American Airlines, which bought TWA’s assets out of bankruptcy in 2001, canceled London flights from St. Louis by 2003.

In an email, a British Airways spokeswoman said only that the carrier regularly reviewed its network to “look for growth opportunities.” Beyond the Austin service, the airline has no “news to share” about U.S. markets.

Former Lambert Director Richard Hrabko, now an airport commissioner, pointed out that other Midwest airports have aggressively pursued European service — something once thought unthinkable for medium-sized hub airports such as St. Louis’.

“The problem we had in the past ... was that we were too far away from Europe for a 757 and didn’t have enough passenger traffic for a 767, and that was always the roadblock in getting European service,” Hrabko said. “The 787 has revolutionized that.”

Boeing has billed the 787 as a midsized passenger jet that can fly long-range routes with greater fuel efficiency, which gives air carriers the flexibility to enter new nonstop destinations. The Dreamliners operated by British Airways seat 214 passengers versus up to 252 on the 767-300, according the airline’s website.

Hrabko said Virgin Atlantic recently announced a “change in direction” in its approach to the Americas.