(, ) is the largest
Airline Alliance .
On
31 March 1924 , Britain's four pioneer airlines -
Instone Air Line ,
Handley Page Transport , Daimler Airways (a successor to AT&T) and British Air Marine Navigation - merged to form
Imperial Airways , which developed its Empire routes to
Australia and Africa
1.
Meanwhile a number of smaller UK air transport companies had started flights. These merged in 1935 to form the original privately owned
British Airways Ltd . Following a government review, Imperial Airways and British Airways were nationalised in 1939 to form the
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Post-war, BOAC continued to operate long-haul services, other than routes to South America - these were flown by
British South American Airways , which was merged back into BOAC in
1949 . Continental European and domestic flights were flown by a new nationalised airline,
British European Airways (BEA), which compulsorily took over the routes of existing UK independent airlines .
In 1952 BOAC flew the
De Havilland Comet to
Johannesburg , halving the previous flight time. The birth of the mass package-holiday business meant change for the airline industry. BEA met the challenge by establishing BEA Airtours in 1970. In 1972 BOAC and BEA were combined under the newly formed British Airways Board, with the separate airlines coming together as British Airways in
1974 , under the guidance of
David Nicolson as Chairman of the BA Board. British Airways, simultaneously with
Air France , inaugurated the world's first supersonic passenger service with
Concorde in January 1976.
Sir John King , later Lord King, was appointed as Chairman in 1981 with the mission of preparing the airline for privatisation. King hired
Colin Marshall as CEO in 1983. King was credited with turning around the loss-making giant into one of the most profitable air carriers in the world, boldly claiming to be "The World's Favourite Airline", while many other large airlines struggled. The airline's fleet and route map were overhauled in the early years of King's tenure, with brand and advertising experts being recruited to change the airline's image. Over 23,000 jobs were shed in the early 1980s, though King managed the considerable trick of boosting staff morale and modernising operations at the same time. Offering generous inducements for people to leave led to record losses of £545 million, to the cost of taxpayers but to the benefit of the future privatised company.
The flag carrier was privatised and floated on the
London Stock Exchange in February 1987 by the
Conservative government, with the initial share offering being 11 times oversubscribed. In April 1988 British Airways effected the controversial takeover of Britain's airline
British Caledonian , and in 1992 absorbed some of the routes of Gatwick-based carrier
Dan-Air .
BAs London Heathrow baggage system has insufficient capacity to deal with the number of bags passing through it, according to BBC news. BA lost on average 3000 pieces of baggage per day.
4
On the
1 August 2007 it was reported that British Airways has been fined £121.5 million
5 for price-fixing. The fine was imposed by the
Office Of Fair Trading (OFT) after BA admitted to the price-fixing of fuel surcharges on long haul flights. The allegation first came to light last year when
Virgin Atlantic reported the events to the authorities after it found staff members from BA and Virgin Atlantic were colluding. Virgin Atlantic have since been granted immunity by both the OFT and the
United States Department Of Justice who have been investigating the allegations since June 2006. The US DOJ later announced that it would fine British Airways
$ 300 million (£148 million) for price fixing.
The allegations are thought to be linked to the resignation of commercial director Martin George and communications chief Iain Burns. Although BA said fuel surcharges were "a legitimate way of recovering costs", in May 2007 it put aside £350 million for legal fees and fines.
- Restated for the disposal of the regional business of BA Connect.
Until the late 1990s BA had been mainly a
Boeing customer. This has always been a subject of controversy, as many expect that as a British carrier it would be natural for BA to support the British manufacturing industry and buy
Airbus jets (Airbus wings are made in the UK and many subcontractors are also based there). The company has defended its decision by arguing that, with the exception of 29 of its 777 fleet, it has often equipped its Boeing aircraft with British-made
Rolls-Royce engines (examples include the Trent 800 on its Boeing 777s, the RB211-524 on its 747-400s and 767s and also RB211-535s on its 757-200s). This goes back to the 1960s when the company ordered
Boeing 707 s - a condition was placed on the company that it used Rolls-Royce power for the new jets. BA inherited BOAC's
Boeing Airline Code (36). Boeing aircraft built for British Airways have the suffix 36, for example 737-236, 747-436, 777-236.
