Business Courier: British Airways at CVG: First new trans-Atlantic flight in five years launches
06/06/2023
Cincinnati Business Courier / Chris Wetterich / June 6, 2023
Complete with Shakespeare, music by British artists and meat pies, British Airways launched the first new trans-Atlantic flight at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport since 2018 on June 5, ushering in a new era at the airport.
London is the second nonstop destination CVG has to and from Europe, with Delta Air Lines’ Paris being the other.
“One of the things this flight does is help all of the businesses in town and helps grow business,” said CVG CEO Candace McGraw, citing FIS Global, DHL, GE Aerospace, “all of who have told us they will make good use of this flight.”
Before the flight departed, actors performed a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream on a stage with the U.S. and U.K. flags as a backdrop, a singer belted out tunes from Adele and other artists from Britain, all while passengers feasted on meat pies and cakes.
The flights to Heathrow Airport will be on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with three cabins – economy, premium economy and a lie-flat business product.
Such aircraft will be retrofitted to provide a more private, business-class suite by the end of 2024 or early 2025, according to British Airways.
The flight will be five times per week during peak summer travel season – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. During the winter, the flight will be four days a week – Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The London flight is the only nonstop in Ohio, Kentucky or Indianapolis. British Airways is CVG’s 14th airline. CVG is the 27th U.S. market served by British Airways.
An analysis commissioned by Cincinnati business groups estimate the flight will have an annual economic impact of $57 million.