Tampa International Airport (TPA) dropped some fantastic news for travelers today. British Airways is launching a new direct route from TPA to London’s Heathrow Airport aboard the airline’s Boeing Dreamliner aircraft.
The new route begins October 25, and it’s set to make international travel both to and from Tampa a bit easier. British Airways has long served London Gatwick Airport from Tampa, and they aren’t even the only airline servicing London out of TPA (hello, Virgin). But the switch to Heathrow from Gatwick, paired with the Dreamliner, is a fantastic upgrade for most travelers who fly British Airways. All due respect to Gatwick, of course. It’s a nice airport and, being smaller than Heathrow, navigating arrivals and departures is a pretty pain-free process.
The big difference, however, is how many more international connections Heathrow has across the rest of Europe and into Asia and Africa. For those headed a bit farther across the hemispheres, this will make travel not only cheaper, but also far less of a hassle if you can avoid switching airports. Plus, those who often fly to or through London know how convenient Heathrow is. Not that either airport is dropping you on the steps of Buckingham Palace, but it can certainly be a bit quicker to get to the city center from Heathrow.
For American Airlines fliers, the switch in airports may be convenient, as they partner with British Airways for the flight. Virgin Atlantic, which currently flies into Heathrow already, partners with Delta. Frequent flier miles are slowly dying, but we’ll take wins where we can get them. It’s the little things.
In the world of big things, the upgrade to the Dreamliner will also make for a cushier experience, no matter which class you fly in. From the backseat to first class, it’s one of the comfiest affordable flight experiences in commercial air travel.
If you’re ready to book that flight now, you can do it here. It’s not the only international news out of TPA this week, either. Just yesterday, Breeze announced new direct flights from Tampa to Costa Rica and Punta Cana beginning this year.
