The early shoots may be showing – but we’re still a long way from full bloom.

It is an analogy I like to use when talking about the state of air travel between Britain and the United States. For more than 50 years now, such travel has been governed by archaic regulations which restrict competition and keep fares artificially high.

From many European cities, in those countries which have signed “Open Skies” agreements with the US, you can fly business class across the Atlantic for anything up to a half of what you pay from London. From this barren landscape, my airline has been trying to cultivate a more fertile environment.

Our campaign to open up Heathrow’s transatlantic routes to competition is now entering its fourth year. We have attracted tens of thousands of supporters – from business travellers, to trade associations, to MPs and the media. These are people who have quickly grasped the penalising effect on business, and on trade between our nations, that the current restrictions bring.

It’s easy to understand why we have not convinced the UK airlines that operate those routes; the huge contributions to revenues that these high fares bring is pretty compelling for them, despite their public statements about their commitment to free and open competition. And despite similar noises of support, I fear we have not yet convinced the UK Government sufficiently.

As ever, I am confident justice will win in the end; but as ever, I continue to be dismayed by the lethargy and inertia that inhibit our efforts.

I get particularly frustrated because air fares seem to get ignored in a way that the cost of other products and services do not. In recent years we have seen major outcry, and in many cases Government investigations, into the high UK prices of everything from batteries to CDs to cars. In fact, business travellers deliver huge streams of income to our country through development of trade links. It is true that the US is already our largest trading partner – but there is much room for growth, if business could afford to travel there more often.

Despite these blockages, we continue to push for new competition because we believe it brings real benefits. And towards the end of last year, we have seen the first early buds that suggest more fruitful growth can and should happen in the future.

How? We will, in June this year, have completed two years of operations on our services from Manchester to Chicago and, during the summer months, from Manchester to Washington. These services represent the first new significant choice for business travellers to the States for decades. Despite having to face competition from an incumbent carrier – American Airlines – on services from Manchester to Chicago, we are now the biggest carrier on the route. A clear message, if ever one was needed, that the new level of service and the wide range of fares we have brought to travellers to the US is a winner.

It has marked a significant investment by our company, in new aircraft, additional bmi facilities and staff at the three airports, and significant marketing support to launch and sustain the routes. It is an investment that no one else is matching in terms of long-haul scheduled services from regional airports. Most travellers do prefer to fly from Heathrow and no other airlines offers regional transatlantic scheduled services in isolation; all the others use them to complement their London-based operations.

But nevertheless, the reaction to that investment, and to the services that we now operate, has shown that new choice does lead to real improvements.

Independently-conducted research amongst business travellers put the new bmi flights as the only “five-star” services across the Atlantic, well ahead of the services offered by all our longer-standing competitors.
A range of innovations, including the only in-flight chefs on transatlantic services, state-of-the-art entertainment systems and our premium economy cabin, have been welcomed with open arms by our customers.

But despite our successes from Manchester to the 40 onward destinations within the US we serve through our code-share with United Airlines, we know that it is only a start. We know we won’t make real progress until we can offer those services from Heathrow too. Most travellers want to fly from London; any regular travellers reading this will know just how limited choice is between UK carriers on the London-US routes.

If you don’t, let me enlighten you. On each route from Heathrow, the UK airlines “competing” with each other charge exactly the same published business fares – the fares that are so much higher than their Europe-US equivalents.

We will continue the fight for new competition. While we do so, you might take the opportunity to try our services from Manchester. I am convinced that if you do, you will enjoy something truly new – and truly outstanding. I am sure you become an ardent supporter of our campaign.