British Airways slashes business-class-only flights to New York

BA's premium service from London City to JFK pared back by 50 per cent amid ebbing demand for corporate travel following UK vote to leave the EU.

British Airways has halved its business-class service from London City Airport to New York. Miles Willis / Getty

British Airways will cut one of its two daily flights from London City Airport to New York’s John F Kennedy International hub, slashing capacity on a business-class-only service that began in 2009.

The change will be introduced with the winter schedule at the end of October, leaving British Airways with up to 12 daily flights to terminals in the New York area from London’s Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports, according to the unit of IAG on Thursday.

While BA highlighted the City route in a video of the steep landing at the airport in London’s Docklands district only last month, the premium service is particularly exposed to ebbing demand for corporate travel prompted by Britain’s June 23 vote to quit the European Union.

Because of City’s short runway outbound BA flights are restricted to A318 jets, the smallest members of Airbus’ narrow-body family, which usually seat 107 people but are equipped with 32 flat-bed seats for the US service. Even then the planes must refuel in Ireland, although BA has made a virtue of the stop by having its passengers clear US border controls there.

“We constantly evaluate the commercial performance of our entire global network and will increase or reduce our schedules as we feel appropriate,” British Airways said. “Any customers affected by the changes will be rebooked on to an alternative flight or offered a full refund.”

A return ticket between City and New York Kennedy costs about £3,650 (Dh17,823), departing November 7 and returning a week later, according to BA’s website. Customers are attracted by City’s proximity to London’s main business district, as well as the corporate jet-like feel of the service, which carries flight codes formerly dedicated to supersonic Concorde operations.

A number of business-only trans-Atlantic carriers have folded in the past decade, among them Silverjet, Eos Airlines and MAXJet Airlines. The failures have not dented enthusiasm for the concept, with the start-up Odyssey Airlines – whose executive team includes ex-Silverjet managers – planning to begin flights from London City next year using Bombardier C Series jets.

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