London Heathrow Archives – London Air Travel

Cobalt Air launches London Heathrow – Larnaca

Cobalt Air is to fly direct from London Heathrow to Larnaca, Cyprus from Tuesday 27 March 2018. Flights will operate daily from London Heathrow Terminal 3.

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Cobalt Air at London Heathrow

Cobalt Air is to fly from London Heathrow to Larnaca from Tuesday 27 March 2018

The airline will fly from London Heathrow Terminal 3 to Larnaca daily. Flights will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft in a two class configuration.

Cobalt Air is a relatively young airline. It first operated under two years ago. It also flies from London Gatwick and Stansted. It is not a member of any of the three major airline alliances.

Cobalt Air is particularly keen to emphaise that it will be offering its latest business product on this route, which offers dedicated seating in a 2-2 configuration and a 40″ seat pitch.

Currently, the London Heathrow – Larnaca routes is the exclusive domain of BA.

It is treated as a short-haul route which means BA offers Club Europe business class and EuroTraveller economy.

(The now defunct Cyprus Airways sold its one Heathrow slot pair to American Airlines in 2014 for $31 million.)

Given that Cobalt Air will offer a significantly superior business class product to BA’s Club Europe, BA may be forced to effectively switch the route from short-haul to long-haul.

BA made a similar move many years ago, switching Moscow to a combination of long-haul configured Airbus A321s and widebody Boeing aircraft. BA also operates London Heathrow – Tel Aviv, which has a similar flight length to Larnaca, with widebody Boeing aircraft.

Flights are on sale now at Cobalt Air

London Heathrow – Larnaca

Flight CO327 Depart London Heathrow 17:20 – Arrive Larnaca 23:50
Flight CO326 Depart Larnaca 12:45 – Arrive London Heathrow 15:45

How to submit a claim for expenses following BA flight cancellations

How to submit a claim for hotel, meals and ground transportation expenses following BA flight cancellations on Sunday 10 December 2017.

London Air Travel » London Heathrow

On Sunday 10 December 2017, there were extensive cancellations to British Airways flights at London Heathrow due to snow. These continued into Monday morning due to aircraft and crews being out of position.

If you have incurred expenses on hotels, meals, ground transportation and communications you can submit a claim for these online:

You can simply do this by submitting a claim through the BA website.

You will need to have details of your booking to hand, and be able to submit copies of your receipts (either by post or electronically) and provide details of an account to which the refund should be transferred.

In terms of submitting a claim for compensation under EC Regulation 261/2004 there is general guidance on compensation and a claim form on the BA website. BA has not, to our knowledge, made any official comment on the eligibility of passengers affected by cancellations to make a claim for expenses.

Separately, BA is allowing all passengers due to fly on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 December the option of a full refund or to rebook up to Monday 18 December. This is regardless of whether your flight is cancelled. To check the status of your booking, use the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com Also, see ba.com for the latest flight operations news.

London flight cancellations due to flooding following Hurricane Harvey

The following BA and United flights between London and Houston have been cancelled due to flooding following Hurricane Harvey.

Hurricane Harvey TV Coverage (Image Credit: CNN)

Due to severe flooding in Houston following Hurricane Harvey, the following flights to and from London to Houston (George Bush Intercontinental Airport) have been cancelled.

BA has cancelled all flights to and from Houston up to Friday 1 September 2017. Other BA and American Airlines flights to Texas are scheduled to operate normally. BA is allowing passengers booked to fly to and from Austin, Houston and New Orleans up to 7 September to rebook up to Wednesday 20 September 2017.

United Airlines has also cancelled all flights to Houston (George Bush International) until at least Thursday 31 August.

For the latest arrivals / departure information you can visit the websites of Heathrow, BA and United.

Continue reading “London flight cancellations due to flooding following Hurricane Harvey”

Qantas moots non-stop flights from London to Sydney

Qantas has challenged Airbus and Boeing to develop aircraft capable of flying non-stop from London to Sydney by 2022.

London Air Travel » London Heathrow

Qantas Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner (Image courtesy of Qantas Airways)

Qantas announced its annual financial results in Sydney today. The airline posted a healthy profit before tax of AUD$1.4bn. This is a sharp turnaround in fortunes for Qantas after it reported a record loss of AUD$2.8bn three years ago. Much of the turnaround has been achieved through a restructuring of its international network.

In Europe, Qantas suspended twice daily services from London Heathrow to Sydney via Singapore and Bangkok and to Melbourne via Singapore and Hong Kong in favour of daily services to Sydney and Melbourne via Dubai under a joint-venture with Emirates.

