Today United Airlines revealed that it is to launch a new route to London Heathrow (LHR) later this year. While the exact start date is yet to be confirmed, we know that the airline plans to fly a Boeing 767-300ER to London’s primary airport from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
The transatlantic flight corridor from London to the United States has always been important historically. Indeed, before the current situation, the London to New York route was the highest value airline route globally, netting British Airways a sweet $1.16 billion in 2018. However, passengers don’t just want to fly to New York.
Boston to Heathrow
Later this year, United Airlines will inaugurate direct flights from Boston Logan International to London Heathrow. The airline is currently finalizing the start date, but we will know soon as the airline said tickets will be going on sale for the route within the coming weeks.
According to the airline, it intends to run daily flights to the following schedule,
- Depart Boston 22:00 – Arrive London Heathrow 09:35 the next day.
- Seven and a half hours on the ground in London.
- Depart London Heathrow 17:00 – Arrive Boston 19:30.
United Airlines will become the only United States carrier serving the route from Boston to London Heathrow. However, it will directly compete as both Virgin Atlantic, and British Airways currently serve Boston from Heathrow.
Which aircraft will United Airlines use?
As mentioned, United will use a Boeing 767-300ER to complete the service between the UK capital and Boston. This aircraft has 46 Polaris business class seats and 22 Premium Plus seats. With this layout, United Airlines points out that it offers the highest proportion of premium seats on a widebody between London and the United States operated by a US carrier.
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Alongside these seats, the airline also offers 99 economy class seats. 43 of these are equipped with extra legroom. Commenting on the new service, United’s VP of International Network and Alliances said,
“We are thrilled to offer travelers a convenient, non-stop option between Boston and London with this addition to our global network. We will continue to monitor the demand recovery and travel restrictions as we finalize a start date for this service later in 2021.”
About United Airlines’ Boeing 767 fleet
According to Planespotters.net, United Airlines currently has a 767 fleet size of 54 aircraft. This consists of 38 -300 aircraft, alongside 16 -400s. However, due to the current situation, most of the fleet remains grounded due to lack of demand.
Of the airline’s 767s, its oldest is N641UA, a -300 that is 29.9 years old. While it was stored from late March, the aircraft completed 102.4 flight hours in January, taking it 44,309 nautical miles, according to data from RadarBox.com. In contrast, the youngest aircraft, N686UA, is just 18.1 years old. Across the entire fleet of 767s, the average age is 23.4 years old, with the -300s averaging at 25.1 years.
What do you make of United Airlines’ new route across the Atlantic to London? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!
