NonSmokingWindow

So I've heard that Columbus, Ohio has made a very strong pitch to have BA start service there in the wake of Delta withdrawing the Cincinatti-London route.

cornishsimon

I assuem delta operated into LHR ?
If true, i very much doubt they would have slots available to operate into LHR, maybe a new LGW route? If the rumours on here are to be believed BA are looking at LGW-FLL-LGW so perhaps more of an American theme for Longhaul at LGW ?
cs

salut0

Cincinnati is/was a Delta hub. Columbus isn't a hub for AA or any other airline, as far as I know: the airport is quite small, lacks airline lounges run by the major carriers (I'm not even sure if there's a third party lounge either), and most of the planes flown by the major US carriers to CMH are regional jets.

Since it isn't a hub, there would have to be significant O&D traffic LON-CMH for BA to open a route there, rather than making do with existing BA>AA connections via ORD/DFW/JFK/MIA. I doubt that there is a huge market here.

Does anyone else think otherwise?

BA1321

Totally agree. Cannot see why BA would be convinced to start a route to CMH. Even CVG would be a stretch, and Cincinnati has several larger multi-nationals in the area (including P&G world HQ).

I would be quite pleased if they did start service, as it would become my closest airport with BA service (currently a tie between YYZ and ORD at 5hrs by car) at a little over 2hrs drive away. But I really don't see it happening.

NonSmokingWindow

Well, from what I've been told there's quite abit of transatlantic business in the Columbus area. Now, I didn't say that BA will start service to Columbus just that Columbus made a very strong pitch to BA, at least that's what "chatty Kathy" told my friend. I'd more see an AA 757 on the route but the pitch was made to BA.

Swanhunter

This is the first time I'd even heard of somewhere called Colombus, Ohio. very educational.

BearX220

Columbus is often described as the quintessential American city in the quintessential American state. All our recent presidential elections come down to what happens with Ohio's electoral votes, and Columbus is the most demographically balanced city in Ohio. A lot of market research is conducted in Columbus because it's a convenient way to core-sample the US population entire. It is rated EN, for Extra Normal.

That said, there's no evidence that there are enough TATL-minded people in CMH to support a BA route, let alone evidence that enough people on the other side would be drawn to CMH.

Globaliser

It's the state capital of Ohio!

Hubbabridge

It's not that often a thread comes along wishing there to be flights to somewhere in Ohio; there may be a reason for that....

toothpick

They have a weird neighbourhood there called Dublin, which boils down to one street of "olde English" style brick fronted shops selling Irish flags and other bric a brac and many "Oirish" festivals. I've worked in most American cities and would have to say that Columbus is the least memorable - oh, I forgot the memory of being stiffed by my client there

magiciansampras

Lot of bad info in this thread. Columbus is one of the fastest growing tech cities in the country (see 2008 Forbes study on this). It also is home to 5 Fortune 500 companies, one of the largest Universities in the country (Ohio State), and major foreign corporations, including Germany-based Siemens and Roxane Laboratories, Finland-based Vaisala, Japan-based Techneglas, Inc., Tomasco Mulciber Inc., and A Y Manufacturing, as well as Switzerland-based ABB Group and Mettler Toledo.

magiciansampras

Dublin, OH was founded in 1810 by an Irishman who missed his hometown.

millionmiler

This is never going to happen. You can write that down.

NonSmokingWindow

The pitch has already occurred. CMH made a very generous offer, apparently more generous than the San Diego area's offer. Again, I didn't say that service was going to start, just that Columbus made the pitch.

ajax

I know CMH very well, as I have several immediate family members living in the Columbus area and fly through there a few times each year.

It would be an absolute dream to be able to fly direct from LHR/LGW to CMH, and there's no doubt the city is growing, but I cannot imagine there would be the demand to make this route profitable, especially after DL have reportedly cancelled CVG-LHR (and you have to believe that DL had far more feeder traffic into CVG than any other airline would have into CMH).

As pointed out above, the airport lacks all lounge facilities and premium amenities. I believe it used to be an America West semi-hub and it is a Southwest hub, but of course now America West is part of US Airways and I just cannot see how the local and feeder traffic would ever be enough to justify this. BA don't even fly to CLT anymore and that area is drawing on a far bigger base.