British Airways Plc, the carrier with the most service across the North Atlantic, may expand its all business-class flights to the U.S. from London City Airport, Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh said.Destinations including Boston and Washington are under study after British Airways began filling 75 percent of the seats on flights between City and New York, Walsh said in an interview late yesterday after a press reception in London.

City-New York is performing really well and bookings are very encouraging, Walsh said. We’re considering more East Coast routes, but we need to be able to look at at least four months of operations before reaching a decision. Adding service from City to more U.S. airports would expand London-based British Airways’ hold on travel across the North Atlantic, the world’s busiest route for premium travel. First- and business-class passengers are prized by airlines because fares in the front cabins are higher than those in coach.

Flights on the City-New York route started Sept. 29 with Airbus SAS A318 jets, which have to stop in Ireland because the U.K. airport’s 4,948-foot runway (1508 meters) is too short for takeoffs with a full fuel load for a trans-Atlantic flight. Walsh said the airline looked at flights to Dubai that would have refueled in mainland Europe and decided against the plan.

Walsh said British Airways hadn’t reached a contract agreement with the Unite union representing cabin crew members. He said he wouldn’t agree to any deal unless it provides lasting savings and doesn’t hamper his successor.
The airline is seeking to save as much as 127 million pounds $198 million from its crew costs, according to Unite. Balloting on a strike action will finish Feb. 22 after a U.K. judge voided an earlier election.

Regarding British Airways’ bid to operate a joint venture for flights across the North Atlantic that includes AMR Corp.’s American Airlines, Walsh said he remained confident of winning clearance from antitrust regulators.He said the airline also was making  good  progress in merger discussions with Madrid-based Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana SA. The carriers said in November that they would seek to sign a merger agreement by the end of the first quarter.