CAA Aircraft Register (Boeing aircraft registered to British Airways
However, it has operated non-Boeing planes historically mainly as a result of takeovers and joint agreements with other airlines. One example of this was planes acquired through the buyout of
British Caledonian Airways in the 1980s; it successfully operated the
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and
Airbus A320 for a number of years. In the late 1990s British Airways placed its own first direct Airbus order, for over 100 A320/A319s to replace its own ageing fleet of Boeing 737s.
BA was one of only two operators of the supersonic Aerospatiale-BAC
Concorde Supersonic Airliner , (the other being the state-owned
Air France ) with a daily service between Heathrow and
New York JFK (although the original service was from London to
Bahrain ). Initially, Concorde was a financial burden, placed on the national carrier by the government, and attracted criticism from the press as a white elephant. However
Lord King recognised the charismatic importance of Concorde to British Airways. BA used Concorde to win business customers, guaranteeing a certain number of Concorde upgrades in return for corporate accounts with the airline - a key factor in winning business from transatlantic competitors.
With the
Paris Crash in 2000, the
September 11, 2001 Attacks and escalating maintenance costs, the future of Concorde was limited despite the expensive modifications after the crash. It was announced (on
10 April 2003 ) that, after
24 October 2003 , they would cease scheduled services with Concorde, due to depressed passenger numbers. The last day of its Saturday-only London Heathrow to
Barbados Concorde flight was on
30 August 2003 . The airline still owns 8 Concordes which are on long term loan to museums in the UK, U.S. and Barbados.
The British Airways fleet includes the following aircraft as of March 2007:
UK CAA Aircraft Register
Details of the fleets of British Airways' franchises which use the British Airways name and logo can be found on their relevant articles:
BA CityFlyer ,
Loganair ,
Sun Air ,
Comair ,
GB Airways , and
BMED (until late 2007).
In March 2007, the average age of British Airways fleet was 9.8 years.
British Airways offers between two and four classes of service on their long haul international routes. World Traveller (Economy Class) and Club World/Club Europe (Business Class) always feature. Most aircraft are also fitted with World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and FIRST (First Class).
British Airways has 32 outstanding options with Airbus, which may be taken as any member of the A320 family. Secured delivery positions on 10 Boeing 777 aircraft are held.
BA Interim Financial Results 2006 Q3
The long-term replacement of the 767 fleet is likely to lead to a purchase of the fleet
The shorthaul and domestic fleet at London's Gatwick Airport is the next in line for replacement, with the 32 Boeing 737 series aircraft dating from the early to mid 1990s. On
18 May 2007 , BA announced that it has placed a firm order with Airbus for eight new
A320 aircraft. The new aircraft are due for delivery between 2008 and 2010.
6
On
17 October 2006 the airline announced that it was seeking responses for initially 34 aircraft to replace its existing long haul fleet. BA, which said it planned to place the orders in 2007, said it was considering the
Airbus A380 , as well as the
A330 and
A350 ; and the
Boeing 787 ,
777 and
747-8 . Analysts estimate the airline would ultimately spend at least $7bn (£3.7bn).
BBC News - BA to buy new long-haul aircraft The decision will be made by September 2007.
Although A350 (XWB) deliveries are not scheduled until 2013, British Airways are not worried that if they ordered A350s, the development would not be finished in time for BA's fleet renewal program. Willie Walsh (British Airways CEO) has said "No, it is not too late. I am very pleased to see Airbus move forward" and also said that the timing is actually good for British Airways- "The timing is helpful actually... 2013 entry into service is good for BA."
{Link without Title} - British Airways To Talk To Airbus About New A350
On
27 March 2007 , British Airways placed a firm order for four 777-200ER aircraft with an option for four more, with the order totalling more than US$800 million at list price.
7
One musical track used on BA advertisements was "Flower Duet" by
Léo Delibes .
8.
The advertising agency used for many years by BA was
Saatchi & Saatchi , who created many of the most famous advertisements for the airline. Prior to "The World's Favourite Airline" the advertising slogan was "We'll Take More Care Of You". As of June 2007, BA's advertising agency is
Bartle Bogle Hegarty .
The airline features in prominently in several films:
- The James Bond films '' Goldeneye '' and '' Die Another Day ''. The Bond relationship appears to have ended with 2006's '' Casino Royale ''.
- '' Coming To America '', in which the prince arrives in the U.S. on board a BA Concorde.
