Turning left for less Turning left for less
  • Home
  • Beginners guide
  • Reviews
    • Hotel reviews
    • Flight reviews
    • Airline Lounge Reviews
    • Travel companies, luggage, travel tech & apps
    • Destination Dining
  • Destinations
    • Barbados
    • Las Vegas
    • Alicante
    • Marbella
    • All other destinations
  • About us
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact us
    • Privacy & Disclosure
      • Join our email list & data protection
    • Youtube and Podcast
  • BOOKING ENQUIRY
Categories
  • Air France
  • Airlines
  • Airport hotels
  • American Airlines
  • Avios
  • Black Friday 23
  • Black Friday 24
  • British Airways
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Business class
  • Cashback
  • competition
  • Credit cards
  • cruises
  • Destinations
  • Emirates
  • Etihad
  • Finnair
  • First class
  • General
  • Guide
  • Heathrow and Gatwick
  • Hilton
  • hotels
  • IHG
  • London hotels
  • Lounges
  • Marriott
  • Michelin star dining
  • News
  • Offers
  • Oneworld
  • parking
  • Qatar
  • reader questions
  • Reader review
  • Reviews
  • Skyteam
  • Star Alliance
  • Starwood
  • This Week in Travel
  • Trains
  • UK country hotels
  • UK hotels
  • USA
  • Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Turning left for less Turning left for less
Turning left for less Turning left for less
  • Home
  • Beginners guide
  • Reviews
    • Hotel reviews
    • Flight reviews
    • Airline Lounge Reviews
    • Travel companies, luggage, travel tech & apps
    • Destination Dining
  • Destinations
    • Barbados
    • Las Vegas
    • Alicante
    • Marbella
    • All other destinations
  • About us
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact us
    • Privacy & Disclosure
      • Join our email list & data protection
    • Youtube and Podcast
  • BOOKING ENQUIRY
  • British Airways
  • British Airways Executive Club

BA News: More Titan charters, Gatwick Club World seats reduced & World Traveller Plus changes

  • 06/03/2018
  • Michele

In this post:

  • BA Titan charters
  • Doha cancellations
  • Club World Gatwick reductions, new World Traveller Plus and economy news

BA Titan charters

BA have seriously overextended themselves fleet-wise with their purchase of Monarch’s slots at Gatwick.  They have gradually been quietly announcing via their website a number of charter companies operating flights on their behalf from both Gatwick and Heathrow. BA have now filed a number of their routes which Titan will be operating some flights on.

Titan british airways seats gatwick
Titan A320 seats on 168 seat version

I may actually be affected by these as I am going to Catania in Sicily twice this year which is one of the mentioned routes (160 tier points in Club Europe for around £200 is not to be sniffed at). I am not too worried as BA so far have been operating Club Europe as normal on the Titan flights and you could argue that Titan are better. They offer free streaming entertainment on board including games and magazines and are even offering free refreshments in economy. The aircraft are A320s with 2 configurations of 168 or 180 seats but both with a 3-3 configuration.

If you are on one of the affected routes and it is being operated by Titan you can ask BA to transfer you to a BA flight if you prefer, subject to availability. You will need to call them for this. You can find more information on britishairways.com here. You still get the same Avios and tier points on Titan and the other charters as if it was BA. To check whether your flight is being operated by Titan just check in Manage my Booking and under each flight it will have ‘operated by’

The following is a list of planned Titan Airways A320 service for British Airways, 25 March to 30 September 2018

London Gatwick – Alicante
London Gatwick – Barcelona (Selected dates in April / May 2018)
London Gatwick – Bari (Selected dates in May / August 2018)
London Gatwick – Cagliari
London Gatwick – Catania
London Gatwick – Dubrovnik
London Gatwick – Faro
London Gatwick – Geneva (Selected date in April 2018)
London Gatwick – Genoa
London Gatwick – Gibraltar
London Gatwick – Ibiza
London Gatwick – Jersey
London Gatwick – Lanzarote
London Gatwick – Mahon
London Gatwick – Malaga
London Gatwick – Malta
London Gatwick – Marrakech (Selected dates in April 2018)
London Gatwick – Nice
London Gatwick – Palma Mallorca
London Gatwick – Paphos
London Gatwick – Pisa
London Gatwick – Porto
London Gatwick – Rhodes (Selected dates in July / August 2018)
London Gatwick – Seville
London Gatwick – Tenerife South
London Gatwick – Thessaloniki
London Gatwick – Turin
London Gatwick – Valencia
London Gatwick – Venice
London Gatwick – Verona (Selected dates in August / September 2018)

Are you on one of these flights? Will you stick with Titan or ask to get rebooked on BA? Let me know in the comments below or on social media.

