned the LHR slots from PHL. The 1991 sale of TWA LHR slots to AA only included JFK/LAX/ORD/BOS.

TWA continued to hold the other slots allowed to them by the Bermuda II treaty. But in 1992 they sold their London rights from BWI and PHL to USAirways.

Someone please show me a definitive timetable or other proof of AA flying PHL-LHR nonstop at anytime since 1991.

They flew the route for a short time, thus the reason moving to Terminal A which was new at the time. Thus TWA moving to where AA gates in Terminal E.

 

[usairways85]

My question is now - does AA or UA actually have authority to fly PHL-LHR now?

I was under the impression that as long as AA has LHR slots it can operate or easily gain authority to fly from LHR to any US B2 designated city, which PHL is.

 

[PHL]

They flew the route for a short time, thus the reason moving to Terminal A which was new at the time. Thus TWA moving to where AA gates in Terminal E.

TWA was in B, sharing with USAir until US needed to grow into B and, eventually, C. I guess they operated the LHR route, whenever that might have been, from the old, ratty, dilapidated international terminal on the other side of 17-35.

This is all interesting history because the first 5 years of the 90's had several changes in PHL-LON authority. 1st, TWA owned the slot until they sold it to US in 1992(LGW only). But then when BA made the investment in US, they had to give it up in 1994, which is when AA got it. But then the US-BA relationship soured and they parted ways in favor of AA-BA, so the PHL-LON route went back to US where it's been ever since. Does this sound right to the history buffs?

 

[john john]

TWA was in B, sharing with USAir until US needed to grow into B and, eventually, C. I guess they operated the LHR route, whenever that might have been, from the old, ratty, dilapidated international terminal on the other side of 17-35.

This is all interesting history because the first 5 years of the 90's had several changes in PHL-LON authority. 1st, TWA owned the slot until they sold it to US in 1992(LGW only). But then when BA made the investment in US, they had to give it up in 1994, which is when AA got it. But then the US-BA relationship soured and they parted ways in favor of AA-BA, so the PHL-LON route went back to US where it's been ever since. Does this sound right to the history buffs?

I thought Piedmont gave up LHR to BA never to see it again for about 30 million + a big share of the revenue on the wet lease. The authority to fly to LHR by Piedmont was exceptional and BA new it and side question what did AA have painted on there planes regarding virgin flying to the USA. NO WAY I think

 

[700UW]

PI did not give up anything to BA. And PI never had authority to LHR, per Bermuda I it was only TWA and Pan Am which later sold them to AA and UA and BA got more cities in the US as in order for the routes to be sold they reached Bermuda II.

The route authority on PI was TPA-CLT-LGW and BWI-LGW.

US had to buy back the slots after the wet lease ended and had a very hard time getting a viable CLT-LGW slot and had to get Jesse Helms involved to get the slot.

Wet lease was PIT, CLT and PHL to LGW.

 

[john john]

PI did not give up anything to BA.

Your memory must be better than mine. Wasn’t the wet lease to LHR? I do remember BA training in their computer system (BABS) by BA training personal. Agents could access BA computer system for valuable information due to London being a big gateway. There were designated BA USAir agents. THERE IS NO WAY SHARES COULD HANDLE A GATEWAY LIKE LONDON.We even had an all first class DH-8 flying between JFK and LGA to accommodate the wet lease passengers.

 

[700UW]

I worked the wet lease flights in CLT.

The PI nor US had authority to LHR. Under Bermuda I it was TWA and Pan Am and BA and Virgin for the Brits. When AA and UA bought the routes from TWA and PA the Brits held the routes up until Bermuda II was negotiated and gave BA more US cities and added BMI to have service from the US to LHR.

BA had their own agents in CLT and the flight crews and FAs wore BA uniforms who were US employees and had a BA purser on all flights.

The ramp, mechanics and utility who worked the flights were regular US employees.

US painted three 767s in BAs colors and changed out interior colors to match BAs.

I have switched a man US to BA and BA back to US swap out in my days on D-Con in CLT.

The BA station manager was heavily involved in every aspect of the operation and actually treated us better in CLT then the US managment.

For Example, one day we had a late inbourd BA Wet Lease that could not go over the pond, so we had to take a US 767 and change out the seatpocket material and lots of other things to make it a BA flight. The next day Nancy the BA manager bought Pizza for all of us who turned the flight in less then an hour for the changeover.

AC 655, 654 and 651 were all painted to BA's Livery.

 

[PHL]

The next day Nancy the BA manager bought Pizza for all of us who turned the flight in less then an hour for the changeover.

Isn't it funny how the "little" things like buying some pizza for a hard working crew go a long way towards morale? I suspect a manager doing that today would be fired. Even if the pizza money came out of their own pocket.

 

[aredeeyou22]

Isn't it funny how the "little" things like buying some pizza for a hard working crew go a long way towards morale? I suspect a manager doing that today would be fired. Even if the pizza money came out of their own pocket.

What? In other threads, everyone talks about the infamous "bbq's" that the New US keeps hosting around the system, and how they do nothing to quell the horror of the operational nightmare the airline has become, and how unwelcome these events are.... so which is it, we want the pizza/bbq, or we don't??? 🙄 Gimme a break....