Tag: Routes

British Airways launches seven new summer 2017 seasonal routes from London Heathrow to Brindisi, Montpellier, Murcia, Nantes, Pula, Tallinn and Zakynthos

Over the past few years British Airways has steadily built up a large portfolio of seasonal summer routes from London Heathrow to sunshine destinations in Europe.

BA has today announced another tranche of seven new seasonal routes for the summer of 2017. These are:

Montpellier, France (from 3 May 2017 – 30 September 2017)
Nantes, France (from 28 March 2017 – 28 October 2017)
Murcia, Spain (from 28 March 2017 – 28 October 2017)
Tallinn, Estonia (from 28 March 2017 – 28 October 2017)
Pula, Croatia (from 1 July 2017 – 30 September 2017)
Brindisi, Southern Italy (from 3 June 2017 – 30 September 2017)
The Greek Island of Zakynthos (from 3 June 2017 – 30 September 2017)

All of these routes will operate twice weekly on Saturdays and either Tuesday or Wednesday.

All flights will operate to and from London Heathrow Terminal 5, with the exception of Pula which will operate from Terminal 3.

Additional weekly frequencies may be announced in the coming months, depending on commercial demand.

A large number of seasonal routes operated in previous years, such as Ibiza, Corfu, Mykonos, and Palermo will also return in 2017.

Flights are on sale now at ba.com

BA has also produced a short PDF document highlighting these new routes.

British Airways takes on Norwegian at London Gatwick with the launch of Oakland, California from 28 March 2017

British Airways Boeing 777 at London Gatwick
British Airways Boeing 777 at London Gatwick

British Airways has announced its third new transatlantic route in as many weeks with the launch of a four times weekly service from London Gatwick to Oakland California (Oakland International Airport) from 28 March 2017.

This follows the launch of Fort Lauderdale from London Gatwick and New Orleans from London Heathrow.

Flights will operate four times weekly (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) in the summer season and three times weekly in the winter season.

Flights will be operated with a three class Boeing 777 aircraft featuring Club World business class, World Traveller Plus premium economy, and World Traveller economy.

Oakland is BA’s fifth destination in California after San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose.

Like Fort Lauderdale, this route is also served by Norwegian from London Gatwick and there can be no doubt this is a competitive response to Norwegian’s growing network of long-haul routes to the USA at London Gatwick.

BA’s parent company, International Airlines Group, clearly sees Norwegian as a major competitor that requires a strategic competitive response. Further announcements may be made by both BA and other IAG group airlines such as Iberia and Aer Lingus in the coming weeks.

Flights are on sale now at ba.com

Flight Timetable

Flight BA2279 Depart London Gatwick 10:20 – Arrive Oakland International Airport 13:15 (Monday, Thursday, Saturday)
Flight BA2279 Depart London Gatwick 11:25 – Arrive Oakland International Airport 14:20 (Tuesday)

Flight BA2278 Depart Oakland International Airport 15:05 – Arrive London Gatwick 09:25 (Monday, Thursday, Saturday)
Flight BA2278 Depart Oakland International Airport 16:10 – Arrive London Gatwick 10:30 (Tuesday)

British Airways launches new route from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale from 6 July 2017

British Airways Boeing 777 at London Gatwick
British Airways Boeing 777 at London Gatwick

British Airways is to launch a new route from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport) from 6 July 2017.

This is the second new transatlantic route announcement in as many weeks after BA announced a new route from London Heathrow to New Orleans last week.

It is also BA’s fourth destination in Florida after Miami, Orlando and Tampa.

Flights will operate three times weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) with additional flight on Sunday in the peak summer season (16 July – 3 September).

Flights will be operated using a three class Boeing 777-200 aircraft with Club World business class, World Traveller Plus premium economy, and World Traveller economy.

BA is not for the first airline to fly to Fort Lauderdale from Gatwick as Norwegian have been flying the route for some time. Indeed, this is the second time BA has launched a new route to head-to-head with Norwegian at Gatwick, after reinstating flights from Gatwick to New York JFK.

This route will popular with tourists to South Florida and those taking cruises from the area.

It is also a potentially better gateway than Miami airport and should promise a smoother experience in US Customs & Immigration. 

That said, BA’s Airbus A380 operated flights from London Heathrow to Miami will offer the option of First Class, newer World Traveller Plus and World Traveller seating, a more advanced in flight entertainment system and a more pleasant cabin environment. It will of course be possible to “mix and match” flights between different airports. Flights will also be codeshared with Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Finnair and Iberia.

