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UK Airport Hell: Open Skies Might Gum Up Heathrow

A two-part post about airport congestion. The US half of the story.

Now that the EU and the United States have agreed to allow more carriers to fly to London Heathrow--an agreement that's been dubbed "open skies"--airlines are wrestling for places to park their planes like a bunch of kids fighting for the last Watermelon Blo-Pops underneath a busted piñata.

Currently four airlines--British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American and United--have open access to transatlantic routes from Heathrow. However, when open skies goes into place in the spring, Delta will start flying into LHR. Continental and Northwest are also looking to secure contracts to fly into London's biggest airport.

With no immediate plans to expand the size of the airport, we're waiting to hear a "please stay comfortable while we taxi for the next few hours" announcement when we touch down. At least if we're flying British, a brand-new terminal will be waiting for us when our plane finally limps up to the gate.

Related Stories:
· Battle For Heathrow [Daily Telegraph]
· Delta Now Flying to Heathrow [Jaunted]
· The Good News About LHR [Jaunted]
· London Heathrow coverage [Jaunted]