Another great brand to join worldwide connections via easy jet at Gatwick . It will be interesting to see whether they will introduce some more business orientated routes into lgw to make the most of this

This really isn't as good a deal as it sounds. These are not real connections, because although Gatwick does have true international transfer facilities, the Worldwide package doesn't use them. Instead passengers have to cross the UK border, reclaim their baggage, redeposit it at the "Gatwick Connects" desk in baggage reclaim, and make their own way landside and through security to the departure gate. To be fair, there is a degree of protection, in that Gatwick Connects will attempt to rebook passengers who miss their onward flight due to delayed arrivals without charge.
The main market is likely to be Easyjet UK domestic to Virgin longhaul and vice versa, where there is either no border crossing involved or you'd need to make one anyway as the first landfall in the UK, depending on direction.

I think the Gatwick connects deal is just a first step . In the future they are looking at a more seamless transfer system . The current model is to see how much interest there is without any expense or risk . If it’s financially worth it then they will invest to make it better. I think it’s doing quite well in lgw and txl from what I’ve heard

Is there a link or something to explain what this is all about? The topic means nothing to be, a bit more meat on the bone of what this topic is all about would be much appreciated!

f4f3a wrote:

I think the Gatwick connects deal is just a first step . In the future they are looking at a more seamless transfer system . The current model is to see how much interest there is without any expense or risk . If it’s financially worth it then they will invest to make it better. I think it’s doing quite well in lgw and txl from what I’ve heard

What investment is actually required at an airport like Gatwick which was laid out in the first place with true international transfers as a basic requirement, and where other airlines are actually using the international transfer facilities, including transferred baggage? The only necessary investment I could think of is in Easyjet's IT which as currently configured can't handle the concept of connections or through-checked baggage at all. Virgin Atlantic doesn't need to invest anything at all, their systems, which are fundamentally the same as Delta's, have connections as an integral part, and they already accept connecting passengers from legacy airlines at Gatwick.

cougar15 wrote:

Is there a link or something to explain what this is all about? The topic means nothing to be, a bit more meat on the bone of what this topic is all about would be much appreciated!

I saw it on Facebook, but this came up from a google search: https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/ea ... s-13345670

cougar15 wrote:

Is there a link or something to explain what this is all about? The topic means nothing to be, a bit more meat on the bone of what this topic is all about would be much appreciated!

Easyjet is a point-to-point airline, they don't interline, and they don't sell roundtrip tickets (though you can buy outward and return tickets at the same time they are regarded as separate). Except by using the Worldwide package, they don't even offer connections between their own flights.
https://www.easyjet.com/en/worldwide
https://www.easyjet.com/en/help/extra-s ... /worldwide

Oh, and the Virgin referred to in the first post is of course Virgin Atlantic

The investment is in the cost of making full transfers happen vs doing this where all the cost is through Gatwick connect and the pax. A lot of the time their load factors at are so high they don’t need to interline . But if they want more all year round travel it might be worth doing a proper connection service . Also be book on normal and business systems .

Did Delta give consent for this?

Themotionman wrote:

Did Delta give consent for this?

Oh no...

Themotionman wrote:

Did Delta give consent for this?

Who cares what DL thinks? They own a 49% stake which is a minority. VS is still calling the shots especially with this EZ deal.

They are both north terminal so good location for it . I would imagine that they will add emirates soon as they park there too and emirates pax can spend sky rewards on easy flights

Or does this mean Easyjet are going to try LHR at some point?

Hasn't Norwegian also been part of this for a while ?

Samrnpage wrote:

Or does this mean Easyjet are going to try LHR at some point?

I believe EZY have their eyes on Terminal 4 if/when Runway 3 comes to pass.

f4f3a wrote:

They are both north terminal so good location for it . I would imagine that they will add emirates soon as they park there too and emirates pax can spend sky rewards on easy flights

A good bet would be to roll this out at MAN (I would be surprised if they aren't planning to do so).

EZY's base at MAN continues to grow, and is now/by S19 the second largest in the U.K. after LGW. As LGW is slot constrained, that gap is likely to narrow in the coming years.

