British Airways Adds New Route to St.
British Airways has announced its latest addition to its US routes, with the launch of a new service from London Heathrow to St. Louis. This route falls perfectly into the category of long, thin routes that are ideal for the Boeing 787 aircraft. This announcement comes as BA plans to operate an average of 50 daily flights to the US next summer, setting a new record for the airline.
St. Louis has a history of scheduled flights to London, with American Airlines operating flights to London Gatwick until 2003 and British Caledonian serving the city in the 1980s. These flights were partly to support Ozark’s operations at the time.
The first flight for this new route will depart from Heathrow, the tenth busiest airport in the world by aircraft movements, on April 22. The route will cover a distance of 3,650 nautical miles and will operate four times a week on the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. It is currently unknown if the flights will use the refurbished 204-seat aircraft with the latest Club World cabin or the non-refurbished 214-seat aircraft.
Days
Heathrow To St.
St.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays
16:25-19:30
22:00-12:05+1
Why St. Louis?
The metropolitan area of St. Louis is home to over three million people and is headquarters to several Fortune 500 companies. With a GDP of $227 billion in 2023 and a rapidly growing GDP per person, the city is expected to have a strong demand for premium cabins on this route. As with other similar routes, the airline may offer incentives and revenue guarantees to attract passengers and mitigate any potential risks.
According to booking data from the past 12 months, the route had an estimated 730 daily round-trip passengers to and from Europe. However, one potential challenge for this route is the availability of one-stop options through other major hubs in the US, Canada, and Germany, as discussed below. London was the largest market for St. Louis, with approximately 130 daily round-trip passengers. In fact, St. Louis was the largest unserved US city from London.
Top 10 Most Popular Destinations for London-St.
Frankfurt*, Rome, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Athens, Madrid, Hyderabad, Venice
*Only because of nonstop flights (see later)
This route is expected to generate high yields, with an average one-way fare of $1,225, including a fuel surcharge. This reflects the strong demand for premium travel on this route, which is comparable to other popular routes, such as Dallas. The shorter distance between London and St.