British Airways Launches Portland Route After a 2-Year Wait

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British Airways has started flights from London Heathrow Airport to Portland, Oregon on 3 June after a two-year wait. 

The UK flag carrier has also relaunched flights to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania alongside Portland, solidifying the carrier’s total of serving 26 U.S destinations for the summer season. 

Further details 

British Airways was due to start serving Portland International Airport from London Heathrow Airport on 1 June 2020 after announcing the new route in December 2019. The pandemic naturally derailed the carrier’s initial plans but things are finally up and running again. The carrier will operate the route five times a week from Portland to London Heathrow (on Friday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) with 214-seat Boeing 787 Dreamliners. 

The flight time from London to Portland is approximately 9 hours and 50 minutes. 

Passengers on the inaugural flight were welcomed with a celebratory nature whilst boarding in London Heathrow and once landing in Portland International. Diamond Jubilee-themed refreshments were served by the departure gate and upon arriving and customers were gifted a rose to mark their arrival in the City of Roses (Portland’s fetching affectionate nickname). 

British Airways’ Director of Networks and Alliances, Neil Chernoff, said:

“This summer British Airways will be flying from 26 US cities to London and we’re very excited to be adding Portland to our list of transatlantic destinations. Not only are we the only airline to offer direct flights from Portland to London, but this new route also opens a wide variety of connections for our customers. Through Alaska Airlines, our oneworld partner, British Airways will offer codeshare connections to several destinations operated by Alaska Airlines from Portland.”

The good news for British Airways lies in the fact that Atlanta-based U.S carrier Delta Air Lines no longer runs its exclusive summer Portland-Heathrow service. It launched in May 2017 but came to an end in September 2019. 

BA’s Pittsburgh route actually started in April 2019 but came to an end after the last flight on 15 March 2020 due to the pandemic forcing the globe into a swift lockdown. Returning for 2022, the service follows the same schedule as last it did before – 4x weekly flights on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. 

Let us know what you think about PA’s U.S transatlantic flights in the comments below.