Flights are on sale now at ba.com

Here are links to the press releases from BA and Broward County Aviation Department.

Flight Timetable

Flight BA2169 Depart London Gatwick 09:25 – Arrive Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport 13:45 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 16 July – 3 September)

Flight BA2168 Depart Fort Lauderdale 17:00 – Arrive London Gatwick 06:30 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 16 July – 3 September)

British Airways to launch new route from London Heathrow to New Orleans, Louisiana from 27 March 2017

British Airways is to launch a new direct route from London Heathrow to New Orleans in Louisiana (Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport) from 27 March 2017.

This will be the only direct scheduled flight from New Orleans to London.

Flights will be operated from London Heathrow Terminal 5 using a three class Boeing 787 aircraft (Club World Business Class, World Traveller Plus Premium Economy and World Traveller Economy).

Flights will intially operate four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. However, we would not be surprised to see the route upgraded to a daily service in the future.

New Orleans is the third transatlantic route to be launched by BA using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, after Austin and San Jose, California.

The prospects of success for the route are strong. New Orleans is a popular tourist destination (notably for its Mardi Gras) as well as a popular choice for conventions.

Further transatlantic route announcements from BA are likely to come (albeit at a steady pace). And BA is likely to continue the trend of launching routes from cities that are not served by direct flights to London and/or Europe.

Flights are on sale now at ba.com

BA has also produced a short PDF profile of the new route.

Schedule

Flight BA225 Depart London Heathrow 15:40 – Arrive New Orleans 19:40

Flight BA224 Depart New Orleans 21:10 – Arrive London Heathrow 12:00

British Airways to suspend London Heathrow – Chengdu route from 12 January 2017

British Airways has confirmed it is to suspend its London Heathrow – Chengdu route from Tuesday 12 January 2017.

The last outbound flight from London Heathrow (Flight BA88) will operate on Tuesday 12 January, and the last inbound flight to London Heathrow (Flight BA89) will operate on Wednesday 13 January.

Whilst airlines regularly review their route networks and suspend under-performing routes and it has been known for some time that the Chengdu route is underperforming, the announcement is significant.

China has long been a target market for BA. However, after Chengdu, it serves just two cities in mainland China (Beijing and Shanghai). This is significantly fewer than many European airlines.

BA has been stymied by the lack of local Chinese airline in the Oneworld alliance. Heathrow is too far west to attract connecting traffic to China from mainland Europe. BA has also long complained that the UK visa regime has deterred visitors from China to the UK.

The suspension is also politically significant in that a key argument for the expansion of London Heathrow by adding a third runway is to allow airlines to open new routes to emerging markets in Asia.

This announcement also comes just days after the UK government announced a relaxation of bilaterial agreements between the UK and China which increase the number of permitted flights between the UK and China from 40 to 100 a week.

On a more positive note, BA has recently announced a codeshare arrangement with China Eastern airlines and is now offering connections to Kunming, Xi’an, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Chongqing from Shanghai.

Rebooking Options

BA has announced initial rebooking options for connecting passengers.

Affected passengers have the option of a full refund, travelling directly to Chengdu on British Airways on an alternative date prior to the route being cancelled, travelling to another BA destination in mainland China (Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai, with any onward travel at your expense)

Passengers can also be accommodated on indirect routes on the following airlines:

1. Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi to Chengdu
2. Hong Kong Airlines from Hong Kong to Chengdu
3. Dragonair from Hong Kong to Chengdu
4. China Southern from either Beijing, Shanghai or Seoul to Chengdu
5. Asiana from Seoul to Chengdu

In all cases passengers must connect to/from a British Airways operated flight from London Heathrow.

Full details are available on BA’s trade website.

British Airways delays launch of London Heathrow – Tehran route to Thursday 1 September 2016

British Airways has delayed the relaunch of its route from London Heathrow to Tehran, Iran from Thursday 14 July to Thursday 1 September 2016.

No specific reason has been given for the delay.  However, we surmise that the delay is either due to a shortage of suitable long-haul aircraft or operational and regulatory delays in establishing operations in Tehran.

Affected passengers have the option of an indirect reroute on the following airlines: Lufthansa (via Frankfurt/Munich), Alitalia (via Rome Fiumicino), Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul), or Aegean Airlines (via Athens).  Connections to the aforementioned airlines flights will be via British Airways operated flights from London Heathrow.

Full details are available on BA’s trade website.

