BA Green Light for New Transatlantic flights from Europe
Looks like the flights will actually be in a two class configuration instead of all business class. Flights are looking to start in May from Brussels, Madrid, and Paris to JFK.
Quote:
British Airways directors are understood to have given the green light for the launch of the airline’s first transatlantic flights from Europe next summer in a move that is expected to start a tit-for-tat battle with its Continental rivals.
BA are expected to offer flights from Brussels, Madrid and Paris to New York JFK, although the final network is yet to be decided. It is thought the services will start in May.
The proposed flights were rumoured to be business-class only, but it has now emerged that they will have at least two classes, business and either an economy or premium-economy cabin.
In the past BA has been prevented from operating from other European countries by restrictive treaties governing air services, but last year Europe and America signed an “open skies” deal, removing most of the restrictions on where airlines from the two trading blocs could fly. The new agreement comes into force next April. Although US airlines will be able to operate with total freedom in Europe, the one-sided treaty does not allow European airlines to take on the US domestic market.
European airlines could choose to follow BA’s lead and start flights direct from Heathrow to the US, or, as some industry insiders believe more likely, donate sought after landing slots at the London airport to their American partner airlines to allow them to compete head-on with BA. Air France and KLM have a marketing alliance with US airlines Northwest and Delta, neither of which currently operate flights from Heathrow.
BA also faces stiff competition from a new breed of low-cost all-business-class airlines. American carriers Eos and MaxJet fly from Stansted to New York and other US destinations, while award winning British airline Silverjet flies from Luton to New York.
http://news.flightmapping.com/07/08/20/ ... _1435.html
Re: BA Green Light for New Transatlantic flights from Europe
Interesting stuff, good news for US Executive Club members but I wonder why they are going head to head with Oneworld partners Iberia on the MAD-JFK (unless they are planning to coordinate services). Personally I'd rather fly the A340 than the 75 or 76 BA is likely to use here but we all know most people don't care about type, only the fare and what miles they can get or redeem. I wonder what name they will use for this service as BA is increasingly a global company, "British Airways" is kind of a misnomer as their crews seem to come from all over Europe lately.