- The 1998 remake of '' The Parent Trap '', in which Hallie arrives in London on a BA aircraft.
- '' Three Men And A Baby '', in which the three men arrive at the airport and assume that the baby has been taken to England on a BA aircraft.
- '' A Fish Called Wanda '', when Archie and Wanda escape to Rio De Janeiro on a British Airways 747 at the end of the film after some fighting on the tarmac below the plane.
British Airways is the official airline of
Wimbledon Championship Tennis Tournament .http://agency.com/facts/press_release.asp?pid=63
Since its formation in 1974, though to a limited extent until all aircraft were repainted, British Airways aeroplanes carried a
Union Flag scheme painted on their tail fins. In 1997, they began to be repainted (and the planes re-named) with abstract world images,
Delft Pottery or
Chinese Calligraphy for example, relating to countries they fly to. This caused problems with
Air Traffic Control : previously controllers had been able to tell pilots to follow a BA plane, but because they were each painted in different colours they were harder to identify.
Margaret Thatcher famously covered the tail fin of a model aircraft with the new design using her
Handkerchief at the 1997
Conservative Party conference. She slated it, claiming they made it look like a
Third World airline. "We fly the British flag, not these awful things."
In May 2001, chief executive
Rod Eddington declared that all BA planes would be repainted with the
Chatham Dockyard Union Flag, based on a design first used on
Concorde .
The offered cabins on board British Airways aircraft depend on the destination that you are travelling to.
; UK Domestic
UK Domestic seat pitch is 31" on all aircraft and the seats are in a one-class configuration. Food on these services depends on the destination and time of day. On all UK Domestic services, a breakfast meal is served before 10am and after 10am there is a drinks service. There is a salad service on flights from Scotland to London, but only a sandwich service on the Scotland to Manchester route.
; Business UK
This class has exactly the same service (same cabin) as UK Domestic with a fully flexible ticket and lounge access.
;Euro Traveller
Euro Traveller seat pitch is 31", except on Boeing 757 aircraft where it is 32" and Airbus A321 aircraft where it is 30". Food on board depends on the destination "band" (e.g. Band 1 to Paris, Band 3 to Rome, Band 4 to Athens). In-flight entertainment is offered on band 4 flights on aircraft with suitable equipment.
;Club Europe
Club Europe is the
Business Class product of British Airways, offered on all shorthaul routes. Passengers have access to business lounges at most airports and are also served a full English breakfast in the mornings and afternoon tea later in the day. Seat pitch is 34".
;FIRST
FIRST is the long haul
First Class product on British Airways and is offered only on BA's
Boeing 777 and
Boeing 747 aircraft. In it are thirteen or fourteen private "demi-cabins" with 6' 6" beds, in-seat power for laptops, personal phones, and entertainment facilities. Meals are available on demand. BA offers dedicated check-in facilities at some airports.
;Club World
Club World is the longhaul business class product of British Airways. Passengers have access to business lounges at most airports. On
13 November 2006 , British Airways launched a new Club World service, offering larger seats and a service revamp. The service offers a 6' flat bed with 24 seats on the 767-300ER, between 40 and 48 seats on the 777-200, and between 38 and 70 seats on the 747-400.
;World Traveller and World Traveller Plus
World Traveller and World Traveller Plus are the two main economy classes offered internationally on British Airways. World Traveller is
Standard Economy and offers a 31" seat pitch. World Traveller Plus is
Premium Economy and, in comparison to World Traveller, offers a better (38") seat pitch, fewer seats abreast, and in-seat laptop power.
British Airways is based at
London Heathrow Airport in
London ,
England . It also has a presence at
Gatwick and previously had a significant hub at
Manchester International Airport , but this was much reduced in 2007, in common with operations from other UK airports. BA has succeeded in dominating Heathrow to the point that the airport is commonly referred to as ''Fortress Heathrow'' within both the airline and its competitors.
As an incumbent airline, BA had ''
Grandfather Rights '' to around 36% of takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow, many of which are used for the lucrative trans-Atlantic market. Some competitors, such as
Virgin Atlantic and
Bmi , assert that this stifles competition and some political think-tanks recommend an auction of slots. In recent years British Airways has been buying slots from other airlines including
United Airlines ,
Brussels Airlines and
Swiss International Air Lines , and now owns about 40% of slots at Heathrow.
