[Pekkerhead]

I think Boris is actually a BBC correspondent:

BBC NEWS | Business | Oasis budget airline stops flying

either that or the BBC has started coming to Geoexpat for scraps of news

Come on Tigger - 'fess up

[KnowItAll]

Pekkerhead : when one person's misery can often be another person's gain ..

[Pekkerhead]

hmm, I seem to be quite good at 'outing' people on this forum :-)

Next stop - Hemlock...

[Skyhook]

Originally Posted by Pekkerhead

hmm, I seem to be quite good at 'outing' people on this forum :-)

Next stop - Hemlock...

Nice work digger.

[MaxWonga]

Haven't seen the news about LGW, what is the LGW Mess???

Obviously heard about T5 LHR

[Boris]

Originally Posted by ontheroad

From Cathay:
A special one-way Economy Class fare at HKD2,500 (plus applicable charges)
will be offered to eligible Oasis ticket holders on Hong Kong to London, or
Hong Kong to Vancouver. This special fare is only available to affected
Oasis passengers contacting Cathay Pacific hotline in Hong Kong at
2747-6181.
The hotline will be open 24 hours and available with immediate effect until
further notice.?

Correct me if I am wrong ( and I am not ) but Cathay Pacific's own website has the latest special at HKD3180 + charges RETURN. HKG - LHR

Their claim of this help you out price is crass daylight robbery. My alarm bells rang on this as I always remember the CX price Econ HKG-LHR to be around 4790 + charges.

Their " regular " price today on the site is HKD5840 + charges RETURN HKG - LHR
MMMMmmmm -- Discount of 420 bucks REAL GENEROUS CATHAY.

As I said before - Chris Pratt will be eating well tonight - Big Fat Juicy Raw Steak no doubt and this is the reason why Oasis is needed. Albeit into LHR otherwise I can't give them any income.

Which - off topic brings me to another point - Today Air NZ are announcing starting a LHR - Los Angeles Service . This because of the recent open skies agreement. Another reason to ask why Oasis where never given a LHR slot.

[ilovecc]

Originally Posted by Boris

Which - off topic brings me to another point - Today Air NZ are announcing starting a LHR - Los Angeles Service . This because of the recent open skies agreement. Another reason to ask why Oasis where never given a LHR slot.

Oasis were not "not given a slot"! Slots are traded like a commodity, however with Heathrow being the one of the most slot restricted airports in the world, airlines tend to put a very high value upon LHR slots. Just an example, when TWA went under, AA bought the LHR slots from the liquidator for hundreds of millions of $$. Just recently, UA sold a LHR slot to Delta allowing Delta to begin a LHR service, after years at Gatwick - this was part of UA's post-bankruptcy reorganization.

In the case of NZ and also AF (both operate LHR-LAX) flights, the slots they are using are not "new" slots, but slots that they have had all along and are now deploying different aircraft on different sectors employing those same landing slots.

[Boris]

Ok so now we have a " history of slots ". So my question is still . Why could not Oasis get a slot when NOW every man and his dog can fly Trans Atlantic from LHR due to the new open skies charter?

These slots just appeared by magic?
These slots magically got sold by benevolent holders ?

Would be mighty happy to understand and stop this conspiracy theory. Admittedly in my own head !

[PDLM]

Originally Posted by Boris

Which - off topic brings me to another point - Today Air NZ are announcing starting a LHR - Los Angeles Service . This because of the recent open skies agreement. Another reason to ask why Oasis where never given a LHR slot.

This is not a new flight. Air NZ flew LHR-AKL via LAX long before they opened up the LHR-HKG-AKL route. The only thing that has changed is now they are able to sell tickets for LHR-LAX whereas previously they could only sell LHR-AKL or LAX-AKL. No new slots required.

Previously if you wanted to fly passengers from the LHR to the US you had to:
a) been on the list of carriers allowed to do so
b) have access to the necessary slots

The new agreement has removed requirement a). Now all you need is the slots. The number of slots hasn't increased and people don't give them up easily, so there's some serious trading going on for those that want them and don't have them.

[KnowItAll]

And in today's news....

Budget airline Oasis Hong Kong, which collapsed yesterday, was on the brink of a rescue package when it was discovered that its chairman had pledged his shares in the carrier as collateral for a personal loan, a source familiar with the situation said....

Goes to show ... it was not really fuel costs or slots or Singapore Airlines...