December 18th 2024.
British Airways has made the decision to suspend one of its long-haul flight routes that was scheduled for 2025. If you are one of the passengers who booked a flight from London to Abu Dhabi with British Airways for that time period, it would be wise to double check your ticket as soon as possible. The airline has announced that it will no longer be offering daily flights from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi due to issues with their fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This suspension will affect tickets that were issued by December 17, 2024 for flights between March 30 and October 25, 2025.
For those with tickets for the affected route, there are two options for rebooking their trip. The first option is to book on alternative flights operated by British Airways to Dubai, UAE. Alternatively, customers can rebook with one of British Airways' partner airlines, such as Qatar Airways or Etihad. Qatar Airways offers flights to Doha's Hamad International Airport, while Etihad flies to Abu Dhabi. Passengers also have the option to change their flight origin from London Heathrow to London Gatwick if needed, and those with layovers can re-route through DOH or DXB.
It's important to note that when rebooking, the travel dates must be within 14 days of the original flight, and the rebooking allowance will cover the lowest available ticket in the same cabin or a lower cabin. Refunds are also permitted for cancelled flights according to the standard conditions of carriage.
The decision to suspend this route is believed to be due to ongoing issues with British Airways' fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This is not the first time the route has been suspended, as it was also on hiatus for four years following the pandemic and only resumed operations in April of this year. In addition, British Airways has previously had to cancel several other long-haul routes in 2024 due to a shortage of replacement parts for the Rolls-Royce Trent engines that power their 787 Dreamliners. These routes included services to Malaysia and journeys between London Gatwick and New York's JFK.
In a statement from October, a British Airways spokesperson expressed their disappointment in having to make further changes to their schedule and apologized to affected customers. They also mentioned that the issue with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines is not expected to be resolved quickly, and they want to offer customers certainty for their travel plans. As a result, they are able to offer the majority of affected passengers a flight on the same day with British Airways or one of their partner airlines.
This news comes after British Airways recently revealed their new luxurious first class suites for a different fleet of planes. These suites, which have been in the making for six years, will be installed on the airline's Airbus A380 aircraft and are expected to debut in mid-2026. This will be the first update to British Airways' first class offering since 2020, when they upgraded seats on some of their Boeing 777 fleet. The suite features a wide seat that transforms into a fully lie-flat bed that is just one inch shorter than a queen-size mattress. Other features include a multi-purpose ottoman, a stowable table, a 32-inch 4K TV screen, and adjustable mood lighting.
Passengers can adjust their seats with the touch of a button and will have ultimate privacy with a 60-inch curved wall surrounding their seat. Do you have a story to share about British Airways suspending this flight route? Share your thoughts by emailing us at email.
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