Photos of the Week: London Calling

It’s been nearly a month since British Airways restarted their nonstop flight to London Heathrow from Pittsburgh, and thousands of passengers have already taken advantage of the four-times-per-week service since.

Some travel for business, others for leisure, but they all get to share some common sights when they arrive at the European end of the trip.

Matt Slafka helpfully provided us with some photos of what passengers can expect to see when they first get to the United Kingdom on this route, both at the airport and from the sky.

The images provide some interesting contrasts between the two endpoints.

For example, while Heathrow handles north of 80 million passengers in a typical year, making it one of the busiest airports on the planet, it’s actually smaller than Pittsburgh International, in terms of geographic size, which sits on more than twice as many acres and has two more runways.

As for city sizes, it’s no comparison at all, as London’s 9 million people dwarfs even Pittsburgh’s 2.4 million metro population. However, Pittsburgh famously boasts three main rivers, while London makes do with one, the River Thames, which is captured wonderfully in the aerial photo.

Two fabulous endpoints to one international route. Thanks, Matt!

Our readers continue to pass along shots of unique aircraft, international airports, historical events, gorgeous views and even family vacation photos for this feature. We love them! Keep them coming—you can click here for submission guidelines.

A view of downtown London and the Thames River while on approach to London Heathrow Airport. (Photo submitted by Matt Slafka)