Air France to end LAX-Heathrow flights

Air France next month will stop flying between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)  and London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), a route it added less than seven months ago. With less competition, Britain-bound fliers may get socked with higher fares.

In a news release from France on Wednesday, the airline said “the present economic and financial crisis”  prompted its decision to end the service Nov.  6. It added that it will reassign the aircraft to the Heathrow route from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), increasing the frequency from two to three flights per day next summer. Two flights will be operated by Delta Air Lines and one by Air France.

The release did not say what Air France will do for LAX-Heathrow customers holding tickets for flights after Nov. 6.

The airline’s U.S. spokeswoman was unable to provide details, and Air France’s office in France was closed for the day. Presumably, the airline will offer refunds.

Air France’s LAX-Heathrow flights, which began March 30, were part of a much-heralded expansion of transatlantic competition that drove down fares more than 20% in the spring.  But summer flights were still pricey, and with carriers cutting back, fares may stay high unless the tough U.S. economy takes a big toll on business.

Stay tuned.

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 9, 2008 at 5:37 pm by Jane Engle and is filed under Airline travel, Business Travel, Frequent Flier, Great Britain, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.