On September 12, 
British Airways
revealed a raft of additions to its North American network for summer 2025. I summarized them in our new ‘discussion-type’ posts. Among things that BA did not mention in its press release are the various routes that will switch from London Heathrow Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 or vice versa. The most notable is Dallas/Fort Worth, which will move to T3. Consequently, the Airbus A380—which BA currently uses to the Texas airport—will not operate next summer.
Dallas/Fort Worth to lose A380 flights
Oneworld member BA has flown its double-decker quadjet to Dallas/Fort Worth since July 2022. The Texas airport is, of course, the busiest hub of BA’s transatlantic joint venture partner 
American Airlines
. The 469-seat superjumbo, which increasingly has a dated hard product, currently operates daily, although changes are afoot.
Photo: K.G. Yon | Shutterstock
BA to Dallas/Fort Worth: equipment changes
Information as of September 13 is as follows. When writing, it is unclear where the freed-up superjumbo will be flown instead.
- From now until October 26, 2024: the A380 operates daily (already known)
- October 27 until December 31, 2024: the A380 is switched to the 777-300ER (already known)
- January 1, 2025, until March 29, 2025: the A380 returns (already known)
- March 30, 2025, onward: the 777-200ER will operate instead of the A380 (not previously known); Dallas/Fort Worth moves to T3 on March 30, from which Heathrow terminal American operates
BA’s passenger traffic
By deploying the 777 next summer, seats per flight will be far less than half that provided by the A380, which will help with loads, fares, and yields. According to the US Department of Transportation T-100 data, BA carried 259,000 roundtrip Dallas/Fort Worth passengers in 2023.
It had record capacity—using your highest-capacity equipment with the same frequency will do that—but only filled 80% of seats. This was lower than the 83% BA achieved for all its US routes last year and down from Dallas/Fort Worth’s 85% in 2019.
It had too much Dallas capacity, which reduced its loads. As it had so many additional seats to fill, it is probable, but unconfirmed, that fares were lower than anticipated and yields were lower.
But, five daily flights, including American
BA should be combined with JV partner American to understand what is available accurately. After all, they work closely together, coordinate schedules, etc. Next summer, the pair will still have five daily Heathrow-Dallas/Fort Worth flights—the same as now. Five daily is the record.
Photo: Jarek Killan | Shutterstock
Looking ahead to June 2025, the schedule is as follows, with all times local. Note that BA’s departure times vary slightly, with the most common times being stated.
- Heathrow-Dallas/Fort Worth: 08:40 (American 777-300ER), 10:30 (American 777-300ER), 12:00 (American 777-300ER), 13:05 (BA 777-200ER), 16:25 (American 777-300ER)
- Dallas/Fort Worth-Heathrow: 15:05 (American 777-300ER), 16:40 (American 777-300ER), 19:25 (BA 777-200ER), 21:25 (American 777-300ER), 22:59 (American 777-300ER)
What’s the A380 plan for next summer?
As of September 13 and subject to change, BA’s preliminary A380 plan is as follows. It is not finalized. BA has scheduled the A380 to five destinations—Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles—with five daily departures.
Photo: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
In contrast, eight destinations were served in summer 2024: Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Singapore, and Washington Dulles. There were eight daily departures. Clearly, some routes may see the double-decker again, or frequencies elsewhere may increase. Stay tuned!