Is the British Airways Durban-Heathrow direct flight cost effective
British Airways will be doing direct flights from Durban to Heathrow airport. Photo: File
DURBAN – From October 29th British Airways will be running direct flights three times a week between Heathrow Airport and Durban
This flight is the only non-stop link between Europe and Durban and will be operated by the newest aircraft from British Airways, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Return fares for this flight start from R11 679, but how does it compare to the prices of flights that have a connection in Johannesburg.
Using World Traveller on the British Airways site, Business Report determined the cost of a flight with a connection.
Below is the results that we got using the British Airways site. 29 October 2018 was selected as the day of departure because it is the same day that the Durban and Heathrow direct flights start.
| From | Durban | Durban |
|---|---|---|
| To | Heathrow | Heathrow |
| Date of departure | 29 October 2018 | 29 October |
| Date of return | 5 November 2018 | 5 November 2018 |
| Flight class | Economy | Economy |
| Adult | 1 | 1 |
| Ticket type | Cheapest ticket | Flexible ticket |
| Starting price | R4 867* | R11667* |
* Prices at the time of publish
World Traveller on the British Airways site says that are no direct flights available for this route, so checking the exact price of a direct ticket to Heathrow Airport from Durban is not possible at the moment. However, according to British Airways, the prices for a connecting flight to Heathrow and a direct flight to Heathrow is the same.
The British Airways commercial manager in South Africa Sue Petrie spoke about why these direct flights will be beneficial to people. Petrie said, “It will make it easier for tourists from the UK, North America and Europe to get to KZN”.
She added that it will be more convenient for companies in KZN to do business in the UK and North America. British Airways also flies twice in a week from Heathrow to Johannesburg and daily to Cape Town year round. However, the Cape Town schedule is doubled during the South African season of summer.
– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE
Source: iol.co.za