MAN are embarking on a significant infrastructure investment, so the issue of an airport investing in the appropriate transfer facilities is unlikely to be an issue. EZY (per a Routes podcast) are intending on improving the transfer product to make it more seamless (e.g. Shorten connecting times, no need to retrieve hold baggage, options/insurance if it goes wrong, get options on price comparison websites like Skyscanner). This makes MAN an attractive proving ground, moreso assuming EZY move to T2.

VS have a major presence at MAN, growing by 20% in S19 compared to S18. This is likely to continue to grow in the coming years, particularly if VS/DL can obtain a strong feed at the UK end. Their MAN base flies to more DL hubs than at LGW, meaning it becomes an increasingly attractive point of entry for US originating passengers with onward connecting opportunities (e.g. From JFK, ATL, LAX etc).

Many more of EZY's "worldwide" partners are at MAN, including SQ, TCX (likely more will follow in due course).

We'll see how this develops.

DobboDobbo wrote:

f4f3a wrote:

They are both north terminal so good location for it . I would imagine that they will add emirates soon as they park there too and emirates pax can spend sky rewards on easy flights

A good bet would be to roll this out at MAN (I would be surprised if they aren't planning to do so).

EZY's base at MAN continues to grow, and is now/by S19 the second largest in the U.K. after LGW. As LGW is slot constrained, that gap is likely to narrow in the coming years.

MAN are embarking on a significant infrastructure investment, so the issue of an airport investing in the appropriate transfer facilities is unlikely to be an issue. EZY (per a Routes podcast) are intending on improving the transfer product to make it more seamless (e.g. Shorten connecting times, no need to retrieve hold baggage, options/insurance if it goes wrong, get options on price comparison websites like Skyscanner). This makes MAN an attractive proving ground, moreso assuming EZY move to T2.

VS have a major presence at MAN, growing by 20% in S19 compared to S18. This is likely to continue to grow in the coming years, particularly if VS/DL can obtain a strong feed at the UK end. Their MAN base flies to more DL hubs than at LGW, meaning it becomes an increasingly attractive point of entry for US originating passengers with onward connecting opportunities (e.g. From JFK, ATL, LAX etc).

Many more of EZY's "worldwide" partners are at MAN, including SQ, TCX (likely more will follow in due course).

We'll see how this develops.

All of this is true, but the point people keep missing is that Gatwick Airport was built with the facilities for transferring passengers and bags between connecting flights without the passengers having to go airside and/or reclaim their bags, the facilities are all still there and still being used by other airlines. Absolutely zero investment in airport infrastructure is required there.
Manchester has these facilities too, but they are on a much smaller scale, and transfers between terminals are somewhat clunky. The airport expansion plan should allow for these to be expanded and the inter-terminal experience changed from one of having to be personally escorted by a security officer (which is the case for one of the transfer permutations).
The issue is Easyjet's IT system. Whichever airports they choose for full-blown international standard connections, it won't happen until they have made significant modifications to their IT system to allow interlining and through checked baggage. That's where the investment is required.
At the moment they also offer "connections" at Berlin TXL, Milan MXP, and Venice, but just as at Gatwick they involve crossing the national border to make an international connection.

How do transfers work on traditional airlines? One issue is bags . Easyjet bags are all loose in the holds not containerised . Would they need to separate the bags into different holds or does the barcode scan it ?

Transfer bags will normally be all loaded in the same hold/holds (depending on how many bags there are) for the convenience of baggage handlers at the connecting airport, so they don't have to be sorted onto different carts at the side of the plane. Some airlines use an additional "transfer" bag label as an added precaution.
Bear in mind that vast numbers of passengers change planes with through checked baggage every day in the USA, and all those narrowbodies are loose loaded. Containers can't even be carried on 737s, so Amsterdam, for example, works in the same way.

Andy33 wrote:

This really isn't as good a deal as it sounds. These are not real connections, because although Gatwick does have true international transfer facilities, the Worldwide package doesn't use them. Instead passengers have to cross the UK border, reclaim their baggage, redeposit it at the "Gatwick Connects" desk in baggage reclaim, and make their own way landside and through security to the departure gate. To be fair, there is a degree of protection, in that Gatwick Connects will attempt to rebook passengers who miss their onward flight due to delayed arrivals without charge.
The main market is likely to be Easyjet UK domestic to Virgin longhaul and vice versa, where there is either no border crossing involved or you'd need to make one anyway as the first landfall in the UK, depending on direction.