Doha cancellations

Qatar Airways A380 business class review seat
Qatar A380 business class seat – better than Club World?

BA have also cancelled their Doha flights between March and June for reasons unknown. I suspect it is probably due to a shortage of aircraft caused by the B787-8 engine issues which mean they all are having to go in for maintenance. This is an easy route for BA to cancel as it is a revenue sharing route with Qatar and let’s face it, for most people getting rebooked onto Qatar is a bonus! Although I have not seen any official guidelines recently, BA will usually offer to rebook you onto Qatar in the same class on similar timed Qatar flights within a few days of your original booking. If you are in premium economy you would be downgraded as there is no PE on Qatar. You would be entititled to EU compensation for this. Similarly if you were in First on an Avios booking you would also be downgraded. I’m guessing this is due to Qatar being unwilling to give up First class seats for this.

The cancelled flights are:

  • BA123 to Doha from 25 March to 30 June 2018.
  • BA122 to London Heathrow from 26 March to 1 July 2018

Club World Gatwick reductions, new World Traveller Plus and economy news

LONDON, UK:
World Traveller Plus cabin on a British Airways Boeing 777 at London Gatwick on 04 March 2018
(Picture by Nick Morrish/British Airways)

I don’t generally cover economy on TLFL but I know that nowadays many companies force you to travel in economy or Premium Economy for business.

BA are refurbishing their B777s at Gatwick which to be honest was well overdue. They have now revealed the new World Traveller Plus and World Traveller cabins, which will have new seats with 50% larger entertainment screens. These will be rolled out across the fleet of 10 long-haul aircraft at Gatwick by summer 2019. The 3 class B777s will be done first and should be complete by winter 2018. These will be followed by the 4 class B777s. Heathrow won’t get the new seats on its B777 fleet until Autumn 2019.

The first routes to get the refreshed aircraft will be Punta Cana, Cancun and Kingston, Jamaica, before it is gradually rolled out across all long-haul B777 routes from Gatwick.

The new World Traveller Plus design features a new leg and footrest, as well as an improved fully adjustable six-way headrest for all heights. The new seat also has a cocktail table at the front and in-arm tray tables. The size of the World Traveller Plus cabin will also double. This means that Club World on the Gatwick B777s will reduce from 40 to 32 seats. This is not good news for pricing or Avios redemptions although at least BA currently guarantee to release at least 2 seats in Club at D-355 days.

World Traveller cabins will also have a six-way headrest with adjustable “ears” for added comfort and movable middle arm rests. However, the trade off is that these are now 10 across in economy which is not going to be pleasant on a B777.

Most importantly for the whole aircraft there is a new Panasonic entertainment system as the old one was well past its sell by date. The entertainment has been updated with larger HD screens and gesture control to use it like a tablet. The screen size will double from six to 12 inches in World Traveller Plus, and increase from six to 10 inches in World Traveller.

New USB sockets will be available at every seat. World Traveller Plus seats also have an additional power outlet socket for UK, US and EU plugs. Given that on my Club World flight on a B777 from Gatwick recently I only had a US socket this is a huge improvement.

BA have not yet revealed any details on the refurbished Club World but I would expect it to be similar to the refurbished B747s at Heathrow. 

