The Importance of Direct San Diego/London Flights
British Airways Launches Non-Stop Service San Diego-London
By Joanne DiBona, Communications Director, jdibona@sdcvb.org
It was a happy day for San Diego’s visitor industry last March 25, when British Airways launched its nonstop Boeing B777 service from San Diego to London.
This daily flight marked an all-time first in San Diego commercial aviation history, as Lindbergh Field had never before offered travelers direct, nonstop service to Europe. The new service replaced the existing British Airways route requiring a stop in Phoenix, thus shaving off 5 hours of flight time from the San Diego-London trip.
Needless to say, this came as welcome news to the thousands of travelers on both continents looking for a direct international connection. San Diego has long been disadvantaged because it is not an international gateway city. The majority of overseas travelers visiting California fly directly into Los Angeles or San Francisco—and their visit to the Western U.S. may or may not include a ‘side’ trip to San Diego.
Thanks to British Air’s nonstop service, both vacationers and business people alike had the option of making San Diego their primary destination when it came to selecting a U.S. city for business or pleasure. San Diego attracted more than 700,000 overseas visitors in 2000, with the United Kingdom at the top of the list as our strongest foreign market, followed by Germany and Japan.
Not only did this service make it easier for the European pleasure travelers to find their way to San Diego’s sunny shores, but it also gave convention delegates traveling from Europe to San Diego an additional option when making their travel plans. Since London’s Gatwick is a quick hub airport with excellent connections to all major European cities, it was an obvious choice for delegates in other European countries looking for the most direct flight to San Diego.
With the recent expansion of the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego is in an excellent position to attract larger conventions and trade shows, many with strong international ties and delegate representation. When the International User Conference of the Environmental Systems Research Institute and the International Society for Optical Engineering convened in San Diego last July, the halls of the Convention Center were filled with delegates from all over Europe. No doubt, many of them utilized the direct, nonstop British American flight to get here.
Then came September 11 and the world as we knew it changed drastically. Since then, Lindbergh Field has lost 11 to 12 percent of its flights. Leisure travel, especially from overseas, came to a grinding halt.
But there are signs that recovery is near, especially for San Diego’s visitor industry. Despite the devastating effects of 9-11, San Diego’s tourism remained relatively stable in 2001. Our recent year-end statistics show that overall, San Diego’s visitor industry had a decline of only –2.5% in 2001, a relatively positive report considering the circumstances.
Actually, San Diego is recovering faster than many destinations across the country, thanks to its popularity as a close-in drive destination and the diversity of its visitor and convention amenities. In fact, we placed second among 25 US cities in a national survey conducted by Smith Travel Research that reported hotel occupancy percentages from January through November, 2001. With an average occupancy rate of 71.5%, San Diego followed New York City and beat out long-time competitors such as San Francisco, Orlando, Anaheim and New Orleans.
This is very encouraging news for the future of our visitor industry-- San Diego’s third largest. The health of tourism depends on a variety of factors, the most important being a visitor-friendly infrastructure. Transportation plays an integral role in this infrastructure. Obviously, the easier you make it for potential travelers to get to your destination, the better your chances of capturing these visitors.
It stands to reason then that the more direct flights to San Diego we can offer these potential visitors, the better. This is especially true for the long haul, overseas markets, where one or two stops can easily mean an additional day of travel.
Whether we are selling San Diego as a tourist or convention destination, or as a possible new home for a global industry, such direct air service as now offered by British Air certainly plays a positive role in the travelers’ decision process.
San Diego certainly owes British Air thanks for their dedication and support during this difficult period. Our visitor industry can only hope that they will continue to offer our region the nonstop service that has contributed immeasurably to improved trade and cultural relations between San Diego and the United Kingdom.
