February route round-up: United, Lufthansa, EasyJet and more set to launch new UK routes
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The past 12 months have seen more routes suspended than we could have ever imagined.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Airlines around the world are slowly bouncing back as travel restrictions start to ease. With that, plus our newly detailed roadmap out of lockdown, we can look forward to the prospect of taking to the skies again with the announcement of exciting new routes.
Related: What does the roadmap out of lockdown mean for travel?
Here’s a round-up of route announcements made this month. Keep in mind that exact flight details, such as schedules, aircraft and dates may change.
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NEW ROUTES ANNOUNCED IN February 2021
United Airlines to launch a new route between London Heathrow and Boston
United Airlines has announced it will be launching a new route from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to London’s Heathrow (LHR). The flight will be operated daily with one of United’s 767-300ER aircraft.
Related: An insider’s guide to Boston’s top 16 attractions
The airline has not yet revealed the date of the first flight, but it has confirmed that the route will be flown by one of the airline’s “high-J” aircraft, which features a total of 46 Polaris business class
Boston to London:
- Boston (BOS) 10 p.m. Departure ⇒ London (LHR) 9:35 a.m. Arrival (+1)
- London (LHR) 5 p.m. Departure ⇒ Boston (BOS) 7:30 p.m. Arrival
EasyJet to launch 2 domestic routes to Cornwall this summer
EasyJet has announced two exciting new routes connecting Cornwall with Northwest England and Scotland. The new flights will be nonstop from Glasgow (GLA) and Manchester (MAN) to Newquay (NQY) — Cornwall’s main airport.
The inaugurals will be on 21 June for Newquay to Manchester and 29 June for Newquay to Glasgow.
Manchester to Newquay
There will be one daily return flight on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Each day has its own unique schedule, which is as follows:
On Mondays:
- Manchester (MAN) 8 a.m. Departure ⇒ Newquay (NQY) 9:15 a.m. Arrival
- Newquay (NQY) 9:45 a.m. Departure ⇒ Manchester (MAN) 11 a.m. Arrival
On Wednesdays:
- Manchester (MAN) 6:10 a.m. Departure ⇒ Newquay (NQY) 7:25 a.m. Arrival
- Newquay (NQY) 8:05 a.m. Departure ⇒ Manchester (MAN) 9:20 a.m. Arrival
On Thursdays:
- Manchester (MAN) 1:20 p.m. Departure ⇒ Newquay (NQY) 2:35 p.m. Arrival
- Newquay (NQY) 3:05 p.m. Departure ⇒ Manchester (MAN) 4:20 p.m. Arrival
On Fridays:
- Manchester (MAN) 2:50 p.m. Departure ⇒ Newquay (NQY) 4:05 p.m. Arrival
- Newquay (NQY) 4:35 p.m. Departure ⇒ Manchester (MAN) 5:50 p.m. Arrival
On Sundays:
- Manchester (MAN) 3:45 p.m. Departure ⇒ Newquay (NQY) 5 p.m. Arrival
- Newquay (NQY) 5:30 p.m. Departure ⇒ Manchester (MAN) 6:45 p.m. Arrival
Glasgow to Newquay:
As for Glasgow, there will be two weekly return flights operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The route will be EasyJet’s first-ever flight from Scotland to Cornwall.
Related: Here’s why Scotland should be on your bucket list
The schedule is set to be as follows:
On Tuesdays:
- Glasgow (GLA) 3:25 p.m. Departure ⇒ Newquay (NQY) 4:45 p.m. Arrival
- Newquay (NQY) 5:15 p.m. Departure ⇒ Glasgow (GLA) 6:35 p.m. Arrival
On Saturdays:
- Glasgow (GLA) 10:30 a.m. Departure ⇒ Newquay (NQY) 11:55 a.m. Arrival
- Newquay (NQY) 12:25 p.m. Departure ⇒ Glasgow (GLA) 1:45 p.m. Arrival
Lufthansa adds second route to the North East
Regional airports rely heavily on flag carrier airlines to get passengers moving to the far corners of the globe. While many opt for British Airways connections via the airline’s hub at Heathrow, others may prefer connections with alternate airline alliances like KLM/Air France and SkyTeam, or Lufthansa and Star Alliance.
Related: What are airline alliances, and who’s in them?
The announcement of Lufthansa‘s new route from Newcastle to Frankfurt is to take off for the first time on 28 June. This will be Lufthansa’s second route to Germany from Newcastle once the temporarily suspended Munich service resumes.
“The addition of this route not only provides a new direct destination but also access to another major global hub for the North East public from the airport,” said Nick Jones, Chief Executive of Newcastle Airport.
