London Air Travel

Iberia Moves All Heathrow Flights To Terminal 3

Iberia will transfer all flights from London Heathrow to Madrid from Terminal 5 to 3 from 12 July 2022.

Iberia Airbus A350-900 Aircraft “Paco De Lucia” (Image Credit: Iberia)

Iberia will move all flights between London Heathrow and Madrid from Terminal 5 to 3 from Tuesday 12 July 2022.

This follows the move of a large number of British Airways routes from Terminal 3 to 5 on the same date.

Iberia has operated from Terminal 5 for over ten years following its merger with BA. This was intended to facilitate connections to BA’s long haul network and have all BA & Iberia flights to Madrid in one terminal.

It’s not clear if this is temporary to make space to allow BA to have as many flights at Terminal 5 over the summer or a permanent move. Iberia flights are showing as staying at Terminal 3 during the winter season.

British Airways Heathrow Terminal Changes

British Airways has moved a number of routes back from Heathrow Terminal 3 to 5 from Tuesday 12 July.

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London Heathrow Terminal 5 Check-In Concourse (Image Credit: British Airways)

British Airways has moved a number of short & long haul routes back from London Heathrow Terminal 3 to 5.

The changes have been applied today, Tuesday 28 June, with effect from Tuesday 12 July 2022.

The airline had made a number of route moves between Terminals 3 & 5 at the start of the summer season in March. Many of these have now been reversed.

It is quite unusual for BA to move routes during the middle of the season and at short notice. This is possibly due to congestion at Terminal 3 and schedule cuts which enable more routes to be accommodated at Terminal 5.

To accommodate the move American Airlines and Iberia will move back to Terminal 3 on the same date.

Note that the Heathrow airport website has not yet been updated with these changes.

Readers can keep up to date with the latest moves with a dedicated guide to BA at Terminal 3.

Heathrow Forced To Cut Passenger Charges

The Civil Aviation Authority has proposed that Heathrow airport must cut it passenger charges by 2026.

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London Heathrow Terminal 5A, May 2020 — London Heathrow Terminal 5 (Image Credit: Heathrow)

The cost of flying from Heathrow is set to fall as the Civil Aviation Authority is to force the airport to cut passenger charges.

The CAA has set out its proposals on Heathrow’s passenger charges for its next five year control period from January 2022 to December 2026, known as H7.

The last control period expired on 31 December 2021. Late last year, the CAA allowed an interim increase of Heathrow’s maximum passenger charge from £19.36 to £30.19. This was a substantially larger increase than any other major European airport.

London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing – 27 June 2022

Welcome to London Air Travel’s weekly briefing on air travel around the world, as published every Monday at 06:00 BST.

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British Airways aircraft on the ground at London Heathrow Airport. — British Airways Aircraft At Sunset, London Heathrow

Welcome to London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing for the week beginning 27 June 2022.

The Summer Of Discontent

It was not long that ago summers at London Heathrow were known for strike action.

Back in 2003, the start of the school holiday summer getaway was thrown into chaos when BA ground staff staged wildcat industrial action. This was ostensibly over plans to introduce electronic swipe cards to clock on & off duty.

A year later, the airline had to issue a grovelling apology for short notice cancellations ahead of the August bank holiday weekend due to unexpectedly high levels of staff sickness.

And then in August 2005, BA ground staff walked out in support of workers sacked by its catering supplier Gate Gourmet.

After a period of relative stability, the prospect of summer strike action has reared its head again. Both GMB & Unite have secured strike mandates from BA ground staff over pay.

British Airways Heathrow Staff Vote For Strike Action

BA ground staff at London Heathrow represented by GMB & Unite have voted for strike action in a dispute over pay.

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British Airways Coat Of Arms (Image Credit: British Airways)

British Airways staff at London Heathrow represented by the GMB & Unite unions have voted in favour of strike action.

Around 700 GMB staff were balloted. They voted 95% in favour of strike action. The turnout was 81%.

A similar ballot of around 500 BA staff at Heathrow represented by the Unite union voted 94.7% in favour of strike action.

The dispute with BA is over pay. The unions claim that a 10% pay cut imposed on ground staff by the airline during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been reinstated. Check-in staff also not received a 10% bonus given to other BA staff.

