British Airways to launch London City - New York

[Skymonster]

Big news on our side of the pond:

BA to acquire 2 x Airbus A318 to operate twice daily LCY-SNN-NYC (Shannon tech stop for fuel and rumored immigration clearance as A318 can't go direct off London City's very short runway) and NYC-LCY (nonstop eastbound). Aircraft configured with 32 lay-flat business seats - only! New York terminal not yet determined - hope for JFK but possibly EWR if they can't get the slots at JFK. BA will offer 15-minute check-in at each end.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... -link.html

I think it'll be a major sucess... London City Airport is almost "downtown" - very close to the City and the financial district in London, whereas LHR is at least an hour away. Add the reduced city to airport travel times, the short checkin times, and the possibility of immigration clearance in Shannon whilst the a/c is topped off meaning no standing in line on arrival - even with the tech stop it'll be at least as quick as the conventional services.

Andy

[adam613]

Interesting...I'd take time off from work to catch this first arrival! I love the A318 and I like BA's color scheme :)

[hiss srq]

Lets hope for JFK service instead of EWR. Fact is that EWR is an easier commute to Manhatten though.

[Nonstop2AUH]

Guess now we know BA's response to Eos and Silverjet! As the main clientele for these "London shuttle" point to point services are investment bankers, corporate lawyers, and hedge fund types, arriving at LCY near Canary Wharf and with easy access to the 'square mile' will be much more appealing than making the haul in from STN or LTN (or LHR/LGW for that matter). That's a real competitive advantage (along with the Executive Club miles) and neither Eos nor Silverjet have an aircraft that can service LCY. Personally, I prefer a roomy widebody for flights to London, but the customers for this sort of premium niche service are often making a quick visit (possibly even just one night) to do some business and value time savings and convenience more than anything else.

[njgtr82]

Lets hope for JFK service instead of EWR. Fact is that EWR is an easier commute to Manhatten though.

Lets hope for EWR instead of JFK! :D

[cancidas]

very interesting, definately a ploy to get buiness from silverjet. speaking of which, today was the first time i heard a radio commercial for silverjet. how long have they been advertising via radio>?

i don't understand why they would want to operate such a small sub-fleet of a/c with that special of a cabin? going to be bad if the airplanes go tech...

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

I'm hoping for JFK. I think operations will be easier. EWR IMO is more prone to delays with the inadequate spacing of the runways. It is easier for JFK to operate double runways making delays less likely.

I've always wanted to fly to London City Airport!!! It seems like fun!

[Alex T]

I do agree this could be a direct target to EOS and could hurt EOS. However, to ensure BA is succesful they need to make sure their service is first class, like EOS is. American is not a competition to EOS in terms of service (again I am only focusing on the service). AA only offers Business JFK-STN, while EOS offers F/C service at Business Fares. So for BA to truly directly compete, they need to ensure their service is of First Class. Otherwise it would be redundant and a copy of their own LHR-JFK service and such.

Alex

[SengaB]

Being a big fan of the A318 this would be a fantastic addition to my collection.

Senga

[cancidas]

[PhilDernerJr]

This is some very interesting news. I know little about the A318's performance capabilities, but is this route really realistic? Are we going to see regular diversions to Bangor or Halifax due to headwinds or something?

[Matt Molnar]

It sounds silly to me. The trip from downtown to LHR or LTN or STN might be an hour or more, but the stop in SNN must add at least an hour to the travel time.

[DHG750R]

Wouldnt it be interesting if somehow they would operate this flight into LGA ? Now That would be interesting..

[flyboy 28]

Wouldnt it be interesting if somehow they would operate this flight into LGA ? Now That would be interesting..

That would be cool. Not only a 318 (didn't Frontier stop flying them in there?), but BA as well. :)

[adam613]

Wouldnt it be interesting if somehow they would operate this flight into LGA ? Now That would be interesting..

Won't happen. LGA has a 1500nm perimeter...scheduled flights from further away are only allowed if they originate in Denver.