According to data from Cirium, transatlantic flights have achieved 99% of pre-pandemic levels, a major boost for that area of the sector.
Over the course of May 2023, 4,414 flights are scheduled to depart the UK for the U.S., which amounts to around 1.1 million seats.
Departures from the UK are projected to hit 99% of May 2019 levels when 4,456 flights were scheduled.
Number of Transatlantic Flights Up By 22%…
Transatlantic flights from the UK to the U.S. are up 22% compared to May 2022 and up 493% compared to May 2021.
London Heathrow, which houses the likes of Virgin Atlantic & British Airways for these flights, has the highest share for this month, coming in at 86%.
London Gatwick comes in second at 6%, Edinburgh third at 3%, and Manchester fourth at 3%.
From the UK itself, New York JFK remains the most popular U.S. destination, followed by Los Angeles, Newark, Chicago, and Boston.
Below is the list of carriers that have the following shares in that particular market of transatlantic flights from the UK to the U.S:
- British Airways (31%).
- American Airlines (18%).
- United Airlines (18%).
- Virgin Atlantic (16%).
- Delta Air Lines (10%).
Positive News for the Sector…
This is, all-in-all, strong news for that area of the sector, with transatlantic flights really not far away from achieving pre-pandemic levels.
Looking ahead, new entrants such as JetBlue will no doubt cause that figure to rise, especially as we get deeper into the Summer 2023 season.
All eyes will be on those operators to see how much further they can take these changes, and what the Winter 2023/24 and Summer 2024 seasons could look like for next year.
