Fifth Freedom flights to Seattle?

[The Original Nick]

Hi All – I’m trying to find out about the Fifth freedom flights that used to operate to Seattle years ago from the UK but I can’t find anything. I am thinking it was over 10 years ago that it used to operate.I think it was via New York or maybe Toronto or Chicago?

[Super Secret Stuff]

There’s no chance it being New York or Chicago, that would make it sixth freedom which is illegal in America. Any US to US flights have to be run by a company controlled by a US person or entity if they want to sell tickets. Cargo is slightly different I think (afaik)

Air Tahiti nui do one to Paris I think

[Alex G]

Don’t know about Seattle, but ANZ used to operate 5th Freedom flights from London to LAX.

ANZ also operated flights between LAX and HNL. I don’t know if these could be booked as stand alone flights or not, or whether they were restricted to PAX starting or ending outside the US. I flew LGW-LAX-HNL with a stopover on the return.

[Lyn]

Cathay used to have flights from Vanouver to New York, but I think these continued on to Hong Kong from there, rather than London.

[The real Swiss Tony]

We flew LHR-SEA probably 15 yrs ago and it was all non-stop then.

Going back to the late 90’s, BA I think used to fly LHR-DTW via maybe Montreal, and there was a GLA/BHX-YYZ-JFK flight around the same time (I flew the YYZ-JFK leg in 1997)

I did however stumble across this which I found fascinating and will waste several hours looking at later
https://www.vc10.net/Files/BA_1978-1979Timetableno1.pdf

[Alex G]

The real Swiss Tony wrote:

We flew LHR-SEA probably 15 yrs ago and it was all non-stop then.

Going back to the late 90’s, BA I think used to fly LHR-DTW via maybe Montreal, and there was a GLA/BHX-YYZ-JFK flight around the same time (I flew the YYZ-JFK leg in 1997)

I did however stumble across this which I found fascinating and will waste several hours looking at later
https://www.vc10.net/Files/BA_1978-1979Timetableno1.pdf

LHR to SEA was non stop in the 1970s. Mum flew out to HNL with PanAm and it was non stop to SEA. SEA may have been a technical stop, as I seem to recall she said there was a problem with the aircraft, and it was on the ground in SEA for a long time.