Pittsburgh Receives New Transatlantic Route to London

Starting next April, Pittsburgh will receive a direct flight from London as British Airways has announced a new flight that will link the Pennsylvanian city to the British capital. The new route will increase the number of U.S. destinations British Airways serves to 26 and the number of daily flights offered by the British flag carrier and American Airlines to 67. This is a clear sign that the joint venture between the two companies is living up to its promise to boost the connectivity between the U.K. and U.S.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances, said: “We are extremely pleased to be adding Pittsburgh to our global network of over 250 destinations. With the roll-out of WiFi on our long-haul flights and the ongoing investment we’re making in the customer experience on the ground and in the air, we’re proud to be flying the flag for high-quality transatlantic travel.”

The new flights will run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays with BA171 departing from London-Heathrow at 5.00 p.m. and arriving into Pittsburgh at 8.15 p.m., while the return, BA0170, will leave Pittsburgh at 9.50 p.m and arrive back into London at 10.25 a.m. the following day.

Unsurprisingly, the route will be operated by one of British Airways’ newest aircraft, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The airline has been using the Dreamliner has its aircraft of choice to serve lower demand inland cities within the United States, taking advantage of the lower operating costs and fuel efficiency of the aircraft.

British Airways will launch 16 new routes across the globe this year, including direct flights to Nashville that started in March also with the Dreamliner. These new routes come as the airline rolls out a £4.5 billion, five-year customer investment plan with a focus on excellence in the premium cabins, more choice and more quality for all its customers.

The City of Pittsburgh has been seeing the addition of several new transatlantic flights as a part of an expansion plan that is certainly paying off. Besides this new service, the city is growing in connections such as WOW air’s service to Iceland (with onward connections to mainland Europe), Condor’s seasonal service to Frankfurt and Delta’s seasonal service to Paris.

This is British Airways’ second foray into Pittsburgh, as the airline previously served the city in the 1990s. As this BA route is the first year-round service to mainland Europe, it is an important advance on the strategy and will be watched by other international carriers looking to serve the Steel City.

Update: This article was updated to reflect the fact that British Airways previously served Pittsburgh in the 1990s.

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Pablo Diaz

Since a little kid, Pablo set his passions in order: aviation, soccer, and everything else. He has traveled to various destinations throughout South America, Asia, and Europe.

Technology and systems expert, occasional spotter, not-so-dynamic midfielder, blogger, husband, father of three cats; he believes that Latin America's aviation industry past, present, and future offer a lot of stories to be told.

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