Once again this year, British Airways passengers may find themselves flying on a different airline to the one they booked.
BA has asked Titan Airways, based at Stansted airport in Essex, to fly on a range of short-haul routes.
The arrangement is known as “wet leasing”.
But why does it happen, what does it involve and do passengers have any rights when they learn they are not flying with the airline they expected?
These are the key questions and answers.
What exactly is ‘wet leasing’, ‘damp leasing’ and ‘dry leasing’?
When an airline rents the plane, the pilots and the cabin crew to cover one or more of its flights.
“Damp leasing” means you hire the plane and the pilots, and supply your own cabin crew.
With a “dry lease” you charter only the plane, and supply your own pilots and cabin crew.
Is this sort of thing common?
Yes, in many circumstances wet leasing is a carefully planned exercise, often with planes painted in the colours of the customer. For example:
- In November 1995 easyJet was launched using planes, pilots and cabin crew hired from GB Airways – an airline that easyJet later took over along the way to becoming the giant that it is today.
- Today, Aer Lingus Regional flights between Great Britain and Belfast are operated by Emerald Airlines, an entirely separate carrier from the Irish national airline.
- Also at Belfast, Aer Lingus flights to London Heathrow are actually operated by British Airways.
- In turn, BA will once again bring in planes and crews from outside to fulfil its schedule.
Why should I buy a flight on one airline and find myself travelling on another?
All sorts of reasons. The examples above comprise a good sweep. The reasons are:
- When Stelios Haji-Ioannou wanted to launch a new airline, it was much easier to bring in an existing carrier which has all the licences in place than to start an entire new airline from scratch. As soon as easyJet was at sufficient scale, it acquired its own planes and became a “proper” airline.
- Aer Lingus wants a regional network, but running one at the same time as an all-jet European and North American fleet adds complexity – and may also have industrial relations implications. Easier to find an independent supplier.
- The Irish airline has flown from Belfast to London for many years, but because of Brexit is currently prevented from doing so. Its sibling (in the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…