British Airways today has announced that it will begin service between Mineta San José International Airport and London Heathrow from May 4, 2016. British Airways will operate the newest aircraft in its fleet, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring the airline’s newly designed First cabin. (Photo: Business Wire)

British Airways today has announced that it will begin service between Mineta San José International Airport and London Heathrow from May 4, 2016. British Airways will operate the newest aircraft in its fleet, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring the airline’s newly designed First cabin. (Photo: Business Wire)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--British Airways today has announced that it will begin service between Mineta San José International Airport and London Heathrow from May 4, 2016. This marks the first regularly scheduled nonstop service to the UK for the city of San José. British Airways will operate the newest aircraft in its fleet, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring the airline’s newly designed First cabin.

San José will be the fourth Californian city from which British Airways flies, following Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. Earlier this year British Airways introduced its superjumbo A380 onto San Francisco, providing customers with comfort, space and enhanced wellbeing for their trip to London.

Seats on the new service from San José will be on sale from Thursday August 27.

Simon Brooks, senior vice president for British Airways North America, said “We are thrilled to be bringing our most technically advanced aircraft to the tech center of the world. We want to give the business community in and around Silicon Valley more options to access the UK and Europe, quickly and easily.

“Choice and flexibility when flying are critical for our Bay area customers so we believe this new service will be a welcome addition to our network. With connections beyond London to over 130 destinations around the world, we’re delighted that we can bring the world just a bit closer”.

Mayor Sam Liccardo added: "San José and Silicon Valley tech companies have committed to Mineta San José International as being their airport of choice, and have expressed strong support for a direct flight to London for several years. The British Airways announcement to launch service between San José and London Heathrow will be well received by both business and leisure travelers in our region.”

BA279 will touch down in San José for the first time at 6:05pm in the evening of May 4, 2016 and BA278 will depart San José at 8:00pm the same evening, arriving into London Heathrow Terminal 5 at 2:05pm the next day.

"London is the No. 1 requested international destination from Mineta San José International Airport, and we're so pleased to share the news today that we have delivered this service to Silicon Valley businesses and residents," said Director of Aviation Kim Becker.

“We warmly welcome British Airways and the innovative Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner to San José, and know our mutual customers will also enjoy SJC's convenience, on-time performance, and technologically-advanced facilities and services."

The British Airways 787-9 Dreamliner

The airline’s 787-9 Dreamliner will accommodate eight customers in the new First cabin, 42 seats in Club World, 39 in World Traveller Plus and 127 in World Traveller. Lower pressurization means less dry cabin air, leaving customers feeling more refreshed with less jet lag while the aircraft’s smooth ride technology reduces the effect of turbulence. Soothing mood lighting in every cabin gradually adjusts to reflect the time of day and the large windows feature electronic dimming switches.

The 787-9, the first of which is due to be delivered to British Airways in September, is 20 feet longer that its 787-8 predecessor, so as well as offering World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and Club World (business class), there's also room for a new First class cabin – a first for the airline's 787 fleet.

All British Airways customers can enjoy complimentary checked baggage, free meals and bar service, along with extensive on-demand movies, TV and music options on their personal TV screens.

Meeting the Needs of Business and Leisure Customers

Recognizing and understanding the needs of small and medium size businesses, American Airlines’ Business Extra® program allows members traveling on British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines to collect and spend across all three airlines, with coordinated benefits that help businesses to stretch their travel budgets.

British Airways Vacations offers a range of flight+hotel and flight+car packages, as well as sightseeing tours, city passes, theatre tickets, around the world to suit all budgets. With a with a deposit of $10 per person customers can lock in a price for 72 hours, giving them time to confirm details with their friends and family and making it even easier to book with confidence.

Notes to Editor:

Most British Airways First class cabins have 14 seats, with a small number offering 17

Terminal 5 offers five lounges for premium customers and extensive options for dining and shopping. In March 2015, Terminal 5 was named by Skytrax as the Best Airport Terminal for the third year running, based on surveys of 12 million frequent travelers.

About British Airways

British Airways, part of International Airlines Group, is one of the world’s leading global premium airlines and the largest international carrier in the UK. The carrier has its home base at London Heathrow and flies to more than 70 different countries. The airline currently has a fleet of more than 270 aircraft.

About Mineta San José International Airport

Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) is Silicon Valley’s airport, a self-supporting enterprise owned and operated by the City of San José. SJC served 9.6 million passengers in Fiscal Year 2015, a 5.4 percent increase year-over-year. With the launch of British Airways service to London Heathrow in May 2016, SJC will offer approximately 142 peak daily flights on 12 domestic and international carriers to 33 nonstop destinations. SJC facts can be found here. For more airport information, visit www.flysanjose.com.