Open Skies: More Flights, Same Fares

Heathrow will also benefit from a new British Airways terminal, which will create more room for new flights at existing terminals by other carriers Continental Airlines Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp. and US Airways Group Inc. who are eager to offer service to one of the world's busiest international hubs.

The old rules also prevented European carriers from offering nonstop service to the U.S. from another European country. For instance, Air France was prohibited from flying direct to the U.S. from London any U.S.-bound Air France flight had to stop in France first.

New routes that will be launched under open skies include:

British Airways' OpenSkies flights from Brussels and Paris to New York

Delta Air Lines Inc. service to Heathrow from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Atlanta; to Lyon, France, from JFK and to Paris from Salt Lake City and JFK

Continental Airlines Inc. service to Heathrow from Newark Liberty International Airport and from Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Northwest Airlines Corp. flights to Heathrow from Detroit, Minneapolis and Seattle

Air France-KLM service from Heathrow to Los Angeles

US Airways service between Heathrow and Philadelphia

A United flight to Heathrow from Denver