American plans fare to Heathrow; RDU's only nonstop to London will land at the more popular airport

Travel to London is about to get a lot more convenient for Triangle travelers.

American Airlines, which offers the only nonstop London flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, announced Thursday that the route will go to popular Heathrow Airport instead of more remote Gatwick Airport, beginning March 30.

"This is big news for Raleigh-Durham," travel agency owner Tony Maupin said. "It will certainly be more cost effective and convenient for travelers who fly not only to London but beyond.

"If you're going to South Africa or Amsterdam, you don't have to change airports," Maupin said.

London is one of the premier business and leisure destinations from the U.S., and many travelers prefer Heathrow.

With four terminals and a fifth under construction, Heathrow is only a 15-mile ride to downtown London. It also offers hundreds of connections to other European countries, the Middle East and Asia.

Gatwick, on the other hand, is 25 miles south of London and offers fewer connecting flights.

American has landed at Gatwick since the RDU-London flight began in 1994, because an agreement between the United Kingdom and the U.S. restricted the number of carriers and flights that could serve Heathrow.

That agreement is being replaced by a new pact between the European Union and the U.S. that allows more carriers to serve Heathrow. Before, only American, United, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic could operate limited numbers of flights there between the U.S. and U.K.

Under the new agreement, which takes effect March 30, any carrier can fly between U.S. cities and Heathrow, as long as it has takeoff and landing slots.

How many more airlines will serve Heathrow has not been determined. However, Continental and Delta have announced plans for flights. American, which wanted to land its RDU flight at Heathrow all along but couldn't, was quick to jump on the opportunity.

That should be good news for companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, which has a headquarters near London, in Brentford. GlaxoSmithKline, Cisco and the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority supported the change, American spokesman Tim Smith said. He said that many of the connections that Heathrow offers are with American's partners but are unavailable at Gatwick.

"Most travelers who go in and out of London will be pleased with this development," Smith said. "We would have liked to be there sooner."

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