transatlantic into berlin?
 

I am flying AA most of the time, and several times a year to Berlin, Germany. Now that Delta starts its direct flight from JFK I wonder if I should switch... The time saving is considerable (>5 hours). However, I would be willing to hold out if AA followed with a direct flight to Berlin in the years to come... Do you think they (or other major US airlines) will?

LH announced before 9/11 that they were going to begin IAD-TXL service but it never got off the ground, IIRC.

If LH, with significant feed from UA at IAD and from its own flyers at TXL, didn't think (and still doesn't think) it can make that route work, I'm not sure DL's plan will. And, if a single carrier in the market is questionable, I'm not sure expecting a second carrier to follow is a viable expectation.

And, for now, AA only serves FRA in Germany, and then from ORD and DFW. Their second likely city would be MUC, not FRA. And to expect JFK-TXL when they don't even service JFK-FRA (they couldn't make that work!)... again, not a viable expectation.

Continental commences nonstop EWR-TXL service on 6/30/05, using a 752. Since they are also Skyteam, it doesn't augur well for you to stay with AA!

DL has had service to TXL off and on since it bought the routes from Panam (over 10 years ago). Usually one-stop via Hamburg or Copenhagen to JFK, so DL has a long history with this route and maybe some cargo connections. It was also a light pax load for DL but the cargo made it a profitable route in past years. BA used to have a German operation (Deutsche BA) which failed so OW is not too keen to go up against LH again -- and Berlin is a hotbed of LCCs but none fly trans-Atlantic yet.

I don't see it in next 2-3 years. Maybe when new airport will open in 2009.