V-Flyer

It's now been confirmed that VAA will move to the north terminal late 2016.
No further details at present

Thanks, although it's been posted before. I think the North terminal is much nicer than the south and more so, I hope it's an opportunity for a new route or two. LGW ops haven't really changed since CUN.

I do hope the move to the North Terminal can include a DTCI facility.

However, I will miss the original Clubhouse in the South Terminal

buns

Hopefully exciting times ahead y) A new clubhouse (although nothing wrong at all with the existing one) will interesting.

If you assume that they will "take over" the BA lounge(s) I'm guessing that the first few months might be a bit messy if BA move at the same time ie there is no slack time between BA leaving and VS arriving for refurbs.

I agree with Slinky as well, that it would be good to see some new routes - is it true the Gatwick isn't constrained by slots ?| so there should be room for some expansion.

We shouldn't have too long to wait until all is revealed

David

So my plans for my annual Feb/Mar trip next year still need a South Terminal hotel then. I have done the Hilton the last three, but this year thought the Executive lounge was all a bit tired looking. Might look at the Boc
Dick D

Still seems a little strange to me given BA only a few years ago extended and refurbed their check-in area which I recall included quite a lot of building work.

FLYERZ wrote:Still seems a little strange to me given BA only a few years ago extended and refurbed their check-in area which I recall included quite a lot of building work.

I remember it on one of the "Inside Gatwick" episodes, they showed all the construction for the new BA check-in area & the lady in charge of the BA LGW Base. She was saying how unhappy she was that the biggest airline at LGW was an Orange one and that BA were going to up their game. She was then seen tasting food for new menu's / trying to sell the new self-serve check-in & bag drop to some ground staff... who did not seem over impressed.

Will be nice to get a new Clubhouse though. Please Virgin, don't make the "doubled up tables by the window" mistake you have in the current LGW Clubhouse where you have to serve people on the window table over the one next to it... OK if they are travelling together, but must be annoying for the people not on the window table if they are not.

slinky09 wrote:Thanks, although it's been posted before.

Speculated but never confirmed.

The BA lounges in the North Terminal will make a lovely Clubhouse & V Room.

Question is what will BA do in the South Terminal. I wouldn't have thought either the Clubhouse or the V Room are big enough for the combined Club/First lounge BA are said to be planning (which in itself isn't going down well with the BAEC Golds over on Flyertalk). Some reconfiguring will be needed methinks.

At least I don't have to worry about my trip this year then as the move is for late 2016. Be interesting to see what VA do at the north terminal.

gumshoe wrote:

slinky09 wrote:Thanks, although it's been posted before.

Speculated but never confirmed.

The BA lounges in the North Terminal will make a lovely Clubhouse & V Room.

Question is what will BA do in the South Terminal. I wouldn't have thought either the Clubhouse or the V Room are big enough for the combined Club/First lounge BA are said to be planning (which in itself isn't going down well with the BAEC Golds over on Flyertalk). Some reconfiguring will be needed methinks.

BA announced the moves on 19th Jan I think, VS seems a little behind maybe?

Another rumour is that BA will remove F from Gatwick so it will only upset the Golds by not having a First Lounge.

BA did indeed announce it in Jan but at that point VS said they were still "in negotiations" with LGW.

I see this as pretty humiliating for BA. They made such a big deal of their involvement in redesigning and expanding the North Terminal to their specifications, only to be forced out a few years later by Easyjet (although no doubt they will be compensated handsomely).

I rarely use LGW and doubt I ever shall with VS, as all the VS destinations I would take fly out of LHR currently. I use it for BA european flights usually.

I may be slow on the uptake here, but why are BA and VS swapping? Are the N and S terminals significantly different? To me airport terminals are just giant sheds, the difference is made largely by what they put inside the shed. So as long as they have a decent lounge and duty free shop, all is well

I stay at the LGW Sofitel and still will even after BA move to S as the transfer on the shuttle takes just a few minutes and is no ordeal.

I had heard the BA Flounge may be for the chop. Not sure if that means no BA first seats out of LGW or if there will be a joint First/ Club lounge. CX have joint First and Business lounges eg Paris CDG.

I'm led to believe BA will have a joint First & Club lounge in the South Terminal.

The change is being driven by Easyjet, LGW's largest customer, who want to consolidate all their flights in the North Terminal. As it's not big enough to handle all BA & Easyjet's flights, BA have to move.

It must be a change and culture shock for BA to be at the mercy of a bigger airline at an airport unlike LHR where they basically rule the roost.

Quite. Especially given BA had such a hand in the design and specification of the expansion of the North Terminal. Now they're effectively bring thrown out. Humiliating.

I was informed that the move is being driven by Easyjet, and it will be Easyjet and BA in the South and all other airlines in the North.

No, Easyjet will be in the North Terminal.

http://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.c ... erate.aspx

An update on Flyertalk, quoting a BA internal communication. The new BA lounge in the South Terminal will occupy the space currently taken up by the V-Room, the No.1 Lounge and Frankie & Bennys.

From that, one would assume the No.1 Lounge will move into the space currently occupied by the VS Clubhouse. Still no word on whether BA will have separate First & Club lounges although the communication quoted on FT says "lounge" not "lounges", if we can read anything into that.

And still no word on where the new Clubhouse and V-Room will be in the North Terminal, but presumably they'll take over the existing BA lounge complex. Running them as a joint operation (shared reception, kitchen, bathrooms etc) would presumably save money too.