British Airways has today announced it will operate daily direct services from both Brussels and Paris Charles de Gaulle to New York later this year under the brand name OpenSkies. The name reflects that of the agreement made last year between the European Union and the US government which is set to liberalise air traffic between the two from the end of March this year, allowing carriers from both to fly anywhere between the two.

The airline will use Boeing 757s from its own fleet, reconfigured to have 82 seats in three classes: 24 flat bed seats in business class (although they will not be the same as Club World on BA’s mainline fleet), 28 premium economy seats with a 52” seat pitch (larger than the existing World traveller Plus) and 30 economy seats.

Services will start to one of the two destinations in June with the second following later in the year following conversion of a second aircraft.

It has now yet revealed fares – which BA boss Willie Walsh says will be competitive – nor its destination airport in New York. BA is the biggest foreign airline at JFK but the airport is having flights capped from this summer in a bid to reduce congestion. BA may struggle to find good slots for the new services. Newark seems a more likely choice as a result.

Walsh told Times Online Travel that he expected 70% of passengers to come from the US. “We have a strong brand in the US compared to a lot of other carriers. We fly to 18 US cities and we are better known in the US than a lot of US domestic carriers,” he said. He said he expected that the market for the new flights will not be existing passengers new converts to the airline, particularly those attracted by the idea of flat bed seats.

BA faces increased competition at its Heathrow stronghold as a result of Open Skies. Several US carriers have already announced plans to start transatlantic flights from Heathrow as soon as the agreement comes into force.