British Airways will be operating Airbus A380 flights from London Heathrow Airport to Boston Logan International Airport next summer. This decision was not originally planned, but a recent schedule update revealed that the 469-seat double-decker quadjet will be making a return at the end of March.
The A380 will be flying the Heathrow-Boston route daily until October 29, 2024, which marks the end of the northern aviation winter season based on IATA slot seasons. This move will see the A380 replacing the Boeing 787-10 on this route, freeing up an entire frame for redeployment.
The specific schedule for the A380 flights will vary depending on the day and month, but a common schedule for next summer includes BA213 departing from Heathrow at 14:30 and arriving in Boston at 16:50, with a return flight on BA212 departing Boston at 19:10 and arriving back in Heathrow at 06:50 the next day.
The London-Boston service has been a popular route, with over 651,000 roundtrip point-to-point passengers in the year leading up to July 2024. More than 260,000 passengers connected to other flights at Heathrow, while over 125,000 passengers transferred to another flight in Boston.
As of now, five airlines are set to operate between London and Boston next summer, with nine daily flights expected when JetBlue’s seasonal Gatwick service is back. However, overall flights are down compared to 2024 due to various factors.
Looking ahead to June 2025, British Airways plans to use the A380 to multiple destinations, including Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles. Comparing this plan to June 2024, there have been some changes, such as the exclusion of Dallas/Fort Worth from the A380 route.
Overall, the decision to bring back the A380 to the London-Boston route signifies a positive step for British Airways as they continue to adjust their operations and routes in response to changing travel demands and conditions.