BRITISH AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES ROUTES AND STARTS SELLING SEATS FOR ITS NEW GATWICK SHORT-HAUL SUBSIDIARY
Today British Airways has revealed the initial destinations for its new Gatwick subsidiary, which will start flying from March 2022. Tickets to 35 short-haul destinations will also be on sale from Tuesday 14 December.
The airline announced its intention to create a short-haul standalone business at Gatwick in August, similar to its operation from London City Airport, which operates under the British Airways name but exists as an entirely separate entity. The offshoot will launch later in 2022, with short-haul services at Gatwick being operated by mainline BA until the new entities' Air Operators Certificate is issued. BA short-haul flights will start operating from Gatwick at the end of March, with three Airbus short-haul aircraft initially, ramping ramp up to 18 aircraft by the end of May.
The subsidiary will herald the airline's return to short-haul flying from the London airport, which had been suspended as a result of Covid-19 in Spring 2020. During the pandemic, several routes were moved to Heathrow airport, some of which will return to Gatwick, as well as being maintained at Heathrow to give customers choice, including Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Marrakech and Tenerife. In addition, other new routes will be added at Gatwick including Athens, Berlin, Madrid, Milan Malpensa and Santorini.
The new services will be branded and known as British Airways*. Customers will receive the same high level of service they expect of British Airways as well as enjoying the benefits of travelling with the UK's flag carrier including a generous baggage allowance, free water and snacks, free seat selection at -24 hours and frequent flyer benefits which include lounge access.
Club Europe customers will also receive complimentary food and drink and Euro Traveller customers who want to order additional food will benefit from access to the airline's 'Speedbird Cafe', which features a selection of products from a range of carefully selected British brands.
Tickets, which will go on sale at ba.com today, and start from GBP39* each way with fares competitive with those of Gatwick no-frills carriers. British Airways Holidays also has a number of packages to these destinations, starting from GBP119.** The airline will continue to prioritise flying to and from the most convenient destinations across Europe.
Sean Doyle, British Airways' Chairman and CEO, said: 'Today is a landmark moment for British Airways. The creation of a new British Airways short-haul organisation means Gatwick customers will benefit from access to a premium service from the UK's flag carrier at competitive prices. We are looking forward to bringing a short-haul network back to Gatwick, with a fantastic flying team in place, to serve our customers from London's second hub airport, which we feel sure will be a success.'
Stewart Wingate, CEO, Gatwick Airport, said: 'This significant news will be very welcome for many people connected to the airport. Despite the ongoing public health situation, today's announcement is a positive signal that consumer confidence is returning as people start thinking about making travel plans for next summer.
'Given the difficult period we have all just been through, we expect BA's new and extensive network of services from Gatwick to destinations across Europe to be in high demand and our staff, retailers, restaurants, cafes and bars are all looking forward to welcoming BA passengers back in larger numbers from April next year.'
The airline has already launched a significant recruitment campaign to invite people interested in roles to help the company launch the new subsidiary. Prospective candidates can visit the British Airways careers site, where new roles are added each week and you can register your interest for future job alerts.
Ends
Notes to editors:
Tickets are each way based on a return fare. Available on Nice, Palma and Venice if booked as part of a return, travel period 7 June - 29 June.
The new services will initially be operated by British Airways, but by Autumn 2022 the organisation will be managed separately under the company trading name 'BA Euroflyer', consistent with its sister subsidiary 'BA CityFlyer'. The brand name will remain as British Airways.
** Venice: British Airways Holidays offers two nights at the 4* Novotel Venezia Mestre Castellana from GBP119pp, travelling on selected dates between 1 April - 30 April 2022 inclusive. Includes economy (Euro Traveller) return flights from London Gatwick Airport, 23kg luggage allowance and accommodation. Book by 25 January 2022. For reservations visit www.britishairways.com/venice
Nice: British Airways Holidays offers two nights at the 4* Best Western Cannes Riviera & Spa from GBP119pp, travelling on selected dates between 1 April - 30 April 2022 inclusive. Includes economy (Euro Traveller) return flights from London Gatwick Airport, 23kg luggage allowance and accommodation. Book by 25 January 2022. For reservations visit www.britishairways.com/nice
Palma: British Airways Holidays offers five nights at the 4* Blue Sea Club Martha's from GBP179pp, travelling on selected dates between 1 May - 31 May 2022 inclusive. Includes economy (Euro Traveller) return flights from London Gatwick Airport, 23kg luggage allowance and accommodation. Book by 25 January 2022. For reservations visit www.britishairways.com/palma
Gatwick short-haul routes, launching from March 2022:
Destination Country Start Date
Amsterdam Netherlands 29 March 2022
Larnaca Cyprus 29 March 2022
Paphos Cyprus 29 March 2022
Seville Spain 29 March 2022
Tenerife Spain 29 March 2022
Verona Italy 29 March 2022
Arrecife (Lanzarote) Spain 30 March 2022
Faro Portugal 30 March 2022
Malta Malta 30 March 2022
Catania (Sicily) Italy 31 March 2022
Malaga Spain 31 March 2022
Marrakech Morocco 31 March 2022
Nice France 31 March 2022
Alicante Spain 1 April 2022
Antalya Turkey 2 April 2022
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) Spain 2 April 2022
Bari Italy 3 April 2022
Dubrovnik Croatia 4 April 2022
Turin Italy 4 April 2022
Ibiza Spain 5 April 2022
Palma (Mallorca) Spain 7 April 2022
Berlin Germany 8 April 2022
Venice Italy 8 April 2022
Mahon (Menorca) Spain 11 April 2022
Madrid Spain 14 April 2022
Thessaloniki Greece 14 April 2022
Bordeaux France 15 April 2022
Milan Malpensa Italy 15 April 2022
Santorini Greece 15 April 2022
Cagliari (Sardinia) Italy 17 April 2022
Dalaman Turkey 23 April 2022
Heraklion (Crete) Greece 24 April 2022
Kos Greece 24 April 2022
Rhodes Greece 28 April 2022
Athens Greece 4 May 2022
VINCI 