The service will be daily on the following schedule:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays:
- Newcastle (NCL) 5:35 p.m. Departure ⇒ Frankfurt (FRA) 8:20 p.m. Arrival
- Frankfurt (FRA) 4:10 p.m. Departure ⇒ Newcastle (NCL) 4:55 p.m. Arrival
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays:
- Newcastle (NCL) 12:15 p.m. Departure ⇒ Frankfurt (FRA) 3 p.m. Arrival
- Frankfurt (FRA) 10:20 a.m. Departure ⇒ Newcastle (NCL) 11:05 a.m. Arrival
Eastern Airways to fly to Gibraltar for the first time
Early in February, U.K. regional airline, Eastern Airways announced it would be launching two new routes from the U.K. to Gibraltar — a brand new destination for the airline.
Related: Genius or daft? The 2 regional airlines expanding their route networks despite the pandemic
The inaugural flights will take off on 24 May and 28 May from Southampton (SOU) and Birmingham (BHX), respectively. From then, there’ll be twice-weekly flights on Mondays and Fridays operated by one of Eastern’s Embraer 190 aircraft.
The schedule is as follows:
Southampton (SOU):
- Southampton (SOU) 7:05 a.m. Departure ⇒ Gibraltar (GIB) 10:55 a.m. Arrival
- Gibraltar (GIB) 7:05 p.m. Departure ⇒ Southampton (SOU) 8:55 p.m. Arrival
Birmingham (BHX):
- Birmingham (BHX) 2:25 p.m. Departure ⇒ Gibraltar (GIB) 6:20 p.m. Arrival
- Gibraltar (GIB) 11:40 a.m. Departure ⇒ Birmingham (BHX) 1:35 p.m. Arrival
Loganair to connect the North East with Jersey
Scottish airline Loganair will be starting nonstop flights from Newcastle (NCL) to Jersey (JER) for the summer season. Starting 28 May, the twice-weekly service will operate on Fridays and Sundays, with the addition of a third weekly service on Tuesdays as of 6 July.
Related: 5 reasons Jersey should on your staycation bucket list
The route will be operated by an Embraer 145 Jet with 49 economy seats.
The schedule for both Fridays and Sundays is as follows:
- Newcastle (NCL) 9 a.m. Departure ⇒ Jersey (JER) 10:25 a.m. Arrival
- Jersey (JER) 10:55 a.m. Departure ⇒ Newcastle (NCL) 12:20 p.m. Arrival
Jet2 to launch a new connection between Manchester and southern France, but not until 2022
Much-loved British low-cost leisure airline Jet2 revealed a new route connecting Manchester Airport (MAN) with Toulouse (TLS) in southwestern France.
Related: Jet2 expects summer 2021 demand to return
When its start date rolls around over a year from now, the route will be seasonal from 1 May until mid-October 2022. If you like to plan ahead, then this could be an option for you, as Jet2 has already released the seats for booking well over a year in advance. Flights start as low as £42 one-way.
The twice-weekly service operating on Thursdays and Sundays will have the following schedule:
- Manchester (MAN) 6 a.m. Departure ⇒ Toulouse (TLS) 9:10 a.m. Arrival
- Toulouse (TLS) 9:55 a.m. Departure ⇒ Manchester (MAN) 11:05 a.m. Arrival
London to get a new connection to the Azores
The Azores, a Portuguese archipelago strung out partway across the Atlantic, is a great spot for an off-the-beaten-track trip.
Related: 7 reasons where you next holiday should be in Portugal
The islands’ very own airline, aptly named Azores Airlines, will start a three-times-weekly service from Stansted (STN) to Ponta Delgada (PDL) — the main airport on the archipelago’s largest island, São Miguel.
Connections are possible via Ponta Delgada to destinations in North America such as Boston (BOS) and Toronto (YYZ). I once took a cheap flight back to London from Toronto via the Azores on one of the then Sata’s old-school A310 aircraft — what an experience that was.
Luckily, the new route will be operated by one of the airline’s far more modern A321 aircraft, with the following schedule on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays:
- Stansted (STN) 1:05 p.m. Departure ⇒ Ponta Delgada (PDL) 4:05 p.m. Arrival
- Ponta Delgada (PDL) 7:20 a.m. Departure ⇒ Stansted (STN) 12:05 p.m. Arrival
As we continue to keep you updated with the latest in the world of aviation and travel, be sure to send an email to daniel.ross@thepointsguy.co.uk should you come across a new route that you think we should feature in our next round-up.
Featured photo by Westend61/Getty Images
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