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WE SPEAK the same language, have similar cultures, enjoy an amicable relationship, and trade goods and lifestyles in a spirit of camaraderie. So doing business in the US and Canada should be a breeze, bearing in mind that the chill wind of economic downturn and the threat of recession will be factors in accessing the markets.

Things might be beyond difficult both sides of the Atlantic but, to repeat an apt cliché, when the going gets tough the tough get going. Certainly that’s the thinking of UK Trade & Investment, which is urging UK companies to cross the pond and get down to business.

Both markets are key to Britain: the US is our largest, taking some £28billion-worth of goods from the UK a year, with Canada importing items worth £3.3billion.

The potential is still there, says UK Trade & Investment. In the US, the opportunities for exports include machinery and transport equipment, chemical products, mineral fuels and lubricants, beverages and tobacco; while Canada’s sector requirements range from automotive, energy, power and aerospace, to pharmaceuticals, healthcare, financial services and biotechnology.

If the atmosphere might be a little constrained over there, this side of the Atlantic, business travellers can be much more optimistic – at least about the convenience of the flight ahead – as an increasing number of new US destinations are added to the network out of the UK.

They are emerging as the result of the Open Skies agreement concluded between the US and the EU. Coming into force at the end of March this year, the deal allows any European or American airline to fly any route between any city in the EU and any city in the US, and already the take-up has been encouraging.

Previously, only British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines and American Airlines had the right to operate transatlantic flights from London Heathrow. Now the door is open.
Continental, for example, has launched services from Heathrow to Houston and New York Newark; Delta, which recently merged with Northwest Airlines, is now flying to Atlanta, New York JFK and Cincinnati; and US Airways has introduced a route to Philadelphia.

British Airways has also taken advantage of the fly-where-you-will policy, and to underline the point, has created a new subsidiary called OpenSkies. Its first route, flown by a Boeing 757 in two-class configuration, was between Paris Orly and New York JFK, and took to the skies in June. Heathrow apart, Delta has also been quick off the mark in continental Europe, unveiling flights between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Paris Charles de Gaulle, again in June.

All of which would suggest the airline industry is in good health. Not quite so. Apart from the Delta/Northwest merger, there has been talk of others, and rumours of alliances to combat rising fuel prices and cut operating costs are rife.

Such measures would not, however, have saved transatlantic all-business-class carriers Eos, Maxjet and Silverjet. The victims of bad timing in launching during the past two years as economies began to decline, without the financial clout of the big boys, with no fat to trim, all three have been permanently grounded.

Their demise illustrates the hard times the transatlantic airlines are facing. But for the passenger planning a business trip to the US and Canada, the choice of routes just keeps getting better and better. flights mark.

United States

Atlanta
The capital of Georgia was founded in 1837 and destroyed less than 30 years later by General William T. Sherman’s troops in the Civil War, an infamous act recreated in the movie Gone With the Wind. The rebuilt city grew rapidly due to the expansion of the railroads and remains a major transportation hub, its international airport one of the world’s busiest. The city’s economy is led by the service, communications, manufacturing and finance industries.

Delta flies direct to Atlanta daily from London Heathrow and Manchester, and twice-daily from London Gatwick, with KLM operating daily flights from Amsterdam Schiphol.

Boston
Founded by Puritans from England in 1630, no city in the US is richer in historical associations than the state capital of Massachusetts. It is a major industrial, financial, educational and healthcare hub and has one of the finest ports in the world. Banking, financial services and insurance are the motors of the economy, and hi-tech industries include biotechnology, software and electronics.

From London Heathrow, British Airways serves Boston non-stop three times a day, American Airlines twice-daily, and Virgin Atlantic daily, while Icelandair operates one flight a day via Keflavik, and Aer Lingus flies daily from Dublin.

Chicago
Celebrated for the spectacular architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and notorious for the gangsterism of Al Capone, the largest city in Illinois stretches 22 miles along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. Known as the Windy City as much for its jazz as its strong breezes, Chicago is a major Great Lakes port, and the commercial, financial, industrial and cultural centre of the American Midwest.

American Airlines serves Chicago five times a day direct from Heathrow, while British Airways and United fly thrice-daily, and Virgin Atlantic and bmi daily. Aer Lingus offers one flight a day from Dublin, and KLM has the same frequency from Amsterdam Schiphol.

Cincinnati
On the north bank of the Ohio River, Cincinnati is considered to have been the first American boomtown city, expanding in the early 19th century to rival the larger coastal centres in size and wealth. Since surpassed by many other inland cities, today it is home to major corporations in the banking, insurance and financial services sectors, with ten Fortune 500 and 18 Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in town.

