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Hello and welcome to London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update providing a weekly bulletin on developments on transatlantic travel between Europe and North America. The Atlantic Update is published every Wednesday morning at 06:00 GMT.
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The Airbus A321XLR Makes Its Mark
In the days after the formal launch of the Airbus A321XLR at the Paris Air Show it is already making its mark.
Airbus has secured orders from IAG for Aer Lingus and Iberia, who have both earmarked the aircraft for transatlantic flights.
Aer Lingus already has 8 Airbus A321 Long Range on order and should take delivery of its first aircraft shortly.
With a range of 4,700 nautical miles, Aer Lingus should be able to reach all of the US and Canada from Dublin with the Airbus A321 XLR. Reading between the lines of IAG’s news release it may be used to add frequencies to existing routes to optimise connectivity.
The decision to buy this aircraft will have been dictated by efficiency but IAG is at pains to emphasise passengers can expect the same comforts as a widebody long-haul flight.
One IAG airline not to have ordered the aircraft yet is of course BA. Unless BA is planning a return to UK regional airports, it’s unlikely that this will be operated by BA on transatlantic flights. The Boeing 787-8 clearly serves the airline well as a means of entry into new transatlantic markets.
Virgin’s Run Of Bad Luck In Boston
One of the few reliable pleasures of long-haul flying is the eastbound transatlantic day flight.
The vast majority of passengers are flying direct and fresh from slumber and are in a very relaxed mood. And as the aircraft arrives at the airport from London the day before, you can normally be confident your flight will run as scheduled and can rely on a on-time departure.
This has not been the case with Virgin Atlantic’s relatively new day flight from Boston to London Heathrow.
VS158 has been cancelled for two days running on Monday 17 June and Tuesday 18 June. This seems to be due to a technical issue with one Airbus A330-300 aircraft, G-VKSS, which flew to Boston on Sunday and has not yet been fixed.
Also of note this week:
The Metropolitan Transit Authority spends $1billion on new station designs for the New York Subway that leaves them wide open to fare evaders. (The City)
New York State proposes radical climate change legislation to all but eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. (New York Times)
London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update is published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT. If you have any comments, suggestions or tips then please drop us a line at mail [@] londonairtravel.com
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