The U.S. Department of Transportation approved British Airways' OpenSkies transatlantic subsidiary to launch service between Paris Orly and New York JFK next month, the carrier announced today.
The carrier said it plans to begin selling tickets next week through its Web site and by phone, or through global distribution systems as British Airways codeshare flights. DOT also approved a codeshare arrangement between OpenSkies and L'Avion, an all-premium-class carrier that connects Newark to Orly.
OpenSkies managing director Dale Moss on the company's Web site said it initially planned to fly from JFK to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, but the carrier gained slots at Orly—"our preferred airport," which is closer to Paris city center, he said—through the codeshare agreement with L'Avion.
The carrier plans to launch service on the route June 19 on a single Boeing 757, as OpenSkies will inherit another 757 from British Airways "later this year" to serve Brussels, with plans to have six aircraft in service by the end of 2009. The carrier said it is planning additional routes from New York to such European cities as Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Milan.
British Airways announced the formation of the carrier earlier this year, its name a nod to the U.S.-EU aviation bilateral that enabled its formation
(BTNonline, Jan. 22).