Whilst Qantas seemed to be in retreat in Europe having ceded much market share to the “Big Three” Middle Eastern airlines (Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways), its interest has reignited of late. Qantas is due to launch non-stop flights to Perth in March 2018. Qantas is also due to open a new lounge in London Heathrow Terminal 3 this year.

Qantas has also today given a firm expression of interest in launching non-stop flights between London and Sydney by 2022.

Qantas has tasked aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to produce new aircraft under development, the Airbus A350 Ultra Long Range and the Boeing 777X respectively, with sufficient range to operate London to Sydney non-stop with no restrictions on passenger loads.

Qantas claim that a non-stop flight between London and Sydney could shave four hours off the journey time.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce commented:

“From next year we’ll be flying direct from Perth to London, which is a huge leap forward. We believe advances in technology in the next few years will make Sydney to London direct a possibility and Qantas is well placed to be the airline to do it.

“Any aircraft purchase would have to meet strict financial thresholds, but these direct flights would be revolutionary for air travel in Australia.”

Airlines do not ordinarily give away commercial decisions on route launches away years in advance, and this is a very public message aimed squarely at aircraft manufacturers to sharpen their pencils.

It is also axiomatic that the viability of non-stop flights from London to Sydney will depend on how non-stop flights to Perth are received, both in terms of cabin comfort and whether passengers, particularly those at the front of the aircraft, are willing to pay a premium for non-stop services.

Personally, we would love to see non-stop flights to Sydney and for Qantas to rebuild its presence in London back to four flights a day.

Also today, Qantas announced a refurbishment of its Airbus A380 fleet which will include new business class and premium economy cabins and “refreshed” First Class and economy cabins.

Gordon Ramsay Plane Food has reopened at London Heathrow Terminal 5

Gordon Ramsay Plane Food restaurant has reopened at London Heathrow Terminal 5 following a refurbishment.

London Air Travel » London Heathrow

Gordon Ramsay - London Heathrow Terminal 5 — Gordon Ramsay – London Heathrow Terminal 5 (Image Credit: Gordon Ramsay Restaurants)

Gordon Ramsay Plane Food restaurant at London Heathrow Terminal 5 has reopened today, Monday 14 August 2017, after a refurbishment.

The restaurant first opened in March 2008. It was groundbreaking in two respects. First, for raising the bar for airport dining with such a well known chef committing to an airport restaurant where there are limitations on how food can be prepared. It also introduced well publicised dedicated takeaway “picnics” for eating in-flight. Heston Blumenthal followed suit with The Perfectionists Cafe at London Heathrow Terminal 2.

The new restaurant promises a new Asian bar with dishes prepared before guests, a new cocktail bar and a newly refurbished dining area with refreshed menus which can be used for private events.

There is also a new take-on-board Picnic Menu with breakfast, vegetarian, fish and meat options.

Continue reading “Gordon Ramsay Plane Food has reopened at London Heathrow Terminal 5”

United Airlines relaunches London Heathrow – Denver

United Airlines is to reinstate its London Heathrow – Denver route, on a summer seasonal basis, from Saturday 24 March 2018 to Friday 26 October 2018

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United Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Image Credit: United Airlines)

United Airlines is to reinstate its London Heathrow – Denver route, on a summer seasonal basis, from Saturday 24 March 2018 to Friday 26 October 2018.

The flight will operate on a daily basis between London Heathrow Terminal 2 and Denver International airport.

The flight will be operated with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 36 flat-bed seats in business class, 70 “Economy Plus” seats and 113 seats in economy.

Note that in business class the flight will operate with United’s “Polaris” in-flight amenities, but not the latest Polaris business class seat that was announced late last year.

The London Heathrow – Denver route is currently served exclusively by BA. Norwegian is also due to fly from London Gatwick to Denver from London Gatwick to Denver from 16 September 2017.

Flights are on sale now at United.com

London Heathrow – Denver

Flight UA28 Depart London Heathrow 11:40 – Arrive Denver International 14:30
Flight UA27 Depart Denver International 17:35 – Arrive London Heathrow 09:40

BA transfers Paris Orly route from London Heathrow to City

British Airways is to transfer its route from London Heathrow to Paris Orly to London City from Sunday 29 October 2017.

London Air Travel » London Heathrow

BA CityFlyer Embraer at London City Airport

British Airways is to transfer its route from London Heathrow to Paris Orly to London City airport from Sunday 29 October 2017.

Currently, BA flies from London Heathrow to Paris Orly up to four times daily. This will reduce to three times daily from 30 September 2017 with BA334 and BA335 cancelled from this date. The last flights will operate on Saturday 28 October 2017. BA will continue to fly from London Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle airport up to seven times daily.

