Airline moves flights to Heathrow

British Airways today moves its Atlanta-London flight to Heathrow Airport, a step enabled by the Open Skies aviation agreement.

Passengers now fly into Heathrow’s Terminal 5, British Airways’ terminal completed last year that opened with operational problems but has recovered, according to the airline.

The shift of the route from London Gatwick to Heathrow enables passengers to more easily connect to other cities around Europe and elsewhere, British Airways said. Previously, passengers took a shuttle to transfer from one airport to the other.

With the move of the route, “we certainly hope to increase our market share,” said Simon Talling-Smith, British Airways’ executive vice president for the Americas. He called Delta, with its broad frequent-flier base in Atlanta, a “tough competitor.”