French Bee and all other carriers have had to do this at SFO at least since the current International facility opened in 2000. From what I've witnessed, the airlines don't seem to care if you make the connection or not so long as you buy the ticket, otherwise at least here at SFO, United would have complained as pax misconnct by the dozens almost daily from the customs/recheck/TSA process.

Andy33 wrote:

DobboDobbo wrote:

f4f3a wrote:

They are both north terminal so good location for it . I would imagine that they will add emirates soon as they park there too and emirates pax can spend sky rewards on easy flights

A good bet would be to roll this out at MAN (I would be surprised if they aren't planning to do so).

EZY's base at MAN continues to grow, and is now/by S19 the second largest in the U.K. after LGW. As LGW is slot constrained, that gap is likely to narrow in the coming years.

MAN are embarking on a significant infrastructure investment, so the issue of an airport investing in the appropriate transfer facilities is unlikely to be an issue. EZY (per a Routes podcast) are intending on improving the transfer product to make it more seamless (e.g. Shorten connecting times, no need to retrieve hold baggage, options/insurance if it goes wrong, get options on price comparison websites like Skyscanner). This makes MAN an attractive proving ground, moreso assuming EZY move to T2.

VS have a major presence at MAN, growing by 20% in S19 compared to S18. This is likely to continue to grow in the coming years, particularly if VS/DL can obtain a strong feed at the UK end. Their MAN base flies to more DL hubs than at LGW, meaning it becomes an increasingly attractive point of entry for US originating passengers with onward connecting opportunities (e.g. From JFK, ATL, LAX etc).

Many more of EZY's "worldwide" partners are at MAN, including SQ, TCX (likely more will follow in due course).

We'll see how this develops.

All of this is true, but the point people keep missing is that Gatwick Airport was built with the facilities for transferring passengers and bags between connecting flights without the passengers having to go airside and/or reclaim their bags, the facilities are all still there and still being used by other airlines. Absolutely zero investment in airport infrastructure is required there.
Manchester has these facilities too, but they are on a much smaller scale, and transfers between terminals are somewhat clunky. The airport expansion plan should allow for these to be expanded and the inter-terminal experience changed from one of having to be personally escorted by a security officer (which is the case for one of the transfer permutations).
The issue is Easyjet's IT system. Whichever airports they choose for full-blown international standard connections, it won't happen until they have made significant modifications to their IT system to allow interlining and through checked baggage. That's where the investment is required.
At the moment they also offer "connections" at Berlin TXL, Milan MXP, and Venice, but just as at Gatwick they involve crossing the national border to make an international connection.

Hi Andy

You are quite right, the product is in its infancy stage and I suspect will continue to evolve over a number of years.

IT is, as you say, a major element of facilitating a "true" transfer process that (in my view) the market will expect (this includes points you've raised like no having to cross the border or collect baggage). There is obviously a physical interface required for this, which LGW is (and shortly MAN will be) equipped to deliver.

Getting these transfer options into the likes of Skyscanner is also a major issue.

Baby steps, but moving in the right direction.

neomax wrote:

Who cares what DL thinks? They own a 49% stake which is a minority. VS is still calling the shots especially with this EZ deal.

Wrong. VS is now actually a minority owner. Delta has the 49%. and the D/AF/KM joint venture ownership has (I think) 33%, which gives VS (I think) 18%.

Delta, because, of this set-up, is actually able to call the shots now. This has been thoroughly discussed in the past on A-Net.

Per Bloomberg, "EasyJet Plc has partnered with Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. for connections at its London Gatwick base, giving passengers on mainland Europe easy access to routes across the Atlantic."

The article states that "similar agreements are already in place with the likes of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, Canada’s WestJet and Singapore Airlines Ltd." - is this via a codeshare? Is this a serious threat to BA? Can it lead to greater price competition on TATL flights?

More at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... rom-london

JakubH wrote:

is this via a codeshare?

Booking a flight from AMS to MCO on easyjet.com, I get back VS flight numbers. Looks like an interline agreement.