BA's subsidiary Openskies has ended speculation by announcing that its new route will be between Washington DC and Paris, starting in May.
The carrier had published a number of possible new routes on its website, asking visitors to guess which one would be chosen, and it has now confirmed that it will begin flying between Washington DC and Paris Orly on May 3.
Flights are now available for purchase at flyopenskies.com, and will operate five times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday), departing Paris at 1200 and arriving into Washington DC at 1445, before returning at 1745 and landing back into Paris at 0740 the next day. The carrier says that it plans to increase the frequency of these flights "in the coming months".
The service will be operated using B757-200 aircraft configured for two classes (both 2-2 across) - Biz Bed, featuring 12 fully flat beds, and Biz Seat, with 60 seats that recline to 140 degrees with a 52-inch seat pitch.
Currently the only direct flights between the French capital and Washington depart from Paris CDG, with the choice of Air France (Delta codesharing on this service) or United Airlines (with Continental, Lufthansa and US Airways all offering codeshares on this flight).
The Washington DC announcement means BA Openskies will offer two transatlantic services from Paris Orly, with the established Paris Orly-New York route currently operating at 17 flights per week.