Gatwick vs Heathrow: -22%
Apr 24th, 2007, 06:51 AM
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Gatwick vs Heathrow: -22%
Interesting bit about trans-Atlantic flight prices from U.S. to London - on the average it's 22% cheaper to fly into Gatwick than Heathrow, according to today's USA Today article.
Apr 24th, 2007, 07:19 AM
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Correction - it's 29% now that i've reread the article.
wombat:
No, these were for similar flights on major carriers - reasons given were: Heathrow is preferred by many because it's closer to town and has better onward connecting flights; landing rates at Heathrow are higher - Heathrow is called a 'cash cow'
4 carriers can now serve Heathrow from US- BA, United, American, Virgin Atlantic; and 3 to Gatwick (Continental, Delta, NW) and these were the flight fares that were compared).
So i guess folks will pay more to fly into Heathrow and airlines may have to charge more because of higher fees or at least higher prices obtaining landing slots.
wombat:
No, these were for similar flights on major carriers - reasons given were: Heathrow is preferred by many because it's closer to town and has better onward connecting flights; landing rates at Heathrow are higher - Heathrow is called a 'cash cow'
4 carriers can now serve Heathrow from US- BA, United, American, Virgin Atlantic; and 3 to Gatwick (Continental, Delta, NW) and these were the flight fares that were compared).
So i guess folks will pay more to fly into Heathrow and airlines may have to charge more because of higher fees or at least higher prices obtaining landing slots.
Apr 24th, 2007, 07:22 AM
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Well Coach K: you know there are CCTV cameras everywhere in the UK - i hear audere est farce has in his possession some damaging evidence of the now infamous BurgerKing pee escapade. I would be very careful going to UK in future - you may want to change your name to something a bit more intrepid.
Apr 24th, 2007, 07:31 AM
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"Is that because the budget airlines tend to use Gatwick?"
Who knows? The consultancy McNews claims did the research doesn't exist: the company it's probably a misprint for (Sabre Airline Solutions) makes no mention of the research in its publicity, so we've no way of knowing how the research was done.
There are few like for like comparisons between the two airports at present: there are no Gatwick flights to Chicago, LA or Miami, or Heathrow flights to Orlando, for example. There are flights from both to the NY area - but Continental and Delta don't fly from LHR. If CO/DL are cheaper than the six (not, as unthinking journalists forever wrongly reprint from lobbyists' PR, four) airlines allowed to fly between LHR and the NY area, that might be more to do with those two airlines than any other reason.
There are some regular low-costs from Gatwick at present - mostly to the Orlando area - but not many.
I suspect the explanation is more convoluted. The US-based airlines at Gatwick mostly serve secondary US cities. So they're probably discounting to persuade people to fly, for example, from LA via Dallas or Cincinnati. Certainly whenever I price flights from London to the US, the cheapest deals always involve changing somewhere odd and adding four hours to the journey time.
If that's the case, I'd be very doubtful things would chage much if, say, USAir bought slots at Heathrow. I'd still want a serious discount to fly to SFO via Philadelphia.
Who knows? The consultancy McNews claims did the research doesn't exist: the company it's probably a misprint for (Sabre Airline Solutions) makes no mention of the research in its publicity, so we've no way of knowing how the research was done.
There are few like for like comparisons between the two airports at present: there are no Gatwick flights to Chicago, LA or Miami, or Heathrow flights to Orlando, for example. There are flights from both to the NY area - but Continental and Delta don't fly from LHR. If CO/DL are cheaper than the six (not, as unthinking journalists forever wrongly reprint from lobbyists' PR, four) airlines allowed to fly between LHR and the NY area, that might be more to do with those two airlines than any other reason.
There are some regular low-costs from Gatwick at present - mostly to the Orlando area - but not many.
I suspect the explanation is more convoluted. The US-based airlines at Gatwick mostly serve secondary US cities. So they're probably discounting to persuade people to fly, for example, from LA via Dallas or Cincinnati. Certainly whenever I price flights from London to the US, the cheapest deals always involve changing somewhere odd and adding four hours to the journey time.
If that's the case, I'd be very doubtful things would chage much if, say, USAir bought slots at Heathrow. I'd still want a serious discount to fly to SFO via Philadelphia.
Apr 24th, 2007, 08:10 AM
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The exact USA Today wording:
"In the 12 months ended in February, the average fare from the USA to Heathrow was 29% higher than that from the USA to Gatwick, according to consultant Sabre Aviation Solutions."
As usual Flanner has put in it context - amazingly so - Flanner are you sure you did NOT go to public school?
"In the 12 months ended in February, the average fare from the USA to Heathrow was 29% higher than that from the USA to Gatwick, according to consultant Sabre Aviation Solutions."
As usual Flanner has put in it context - amazingly so - Flanner are you sure you did NOT go to public school?
