I've used this service to book LGW to ACE in Lanzarote and no, never had to confirm return flights.

HTH

Thanks Sue

Hi sandyglen,

If you are talking about Internet online checkin (24hrs before the flight) its a breeze, very quick, saves queuing at the airport and you can choose your seat rather than take the one allocated. You will need to print off the boarding card before you go to the airport.

This facility is only available when flying from certain airports. We did it recently when flying from Manchester to Tenerife - not possible on the return journey.

If its not about online checkin forget the above !!!

Yes that was what I meant, will give it a go.

Thanks

Has anybody used GB Airway (BA) from Dalaman?. The standard luggage allowance is 23KG plus the website says you can take approved sports equipment in a seperate bag of 23 Kg as well. If it wasn't Dalaman then I wouldn't ask but having been caught there before when they refused to honour the airlines Website I just wondered if anybody had tried this. I have all the relivant pages from the website printed and I did ask GB Airways was it OK and their reply was: the luggage allowance is as the BA website.

Not sure whether this is good or bad. We used GBairways to Dubrovnic once and part paid with airmiles. They were really good and more like a scheduled service than a charter. I'd hoped to used them to Crete from Manchester but it remains to be seen what happens to them now:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7061246.stm

Hi MariaH,

Don't worry that standards will drop when EasyJet takes over. We use them all the time and have hardly ever had a problem. The free seating system they use may not be suitable for some people but we find it OK, particularly for flights which are not full, when couples usually get 3 seats between them. The staff are courteous and efficient (unlike BA), and we've never had a flight (from Gatwick) cancelled and hardly ever delayed.

We went on a Thomas Cook flight in September and we thought it was a sharp reminder of the old package tour days where they treat you as idiots! Probably 90% of EasyJet passengers are frequent flyers on DIY holidays and the atmosphere is completely different.

On their website it seems to concentrate on Gatwick http://www.easyjet.co.uk/EN/News/easyjet_to_acquire_gb_airways.html but I hope they will continue to fly all GB routes from other airports.

EasyJet to buy GB Airways

EasyJet has agreed to buy the entire share capital of GB Airways, excluding its slots at Heathrow Airport.

GB Airways' owners, the Bland Group Limited, has sold the primarily Gatwick-based airline for a cash consideration of £103.5 million.

As a result, the franchise agreement between British Airways and GB Airways will come to an end from March 2008.

BA said it intends to start services on some of the routes operated under the franchise, from Heathrow to Faro and Malaga and from Gatwick to Faro, Gibraltar, Ibiza, Malaga, Palma and Tunis, from March 30.

The airline will also end its franchise with Loganair from October 25, 2008 and begin a codeshare arrangement with the Scottish carrier.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh, said: "UK franchises have outlived their purpose. easyJet has made an offer to buy GB Airways and this has enabled us to end the franchise agreement early. We had an option to buy GB Airways but we rejected it.

"We have a significant base at Gatwick and our focus will be on maintaining and developing it as an integral part of our business."

GB Airways will continue to operate as a BA franchise partner on their existing network to destinations in Europe and North Africa until March 29. Loganair will continue to operate as a franchise partner on Scottish routes until October 25.

The deal between GB Airways and easyJet is expected to be completed within eight weeks.

The airlines said during this period flights will operate as normal and on completion, passengers can choose to be rebooked on easyJet or will be entitled to a full refund.

GB Airways operates 39 routes - 28 from Gatwick, six from Manchester, five from Heathrow - and operates 15 Airbus aircraft (nine A320s and six A321s).

Easyjet said the purchase gives it valuable take-off and landing slots at Gatwick and the opportunity to accelerate route development.

Following the acquisition, easyJet will operate 24% of Gatwick's slots and will fly around 8 million passengers across 62 routes from Gatwick.

EasyJet chief executive Andy Harrison said: "This is an acquisition which both strengthens our customer offering at London Gatwick, our biggest base with an attractive catchment area, and allows us to fully capitalise on the potential of the airport through a larger number of slots.

"The deal will bring major benefits to both easyJet and GB Airways customers, delivering a wider choice of destinations at easyJet's great prices, and creating clear value for our shareholders."

GB Airways chief executive Kevin Hatton said: "The sale agreement brings to an end a period of uncertainty about the future direction of our company.

"We are pleased that the business and customer base built up by GB Airways will now be secured and strengthened under the ownership of the UK's largest airline by passenger numbers, and one of the industry's most powerful brands.

