BA and American Offer Shuttle-Like Transatlantic Service

Through their new transatlantic joint business arrangement, American Airlines and British Airways have created what BA describes as being effectively a transatlantic shuttle service on top U.S.-UK routes by aligning the timing of their summer schedules.

According to British Airways, the biggest schedule change is on the London Heathrow-New York route. Previously, five of the 11 daily flights to New York left Heathrow at almost the same time, leaving gaps of up to three hours between services, the airline says.

Now New York-bound flights depart from Heathrow every hour, on the hour between 1:00 pm and 8:00 p.m. Additionally, there is a maximum of an hour and a half between morning departures.

From Chicago, American Airlines and British Airways previously had four London flights departing at similar times around 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Now the flights are evenly spaced, departing at around 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The 9:00 a.m. and 9:45 p.m. slots remain as they were.

A British Airways Boeing 747-400 takes off at London Heathrow, passing two other BA 747-400s which drawn up to terminal gates

Previously, two of the two carriers’ three daily flights to Miami from London clashed, both departing around 10:00 a.m. However, departure times have now been split so that the flights leave at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The departure time of the 1:30 p.m. flight has moved five minutes to 1.35 p.m.

The joint business also now gives customers the chance to fly non-stop between New York JFK and Budapest from April 5, and between Chicago and Helsinki from May 1. American Airlines will serve both routes daily.

British Airways will launch daily flights to San Diego from June 1, marking the airline’s return to the route after eight years. The British carrier has also increased its service frequency from London Gatwick to Cancun from two to three flights a week..

Meanwhile, joint-business partner Iberia has launched the only non-stop flight between Spain and California, flying between Madrid and Los Angeles three times a week and offering an additional weekly flight between July and September. Iberia has also launched a new three-times-weekly Barcelona-Miami service.