LONDON—British Airways has announced 18 daily frequencies between London Heathrow Terminal 5A and Terminal 4. In a press release on Monday, the British flag carrier launched the long-awaited route between two of the main UK destinations that was notoriously underserved in the past years. Travel time between Britain’s largest and fourth largest markets will be slashed from over 75 minutes down to less than 65 minutes, saving travelers an arduous trek on two separate trains and several miles of escalators, or an indirect flight that involves changing planes in Madrid.
The new route will be operated by B777-200 equipment during the morning and afternoon connection banks, with A319 and A320NEO scheduled during the less busy noon time and late evening hours. The flights will be routed northwest towards Birmingham, onwards to Leeds where several holding patterns will be flown to dump fuel, followed by a straight inbound heading towards Norwich and a direct approach to the southern Runway 27L for a swift taxi to Terminal 4. British Airways has reportedly spent £900 million for the 18 daily slot pairs required for this operation.
The airline announced promotional one-way fares starting at £89 in Euro Traveller and £199 in Club Europe. Passengers will be earning one Avio on this segment.