London Air Travel » British Airways » British Airways Disruption »
British Airways has filed a one way fare for travel to / from the United States up to Sunday 22 March 2020.
This is intended for anyone who needs to travel urgently to / from the United States.
It applies to the World Traveller economy cabin only. It’s not a deeply discounted fare, but it is relatively low for booking this close the date of travel.
A one-way economy flight to Boston or New York up to Sunday 22 March 2020 will cost approximately £500. By contrast, it would cost £1,500 to book an economy ticket to Dubai this close to departure.
From Monday 23 March 2020, BA is only selling full fares to / from the US. This is likely due to the imminent extension by the US Government of restrictions on travel to the US on foreign nationals who have been in the UK within the previous 14 days.
If current US travel restrictions are extended to foreign nationals who have been in the UK, based on current guidance, US citizens or lawful US permanent residents will still be able to travel from the UK to the US. However, they must travel via an approved US airport. At the time of publication, these are:
- Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
- Honolulu Daniel K Inouye International Airport (HNL)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Therefore, if you are US citizen or lawful permanent US resident looking to return to the US from the UK, it is recommend you book a flight to an approved airport, to the extent they are served by BA.
In the event of current US travel restrictions being extended to the UK, it is likely BA will, at very short notice, substantially reduce its transatlantic schedules to key gateways served by its joint-business partner American Airlines such as Chicago, Miami, and New York.
Update Saturday 14 March 2020
Following the decision by the Trump Administration to extend restrictions on travel from the Schengen area to the US to the UK & Ireland from 00:00 ET / 04:00 GMT on Tuesday 17 March, BA is allowing passengers who are mid-journey and want to return home early to rebook. You can contact BA by telephone to rebook. However, your chances of getting through on the phone are very slim.
