The first plane to fly to the UK as part of the new Open Skies agreement touched down at Heathrow airport yesterday.
Previously, only four airliners have been able to charter flights between the US and Europe, but this has now been expanded to allow all airliners to offer transatlantic services.
"What 'Open Skies' has done is open up the market and it's good news for the passenger and certainly for Heathrow," a spokeswoman for BAA, Heathrow's operator, told Agence France Presse.
Air France and US airliner Delta will also be launching a joint-venture today which will see transatlantic flights offered to the companies' customers.
Continental Airlines has said that the new services marked a "great day" for the company, adding that it had been waiting to supply customers with Heathrow flights for a long time.
The airliner will offer twice-daily non-stop service to Heathrow from both New York Liberty and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
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