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British Airways has started moving Gatwick flights to Heathrow

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British Airways has started the process of moving Gatwick short-haul flights for Summer 2022 to Heathrow.

This follows the decision to close the short-haul operation at London Gatwick following the failure to reach agreement with pilot union BALPA over a new low cost operating structure.

Most flights are moving to Heathrow with the same flight number and the same departure and arrival times. You have no grounds for a free cancellation or for compensation for the cost of getting from Gatwick to Heathrow, since the two airports are treated as one for this purpose. That said, if you take British Airways to Money Claim Online you may get a positive decision – there is no point going to CEDR arbitration as BA is, technically, acting correctly.

British Airways A320

Some flights may be merged with existing Heathrow departures on the few routes which overlap between Gatwick and Heathrow.

Quite a few of the moved flights are showing as Heathrow Terminal 3, so it will be a bit of a novelty for anyone who has only used the BA facilities in Terminal 5 in the past.

Keep an eye on your seat allocation when you receive the email about your changed flight, although in most cases you will have retained your existing ones.

If there is no slot waiver given for Summer 2022, it seems highly likely that BA will forfeit some of its landing and take off slots at Gatwick. Aer Lingus, Vueling and LEVEL do not have enough slack to take them all up, which will require British Airways to sell them or see them taken away.

It is only four years since BA paid a chunky but undisclosed sum to buy Monarch’s 155 weekly take-off and landing slots at London Gatwick. In retrospect this seems like an odd decision if the Gatwick operation really had been losing money for many years, as British Airways management has claimed.

For clarity, the British Airways long-haul operation at Gatwick is not affected by this decision. Based on previous years, up to 11 Boeing 777 aircraft could be based there during the Summer 2022 season.

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Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (58)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Lux says:
    1 Oct1 October 09:29

    Emirates at LGW – what’s the status of the planned alterations to allow boarding from the lounge in the North Terminal? I imagine zero progress…

    • Natalie says:
      1 Oct1 October 14:17

      Good question – I would like to know as well as it used to be such a breeze albeit the lounge itself was totally underwhelming.

  • David S says:
    1 Oct1 October 09:56

    All because of poor decisions BA lost over 1BN on Fuel Hedging and here it is saving pennies because it can’t agree a deal with the Pilots at Gatwick

  • VINZ says:
    1 Oct1 October 10:01

    100 avios for spending 1 on my BAPP. 🙂

  • pigeon says:
    1 Oct1 October 11:09

    I don’t fully agree with your comment that the “two airports are treated as one”. With a “plus” fare the free change on the day doesn’t allow you to switch airports. And EC261 makes specific provision for change of airport. I don’t think BA can dump you at any London airport of its choosing (London Oxford anyone) and get away with it if you persist.

    • Rob says:
      1 Oct1 October 11:38

      There was a comment this week from a reader who lost at CEDR over compensation from a Gatwick to Heathrow switch.

      • Nick says:
        1 Oct1 October 11:50

        That’s interesting, because BA policy is to allow free invol cancellation if a point-to-point flight is switched between LGW and LHR. So there must be more to that story.

        It’s correct though that transport between the two is not covered, unless it’s a diversion on the day.

        • pauldb says:
          1 Oct1 October 12:15

          Why do you say that? Art8.3 is explicit the transfer is covered in the case of a rerouting to another airport.

          • Blenz101 says:
            1 Oct1 October 13:42

            Given the notice period what costs are you expecting BA to cover? Do you think people are going to show up at LGW next summer and then ask BA to pay from them to sit on a National Express coach over to LHR?

            Fine for the airline to be responsible in the case of disruption but there has to be some reasonableness from the passenger side as well.

      • Lady London says:
        1 Oct1 October 14:29

        …which is only an illustration that CEDR has considersbly greater risk of perverse decisions as I have said on Page 1. As an arbitrator (what you get in CEDR) is allowed to not follow the law.

        Whereas a judge (that you get in MCOL) is obliged to follow the law.

        So if the law is on your side, as it is in this case, don’t throw away your advantage by going CEDR.

  • L Allen says:
    1 Oct1 October 11:15

    I got 100 MR for £1 on by Business Gold. Nothing on my personal cards (Platinum, BAPP)

  • Brian says:
    1 Oct1 October 11:32

    Is it worth calling them to see if they can manually add the offer if we don’t have it? 🙂

  • Natalie says:
    1 Oct1 October 12:58

    OOI – What are the best 1st class seats on the Emirates 777 out of Gatwick? On the 380 we take the two in the middle on row one, but I am keen to avoid the crew chatter as per Rob’s review!!

    • DeB20 says:
      1 Oct1 October 13:06

      There are only two rows of seats in the First cabin in the EK B777-300ERs. The second row is my preference. You have to choose between cabin crew chatter or chatter from the next couple of rows of seats, which are in business class but the divider is paper thin.

      • Natalie says:
        1 Oct1 October 14:14

        Oh my – crew or punter chatter. I would go for the latter on the basis that they would hopefully be eating drinking or watching the IFE for more time that the crew. Thanks!

  • Stu says:
    1 Oct1 October 13:10

    If BA switch LGW to LHR and also change the day for the flights for a holiday booking, will they automatically change the dates of the hotel booking?

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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