151690_142x105The British are coming.
That’s British Airways. It will begin offering direct flights from London to Austin starting March next year. (Just in time for South by Southwest 2014).
The airline plans five flights a week initially and then plans daily flights starting on May 5th in its Boeing 787 Dreamliner with its three-cabin layout. Flights are on sale now starting at nearly $800.00 for economy to $5,600 for business class seats.
“The addition of the Airbus A380s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners to our fleet enables us to start new routes and increase services to a number of our destinations,” Lynne Embleton, British Airways’ director of strategy, said in a news release. “We’re excited to be the only airline offering direct flights from London to Austin. We believe it will prove very popular with both business and leisure customers and will be our third route to Texas, after Houston and Dallas. In the pioneering spirit of the Lone Star state, we are flying there in one of the world’s most advanced aircraft, the 787, to encourage more business with the scores of hi-tech businesses based in Austin’s ‘Silicon Hills’”.
The flight will connect Heathrow and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
“As the Mayor of Austin and a former pilot, I could not be more excited about this announcement by British Airways, one of the world’s foremost carriers,” Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell said in a news release.