La reopening of the United States for European travellers should generate a strong flow of traffic between the two continents by 2022. This is the gamble being taken by most of the airlines serving this strategic route. This is particularly true of British Airways. The British carrier operates its transatlantic routes through a joint venture, the "Atlantic Joint Business. It includes not only British Airways but also Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level. (all 4 grouped in IAG)American Airlines and Finnair.
The six carriers will be increasing the density of this transatlantic route between the end of 2021 and spring 2022. British Airways to finally inaugurate its route London Heathrow-Portland (Oregon). This route was originally due to open in 2020, but was postponed until better times. It will now open on 3 June with twenty weekly flights. The British carrier has also announced the resumption of services to Pittsburgh on the same date.. This route will be served four times a week. Boeing 787-8 aircraft will operate these two routes.
Aer Lingus has started its new transatlantic routes from Manchester. Since December, this has involved a daily flight by Airbus A321neo (in long-haul configuration) to New York JFK and four weekly flights to Orlando in Florida. Iberia is strengthening its position on five destinations in the United States from April, while Level launches the line Barcelona-Los Angeles four times a week from 28 March. Dallas and Seattle will appear for the first time in the Finnair departing from Helsinki. The first is scheduled for February, the second for June. Last but not least, American will offer a daily flight Rome-Charlotte next April.
From June, British Airways will operate five weekly flights on the London-Portland route (Photo: Truflip99, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Reclaiming Gatwick
In parallel with this transatlantic push, British Airways has confirmed the future network of BA Euroflyer, its low-cost subsidiary based at London Gatwick.. From March, the carrier will base a fleet of three aircraft at Gatwick. This fleet will be expanded over the months to reach more than fifteen aircraft by the end of the first half of the year.
BA Euroflyer will occupy Gatwick's South Terminal and offer flights to 35 destinations. Most are located in the Mediterranean basin. In France, however, there have been flights to Bordeaux and Nice. The first will have four flights a week (Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) from 15 April. The second will have a daily flight from 31 March.
Finally, in another development, IAG, the parent company of British Airways, has announced that it is no longer interested in buying British Airways.Spanish Air Europa. Announced for 2019, the acquisition of Air Europa would have strengthened IAG's position in Madrid. With a virtual monopoly, particularly on Latin American routes operated in tandem with Iberia. The reluctance of the European authorities, the crisis of covid with the fall in traffic and the indebtedness of the airline sector finally got the better of this merger...