Like this:

Like Loading...
Tweet1
Share
Pin
Share
Reddit
WhatsApp
Pocket
Email
Flip
1 Shares
Related Topics
  • British Airways
  • british airways executive club
  • business class
  • Qatar
Michele

Previous Article
BA First Club Europe B787-900 review
  • British Airways

British Airways B787-9 First seat & Club Europe review

  • 05/03/2018
  • Michele
View Post
Next Article
  • General
  • Reviews

3 travel products tried & tested – Skyroam Solis, VingardeValise wine suitcase & QuietOn earplugs

  • 07/03/2018
  • Michele
View Post
8 comments
  1. Andy Brown says:
    06/03/2018 at 2:27 pm

    Presumably BA.com will say “operated by Titan” if a flight is affected?

    1. Michele says:
      06/03/2018 at 2:28 pm

      Yes it should do but not sure how quickly they add the information. It has been showing on google flights as well as another way of checking.

  2. Geoff says:
    07/03/2018 at 3:21 am

    I have a Catania coming up – BA app still says operated by BA, GF says BA operated by Titan. Not sure how you would rebook on BA if your dates were fixed or hotels already booked.

    1. Michele says:
      07/03/2018 at 6:31 am

      I would believe google personally. The rebooking things is probably fairly pointless in most cases as the charters are for a fairly long period. I am not worried about going on Titan. It’s a similar aircraft type and the service should be as good. If you were unhappy and can’t change you could try complaining but I can’t see them being very sympathetic as legally they can do it.

  3. Adam says:
    14/03/2018 at 5:33 pm

    Is there a way of finding out if our 777 will be refitted by a certain date?

    1. Michele says:
      14/03/2018 at 5:51 pm

      Hi Adam. Not in advance really as obviously things slip so there would be no guarantee. You would be able to tell whether it was scheduled to be the refitted one though by looking at manage my booking and the select seats option. I don’t know what class you are booked in but if it is the new B777 from Gatwick it would show Club rows 1-4 and the WTP rows 10-16.

  4. Kirsty says:
    14/06/2018 at 2:21 pm

    Titan Flight : Tenerife to Gatwick 12th June . The food , champagne, wine and everything on board is BA. Duty free magazines too. The only difference is aircraft and staff our club Europe flight was fantastic. 4 course BA meal with plenty of champagne and wine top ups. No different than the BA operated flight out . What did differ was the amazing service from the titan crew so friendly and helpful. We had rather surly BA crew on outward flight . No issues at all – we even took off and landed early. Great flight by Titan.

    1. Michele says:
      14/06/2018 at 2:35 pm

      Thanks for the update Kirsty. That’s useful to know. Was hoping to get a Titan flight myself but no luck so far. Have always heard good reports about Titan. Perhaps they need to train the BA crew!

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Turning Left for Less

Subscribe

* indicates required
Choose One Subscription Type

BOOK YOUR DREAM TRIP HERE

Want to book your hotel with extra perks such as upgrades and free breakfast? Need help booking flights? Our experts at Winged Boots can help.

Visit our booking page here

RFF
Turning Left For Less on Instagram

turningleftforless

Champagne travel on a Prosecco budget. UK blog on how to travel in luxury for less. Forbes contributor. #avgeek #luxurytravel #miles #luxuryhotel

HOTEL REVIEW Newly Opened 5 Star Park Hyatt River HOTEL REVIEW

Newly Opened 5 Star Park Hyatt River Thames

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #parkhyatt #parkhyattriverthames #london
HOTEL REVIEW Fairmont Windsor Park – Our Honest HOTEL REVIEW

Fairmont Windsor Park – Our Honest Spa Stay Review

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #fairmont #fairmontwindsorpark #windsor
FLIGHT REVIEW Qatar Airways A350 Q-suite Includin FLIGHT REVIEW

Qatar Airways A350 Q-suite Including Al Mourjan lounge by Mark Hopwood

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #qatarairways #qatar #almourjanlounge #qsuite
LOUNGE REVIEW Air Canada’s refurbished London H LOUNGE REVIEW

Air Canada’s refurbished London Heathrow T2 Maple Leaf lounge

Link in bio

#businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #loungereview #aircanada #heathrow
HOTEL REVIEW Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport – best HOTEL REVIEW

Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport – best of a bad bunch?

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #crowneplaza #crowneplazahotel #crowneplazadublinairport #dublin
FLIGHT REVIEW ITA Rome to Dubai – When Business FLIGHT REVIEW

ITA Rome to Dubai – When Business Class Feels More Like First Class – ITA’s A321neo Surprises!

