ashill

I don't think it really is, since LHR is a (joint venture) hub. DL operates flights from joint venture hubs to several non-hubs at least part of the year, including CDG-PIT, CDG-ORD, CDG-SEA (long before SEA was a DL hub). DL has shown more willingness to be creative with operations of TATL flights with their joint venture partners than UA and AA have for a long time. If it makes sense for DL/VS to fly LHR-PHL (which it does; PHL is a major market) but the best airplane for the market is a 757, it makes sense for DL to operate it (since VS has no airplane as small as a 757).

Of course, PHL has the added peculiarity that it's a LHR slot that can only be used for PHL for six seasons, but the flight isn't really an relic. If anything, it's a harbinger of the new era: joint venture hubs are hubs.

Ber2dca

I'll give you Chicago now but that's also a huge market, the third largest in the country - considerably bigger than PHL. Connecting LHR to PHL makes sense but it's an AA city on the U.S. side and a BA hub on the UK side. That's a OneWorld route if there ever was one and there's bound to be a legion of AA/BA elites now on both sides of the Atlantic.

I don't know if I buy LHR as a VS hub. A hub needs spokes - VS has no spokes. VS flies out of LHR but it's not really counting on connecting traffic. VS is mostly a "Brits Abroad" airline for vacationers and flies from LHR to collect the mass of the population living in Greater London and the Home Counties. To have connecting feed here you probably need feed from the Philly end and there's nothing. So really this route is counting on Brits flying to Philly on vacation and SE PA people who want to go to London and aren't going with AA/BA to get status i.e. mostly leisure travelers. Is that viable yield?

readywhenyouare

Please God let it be CVG. A 752 could make it with no problem.

KDCAflyer

Not having M/F is a real problem though. Maybe DL and VS can reshuffle to free up a slot for those two days? DL would benefit from CVG's increased ability to provide incentives for new service. Add that to some seat guarantees from local Fortune 500s.

In reality, CVG will probably have to wait for the PHL slot to open up.

readywhenyouare

Yeah that makes sense. It needs to happen though, one way or the other. Cincinnati has decent financial sector and obviously London certainly does.

baccarat_king

You mean like this?

KDCAflyer

It's an awesome flight for low-level business awards. FB seems to be the best booking option. 125K miles and $250 in fees RT. Korean Air wants 80K miles, but a ridiculous $800 in fees. Normally I value miles a little more than cash, but 45K miles ≠ $600.

Meanwhile, I just snagged the last J award seat on a VS flight. SFO-LHR. Feeling accomplished. There is an insane amount of TATL availability this summer. I mean insane. Must make the AA folks jealous.

baccarat_king

Agree. I also do a lot of one way awards ex-USA, often buying ex-EU discounted J. I also tend to be very last minute.

As an aside, one of the best Delta One flight attendant crews. It's truly a "jigsaw puzzle" doing a full service on a 757.

I actually wrote about this the other day. (Note : this link is to a site that I operate...)

Pondering Business Class Award Travel USA to London | British Airways and Delta

rwoman

Is it sad that you're the first person I thought of when this flight came into the discussion?

baccarat_king

No, it's AWESOME.

Last year, AA (ex-USAir crew and plane) was flying AMS-PHL-AMS on a really crappy 757 (also empty in Y) for €24 base fares.

I must say the Delta 757 is AMAZING in comparison to the Ex-USAir old 757. Not to mention, Delta has "lie flat" in DeltaOne.

Service was very good on the AMS-PHL-AMS also, actually the best AA service I had last year. I'm convinced because it was Philly-based ex-USAir crew.