Although British Airways describes itself as the 'National Carrier of the United Kingdom', it does not have a presence in
Wales and services to all airports 'north of Watford' were severely truncated in March 2007. BA aims to fly UK passengers through its Heathrow and Gatwick hubs. However, this policy is now being strongly countered by other airlines such as Emirates, who fly direct from several UK provincial airports to Dubai and onwards from that hub to Asia and Australasia.
Traditionally viewed as a full fare airline, BA operations in some ways resemble those of a budget airline; notably in the February 2007 decision to charge up to £240 for a second piece of hold luggage.
9.
BA CityFlyer is a subsidiary with
Avro RJ100 aircraft based in Edinburgh, but operating mainly from
London City Airport .
In March 2008, BA will move most of its Heathrow operation to the new Terminal 5, vacating the existing terminals, although certain flights will depart Terminal 3 which will undergo a significant re-organisation.
British Airways is the full owner of Airways Aero Associations Limited, which operates the
British Airways Flying Club and runs its own aerodrome under the British Airways brand at
Wycombe Air Park ,
High Wycombe
- BMED , UK, franchisee from 1997 until late summer 2007.
- Comair , South Africa , franchisee since 1996.
- GB Airways , UK, franchisee since 1 February 1995 .
- Loganair , UK, franchisee since July 1994.
- Sun Air , Denmark , franchisee since 1 August 1996 .
BA owns a 10% stake in Spanish airline
Iberia . It raised its stake in Iberia from 9% to 10% by purchasing
American Airlines ' remaining shares. This 10% stake gives British Airways the right to appoint two board members.''
Airliner World '', January 2007
It obtained a 15% stake in
FlyBe when it sold its regional UK operation
BA Connect to FlyBe in March 2007.
It owns a 10% stake in
Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd. as part of the InterCapital and Regional Rail alliance that also includes
SNCF ,
SNCB and
National Express Group . Eurostar (U.K.) is the UK arm of
Eurostar , the cross-Channel rail operator.http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/about_eurostar/company_information/ownership_structure.jsp
BA is, through its subsidiary British Airways World Cargo, the world's twelfth-largest
Cargo Airline based on total freight tonne-kilometers flown.
10 BA World Cargo has global reach through the British Airways scheduled network. In addition to the main fleet, BA World Cargo
Wet Lease three
Boeing 747-400F dedicated freighter aircraft from
Global Supply Systems on a multi-year basis,
11 as well as utilising space on dedicated freighters operated by other carriers on European services. Dedicated freighter services allow the airline to serve airports not connected to the scheduled network, such as
London Stansted ,
Glasgow Prestwick ,
Frankfurt-Hahn ,
Vitoria and
Seoul .
British Airways opened its £250m World Cargo centre, ''Ascentis'', at Heathrow in 1999. As one of the largest and most advanced automated freight handling centres in the world, it contains a handling centre for unusual and premium cargo, and a perishables handling centre for fresh produce, of which it handles over 80,000 tons per year. BA World Cargo also handles freight at London's Gatwick and Stansted airports, and, through its partner British Airways Regional Cargo, at all of the main regional airports throughout the UK. On
2007
British Airways' frequent flyer programme is Executive Club. It forms part of the network of frequent flyer programs in the
Oneworld alliance. The Executive Club has three tiers of membership: Blue, Silver, Gold. The benefits of the Silver and Gold cards are considerable, including access to airport lounges and dedicated reservation lines. It also has an invitation-only Premier program.
Unlike most airline frequent flyer programs, the Executive Club separates out the earning of redeemable miles BA Miles and loyalty "Tier Points"; flying in higher Classes of Service (Premium Economy, Business or First) will attract a premium on both BA Miles and Tier Points. Tier Points are only being awarded for "Eligible Flights", and to gain the full allocation of Tier Points a Full Fare ticket (Economy Y/M, or any premium cabin fare) is needed, whereas Eligible Discounted Fares (Economy B/H/U) only attract a percentage of the notional BA Miles and Tier Point allocations, and tickets booked at deeply discounted fares (i.e. Economy Cabin on Fare Basis K/L/N/O/Q/S/V/X) typically only accrue BA Miles (at a percentage of actual mile flown).
