British Airways surprised rivals today by anouncing plans to launch its own
transatlantic business-only flights.
The airline will operate daily flights from London City to New York next year
on Airbus A318 aircraft with just 32 seats.
But the airline will have to refuel on route to New York, possibly for 90
minutes at Shannon. Flights back to City Airport will be non-stop.
"We'll decide where to refuel in due course on westbound flights. Runway
restrictions mean we can't take off from London City with full fuel tanks,"
admitted a BA spokesman.
But he denied the need to land and refuel negated the rationale for a
business-only airline, where speed and no hassle travel are of paramount
importance.
"We believe it's going to be a great opportunity for the business
community, London and for the City. Otherwise, customers based there would
have to consider additional travelling time to other airports."
The move is meant to be a direct challenge to the two existing business-only
airlines flying to New York, Luton-based Silverjet and Eos at Stansted. A
third airline, Maxjet, ceased trading late last year.
And it also pre-empts any plans by Virgin Atlantic to launch its own business
airline - although the airline denies it will. "We said last October
that we were not launching business-only flights," said spokesman Paul
Charles.
It is an interesting development for BA, which last month drew attention away
from its plans by announcing a new airline, Open Skies, to start services to
New York from Paris and Brussels.
The decision to base its business-only services at London City is also a coup,
with BA promising 15-minute check-in, one of the key sellers for Silverjet
at Luton.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh boasted: “This niche service will fly
passengers between the heart of the two largest financial centres in the
world.
"We will offer a 15 minute check-in for customers in both London and New
York and, with a maximum of 32 passengers onboard, getting on and off the
aircraft will be a smooth process."
BA already operates eight flights a day to JFK from Heathrow and three a day
to Newark. To operate transatlantic flights from London City, BA is being
forced to order two Airbus A318s, the first in its fleet.
The A318 aircraft, which can seat up to 107 passengers, is the first mainline
jet to use London City airport. An A318 flew into the airport for the first
time last year, when it was being tested for its suitability for steep
take-offs and landings.
Aircraft using London City must be able to handle approaches at 7.5 degrees,
almost twice as steep as conventional airport approaches, because of its
short runway. The A318 has a range of 6,000 kilometres, which means it can
also fly to cities including Rome, Madrid and Dubai.
Since the tests, London City has been keen for airlines to start using A318
services. Given the comparitive successes of Silverjet and Eos, and with
Virgin and Bmi formulating their own plans, BA has taken the commercial
decision to add a new aircraft to its fleet - with the financial
implications of servicing and maintenance - in order to join the battle for
the all-important business traveller.
Richard Gooding, London City Airport’s managing director, said last year: “The
A318 is expected eventually to replace existing aircraft such as the BAE
146, which is no longer in production. Carrying 107 passengers the A318
helps secure the long-term development of London City Airport, which is
expected to quadruple in throughput over the next 25 years”, he said.
Meanwhile, Silverjet is to add two
new aircraft to its fleet next month which will allow it to operate to
destinations such as Johannesburg, Shanghai and Los Angeles. The airline
will acquire the two Boeing 767ER planes, with a range of 6,000 miles, from
Thomsonfly.
The airline currently flies to New York Newark and Dubai and yesterday ended a
sale which offered 20 per cent off prices. Chief executive Lawrence Hunt
said today: "BA's announcement is a ringing endorsement for Silverjet's
business model and for our airline. It's also an admission that the old
multi class model of airline travel, with its rip off prices and erratic
customer experience, just isn't working."
