THE BRITISH ARE GOING

08-22-1999

British Airways' Aug. 9 announcement that, on Oct. 31, it will indefinitely suspend its daily, nonstop flight from Pittsburgh to London's Gatwick Airport is certainly a setback for local travelers.

 
There's no question Britain is a primary destination for leisure travelers and business travelers alike. In terms of time and convenience, there are huge advantages in being able to board a plane at Pittsburgh International that doesn't land until London. And while Gatwick doesn't offer nearly as many connection possibilities as Heathrow, BA provides a wide range of ongoing flights to numerous destinations throughout Britain and Western Europe.

Those conveniences may be even more significant when flying in the opposite direction. Clearing customs in Pittsburgh is an unhassled breeze compared with the cattle drives that can clog such major international gateways as JFK, not to mention the difficulties of finding convenient connections to Pittsburgh.

Having flown on that route numerous times in the 13 years it has operated, I can also report that BA's commitment to providing quality passenger service is sincere, and a steady stream of discount ticket prices certainly made the journey more enticing, especially in the off-season. In fact, its recent Double Decker Deal was almost too good to pass up; buy a round-trip for this fall, and get a free trip come winter.

But the costs of BA's commitment to continue Pittsburgh service despite the collapse three years ago of its code-sharing with USAirways have apparently grown too great. Maintaining necessary local airport and sales operations for only seven flights a week is a hard revenue nut to crack, especially off-season and without a steady flow of passengers feeding into them from throughout the USAirways system.

And unfortunately, although BA is suspending its service, getting another carrier to pick up the slack will require negotiations at the highest international levels. BA effectively controls rights to the Pittsburgh-London route, reserving the option to resume service at a future date. Or maybe not.

USAirways is the only logical candidate, and it has petitions on file for routes from Pittsburgh to both Heathrow and Gatwick, whichever becomes available. It seems unlikely, however, that BA will allow another rival, particularly an estranged partner, to gain a competitive foothold in its home turf. In fact, BA might seek to transfer its landing rights to another airport altogether. It could also decide to resume service at some point, a situation which has occurred both in Baltimore and Tampa.

So, again, Pittsburgh air travelers will take the brunt of decisions made else where; not unlike USAirways' determination to not provide us with its low-cost Metrojet service while, at the same time, making it difficult for other carriers to offer any real competition. Why go easy on a cash cow?

For its part, British Airways is making every effort to be a responsible corporate citizen, even while packing its bags and preparing to leave town.
In making the announcement, BA said passengers holding reservations made prior to its announcement for flights on or after Nov. 1 have the option of taking another British Airways flight from one of its other U.S. gateways (such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia or Washington) or to apply for a complete refund. BA has already tried contacting passengers affected by the suspension.
But as at least one reader has discovered, the situation isn't so cut and dried.
When Gordon Marshall, a computer programmer and frequent traveler to Britain, heard about BA's Double Decker Deal, he booked September round-trips for him and his wife and got a coupon for two free off-season trips from Pittsburgh to London.

When he heard the news last week, the Belle Vernon resident had some questions and made several calls to BA trying to determine the status of those flights. For even if BA is willing to honor its free flight promise from another U.S. gateway, Marshall was rightly concerned about the cost of transportation between that city and Pittsburgh.

Other former British Airways passengers with confirmed reservations face the same dilemma. For example, some may be booked on a flight that departs before Oct. 31, but on a return flight after the cut-off date. And what about members of BA's frequent flyer program, whose accumulated mileage can no longer be applied to flights from Pittsburgh?

We called Honor Verrier, BA's vice president of communications for North America, for answers to those questions, and were impressed with the airline's commitment to a fair resolution. It will provide all passengers holding reservations for flights after Oct. 31 with free air connections on another carrier to another BA gateway.
It makes the same offer to passengers holding bona fide claims, such as Double Decker Deal free trips and existing frequent flyer reservations. Members of its frequent-flyer program will still be able to apply their mileage to BA flights (but without free air connections to other gateways) as well as programs of other One World alliance airlines. Only one of the six, American, offers service from Pittsburgh.

And of course, passengers who have fallen in love with BA's high service standards will still be able to book trips on its planes with through-fares from Pittsburgh.
Let's hope a shift in the winds of international airline competition soon brings another nonstop London flight to Pittsburgh International. And thanks to British Airlines for 13 years of great flights. It will be hard to get used to anything less.

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