BA will fly from London City to Paris Orly three times daily on weekdays and daily on weekends. This route will reinstate a link between London City and Paris after CityJet suspended this route in March of this year.

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JAL adds second daily London Heathrow – Tokyo Haneda flight

Japan Airlines (“JAL”) is to add a second daily London Heathrow – Tokyo Haneda flight with effect from Sunday 29 October 2017.

London Air Travel » London Heathrow

Japan Airlines - London Heathrow - Tokyo — Japan Airlines – London Heathrow – Tokyo

Japan Airlines (“JAL”) is to add a second daily London Heathrow – Tokyo Haneda flight with effect from Sunday 29 October 2017.

This means that, together with its joint-venture partner British Airways, JAL will offer four flights a day between London and Tokyo. BA will continue to fly to both Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Haneda airports daily.

The new JAL flight (JL41 & J42) will depart London Heathrow at 09:30 and return to London Heathrow at 06:25. The flight will be operated by a Boeing 787 in a three class configuration.

It’s noteworthy that BA and JAL have chosen to add capacity between London and Japan when history has shown that inbound visitors from Japan to Europe can be very sensitive to terrorist incidents.

In addition, BA and JAL have chosen to a fourth daily frequency from London to Tokyo, rather than add a flight to an unserved destination in Japan such as Osaka or Nagoya. This does give BA and JAL a substantial frequency advantage over All Nippon Airlines which is the only other airline to fly between London and Tokyo after Virgin Atlantic withdrew from Tokyo on 31 January 2015.

The new flight will be on sale at Japan Airlines from Friday 14 July 2017.

BA has not yet added a codeshare to the additional flight but should do so shortly.
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Virgin Atlantic launches London Heathrow – Las Vegas for 2018 CES

Virgin Atlantic is to operate two special return flights between London Heathrow (departing on Sunday 7 & Monday 8 January 2018) and Las Vegas (returning Friday 12 & Saturday 13 January 2018) for the benefit of visitors to the annual Consumer Electronics Show.

London Air Travel » London Heathrow

Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Upper Class Cabin (Credit: Virgin Atlantic)

Virgin Atlantic is to operate two special return flights between London Heathrow and Las Vegas for the benefit of visitors to the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January 2018.

The flights will depart London Heathrow on Sunday 7 and Monday 8 January 2018 and will return from Las Vegas on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 January 2018.

Flights will be operated using Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner which features a larger Upper Class cabin as well as amenities such as in-flight WiFi.

These will complement Virgin’s existing Boeing 747 service between London Gatwick and Las Vegas and will compete BA’s own direct Boeing 747 services between London Heathrow and Las Vegas which can operate up to twice daily.

This new “pop up” route does point to Virgin being flexible with its schedule to take advantage of peaks in demand. The airline is to also launch a seasonal route from London Heathrow to Barbados in December 2017, which will again complement its London Gatwick service.

Flights are on sale now at VirginAtlantic.com

London Heathrow – Las Vegas

Flight VS961 Depart London Heathrow 11:15 – Arrive Las Vegas 14:00 (7, 8 January 2018)
Flight VS962 Depart Las Vegas 21:45 – Arrive London Heathrow 15:55 (12, 13 January 2018)

British Airways Suspends London – Bergen & Stavanger

British Airways is to suspend flights from London Heathrow to Bergen and Stavanger from 28 October 2017.

London Air Travel » London Heathrow

British Airways is to suspend flights from London Heathrow to Bergen Flesland airport and Stavanger Sola airport from Saturday 28 October 2017.

These routes were inherited by BA when its parent company International Airlines Group acquired bmi in 2012. The reason for the suspension is poor commercial performance.

The last flights will operate on Saturday 28 October 2017.

Passengers who are currently booked to fly from London Heathrow from Sunday 29 October 2017 have the option of:

A full refund
Rebook on to an alternative flight to/from Bergen and Stavengar from Friday 1 September 2017 to Saturday 28 October 2017
Rebooking on to an alternative BA operated flight between London Heathrow and Oslo up to 14 days before/after your original travel date. However, any consequential costs such as ground transportation must be met at your own expense

BA has not yet announced any rebooking arrangements with rival airlines. It normally takes time for these to be agreed and further details may be announced over the next few days.

For passengers looking at alternative routes from late October, other direct options include Norwegian from London Gatwick to Bergen and Stavanger and SAS from London Heathrow to Stavanger.

Affected passengers should contact BA or your travel agent.