Category Archives: British Airways

Atlantic joint business partners announce new routes between Europe and North America

British Airways made this announcement:

As customers look to plan a trip next year, through the Atlantic Joint Business, customers will have a selection of new routes to choose from for Summer 2022. New gateways include, London to Portland, Barcelona to Los Angeles and Helsinki to Dallas.

The Atlantic Joint Business is a joint venture that started in 2010, between American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia, with Finnair joining in 2013, LEVEL in 2017 and Aer Lingus in 2021. By bringing their network of flights together, the partnership offers customers in the North Atlantic the most competitive choice, with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and LEVEL operating in Europe and American Airlines in the USA.

Customers can mix and match flights operated by any of the six carriers to get the best deals and enjoy smoother connections through coordinated schedules. The new routes are:

Aer Lingus

Two new North American routes have launched from its new base in Manchester:

Manchester to JFK New York, launched 1 December operating year-round

Operating 7 times a week

Fares start from £438 economy return including taxes and charges

Aircraft type A321Neo

Manchester to Orlando, launched 11 December operating year-round

Operating 4 flights a week – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; increasing to daily flights from 2 May 2022

Fares start from £558 economy return including taxes and charges

Aircraft type A330-300

American Airlines

Charlotte to Rome, 5 April 2022 to 29 October 2022

Operating 7 times a week

Fare start from $1,168 USD or 969€

Aircraft type Boeing 777-200

British Airways

Heathrow to Portland, 3 June 2022 onwards

Operating 5 times a week – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Fares start from £499 based on return fare in World Traveller (economy)

Aircraft type Boeing 787-8

Sunset over the iconic Portland, Oregon Old Town sign in downtown Portland, Oregon

Returning service: Heathrow to Pittsburgh, 3 June 2022 onwards

Operating 4 times a week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Fares start from £449 based on return fare in World Traveller (economy)

Aircraft type Boeing 787-8

Finnair

Helsinki to Dallas, 6 February 2022 to 30 October 2022

Operating 4 times a week – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday

Fares start from 729€

Aircraft type Airbus A350

Helsinki to Seattle, 1 June 2022 to 29 October 2022

Operating 3 times a week – Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Fares start from 779€

Aircraft type Airbus A330

Iberia (increaseed capacity from April to October):

Up two daily flights Madrid – New York

Up two daily flights Madrid – Miami

Up one daily Madrid-Chicago flight

Up to six weekly frequencies Madrid-Los Angeles

Up to five weekly flights Madrid – San Juan de Puerto Rico

Up to 19 weekly flights Madrid – Mexico

LEVEL

Barcelona to Los Angeles, 28 March 2022 onwards

Operating 4 times a week – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday

Fares start from 429€

Aircraft type Airbus A330-200

British Airways to relaunch the Boston route with Airbus A380s

British Airways is gradually reintroducing its formerly grounded Airbus A380s.

BA will restore the London (Heathrow) – Boston route with A380s on May 15, 2022 on a daily basis.

British Airways and Phillips 66 sign a multi-year sustainable aviation fuel supply agreement

British Airways made this announcement:

British Airways and Phillips 66 Limited have signed a multi-year sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) supply agreement
Sustainable aviation fuel produced at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery in North Lincolnshire will help power a number of the airline’s flights from early 2022
The Phillips 66 Humber Refinery will be the first to produce SAF at scale in the UK
SAF is produced from sustainable waste sources and can reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by over 80% compared to traditional jet fuel
The airline is delivering a range of short-, medium- and long-term initiatives to decarbonize and achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as part of its BA Better World sustainability program

British Airways will become the first airline in the world to use sustainable aviation fuel produced on a commercial scale in the UK after signing a multi-year agreement with Phillips 66 Limited.

Thousands of tons of SAF will be produced for the first time in the UK at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery near Immingham and will be supplied to British Airways to power a number of its flights from early 2022.

The supply agreement between British Airways and Phillips 66 Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company Phillips 66, advances both companies’ commitments to a lower-carbon future. The airline, which is driving to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, will purchase enough sustainable fuel to reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by almost 100,000 tonnes, the equivalent of powering 700 net zero CO2 emissions flights between London and New York on its fuel-efficient Boeing 787 aircraft.

The SAF will be produced from sustainable waste feedstock at the Humber Refinery, which will deliver its SAF supply to British Airways via existing pipeline infrastructure that feeds directly into UK airports.

The airline’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), is investing $400 million over the next 20 years into the development of SAF and British Airways has existing partnerships with a number of technology and fuel companies to develop SAF plants and purchase the fuel. SAF can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by over 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces.

