British Airways canceled 11 days of flights in Phoenix this summer. Here's what happened
Travelers’ appetite to fly internationally is increasing. The most recent report from the International Air Travel Association showed passenger traffic for international flights in May 2023 increased nearly 41% from May 2022 and reached more than 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
Some U.S. airlines, including Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways, reported in recent earnings calls that they expect demand for domestic travel bookings to soften in the coming months because of competing demand for international travel.
And Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is adding new international routes, including flights to Tijuana, Mexico, via American Airlines and Toronto via the Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier Lynx Air.
So when Sky Harbor’s passenger traffic data for June 2023 was released on July 31, a noticeable decrease in passengers for one of the airport’s two transatlantic routes stood out.
British Airways' Phoenix-London route experienced a 48% year-over-year dip to 9,405 passengers this past June, compared with the same month in 2022.
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Why did British Airways have fewer passengers in Phoenix last month?
The decline wasn't because the route is losing popularity. In fact, airport data showed it's more popular now than it was last year.
Staff with British Airways, one of two airlines offering service between Phoenix and Heathrow Airport in London, said the drop in passengers wasn’t related to a decline in demand.
It had to do with a temporary adjustment in the airline’s flight operations that was planned in the spring to “add resilience” to the airline’s operations, British Airways spokesman Philip Stewart told The Arizona Republic.
Because of that adjustment, British Airways operated no flights between Phoenix and London for 11 days, from June 20 to June 30. Service resumed on July 1.
British Airways declined to clarify what it meant by adding resilience to its schedules.
Here's how many people flew from Phoenix to London on British Airways in June
British Airways flew 9,405 passengers from Phoenix in June, down about 48% from 17,958 passengers in June 2022.
The data showed British Airways had 18 landings at Sky Harbor that month, down 40% from 30 landings in June 2022.
Despite the 11-day break in flights in June, passenger traffic for British Airways flights at Sky Harbor increased in the year to date, airport data showed.
British Airways’ flights between Phoenix and London drew 84,128 passengers from January to June 2023. The carrier had 77,119 passengers in the first six months of 2022.
“There are no U.S. markets we’re concerned about,” Stewart said, adding the carrier has operated from Phoenix for more than 20 years. “We’re happy about how travel across the U.S. is performing for us.”
What other airlines fly between Phoenix and Europe?
American Airlines offers once-daily service from Phoenix to London.
Sky Harbor also has transatlantic flights to Frankfurt, Germany, via Condor Airlines. Condor's seasonal service expanded from twice weekly to three times weekly starting in May.
American and British Airways are affiliated, as both carriers are members of the Oneworld airline alliance. This alliance, which includes 13 airlines around the world, offers an expanded network of flight destinations.
Some passengers had made reservations for June 20-30 flights before British Airways' decision to temporarily halt the route. When the carrier notified passengers of the flight schedule changes, Stewart said, they offered alternate flights via American Airlines.
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Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why British Airways canceled 11 days of flights in Phoenix this summer
