London Air Travel

London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing – 7 February 2022

Welcome to London Air Travel’s weekly briefing on air travel around the world, as published every Monday at 06:00 GMT.

Her Majesty The Queen, BOAC — Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II returns to London Airport, 7 January 1952

Welcome to London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing for the week beginning 7 February 2022.

Finnair To Unveil Premium Economy Cabin

It’s more than 20 years since British Airways and Virgin Atlantic first introduced premium economy to long haul flights.

Premium economy proved to be a success for both airlines. It is claimed by analysts that, on per square foot basis, premium economy is BA’s most profitable cabin.

It took a long time for airlines around the world to follow suit. This was principally for fear that premium economy would cannibalise business class revenue if corporate customers traded down to the cabin.

BA’s Oneworld alliance partners American Airlines and Iberia only introduced premium economy a few years ago. This week another follows suit. Finnair is expected to unveil its first premium economy cabin this week, as well as refreshed economy and business class cabins.

Before COVID-19, Finnair regularly operated wide body Airbus A330-300 and A350-900 aircraft between London Heathrow and Helsinki. This will hopefully return soon, providing an opportunity to eventually see refurbished aircraft at Heathrow.

British Airways Returns To Nuremberg

British Airways is to return to Nuremberg with a new year round route from London Heathrow Terminal 3.

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BA Airbus A319 aircraft at London Heathrow (Image Credit: British Airways)

British Airways is to return to Nuremberg with a new route from London Heathrow airport.

BA has previously operated a winter seasonal route from London Gatwick to Nuremberg.

The airline will operate a new year round route from London Heathrow from Sunday 27 March 2022.

Flights will initially operate four times weekly and increase to six times weekly from Sunday 1 May 2022.

Flights will depart from London Heathrow Terminal 3.

British Airways Expands Loganair Codeshare

BA expands its codeshare partnership with Loganair adding a further 18 routes from UK airports.

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British Airways & Loganair Tailfins (Image Credit: British Airways)

British Airways is expanding its codeshare partnership with Loganair.

BA and Loganair have a long history. Loganair, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this month, was a former BA franchise partner from 1994 until 2008. The airline was BA’s last remaining franchise partner in the UK.

Loganair subsequently became a franchise partner of Flybe and then operated as an independent airline from September 2017.

BA and Loganair already have new codeshare partnership covering routes to the Highlands and Islands from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness airports. It also includes Loganair’s route from London Heathrow to Teesside.

New Codeshare Routes

The expanded relationship now includes an additional 18 routes from the week beginning Monday 7 February 2022.

The one additional route from London is Loganair’s Public Service Obligation route from London Stansted to the City of Derry.

Loganair’s PSO route from London City to Dundee is not included.

London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing – 31 January 2022

Welcome to London Air Travel’s weekly briefing on air travel around the world, as published every Monday at 06:00 GMT.

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Sean Doyle, Chief Executive & Chairman, British Airways (Image Credit: British Airways)

Welcome to London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing for the week beginning 31 January 2022.

Sean Doyle Sets Out His Vision For BA

Did you receive an e-mail from BA CEO Sean Doyle yesterday morning?

With a sense of optimism that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind it, BA held an event for staff and journalists last Friday to set out a plan to rebuild the airline.

This follows a number of senior management changes, including a new Director of Business Recovery.

Speaking to the Financial Times on Friday Sean said:

“Putting the premium proposition into the heart of what we do is going to be key”

And with echoes of Colin Marshall and “Putting People First”:

“Any airline can go out and buy products off the shelf and put them on a plane. It’s actually the confidence and the style and the intimacy that we deliver in service that is going to be a differentiator”

British Airways To Move To New York JFK Terminal 8

All British Airways flights from New York JFK will operate from Terminal 8 from Thursday 1 December 2022.

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Artist impression of co-branded American Airlines & BA premium check-in area, New York JFK Terminal 8 (Image Credit: British Airways)

British Airways will operate all flights at New York JFK from Terminal 8 with effect from Thursday 1 December 2022.

The airline will leave its existing home at Terminal 7 to co locate with its transatlantic joint business partner American Airlines.

Terminal 7, previously dubbed as “undersized and functionally obsolete”, will be demolished to allow for a new terminal to be built on its site which will be connected to JetBlue’s existing home in Terminal 5.

American Airlines currently operates flights to New York JFK from London Heathrow Terminal 5. This move means that, like its rivals Delta & Virgin Atlantic, all AA & BA flights between Heathrow and New York JFK operate from the same terminals.

London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing – 24 January 2022

Welcome to London Air Travel’s weekly briefing on air travel around the world, as published every Monday at 06:00 GMT.

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Qantas Boeing 787-9 Aircraft VH-OJA Pre Departure, London Heathrow Terminal 3, Thursday 14 November 2019 (Image Credit: Qantas Airways)

Welcome to London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing for the week beginning 24 January 2022.

How Ready Are Airlines For The Summer Season?

If you’ve browsed Instagram recently you may well have seen cabin crew recruitment campaigns for BA and Virgin Atlantic.

It’s now nearly two months until the start of the summer 2022 season. There are certainly signs airlines will be dealing with stretched resources.