Last year Phillips 66 Limited invested significantly to expand its production of fuels from waste feedstocks. The investment is part of a broader energy transition plan to reduce the carbon intensity of its refinery operations and products that support 1,000 Humber Refinery jobs.

Phillips 66 and British Airways support government plans for a future SAF mandate and a business model for investing in advanced waste to jet fuel projects through participation in the Department for Transport’s Jet Zero Council Delivery Group, of which British Airways and Phillips 66 Limited are members.

British Airways reaches NDC distribution agreement with Travelport

British Airways made this announcement:

Travelport, a global technology company that powers travel bookings for hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels worldwide, and International Airlines Group (IAG) today announced a distribution agreement to enable modern travel retailing – by bringing New Distribution Capability (NDC) content from British Airways and sister airlines Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Vueling to Travelport-connected travel agencies around the world.

By channelling its NDC content through the next-generation Travelport+ platform, British Airways will be able to offer travel retailers a wider range of content – including Additional Price Points and an expanded selection of ancillary products – while taking advantage of modern digital retailing tools such as intelligent storefronts to merchandize them effectively.

Travelport and IAG are progressing well on the technical solution for NDC distribution and will continue to add features and functionality ahead of NDC content being rolled out.

British Airways threatens to cut Heathrow flights due to hikes in charges

From the Evening Standard:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/iag-heathrow-british-airways-london-civil-aviation-authority-b967526.html

British Airways resumes London Gatwick – Tampa flights

British Airways made this announcement:

British Airways’ first transatlantic flight from Gatwick since the start of the pandemic takes off to Tampa, followed by Orlando
British Airways will operate to more US airports than any other transatlantic carrier
The airline is also set to add Dallas to its A380 route network at Heathrow from March 27, 2022

Following the recent reopening of US borders for Brits, British Airways’ first transatlantic flight from Gatwick took off today bound for Tampa, Florida.

The airline’s services to Tampa will operate three times a week. British Airways will also resume flights from Gatwick to popular family holiday-hotspot Orlando on Friday, November 19. This is the first time the airline has operated to these destinations, and to the US from Gatwick, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.

British Airways is planning on operating to 23 US airports this winter, more than any other transatlantic carrier, with 246 flights a week from January. As well as Tampa and Orlando from Gatwick, flights to much loved cities Nashville and New Orleans will restart in December from Heathrow.

The airline’s A380s will also touch down in the US once again, with the jumbo jet due to start operating to Miami from Heathrow from December 5, Los Angeles from December 9 and Dallas/Fort Worth from March 27.

British Airways wants to launch its Gatwick short-haul LCC (BA EuroFlyer) in March 2022

IAG is now targeting March 2022 as the proposed launch month for its new low-cost subsidiary from London’s Gatwick Airport.

The target month was announced by IAG’s CEO Luis Gallego during an interview with Bloomberg.

Negotiations continue with its ground staff at LGW. This group is the last outstanding union to give approval.

“BA EuroFlyer” has been registered as the name for the new entity.

British Airways rolls out “Betty Buzz” at US lounges

Betty Buzz, a range of non-alcoholic sparkling mixers is set to be rolled out across British Airways’ US lounges, starting with JFK and San Francisco airports.

The mixers only launched in September, by Blake Lively. Betty Buzz is a range of non-alcoholic sparkling mixers made with clean ingredients like real juice and no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. Ideal for serving with spirits or tasty enough to be enjoyed on their own.

CEO of British Airways Sean Doyle and Blake Lively celebrate the return of UK travelers to New York with British Airways and NYC & Company at The Empire State Building on November 08, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)

Blake Lively, Betty Buzz Founder said “Team Betty Buzz and I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Sean Doyle and the entire British Airways crew to bring Betty Buzz to all British Airways lounges in the US. British Airways is a brand who’s earned great respect for their standards of quality and experience. Betty Buzz shares the same values, while also bringing a bit of new life and energy. I appreciate Sean and the British Airways team for championing a female founded business in such a meaningful way. Can’t wait to fly with you all.”

On Monday 8 November, British Airways marked the reopening of borders between the US and UK, with a one-off return of its prestigious BA001 flight number which was previously used for Concorde. And, the Empire State Building was lit up in red, white and blue to honor this historic day.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO said: “As the US lifts its travel restrictions after 19 months of separation, we are already seeing the benefits of doing face-to-face business. Following the successful introduction of Betty Buzz at the Aviation Gin bar in our JFK lounge, we will be rolling it out across all our US lounges.

As more of our lounges re-open, we continue to excite our returning customers with exclusive partnerships like Betty Buzz.”