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #ita #itaairways
FLIGHT REVIEW Virgin Atlantic Business Class From FLIGHT REVIEW

Virgin Atlantic Business Class From London to Atlanta – “I Was Wrong”

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #virginatlantic #virgin #upperclass
HOTEL REVIEW Le Royal Meridien, Dubai – Genuine HOTEL REVIEW

Le Royal Meridien, Dubai – Genuinely a Hidden Gem (Why do we keep going back?)

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #leroyalmeridiendubai #leroyalmeridien #dubai #uae
FLIGHT REVIEW ITA Business Class – London City FLIGHT REVIEW

ITA Business Class – London City to Rome – Almost Kicked Off for Taking a Photo!

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #clubeurope #ita #itaairways #londoncity
HOTEL REVIEW Malmaison Oxford Hotel – A Prison HOTEL REVIEW

Malmaison Oxford Hotel – A Prison That You Won’t Want to Escape From

Link in bio 

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #malmaison #malmaisonoxford #malmaisonoxfordprisonhotel #oxford
HOTEL REVIEW Hotel du Vin, Birmingham Link in bi HOTEL REVIEW

Hotel du Vin, Birmingham

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #hotelduvin #hotelduvinbirmingham
FLIGHT REVIEW Gulf Air Business Class Bangkok to FLIGHT REVIEW

Gulf Air Business Class Bangkok to Manchester Via Singapore and Bahrain

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #gulfair
FLIGHT REVIEW Etihad Business Class – Abu Dhabi FLIGHT REVIEW

Etihad Business Class – Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow After a Cancelled BA Flight

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #etihad
HOTEL REVIEW Hotel Spinale, Madonna di Campiglio HOTEL REVIEW

Hotel Spinale, Madonna di Campiglio – The Ultimate Ski Retreat?

Link in our bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #hotelspinale #hotelspinalemadonnadicampiglio #madonnadicampiglio #skiresort #skichalet
Checking out the new No 1 lounge at @heathrow_airp Checking out the new No 1 lounge at @heathrow_airport T2. Very impressed with the elegant feel to the lounge. It’s definitely a step up from the older style of No1. I’d go as far to say that it looks better than quite a few airline lounges. All drinks are included apart from champagne and there was a good selection of tasty food as well. Full review coming soon. #airportlounge #heathrowairport #luxurytravel #no1lounge
Hotel Review on the blog - Intercontinental O2, Lo Hotel Review on the blog - Intercontinental O2, London & the Cable Car Experience. 

Link in our bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #london #intercontinental #intercontinentalo2 #ifscloudcablecar
THE 8 BEST EUROPEAN SKI RESORTS by Turning Left fo THE 8 BEST EUROPEAN SKI RESORTS by Turning Left for Less

Take a look at our handpicked favourites in the article in our bio.

#luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #skiing #skiresort #skiholiday
New hotel review on the blog - Sofitel Kia Ora Moo New hotel review on the blog - Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Hotel, French Polynesia

Link in bio 

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #sofitel #sofitelkiaoramoorea #frenchpolynesia
Flight review on the blog - Thai Airways from Melb Flight review on the blog - Thai Airways from Melbourne to Bangkok – ‘Old School’ but Classy 🇦🇺✈️🇹🇭

Link in bio

#flightreview #businessclass #luxurytravel #travelreview #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #instaaviation #avgeek #thaiairways #thailand
HOTEL REVIEW 🇺🇸 Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beac HOTEL REVIEW 🇺🇸

Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach – Boutique Charm Meets Art Deco

Link in bio

#hotelreview #luxurytravel #luxurytravelblog #travelblog #turningleftforless #luxuryhotel #miamibeach #southbeach #miami #nautilussonesta #boutiquehotel
Follow on Instagram
Categories
Contact us

[email protected]

Unit 143857

PO Box 6945

LONDON

W1A 6US

Privacy Policy

Find out about our privacy policy and advertising disclosure here.

Turning left for less
Champagne travel on a Prosecco budget

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

%d