British Airways is relaunching its long-haul service from London Heathrow to both Austin and San Diego on Oct. 13, announced the airline in a press release.
BA flights to both Austin, Texas and San Diego, California were grounded in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sept. 15, San Diego announced the resumption of its services, while Austin took a week more to follow suit.
Despite the announcement gap, flights to the two cities have been confirmed to resume on Oct. 13, 2021.
London Heathrow (LHR) – Austin (AUS)
A Boeing 787-9 will fly the route, with 216 seats in total, including eight in first class, 42 in Club World, 39 in World Traveller Plus, and 127 in economy class. The route is expected to operate once daily from mid-December.
According to DOT data, BA transported 186,159 round-trip passengers to and from Austin in 2019. This means that more than 95,000 passengers passed through Heathrow to destinations in the rest of the UK, Germany, Ireland, India, and France.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming back British Airways to Austin and celebrate the return of nonstop service to London-Heathrow,” said Chief Executive Officer of the Austin Airport, Jacqueline Yaft.
London Heathrow (LHR) – San Diego (SAN)
The route to San Diego will be served by Boeing B777-200ERs boasting 272 seats, 40 in World Traveller Plus, and 184 in World Traveller. This aircraft does not offer first class.
In 2029, BA flew 168,312 round-trip passengers to/from San Diego, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Additionally, Booking data shows that over 100,000 passengers passed through Heathrow to Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and the rest of the UK.
“We can’t wait to welcome our customers back on board our San Diego flights and we are honored to be playing our part in reuniting families and friends with their loved ones after such a long time apart,” said The head of North American Sales for British Airways, Marie Hilditch.
Itinerary
- BA191: Heathrow-Austin, 11:50-16:15
- BA190: Austin-Heathrow: 18:25-09:50+1 (the next day)
- BA273: Heathrow-San Diego, 13:45-16:55
- BA272: San Diego-Heathrow: 19:00-13:25+1 (the next day)
With the restart of both routes, BA now boasts 16 US destinations, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Miami, and Seattle.