British Airways to Add US Flights but No New Routes in 2027

British Airways plans to add flights to four existing U.S. destinations next summer instead of launching new routes. Neil Chernoff, the airline's chief planning and strategy officer, outlined the approach on the sidelines of the Routes World conference in Frankfurt this week.

Columbus, Ohio, Nashville and Phoenix will all get new nonstop service to Europe next summer, in some cases their first transatlantic flights, from Air France, American Airlines, Lufthansa, United Airlines and others. British Airways, the European carrier with the most U.S. flights, is not among them. "There's always a balance between new routes and growing in existing markets," Chernoff said.

From its London Heathrow hub, the Oneworld carrier will add frequencies in summer 2027 to these cities:

• Cincinnati: daily, up from five flights a week to six
• Las Vegas: twice daily, up from 13 flights a week
• San Francisco: three daily flights, up from two
• St. Louis: daily, up from four flights a week

British Airways added Cincinnati in 2023 and St. Louis in April.

Aer Lingus and Iberia

Chernoff said the airline also has to weigh its Atlantic growth against that of Aer Lingus and Iberia, which share a parent group with it. Iberia has announced no new U.S. cities for 2027 despite ambitious growth plans, and Aer Lingus is shrinking, ending flights to Las Vegas, Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul to cut costs.

Secondary cities remain on the table

British Airways is watching Air France, Icelandair and Lufthansa add routes. "We think there's still some opportunities in some secondary markets," he said, though he named no candidates. Population size is a key factor, he said. Census data shows that Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City and San Antonio are among the 40 largest U.S. metro areas without British Airways service.

Some mid-sized cities, including Charlotte and Raleigh, are served from Heathrow by joint-venture partner American Airlines. That venture, which also includes Iberia and Finnair and could add Alaska Airlines, lets the partners coordinate schedules and fares on transatlantic routes.

The airline flies to 27 U.S. cities, the most of any European carrier. "We don't want to lose out to Icelandair or anyone else," Chernoff said.

New cities, especially smaller ones, are preferably opened with its smallest long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 787-8, he said. The airline has just 12 of them and no orders for more, but it can move them to new destinations as established markets grow and switch to larger planes such as the 787-9 or 777. Each 787-8 carries 31 business suites, 37 premium economy seats and 136 economy seats.

Source: The Points Guy