| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 21/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 5 |
| Copyright: Other |
British Midland ditches Budapest
BRITISH Midland is pulling out of all Eastern European destinations and launching a service to Barcelona.Flights to Budapest will be dropped before the Barcelona route starts on November 1.
The airline’s decision to drop its remaining flight to Eastern Europe follows the axing of routes to Prague and Warsaw in May in favour of flights to Italy, Madrid and Rome.
British Midland chief executive Austin Reid said it was difficult to obtain extra landing slots at Budapest and issues over pricing had caused some problems.
He also said the move was in line with the airline’s joint agreements with Star Alliance members SAS, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa to cover European destinations.
The new thrice-daily service from Heathrow to Barcelona will compete with Oneworld members British Airways and Iberia which also fly to the Spanish city.
British Midland will also increase its frequency to Madrid, adding a fifth service from October 29.
While unveiling the new route, Reid confirmed transatlantic routes will be launched next spring to coincide with a new livery. The airline is awaiting results from the Government’s open-skies talks next month but is confident three flights to the US will be launched next year, if not from Heathrow, then from Manchester.
He denied the rebranding had been delayed claiming that September had never been confirmed as the official launch date.
Reid: going with the alliance