American Airlines Adds Fourth Dallas – London Rotation

US major American Airlines has confirmed it will introduce a fourth rotation on its route between Dallas/Fort Worth International and London Heathrow this summer as it celebrates the 3oth anniversary of its debut in this market. The additional flight will operate six times weekly from June 14, 2012 and will be flown using a two-class Boeing 767-300 with seating for 219 passengers: 28 in Business Class and 191 in Economy.

American Airlines first launched services on the route on May 19, 1982, initially serving London Gatwick Airport in the UK capital as access to London Heathrow was restricted to the then US giants Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and Trans World Airlines (TWA). This was actually American Airlines’ first transatlantic flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International. The route has been subsequently expanded to a three times daily schedule with operations moving to London Heathrow in March 2008.

“This additional service provides even more links from London Heathrow to our major hub in Dallas as we now serve Dallas/Fort Worth up to five-times daily in cooperation with our joint business partners at British Airways,” said Graham Bell, Director of Sales UK and Ireland, American Airlines. “It is a double celebration as we reach our 30th anniversary on this route and demonstrates the ongoing success and attraction of Dallas/Fort Worth as a global hub and gateway to Texas.”

American Airlines and its oneworld partner British Airways (BA) hold a joint monopoly on the route through their the transatlantic joint business agreement with BA offering the only other non-stop flight between London and Dallas, a daily Boeing 747-400 offering, also from London Heathrow. In the past year an estimated 184,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route.