Delta flies direct to Cincinnati daily from Gatwick, with British Airways providing two flights a day from Heathrow via Chicago.

Dallas
Forever synonymous with the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, the second-largest city in Texas is located on the Trinity River, and is in the state’s main cotton-producing region. The economy is highly diversified, and Dallas is the leading commercial, marketing and industrial centre of the south west, with insurance, the service sector and conventions and events business growing in importance.

The only direct service from the UK to Dallas is British Airways’ daily flight from Heathrow.

Detroit
The largest city in Michigan is situated in the south east of the state on the Detroit River, and is the oldest metropolis of any size west of the seaboard colonies, founded more than a century before Chicago. It is one of the biggest manufacturing cities in the US, known as Motown for being the centre of the automobile industry. The health and medical care sector is important to the economy, and employment in the finance and insurance industries has been growing since the early 1990s.

Northwest/KLM flies daily from London Heathrow with further options via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. British Airways flies to Detroit three times a day via Chicago.

Houston
The largest city in Texas, which gained its freedom from Mexico in a successful war of rebellion in 1836, Houston is in the south east of the state, close to the Gulf of Mexico. It is a major business, financial, science and technology centre. Outstanding oil and natural gas production make the city the energy capital of the world. Houston has been the seat of the Mission Control Centre of the US space programme since 1962, and is thus the focus of the aerospace industry.

Continental serves Houston twice-daily direct from Heathrow and daily from Gatwick. British Airways flies non-stop from Heathrow twice a day – plus two flights via Miami – and KLM offers 13 services a week from Amsterdam Schiphol.

Las Vegas
Established in 1905 with the arrival of the railroad, what was to become the largest city in Nevada did not really take off until gambling was legalised in 1931, the industry growing phenomenally after World War Two, when large hotels were built along the strip. The rest is history. Tourism and conventions are the city’s main sources of income, together with manufacturing, government services, warehousing and trucking, while many hi-tech companies are located in the so-called Marriage Capital of America.

Virgin Atlantic flies direct to Las Vegas daily from London Gatwick, bmi from London Heathrow, and British Airways has one service a day from Heathrow via Dallas/Fort Worth.

Los Angeles
Located on the Pacific, LA is the largest city in California, stretching 40 miles from the mountains to the sea. As a result of its equable climate, people from all parts of the nation were attracted to the area, triggering the growth of the citrus fruit sector, the development of one of the busiest ports in the US, and the Hollywood motion picture industry. Today, the city is a major hub for shipping, manufacturing, health services and finance, aerospace is growing in importance, and the entertainment sector is world renowned.

From London Heathrow, British Airways flies non-stop to LA thrice-daily, Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines twice-daily, and United and Air New Zealand daily. Aer Lingus has four services a week out of Dublin, while KLM flies a daily operation from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Miami
In the south east of Florida on Biscayne Bay, Miami is the only US city to have been planned by a woman, one Julia Tuttle, who bought land on the banks of the Miami River in 1891 and persuaded a New York financier to underwrite and build her grand design. The city is an international banking centre, and Greater Miami is a national leader in biomedical technology and health care, and has growing computer, electrical engineering and plastics industries.
From London Heathrow, American Airlines and British Airways serve Miami non-stop twice-daily, and Virgin Atlantic flies daily.

New York City
Yellow Cab drivers will still tell you about the tragic events of September 2001 in graphic detail. But the city has recovered, albeit chastened and more worldly wise. The 24/7 Big Apple, in the south of New York State at the mouth of the Hudson River, is a world leader in finance, the arts and communications, and the port of New York is one of the finest around. The metropolis is also home to the United Nations, some of the world’s largest corporations, and is the nation’s centre for advertising, fashion, publishing and radio broadcasting.

From Heathrow, British Airways serves New York JFK non-stop eight times a day, American Airlines six times a day, Delta and Virgin Atlantic twice-daily, Air India daily, and Kuwait Airways three times a week, with Icelandair flying daily via Keflavik. Regional services to JFK include daily flights with Delta from Manchester and Edinburgh, with Aer Lingus flying twice-daily from Dublin and daily from Shannon. Direct services from Heathrow to New York Newark are twice-daily with Continental and Virgin Atlantic, and four times a day with British Airways, while Continental offers twice-daily flights from Gatwick.

Continental also flies to New York Newark from Manchester and Edinburgh twice-daily, and once a day out of Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol and Belfast. In addition, KLM provides 14 flights a week, and Northwest Airlines a twice-daily frequency, both from Amsterdam Schiphol.