"We will fulfil our outstanding obligation as a franchise partner to BA and then look forward to a smooth operational merger with easyJet."

GB Airways' Heathrow slots will be exchanged under three separate agreements, the consideration for which will be passed on to the Bland Group (net of costs) on receipt.


With permission from Travelmole

Mmm! Have very mixed feelings about this news. I've used GB Airways quite a bit and have just returned from a trip to La Gomera using their BA franchised Manchester to Tenerife service. Travelling as I often do with my elderly disabled parents who at the moment both need wheelchair assistance (one just post-op for a knee replacement, the other just about to go in for a hip replacement) I've found their service to be excellent - in fact the best of all the airlines we've ever used.

Being able to book through the BA website was always a breeze - much better than Eazyjet's and their follow-up customer service has in my experience been excellent too. And I've found that their fares on the Manchester/Tenerife route have been very competitive.

Ah well - at least it's not Ryanair! In my experience, their attitude towards disabled passengers is abysmal as is the level of support on offer once you finally get to actually make the booking.

SM

Hi, I have 2 bookings with BA, one in May & the other in September, I have to say I am not too happy about this, I booked with BA because I've always always had good service.

Deb.

I think one of the "bad" things of this buy out is the ability for onwards flights throughout the world for those of us who use GB Airways out of various dstinations via London and onwards. Under the Easy Jet banner this will mean a significant disruption for passengers in respect of baggage - checking in for onward flights etc and the loss of european and inter continental connections.

It is certainly not going down very well with GB Airways staff this morning.

Mr Walsh strikes again!!

Nivsy

Mmmmmm. Interesting news today. I too have very mixed feelings about GB Airways.

This summer we flew with them for the first time. From Glasgow via Gatwick to Mykonos. BA tickets all the way.

The flights were great, the service and aircraft itself was very good. Unfortunately though they forgot to bring our luggage with them!

After a lot of calls to them from the island they promised that our luggage would arrive on the next GB Airways flight four days later. They gave us that assurance again the night before. Again, our luggage didn't arrive.

We were left for the full period of our holiday without our own clothes etc.

It took GB Airways 6 weeks to reply to our claim for all our expenses and first offered £35. They then upped it to 50% of our very modest claim. Amazingly they refused to pay for our calls to them from the island despite them each and every time asking us to call back again the next day for an update! It's now in the hands of Travel Which's Legal Service which, luckily, I am a member of. I want them to settle in full plus compensation for a holiday that was ruined.

So, I liked their in-flight service and aircraft but their customer service is appalling.

Bill

Well we booked flight 2 days ago with British airways, Gatwick-Malaga operating on the GB Airways, I am hoping that BA will pick these flights up, we booked BA because its BA, not because its Easyjet.

It is understood that BA intend to operate the following routes as full BA routes: LGW-AGP (Malaga), LGW-FAO (Faro), LGW-GIB (Gibraltar), LGW-IBZ (Ibiza), LGW-TUN(Tunis), LGW-PMI(Palma), LHR-AGP AND LHR-FAO.

As for the rest - it will be dependant on what routes Easy Jet decide to keep or maybe even expand. However I wonder if EZY will get to keep the business passengers that GB managed to attract.

Nivsy

Easyjet has not up to now flown out of Manchester, so I wonder if this will give them a foothold there. I don't like the idea of no seat allocation. One of the advantages with GBairways was the online check in and being able to choose your seat.

Hi, the bookings I have made are both from Gatwick - Palma, one in may the other in september, so I am assuming these will now be with Easyjet. So, the 23kg's luggage allowance, in flight meal & drinks will not be included, also no allocated seating - these are all part & parcel of BA service & which we have paid the price for.

I have just gone through making a booking for september (Gatwick - Palma) & nowhere does it say these flights will be operated by Easyjet, I think everyone should be told before they go on to pay.

Or am being a bit daft here
Grateful for anyones input.

Deb.

BA is to open most of the routes in there own right for next summer, so chances are it will be a BA flightl.

Hi goldeneye, I hope so, although the email I got said that flight no's between BA6760 and BA6999 are operated by GB airways & my flight no's are BA6978/9 both times.

Hence I am rather confused (doesn't take much tho)...!!

Thanks for your reply.

Deb.

Debdon, read my post about 4 up.

Nivsy