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Heathrow operate as scheduled.” Emirates has been operating
six daily A380 flights a day from Heathrow to Dubai since October, carrying up to 3,000 outbound passengers a day. In between these two
statements, the Department for Transport (DfT) and CAA wrote to Heathrow asking why it had “determined that 100,000 departing passengers per day provide a safe and resilient airport” and insisting: “Heathrow and the airlines that use your airport must be assured, and be able to assure us, that you have in place a plan that can deliver a positive passenger experience through allowing as many people as possible to travel, without too much disruption and…avoid significant numbers of short- notice cancellations.” Yet an aviation source
described the row over the cap as “a storm in a teacup”, saying: “Some airlines blew a lot of hot air in public, but privately said ‘We’ll do it’.” The source told Travel
Weekly: “Airports can cap operations. They set the terms and conditions of use of an airport. Emirates was taken aback by the cap and lashed out. But ultimately, Heathrow could tell an airline ‘You’re not having a gate’. “Heathrow had been talking
to Emirates’ local team for six weeks. Emirates has now accepted what Heathrow has done [requested].” The source added:
“Heathrow was particularly annoyed by the lack of support from the government because they did what the DfT and CAA asked them to do.”
United’s reduced schedule ‘greater than ever before’
United Airlines has pared back its summer services from Heathrow, but will still operate a schedule “greater than ever before”, according to UK and Ireland director Bob Schumacher. The US carrier has cut daily
services from 22 to 19 in line with Heathrow’s cap on departing
passengers and a temporary relaxation of slot-use rules (Travel Weekly, July 14). Schumacher said: “We were
heading to 22 flights a day from Heathrow [to the US] this summer, but we’re constrained. We have enough ground staff, but everything has to work together. “We had to adjust the schedule.
The whole of Heathrow has to work. We have pared back to five daily Newark flights, Washington has gone from three to two and Chicago from three to two.” However, Schumacher said:
Bob Schumacher
“The vast majority of passengers are coming and going pretty well. I would have given my eyeteeth for this ‘indigestion’ a year ago. We’re operating a greater schedule than ever before. Some of our competitors will be at 70% of 2019 levels.”
Virgin Atlantic and Delta to review Heathrow schedules
Ian Taylor
Virgin Atlantic and partner Delta Air Lines have had to review their schedules from Heathrow this summer after the airport imposed a cap on departing passenger numbers. Corneel Koster, Virgin Atlantic
chief customer and operating officer, confirmed: “We will be affected by Heathrow’s requirement.” He said the carrier would look to
“strike a balance” between meeting the cap and maintaining services. “We forecast huge demand and
started planning for it very early,” added Koster. “We started to bring back pilots in January last year. We always knew it was going to go gangbusters. We’ve demonstrated high reliability, but we’re not immune to this. The entire eco-system [at Heathrow] is under pressure. The customer experience needs to be better.” However, he insisted: “We’re not seeing a slowdown in demand. There
54 21 JULY 2022 A330neo Upper Class seat
is an extraordinary level of demand on all routes, in all cabins. We’re at 90% of the flights we had in 2019 and June saw higher revenue than in June 2019.” Koster was speaking as Virgin
Atlantic unveiled the cabin for its new Airbus A330neo (new engine option) fleet last week. The Upper Class cabin includes a new seat and new ‘Retreat Suite’, featuring a 6ft 7in bed, which can be converted into a meeting or dining room for four. The suite will be available to
Upper Class passengers to book two weeks prior to departure for
an additional fee of about £200 per flight sector. Koster said: “A new aircraft is
always an opportunity to enhance the experience and the new Upper Class is fantastic. We’ve elevated the aircraft with enhanced features in all cabins.” He emphasised the A330neos
are 11% more fuel efficient than the aircraft they are replacing and should reduce noise by 50% on landing and take-off, saying: “We have a responsibility to do right for the planet.” The aircraft will initially operate
on the Heathrow-Boston route. Kloster said: “It’s a daily flight, so you’ll know you will take this aircraft. It will generally operate to the East Coast.” Virgin Atlantic is due to take
delivery of four A330neos between October and January. The aircraft is also likely to be
used to New York and on Virgin’s recently announced service to Tampa, in Florida.
travelweekly.co.uk
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