San Francisco
When Tony Bennett “left his heart in San Francisco”, the song boosted tourism to the extent that the grateful authorities presented him with a cable car. The venerable trolleys still rattle down Nob Hill to the waterfront, but the beautiful City By The Bay is about much more than its attractions. It has been an important financial centre since the days of the Gold Rush, and, located halfway between London and Tokyo, is a centre of global business. Economic activity attracts a range of industries, and San Francisco is home to more than 30 financial institutions, and some of the world’s most innovative new technology companies.
British Airways and United fly from Heathrow direct to San Francisco twice a day, and Virgin Atlantic flies daily, while Aer Lingus serves the city daily from Dublin, with KLM offering the same frequency from Amsterdam Schiphol.

Seattle
The largest city in Washington State lies between Puget Sound and Lake Washington.

A boom town during the Alaska Gold Rush of 1897, it continued to prosper, becoming a major Pacific port of entry with the opening of the Panama Canal 17 years later. Seattle is the region’s commercial and transportation hub,
and its centre of manufacturing, trade and finance. The diversified industries include aircraft, fishing, forestry, technology, machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
The only direct flight from the UK to Seattle is with British Airways, which flies 13 times a week from London Heathrow.

Washington DC
The seat of US government was transferred from Philadelphia to Washington DC in 1800, when President John Adams became the first resident in the White House. The city is on the Potomac River, with the mainstays of its economy being the federal government and tourism. Many unions, business, professional and non-profit organisations, have headquarters here – mighty handy for lobbying the folk up on Capitol Hill.

From London Heathrow, United Airlines serves Washington direct four times a day, British Airways has 24 flights a week, and Virgin Atlantic offers a daily service. In addition, Aer Lingus flies three times a week from Dublin, and KLM daily from Amsterdam Schiphol.

Canada

Calgary
The overseas image of the city at the foot of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta is no doubt shaped by images of the annual Calgary Stampede, which bills itself as “The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth”. The gala event apart, innovative Calgary is a global centre for the energy industry, and its economy has diversified into technology, manufacturing, financial and business services, transportation, and the film and creative industries.
Air Canada flies direct from Heathrow to Calgary twice-daily, and British Airways daily.

Montreal
Dominated by Mount Royal on Montreal Island, where the Ottawa River flows into the St. Lawrence Seaway, Montreal is in French-speaking Quebec. Textiles and garment-making remain the major industries, followed by the food, beverage and tobacco sectors. In a highly diversified economy, there is growth in aerospace, drug research, electronics and computer programming.

Both Air Canada and British Airways fly direct to Montreal daily from Heathrow, with KLM offering the same frequency from its hub at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Ottawa
On the banks of the majestic Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau Rivers, the capital of Canada is a thriving international technology and business centre. The city has the most educated workforce in the country and is home to a host of government organisations.

Air Canada flies direct from London Heathrow
to Ottawa daily, with British Airways’ twice-daily service operating via Chicago.

Toronto
The largest city in Canada, with a population of 2.5million, Toronto is the capital of Ontario. Sustained growth of a diverse economy in this green and scenic metropolis is powered by the aerospace, biotechnology, financial services, film and TV production, and tourism sectors, with 18 million visitors a year to nearby Niagara Falls.

Air Canada offers four direct flights a day from London Heathrow to Toronto, and British Airways flies non-stop 17 times a week.

Vancouver
Scenically splendid in its location, with the Pacific to the west and the Coastal Mountains to the north, Vancouver is the jewel of British Columbia. Its dynamic economy is driven by tourism, financial services, film making, forestry and mining, and the new media companies in town are world renowned for their creative talent and production skills.

Air Canada serves Vancouver direct from London Heathrow twice-daily, while British Airways has 13 flights a week, and KLM provides a daily service from Amsterdam Schiphol.

The domestic round up
IF travelling to the US just got better with the introduction of the Open Skies policy, getting around the States on arrival is simplicity itself. The carrier on which you cross the Atlantic, like most of its rivals, will have an excellent domestic network radiating from its hub airport, in some cases with more than one base of operations.

Alternatively, America invented the low-cost model when Southwest Airlines launched a no-frills service way back in 1971, and today dozens of budget carriers criss-cross Uncle Sam’s skies. JetBlue Airways, for example, serves 30 destinations from New York JFK, Southwest now flies from many cities throughout the country, Spirit Airlines operates mainly between Florida and Chicago, Detroit and New York, and AirTran covers many cities in the east.

The low-cost sector in the US has a long history of start-ups and flops, which didn’t stop Richard Branson launching Virgin America in August 2007, although US law dictates that foreign interests may only have a 25 per cent share in a domestic airline.

Providing low fares on long-haul point-to-point services between many cities on the East and West coasts, Virgin America’s prime hub is San Francisco International – and backed by the Branson name, the carrier has reported a successful first year.

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