There are unconfirmed reports that BA will wet lease aircraft from its fellow IAG airline Iberia Express to cover some Gatwick short haul flights. Last week, another IAG airline, Vueling, announced a string of new routes from Gatwick to Spain, at relatively short notice.

Airlines also do not yet know what airport slot usage rules will be in place as the UK government is yet to publish any guidance.

Edit: The Department for Transport has confirmed the threshold will be set at 70%, with a broader scope to claim dispensation for non-use of slots.

Hopes that next summer may be a return to “normal” may be a little premature.

Virgin Atlantic Launches LATAM Partnership

Virgin Atlantic now codeshares on LATAM flights between London Heathrow and Sao Paulo.

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Sao Paulo, Brazil (Image Credit: London Air Travel)

Virgin Atlantic has launched a new codeshare partnership with LATAM Airlines.

Virgin Atlantic has placed its code on LATAM flights between London Heathrow and Sao Paulo.

Virgin Atlantic passengers will also be able to connect to 12 destinations in Brazil. These are Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Curitiba, Goiania, Recife, Salvador, Florianopolis, Fortaleza, Vitoria and Londrina.

London Air Travel’s Monday Briefing – 17 January 2022

Welcome to London Air Travel’s first Monday Briefing of 2022.

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Welcome to London Air Travel’s first Monday Briefing of 2022.

BA Cuts Short Haul Schedules

Yesterday’s Sunday Times reported that the government is likely to remove the need for passengers returning to England to take a lateral flow COVID-19 test after arrival.

Airlines will welcome a reduction in the cost and complexity associated with travel. Testing requirements are one of many issues airlines are now dealing with, including staff shortages.

From the airlines’ part, restoring confidence in travel has to also come from them getting to a point where there is stability to their schedules and passengers can book flights without fear of repeated cancellations.

On that theme, a number of BA short haul routes are suspended from today until February. These include:

Basel – Until Thursday 10 February
Brussels – Until Monday 7 February
Inverness – Until Monday 28 February
Luxembourg – Until Monday 28 February
Marseille – Until Wednesday 9 February
Seville – Until Thursday 10 February
Verona – Until Friday 11 February

The airline has also extended the suspension of some routes including:

Bilbao – Until Sunday 20 February
Bordeaux – Until Saturday 26 March
Marrakech – Until Thursday 10 February
Pisa – Until Friday 4 March
Porto – Until Thursday 10 February
Rotterdam – Until Monday 28 February
Stuttgart – Until Monday 28 February
Zagreb – Until Monday 28 February

On long haul, twice daily services to Cape Town restart today. As do Airbus A380 flights to Johannesburg (BA57 & BA54).

This week, BA also suspends flights to Baltimore, Nashville and New Orleans until late April / early May.

Readers can keep up to date with the latest network changes with our dedicated guides to BA’s long haul and short haul networks.

BA Relaunches London City – Barcelona

BA CityFlyer will relaunch summer seasonal flights to Barcelona from Sunday 19 June 2022.

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Barcelona at Sunrise (Image Credit: London Air Travel)

British Airways is to return to Barcelona at London City Airport with the relaunch of a new summer seasonal route.

BA’s subsidiary BA CityFlyer will fly from London City to Barcelona six times weekly, with no flights on Saturday, from Sunday 19 June to Sunday 4 September 2022.

This is one of many BA route changes at London City this summer.

A new route to Luxembourg will launch at the start of the summer season on Sunday 27 March 2022. Flights will operate up to twice daily.

At present, BA’s existing service from London Heathrow to Luxembourg will continue. As London City & Heathrow flight times are similar, this suggests that the route may transfer from Heathrow.

Also from Sunday 27 March, flights to Milan will transfer from Milan Linate to Milan Malpensa airport. These have been suspended since COVID-19.

BA CityFlyer will also launch a new weekly service to Thessaloniki from Saturday 18 June to Sunday 4 September.

Twice weekly summer seasonal flights launched in 2021 to Guernsey and Jersey will return between Monday 20 June and Friday 2 September. Flights to Gibraltar will not return this year.

A new route to San Sebastian should also launch on Friday 8 July, after a delay of two years.

Cathay Pacific Reopens London Heathrow Lounges

Cathay Pacific has reopened its lounges at London Heathrow Terminal 3.

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Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge London Heathrow Terminal 3 (Image Credit: Cathay Pacific)

Cathay Pacific has reopened its business and First Class lounges at London Heathrow Terminal 3.

These have long been regarded as some of the best lounges at London Heathrow and certainly the best option for passengers flying on Oneworld alliance airlines at Terminal 3.

Currently, the lounges are open from 05:30 to 17:30 from Monday to Saturday and from 07:00 to 17:30 on Sunday. These should no doubt change when evening flights to Hong Kong restart.

Cathay Pacific has had well documented problems operating flights to and from Hong Kong with strict local quarantine requirements for its crews. The airline has also come under considerable political scrutiny in Hong Kong.

Whilst Hong Kong and much of Asia is likely to remain closed to visitors for some time due to “zero COVID” policies, the reopening of the lounges is welcome for all Oneworld flyers from Terminal 3.

Cathay Pacific’s Oneworld alliance partner Qantas also reopened its own lounge at Terminal 3 late last year.

Information on the lounge is available on the Cathay Pacific website. Details of all Oneworld lounges at Heathrow are available on the Oneworld alliance website.