British Airways launches luxury London-N.Y. flights

LONDON — British Airways is launching its pricey new business class service between London and New York.

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The first flight takes off at 12:50 p.m. Tuesday from London City airport, which was chosen because it is close to the financial district.

Return fares start at 1,999.60 pounds ($3,172), and rise to 5,326.60 pounds for a fully flexible return.

The flight to New York includes a stop at Shannon in western Ireland, because the 32-bed Airbus A318 can't carry enough fuel to cross the Atlantic against the prevailing winds. There is no Shannon stop on the flight to London.

BA is jumping into a tough market. In recent years, attempts by Silverjet, MAXjet and EOS to run business-only services to the U.S. all flopped.