Also, the suggestions that the flight continue to the east coast USA shows a distinct lack of understanding of spherical geometry and why all those lovely inflight route maps have such long curvy paths up from the UK to the US west coast!
Nope, sorry, you've got me there Danny (but then, I'm not a "real" pilot). Are you suggesting that the BA268 would have routed from LAX to LHR in a westerly direction, across the pacific, arriving on the east coast of the UK, nearer to LHR than MAN? I thought it would have routed in an easterly direction, across the atlantic (prsumably that's why it's trans-atlantic not trans-pacific), arriving on the west coast of the UK, nearer to MAN that LHR.
Aiglon