BA has announced it will start flying to Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza (all holiday rather than business destinations) from Stansted from the 28th May this year in a move that is designed to remind the current owners of London City Airport not to overvalue their business.

A BA Embraer 190 jet – Picture from Aeropixels Photography

With BA concerned that they will see a rise in costs operating out of London City, a perfect airport for busy business folk, the British brand is proving it is not afraid to expand out of the centre of London in order to keep pricing low. Despite this, the fact remains that BA continues to show the rest of the UK outside of London a hefty dose of disdain.

The likes of Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, and even Virgin have all shown that using the regions as major hubs is a viable option, but BA continue to ferry people through Heathrow. BA are unlikely to change this any time soon, but it is a shame that this short-term bit of politics (moving some of their Embraer 190 jets to Stansted from London City) isn’t instead a move to link the likes of Manchester or Leeds to cities like Paris or Milan.

With fares out of Stansted starting at £98 return, it is unclear how many seats will be available at this price or how popular they will prove to be against the low cost options.