NW Bumps Up USA-Heathrow Flights
 

NW airlines will start on May 1, 2008 three non-stops Detroit-London Heathrow and one each from Minneapolis-St Paul's Larry Craig Airport to Heathrow and one Seattle-Heathrow

This is possible under the Open Skies agreement between EU and USA

Previously only American and United were the only American carriers allowed into Heathrow

If looking for cheap flights often when an airline inaugurates routes they have good fare sales - nwa.com i guess to see.

NW is maintaing their daily Detroit-Gatwick flight

BA is dropping of course there Detroit-Heathrow flight near the end of March

Actually, they're starting three LHR flights total. One each from DTW (333), MSP (333) and SEA (332). Not 3x from DTW.

The daily DTW-LGW will be downgraded to a 757.

Also, here are the start dates:

MSP - March 29.
DTW - May 1.
SEA - June 1.

This is unlike DL and CO, which are starting all their new LHR flights on March 29.

Yes indeedy - read the story a bir wrong - one from each

i kinda of thought 3 from Deee-troit?

The DTW and MSP flights will do well, as they are strong NW hubs and as PalenQ mentioned, BA dropping DTW.

The SEA flight is more curious. While NW has presence there, and is partner with AS, it's not a true hub. Also, the flight time is "unusually late" both ways, most likely because that's the LHR slots that KLM will give them.

NW 106 SEA-LHR 2220/1615 +1
NW 105 LHR-SEA 1830/2055

A 4:15p arrival at LHR means whole day gone, while a 8:55p arrival at SEA means few connections possible from there, except for a few short hops on Horizon.

I do like flights leaving relatively late at night, because I can work the whole day and get to the airport with no rush. And a 4:15 PM London arrival means that you don't have to suffer very much the first jetlagged day - just hold on for another 4 hours or so, and you can go to sleep.

The return flight arriving at 8:55 PM - I agree that is less than ideal, although of course you do get the advantage of almost a full business day in London - which could benefit business travelers too.

< Minneapolis-St Paul's Larry Craig Airport>

Almost missed that one!

a little toilet humor!

The DTW service, at least, will use the new Airbus A330s, according to Detroit Free Press article

PalenQ -

Both DTW and MSP will use the A330-300.

SEA will use the smaller and longer-range A330-200.

Sounds more like potty training.

my head must be clogged, I was wondering when did they renamed MSP airport, duh ;;) Deborah

It took an act of Congress i believe - some deal hashed out in the back room.

That's funny. I almost missed that. You have to be careful when you have a wide stance!

and helps to have taken tap dancing lessons as well

Knock it off, you guys. You are giving the MSP airport a bum rap.

You mean Men Seeking Pxxxx (MPS) Airport?

I happen to think the SEA flight is pretty well-timed. For, say, a Mon-Fri trip, you get more useable daytime on the ground in both SEA and LON and it is better for jetlag in both directions. May not work ideally for connections, but timings that work for connections are usually less than ideal for point-to-point, so it is a trade off.

BA was going to have a significant advantage with connecting traffic anyway, as they also partner with AS and from LHR... Given that, I think NW is doing the right thing focusing on point-to-point traffic.

I wouldn't be surprised if NW already have a corporate contract in place that makes them think there is local traffic enough to support a point-to-point route - perhaps someone who is already in the bag due to the NRT or AMS flights?

Lary Craig aside (well aside, hopefully), that's very good news for me. Thanks for bringing up the new LHR departures.

All kidding aside, I am thrilled by this news, since MSP, MPS, whatever, is the airport I use.