Heard the project in the middle east got shelved, so looks like its gonna be a quiet winter, but check this I found,..........
BA plans US flights from European capitals next summer
20.08.07
British Airways is to launch its first transatlantic flights from continental capitals next summer in a move that is expected to start a tit-for-tat battle with its large European rivals, the Times newspaper reports. It is suggested that the new services will start next May.
The airline's directors are understood to have given the go-ahead for the services within the past few weeks. A new 'airline-within-an-airline' will use a fleet of modified Airbus A321s, smaller than the planes BA uses for its transatlantic flights from the UK, for the routes from Europe to the US. They are expected to be operated by GB Airways, and fly from Brussels, Madrid and Paris to New York's John F Kennedy airport, although the final network is yet to be decided.
The flights will not be business-class only, as had been reported. Instead, they will have at least two classes, business and a less luxurious offering. It is not yet known whether this will be BA's normal economy seating or a type of premium-economy cabin.
BA declined to comment on its plans for GB Airways, but Willie Walsh, the chief executive, has in the past made clear its intentions to start services from the Continent to America, in order to take advantage of the EU - US "open skies" deal, which will also open up its Heathrow hub to more competition.
BA executives believe that the strength of its brand is such that it can lure passengers away from its big European rivals such as Air France and Lufthansa, even in their home markets. They also think the same is true in America, where the BA name has particular clout with business travellers.
But Air France and Lufthansa are unlikely to take BA's invasion of their home turf lying down. European airlines could choose to follow BA's lead and start flights direct from Heathrow to the US, or, as some analysts believe more likely, donate precious landing slots at the London airport to their American partner airlines to allow them to compete head-on with BA.
GB Airways also faces competition from a new wave of low-cost all-business-class airlines. Eos and MAXjet fly from Stansted to New York and other US destinations, while Silverjet flies from Luton to New York. Some airline executives believe that a major European airline could strike a franchise deal with one of the new carriers to mount a frontal assault on BA at Heathrow.