British Airways (re-)launches flights to Portland and Pittsburgh

British Airways has announced that it is launching flights to Portland, Oregon in 2022.

This is the second time BA has announced the route. It first announced it would fly to Portland in December 2019, with flights starting in June 2020.

That – obviously – never happened, and the flights were pulled from schedules entirely last year.

Pittsburgh is also returning …. but let’s look at Portland first. Both routes should have good Avios availability as the routes have just been added.

The good news is that BA still has its sights set on the Pacific North West and will launch Portland on 3rd June 2022.

It will operate five days per week, all year round. Here is the timetable:

• BA267 departs Heathrow at 15:15, arrives in Portland at 17:04
• BA266 departs Portland at 18:50 and arrives in London at 12:15 the following day

Flight times are almost identical to the original plans, although the flight numbers have changed. It will depart from Heathrow Terminal 5.

The re-launch suggests BA is confident of travel picking up more broadly in 2022, despite the current Omicron menace.

The service will use a 787-8 aircraft, which British Airways often uses to open new US routes. It is BA’s smallest long haul aircraft with Club, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller. The 787-8 fleet is not yet outfitted with BA’s new Club Suite business class so you have to make do with the older yin-yang style seating. Our guide to the best seats on BA’s 787-8 is here.

By the time you read this flights should be bookable for cash or Avios on the BA website here, with the guaranteed two World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and four Club World seats per flight.  As this is a new route availability should be wide open – if you were planning a trip to the US west coast next Summer but had failed to get the dates you wanted, this might be your best opportunity.

Is Portland worth visiting?

For a start, it’s worth mentioning that Portland International Airport is itself a destination thanks to the famous airport carpet!

Portland is a fantastic place to visit. I was there in 2018 and there is plenty to do. The Pacific North West is one of my favourite parts of the US, and one of the few areas I would actually consider moving to. Portland is perfectly located for beaches, wine country, gigantic forests or even ski resorts.

Portland itself is known for its trendy vibe with craft beer breweries and fun places to eat. If you like ice cream I recommend Salt & Straw, a boutiquey Portland-based ice cream shop with some funky and fantastic flavours.

To the north, just inside the Washington border is Mount St Helens, an active volcano that had a major and tragic eruption in 1980.

Just east of Portland are the famous Multnomah Falls which are worth a look despite the mass of tourists that pilgrimage there. These photos are all my own:

To the west is the Oregon coast with Cannon Beach and its famous Haystack rock. Further down is Pacific City with an absolutely gigantic sand dune with fantastic views of the coast.

If you’re driving towards Northern California you must stop at Crater Lake, an old collapsed volcano caldera that is now a large lake. It offers some of the most spectacular views you will ever see in your entire life and is well worth the beautiful drive.

If you are looking to take a trip to the US next Summer I would seriously consider flying to Portland.  It is a fantastic base to start from and with wide-open availability – at least for the next few hours – you will have your choice of travel dates.

British Airways also returns to Pittsburgh

British Airways has also announced the return of flights to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This route also returns on the 3rd June 2022 and will operate four times a week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday:

• BA171 departs Heathrow at 16:45 and arrives in Pittsburgh at 19:50
• BA170 departs Pittsburgh at 21:50 and arrives at Heathrow at 10:10 the following morning

These flights will also be operated by a Boeing 787-8. Unfortunately I have never been to Pittsburgh so I can’t recommend any activities ….

You can book both routes on ba.com here.