About BettyBuzz

Betty Buzz is a refreshing, non-alcoholic, lower calorie mixer made with only clean ingredients that can be mixed with your favorite spirits but tasty enough to fly solo. Betty Buzz comes in five delicious flavors – Tonic Water, Sparking Grapefruit, Meyer Lemon Club Soda, Sparkling Lemon Lime, and Ginger Beer. The entire range is certified non-GMO.

British Airways powers first transatlantic flight following the lifting of US restrictions with sustainable aviation fuel

British Airways made this announcement:

Dual take-off

British Airways first flight to the US since the lifting of restrictions for the majority of UK travelers departed for New York JFK at 0830 this morning in a synchronized take-off (above) with Virgin Atlantic
BA001, a flight number previously reserved for Concorde, is being directly powered by 35% sustainable aviation fuel – believed to be the first commercial transatlantic flight to ever be operated with this high percentage blend of sustainable aviation fuel
The sustainable aviation fuel being used reduces lifecycle CO2 emissions by more than 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces

British Airways flight BA001 became the airline’s first flight to depart for the US this morning, as the country lifted restrictions imposed on British travelers for more than 18 months.

The BA001, the flight number previously reserved for Concorde, departed Heathrow at 0830 this morning in a synchronized take-off with Virgin Atlantic’s VS3 flight. Both flights were bound for New York, JFK.

Video:

The British Airways A350 flight is being directly powered by a 35% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by bp and made from used cooking oil. It is believed to be the first commercial transatlantic flight ever to be operated with such a significant level of the fuel blended with traditional jet fuel*.

The airline’s newest and most fuel-efficient long-haul A350 aircraft are up to 40% more efficient than the Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet aircraft that used to operate between London and New York. Combining this modern aircraft efficiency with today’s blend of SAF means the flight’s overall CO2 emissions are more than 50 per cent less than those emitted by the now retired 747 aircraft that previously operated on this route.

In addition, British Airways also offset all emissions associated with the flight, to demonstrate the various ways in which the airline is decarbonizing its operations **.

In September, British Airways announced a collaboration with bp to source sustainable aviation fuel in respect of all flights between London, Glasgow and Edinburgh during the UK COP26 conference. British Airways’ parent company International Airlines Group recently committed to operating 10% of its flights using SAF by 2030.

The lifting of US restrictions after more than 600 days means that fully vaccinated Britons are now able to travel freely between the two countries – something that has not happened since March 16, 2020. The changes have enabled British Airways to meaningfully re-start direct services to 17 US destinations. The airline is set to extend its services to 23 US airports this winter, with up to 246 flights a week, more than any other transatlantic carrier. Flights to New York will increase from five to eight per day in December. There will also be double-daily services to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas, Miami and Toronto, as well as daily services to Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Houston and Vancouver.

British Airways is operating 26 flights to the US today.

Four aviation decarbonization projects supported by British Airways recently received Government funding as part of the Department of Transport’s Green Fuels, Green Skies (GFGS) competition. All of these projects have a clear potential to produce SAF capable of reducing emissions by more than 70% on a lifecycle basis when used in place of conventional fossil jet fuel***.

***British Airways is partnering with technology company Velocys on the Altalto project to build a commercial waste-to-SAF plant in Immingham, Lincolnshire. Project Speedbird is a collaboration between British Airways, LanzaJet and Nova Pangaea, using waste wood, with a goal of producing 100 million liters of sustainable fuel a year from 2025, sufficient to decarbonize 1,400 flights from London to New York operated by an A350 aircraft. The airline is also working on two further decarbonization projects with LanzaTech and LanzaJet that, if successful, could each produce more than 100 million litres a year of SAF. The first would involve capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and converting it into SAF. The second would support the development of a SAF plant in Port Talbot, South Wales that would produce SAF from waste and industrial gases, with the potential to support significant jobs in the area

British Airways reportedly reaches an agreement with Unite for a new LCC at London Gatwick

British Airways has reversed course on its plans for Gatwick Airport after reportedly reaching an agreement with the Unite union which represents cabin staff, engineers and ground staff.

The new agreement will now pave the way to create a new low-cost subsidiary at London’s Gatwick Airport.

BA needed the agreement in order to move forward in its plans to create a low-cost competitor to easyJet and other carriers at LGW.

Previously BA has publicly announced it was cancelling any LCC plans due to an earlier failure to reach an agreement with the unions. At that time, it also stated it was cancelling most short-haul operations at LGW.

British Airways’ pilots have previously voted in favor of the LCC proposals to operate short-haul flights at London Gatwick.

BA has not publicly commented. An announcement is now expected within weeks.