[ad_1]
As more and more travelers want to return to international travel, British Airways resumes its non-stop service between Austin and London.
After a 17-month absence, the transatlantic service will return to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on October 13, the airline announced on Thursday.
British Airways, which has been operating in Austin since March 2014, will resume air traffic between Austin and London Heathrow Airport three days a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
“We can’t wait to welcome our customers back aboard our Austin flights and are honored to do our part to reunite families and friends with loved ones after such a long time,” said Marie Hilditch, Head of British Airways’ sales in North America. “
More:Southwest Airlines relies on Austin with nine new non-stop routes
British Airways has implemented COVID-19 security measures at the airport and on board to protect customers and crew. These include social distancing measures, wearing face masks, and hand sanitizing stations.
Before starting their journey, customers also receive information on how to prepare for their flight.
“The safety of our customers and colleagues has always been the focus of everything we do,” said Hilditch. “We know that some customers have not flown in a long time. We can assure them that we have taken a number of Covid-19 measures to make travel stress-free and stress-free.”
The airline cleans critical surfaces such as seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight, and every aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day.
More:Austin Airport welcomed 1.54 million travelers in July, making it the fifth busiest month of all time
Air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled every two to three minutes through HEPA filters that remove microscopic clusters of bacteria and viruses with over 99.9% efficiency, which is in line with hospital standards, the airline said.
“The Austin to London route was more than just a fantastic way to travel; it was a huge contributor to the local economy,” said Gina Fiandaca, deputy city manager for SD23 Mobility Outcome. “We look forward to welcoming British Airways and their customers back to Austin.”
For travelers arriving in Austin, ABIA follows improved health and safety protocols and changed operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Practices include improved cleaning procedures throughout the terminal, contactless mobile ordering and on-site testing.
While domestic travel, especially leisure travel, is returning, experts predict that business travel and international travel will take longer to fully recover.
“We are very excited to welcome British Airways back to Austin and to celebrate the return of nonstop flights to London Heathrow,” said Jacqueline Yaft, CEO of Austin-Bergstrom. “The resumption of the non-stop transatlantic between our two cities is great news for business and leisure travelers alike.”
British Airways’ news follows this month’s announcement by Southwest Airlines that it will add nine new non-stop routes this spring to meet market demand from private and business travelers.
More:10 new gates, 2 new taxiways and farewell to the South Terminal: changes are coming for Austin Airport.
The airline announced it would begin daily non-stop service to Amarillo, Midland, Charleston, SC, Columbus, Ohio, and Ontario, California on March 10.
Service to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and seasonal weekly service to Panama City, Florida; Sarasota / Bradenton, Florida and Destin / Fort Walton Beach, Florida begin March 12th.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines began serving Austin 44 years ago this month. It is now the dominant airline at Austin-Bergstrom.
David Harvey, vice president of Southwest Business, told Statesman that vacation travel had dropped back to 2019 levels this summer, but the COVID Delta variant slowed the trajectory. Business travel has continued to decline as companies postponed travel amid the COVID delta variant, he said.
In the past few months, a number of airlines have introduced new non-stop flights to and from Austin. In May, American Airlines began flying 10 year-round and seasonal routes from Austin-Bergstrom.
Daily, year-round service from Austin to Nashville, Las Vegas, Orlando and New Orleans began in May, and services to Raleigh-Durham, Tampa and Washington-Dulles began later that summer.
The new Saturday seasonal service to Aspen, Colorado, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, and Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida began in June.
Passenger traffic at Austin Airport fell 63% in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The airport had about 6.5 million passengers last year, up from 17.3 million passengers in 2019, the highest passenger travel year ever.
The 2020 passenger count was Austin-Bergstrom’s lowest number since the airport opened in 1999. Prior to COVID-19, the airport experienced record-breaking passenger growth for 10 years in a row.
But a recovery is underway: July was the fifth busiest month ever at the airport and continues the trend for more travel since last spring.
In July, a total of 1,541,305 people traveled through the airport, which, according to the airport authorities, increased by 279.6% compared to July 2020. According to airport data, only 406,065 passengers were registered at the airport last July.
July 2021 is now the busiest month of all time at the airport, alongside May, June, July and October 2019.
Statesman reporter Kelsey Bradshaw contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