BA has also revised its schedule for London Heathrow – Tehran which is now as follows:

London Heathow – Tehran

Flight BA153 Depart London Heathrow 20:30 –  Arrive Tehran 05:45 (Daily, except Sundays)

Tehran – London Heathrow

Flight BA152 Depart Tehran 08:35 – Arrive London Heathrow 11:10 (Daily, except Mondays)

British Airways launches new route from London Heathrow to Innsbruck, Austria from Sunday 4 December 2016

British Airways is to launch a new route from London Heathrow to Innsbruck Austria from Sunday 4 December 2016.

The airline will fly to Inssbruck all year round. Flights will operate four times weekly (Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays) for the winter season and twice weekly for the summer season (Wednesdays and Sundays).

Flights will be operate from London Heathrow Terminal 5 using an Airbus A320 aircraft in a two class, Club Europe business and EuroTraveller economy configuration.

BA also flies to Innsbruck from London Gatwick and it will be possible to “mix and match” flights if convenient.

Passengers travelling with ski equipment should be mindful that the “basic” EuroTraveller economy fare does not include any checked baggage allowance and the “plus” EuroTraveller economy fare should be selected for checked baggage.

Flights are on sale now at ba.com

Virgin Atlantic to fly from London Heathrow to Seattle from 26 March 2017

Virgin Atlantic has announced it is to fly to Seattle from 26 March 2017.

Flights will be operated from London Heathrow Terminal 3 using a Boeing 787-900 aircraft offering economy, premium economy and Upper Class cabins.

Strictly speaking, this is not a new route as Virgin is merely replacing its transatlantic joint-venture partner Delta on this route.

In turn Delta will also replace Virgin Atlantic on one of the daily frequencies it operates from London Heathrow to Atlanta and Detroit. Full details of the aircraft swaps, which also include changes to services from Manchester, are contained in this Delta press release.

Delta has also today announced that it is to fly from London Heathrow to Portland, Oregon from 26 May 2017.

London Heathrow – Seattle

Flight VS105 Depart London Heathrow 11:00 – Arrive Seattle 13:20

Seattle – London Heathrow

Flight VS106 Depart Seattle 19:10 – Arrive London Heathrow 13:00

Delta Air Lines to launch new route from London Heathrow to Portland, Oregon from 26 May 2017

Delta Air Lines has announced it is to launch a new direct route from London Heathrow to Portland, Oregon from Friday 26 May 2017.

The route will operate four times a week on a summer seasonal basis to Portland International Airport using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft. The service will end in early October 2017.

Flights will operate from London Heathrow Terminal 3 (an earlier draft stated Terminal 4 before Delta consolidated all services at Terminal 3) and will be codeshared with Delta’s UK transatlantic joint-venture partner Virgin Atlantic.

This route will be the only direct flight between London and Portland.   Flights are on sale now at the websites of both Delta and Virgin Atlantic.

The flight time from London to Portland is approximately 11 hours.

This is also a route that had been a likely contender for a new direct service by British Airways with its Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Delta’s announcement may prompt a rethink on BA’s part.  BA may either launch this with a near daily year round service route, or choose another US city that is not already served from London.

London Heathrow – Portland

Flight DL37 / VS4002 Depart London Heathrow 12:30 – Arrive Portland 15:15 (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday)

Portland – London Heathrow

Flight DL36 / VS4001 Depart Portland 17:00 – Arrive London Heathrow 11:05 (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday)

Note that timings are approximate and precise timings may vary throughout the summer.

Norwegian Air Shuttle launches new route from London Gatwick to Las Vegas from Monday 31 October 2016

Norwegian Air Shuttle continues its rapid expansion at London Gatwick with the launch of new direct flights to Las Vegas.

The airline will fly to Las Vegas twice weekly (Monday & Thursday) from Monday 31 October 2016.

This will be Norwegian’s 8th long-haul route from London Gatwick after New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, Boston, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Puerto Rico.

Norwegian will be competing against direct flights by Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick and British Airways from London Heathrow.

On that note, the very rapid growth by Norwegian is not going unnoticed by either British Airways nor Virgin Atlantic.  We have already seen British Airways reinstate its London Gatwick – New York JFK route as an apparent competitive response.  We would not be surprised to see further activity by either airlines which both depend very heavily on transatlantic traffic for profitability.

Flights are on sale now at Norwegian.com and an initial scan of fares shows return trips being available for less than £399.

London Gatwick – Las Vegas

Flight DY7107 Depart London Gatwick 12:10 – Arrive Las Vegas 16:00 (Monday, Thursday)

Las Vegas – London Gatwick

Flight DY7108 Depart Las Vegas 18:00 – Arrive London Gatwick 10:50