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BA to drop Manchester-New York route

21/04/2008

British Airways (BA) has announced it is to stop direct flights from Manchester to New York from October, when it will move the daily route to Gatwick.

BA said the Manchester-New York route was not profitable and had been loss-making for some time.

It means that only Delta and Continental Airlines are operating flights from Manchester to JFK and Newark, which is about 15 miles south-west of Manhattan. Both Virgin and BMI offer flights to US destinations.

Richard Critchley, from the Greater Manchester Chamber, has urged BA to rethink its decision amid growing anger that the airline is becoming increasingly London-centric. BA recently cut flights from Glasgow as part of a move to focus its business on Heathrow and Gatwick.

"We would have thought that, as the national carrier, BA would want to serve Britain's second city. We urge BA to think again," he stated.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, more than 413,000 people flew between Manchester and New York in 2007.