Features

Route of the month - London to San Diego

26 Apr 2011 by Alex McWhirter
Alex McWhirter looks at flight options for London to San Diego Will it be third time lucky for British Airways in San Diego? The airline is coming back in June for a third attempt at making a success of this route linking London with Southern California. In the past, BA has cited various reasons why it found the route unprofitable. These included the high cost of fuel and a lack of premium class travellers. Since then, the oil price has fallen, although at the time of writing it was on the rise again following the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. But BA finds itself strengthened thanks to its recent tie-up with American Airlines and Iberia of Spain. It means BA flights on this route can now also be booked through aa.com, American Airlines’ website, and iberia.com, and that passengers can both earn and redeem frequent flyer programme miles with all three carriers. And with San Diego becoming more popular as a location for corporate headquarters, BA will be hoping there is now a larger market for its premium cabins. In the ever-competitive world of aviation, BA will have an advantage in being the only carrier outside the Americas to operate nonstop to San Diego from any long-distance international point. It means it can score brownie points not only over the likes of Air France, KLM and Lufthansa but also the Gulf carriers, which are increasingly muscling in on the voluminous transit market for passengers flying between the Middle East/Asia and the US. The new route is also being supported by San Diego International airport. According to local media, the facility offers valuable concessions to encourage foreign carriers to connect the city with the rest of the world. Reports talk of generous marketing incentives and a full and partial rebate of landing fees in the first two years of the route launch. San Diego is located some 200km south of LA. It is one of the largest US cities and is becoming a centre for biotech and pharmaceutical industries. What BA is offering The daily service gets under way on June 1 and will be operated by a B777-200 configured with 48 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats and 203 in economy class. Flight BA273 departs Heathrow at 1505 to arrive into San Diego at 1815. Return flight BA272 leaves at 2005 to reach Heathrow the following afternoon at 1425. Both flights are ideally timed for connections, especially from UK domestic points and cities in mainland Europe. The nonstop schedules save many hours when you consider that existing routings involve flying via Chicago, Dallas or Los Angeles. Alternatively, you can fly into Los Angeles and proceed south by road. Lead-in prices are £2,279 for business, £1,123 for premium economy and £600 for economy. But these prices were checked weeks in advance. Expect business fares to rise nearer the departure time, while there may be promotional offers in economy class to launch the new route. Passenger benefits Besides the time savings afforded to travellers bound for the US, San Diego residents, many of whom drive north to Los Angeles for their international flights, can now access the world from their doorstep. Local business people talk of having to allow between two and four hours (depending on traffic conditions) for the drive to LA, where car parking is costlier than at San Diego. The competition BA has the monopoly on direct flights, as all other carriers oblige you to make a plane change or else fly into Los Angeles. Main European carriers serving Los Angeles include Air France, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa and Swiss. Indirect flights out of UK/mainland Europe into San Diego are operated by the likes of American, Delta and United.
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