NEW YORK, July 30, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- British Airways has announced that from May 1, 2016 it will begin flying its state-of-the-art Airbus A380 superjumbo daily between Vancouver International Airport, Canada and London Heathrow, UK. This marks the first A380 for the city of Vancouver and will be the only scheduled A380 service in western Canada.
All four Canadian cities that British Airways serves will now have the latest aircraft in British Airways’ fleet, with Toronto, Montreal and Calgary operating the 787 Dreamliner. Tickets for the new service are available to buy from today.
Robert Antoniuk, British Airways’ Vice President Operations West, said “We’re excited that our British Airways customers in Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest will be able to experience the newest addition to our fleet, with spacious cabins and extensive entertainment options. This is the culmination of a multi-billion pound investment in services that we know will further enhance the premium experience that our customers expect from British Airways.”
“It has been nine years since Airbus first brought the A380 to YVR as part of its test flight schedule, and since that time much has changed—but not our appetite to see this superjumbo in action on a commercial route,” said Craig Richmond, President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “I wish to congratulate British Airways, one of our longest-standing airline partners, for putting an A380 on the YVR-Heathrow route. To see this incredible aircraft return to YVR with scheduled service will be very exciting.”
British Airways’ A380 Service
British Airways will operate the A380 daily from Vancouver to London for the summer season. The largest commercial airliner in the sky, British Airways’ A380 can accommodate up to 469 customers in four cabins across two full decks.
- The First cabin features 14 luxurious suites with 30 percent more personal space than the previous generation.
- 97 Club World (business class) seats that convert into full flat beds.
- The popular World Traveller Plus (premium economy) cabin will have 55 seats and 303 seats will be available in World Traveller (economy).
The A380 is optimized for wellness, with quiet, spacious cabins and an advanced cabin air conditioning system that allows 15 different temperature control zones and cabin air that is changed every three minutes.
Enhanced Entertainment
Customers can enjoy on-demand seat-back entertainment, with more than 1,600 hours of programing. It features 130 movies and 650 TV shows from around the world along with an extensive audio selection — something for every taste. The Mindfulness For Travel video series has been created exclusively for British Airways and the advanced personal inflight entertainment system features wellbeing exercises, therapeutic audio playlists and a Flying with Confidence video.
Customers can book online at ba.com or by calling 1-800 AIRWAYS.
About British Airways
British Airways, part of International Airlines Group, is one of the world's leading global premium airlines and the largest international carrier in the UK. The carrier has its home base at London Heathrow and flies to more than 70 different countries. British Airways carries almost 40 million customers a year and has a fleet of more than 280 aircraft.
Notes to Editor
- For summer 2016, the A380 will replace a daily Boeing 747 service.
- British Airways has been flying between Vancouver and London Heathrow for over 30 years.
- Vancouver will become the fourth destination in North America to receive the largest and grandest aircraft in British Airways’ fleet. British Airways currently flies its A380 aircraft from Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Singapore and from Miami beginning October 2015. British Airways' tenth A380 will arrive in November 2015.
- A joint business agreement between American, British Airways, Iberia and Finnair, allows members of the AAdvantage, Executive Club and Plus programs to earn and redeem points or miles on codeshare flights across the airlines.