​5 US cities that should have flights from the UK - but don't

As BA restores a direct connection from London to New Orleans, Simon Calder picks out other destinations that ought to be on the route map

America's country music capital, Nashville (Shutterstock)

British Airways is returning to New Orleans, with a four-times weekly service from Heathrow to Louisiana’s largest city, starting on 26 March 2017. The restored link leaves some key American locations still unserved from the UK. Here are those that BA, Virgin Atlantic should really consider...

Jacksonville, Florida

You can already fly to four gateways in the Sunshine State (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Orlando), but they are all in the south or centre of the Florida peninsula. Jacksonville, population 850,000, is set in the north-east corner of the state astride the broad St John’s River — Florida’s longest. It is mainly a business city, which will appeal to airlines; from a traveller’s perspective, it provides access to the nation’s oldest continuously occupied European settlement, St Augustine, as well as a string of beaches. And it is the starting point for I-10, the freeway along the Florida Panhandle.

Jacksonville (Shutterstock)

Nashville, Tennessee

The world capital of Country music boasts a full-size replica of the Parthenon in Athens, and furthermore its version is in far better condition than the Greek original. More pertinently for route planning, Nashville is an important hub for BA’s partner, American Airlines — which indeed tried flights from Heathrow to the city in the 1990s. With more efficient aircraft such as the 787, it could now be viable.

Memphis, Tennessee

The birthplace of the Blues would make a natural destination for Virgin Atlantic, given the airline’s rock’n’roll credentials. Elvis’s former home, Graceland, is the main attraction, and the city’s location on the Mississippi makes it a good place to begin or end a trip along the river. It is also a hub for Virgin’s partner, Delta.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

A link to New Mexico’s largest city would usefully fill a gap between Phoenix and Dallas. Some Breaking Bad fans will want to explore the series’ locations, and provide access to a state that has much to offer in terms of history and culture — both Native American and Hispanic. Santa Fe, just to the north-east, is a centre for counter-culture, while Roswell to the south-east is home to the International UFO Museum And Research Center.

Honolulu, Hawaii

The main hub for the islands of the 50th State is currently a pain to reach, requiring at least one change of plane in the US or Canada and demanding a journey of 17 hours or more. The long legs of modern aircraft mean that the 7,230-mile non-stop distance is quite manageable — indeed it is slightly shorter then BA’s impending Heathrow-Santiago link. With rules on Polar flights relaxed, a direct flight would allow British travellers easy access to surfing beaches such as Waikiki, and the lesser-known islands of the archipelago.

Honolulu (AFP/Getty Images) (AFP/Getty)