Virgin Atlantic Gains Heathrow Slots For Tampa, Florida

Virgin Atlantic has secured slots at London Heathrow for a new route to Tampa this winter.

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Tampa Cityscape (Image Credit: Visit Tampa Bay)

Airport Coordination Ltd, the body responsible for allocating slots at London airports, has published its first reports for the coming winter season.

Before going any further, these come with a number of health warnings:

They are not final, but do indicate which airlines want slots at Heathrow and for which routes.

Airlines may be allocated slots, but do not take them up. This can be for commercial reasons, or the slot timings are not suitable.

Airlines will make a number of route changes that do not feature in these reports.

All that said, here are some headlines:

Airlines Given More Flexibility To Cancel Summer Flights

Airlines at UK airports will be given a waiver to cancel fights in advance without risk of forfeiting slots.

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Airlines flying from London’s airports have been given more flexibility to cancel flights due to staff shortages this summer.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic airlines were granted a waiver of “use it or lose it” airport slot rules. To benefit from the waiver airlines had to temporarily “hand back” any slots they don’t intend to use.

This summer season was meant to see the end of slot waivers.

Amid lobbying from some airports and airlines, there had been pressure to restore normal slot usage rules. This was to prevent airlines from hoarding slots and allow new entrants to secure new slots.

This summer airlines are required to use their slots for 70% of the season to avoid forfeiting them. There are special dispensations should new travel restrictions emerge.

As has been widely publicised, this summer has not turned out as planned. Many airlines have been forced to cut schedules due to staff shortages. Some, notably easyJet, have been criticised for short notice cancellations.

Oman Air To Join Oneworld Alliance From 2024

Oman Air will become a full member of the Oneworld alliance from 2024.

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Air to air picture of Oman Air Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. — Oman Air Boeing 787 Aircraft (Image Credit: Oman Air)

Oman Air is to join the Oneworld alliance.

The airline is expected to become a full member of the alliance from 2024. The announcement was made today, Monday 20 June 2022, at IATA’s Annual General Meeting in Doha.

When Oman Air joins Oneworld members of the alliance’s airline frequent flyer programmes will benefit from full reciprocal recognition. This includes access to priority ground services, lounges and mileage earning and redemption.

Air Canada Launches London Heathrow – Mumbai

Air Canada will fly from London Heathrow to Mumbai daily from Sunday 30 October 2022.

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Air to air picture of Air Canada Boeing 787-9 aircraft flying over Canadian Rockies. — Air Canada Boeing 787-9 Aircraft (Image Credit: Air Canada)

Air Canada will fly from London Heathrow to Mumbai daily from Sunday 30 October 2022.

The airline has launched a new winter seasonal route from Toronto to Mumbai, which will fly via Heathrow.

The flight between London and Mumbai will operate as a “fifth freedom” flight. This means passengers wishing to fly between London and Mumbai can book this as a standalone flight.

London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing – 20 June 2022

Welcome to London Air Travel’s weekly briefing on air travel around the world, as published every Monday at 06:00 BST.

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Picture of Elizabeth Line roundel at platform level, London Paddington station. — Elizabeth Line Platform, London Paddington Station (Image Credit: London Air Travel)

Welcome to London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing for the week beginning 20 June 2022.

Heathrow Capacity Restrictions

Things are not getting any easier for passengers at London airports.

Following well publicised baggage system failures at the weekend at Terminals 2 & 3, Heathrow has imposed capacity restrictions on airlines at these terminals today.

Virgin Atlantic advised on Sunday evening it has cancelled these flights today:

VS7 London Heathrow – Los Angeles
VS45 London Heathrow – New York JFK
VS4 New York JFK – London Heathrow

On Sunday evening, Brussels Airport advised that no flights will depart the airport today due to a strike by security staff. Brussels Airlines had already cancelled 50% of its flights and now virtually all are cancelled.

Ahead of IATA’s Annual General Meeting, Director General Willie Walsh was keen to emphasise in media interviews that the vast majority of airports and flights are operating normally. But aviation is going to remain unpredictable for some time yet.