Continued membership of the Executive Club requires attaining the relevant number of Tier Points for the Tier annually; for instance maintaining Silver will take 4 Full Fare Premium Economy Returns between the UK and the US Eastern Seaboard, but with so many discounted fares around this means spending a lot with this airline for the benefit.
- On 24 June 1982 , Flight 9 , a Boeing 747-200 , , ''City of Edinburgh'' flew through a cloud of volcanic ash and dust from the eruption of Mount Galunggung , causing extensive damage to the aircraft, including the failure of all four engines. The aircraft managed to glide out of the dust cloud and restart all of its engines, allowing it to make an emergency landing at Jakarta . No-one was injured.
- On 10 June 1990 , Flight 5390 , a BAC 1-11 flight between Birmingham and Málaga , suffered a windscreen blowout due to the fitting of incorrect bolts two days previously. The Captain suffered minor injuries and the co-pilot landed the plane safely at Southampton Airport .
- On 2 August , 1990 , Flight 149 landed at Kuwait International Airport four hours after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, leading to the capture of the passengers and crew, and the destruction of the aircraft.
- On 29 December 2000 , Flight 2069 from London Gatwick Airport to Nairobi experienced a hijack attempt whilst flying over Sudan . A Kenyan student with a mental illness burst into the cockpit of the Boeing 747 . As three crew fought to restrain the man, the auto-pilot became disengaged and the jet plunged downward around 10,000 feet with 398 passengers on board. However, with the help of a couple of passengers, the pilots recovered the aircraft, successfully restrained the Kenyan with handcuffs and the plane landed safely.
- On 19 February 2005 , the No. 2 engine of a Boeing 747-400 () surged and suffered internal damage just after take off from Los Angeles on a flight to London Heathrow with 16 crew and 351 passengers on board. The crew shut the engine down. They continued the climb and, having checked the performance figures, decided to continue the flight, in line with BA's standard operating procedures for 4 engined aircraft. Because it was unable to attain normal cruising speeds and altitudes, the aircraft was forced to divert to Manchester , England. The United States Federal Aviation Administration had been critical of the Captain's decision Flight International , July 2005 and accused BA of operating the aircraft in an unairworthy condition. In June 2006 the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch recommended that the UK and US authorities review the policy on flight continuation and give clear guidance. This has not happened but the FAA have accepted the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority ’s determination that the aircraft was not unairworthy. Flight International , 23-29 January 2007
- On 10 August 2006 the airline cancelled a large number of its flights to and from London Heathrow Airport due to A Foiled Terrorist Plot to destroy Jet Airliner s travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States . British Airways was one of those airlines that was targeted by the terrorists. Had this plot got past the planning stages, the planes would have been blown up with the use of Liquid Explosives . Three days later on 12 August 2006 the owner and operator of London Heathrow, BAA ordered airlines using the airport to make a 30% reduction in departing passenger flights (something BA was already having to do as passengers missed flights due to the extra time it took to clear security), to help reduce delays and cancellations. 12 BA would later say the disruption cost it £40 million and forced it to cancel 1,280 flights between 10 and 17 August. 13
- In October 2006, the British Airways Cross Controversy - a dispute over the right of a Christian check-in worker to wear a visible symbol of faith - occurred.
- In November 2006, it was revealed that British Airways has a policy of not seating adult male passengers next to unaccompanied children, even if the child's parents are elsewhere on the plane. This led to accusations that the airline considers all men to be potential peadophiles. The policy came to light following an incident in which Michael Kemp, a retired journalist, was asked to move from his seat next to a 9-year-old girl; he was told that the aircraft would not be taking off until the issue was resolved. The policy was condemned by Michele Elliot of British children's charity Kidscape, who said: "It is utterly absurd... what message does it send out to children - that men are not to be trusted? ...this is just totally lacking in common sense." She also highlighted that women are abusers too, and therefore many see this as highly sexist and discriminatory. 14 The policy was also criticised by MP Boris Johnson following an incident when a stewardess attempted to stop him sitting next to his own children. He condemned the company's policy because of its failure "to understand the terrible damage that is done by this system of presuming guilt in the entire male population just because of the tendencies of a tiny minority."15
- British Airways was announced by the Association Of European Airlines as having lost the most luggage in 2006 compared to other major European airlines. For every 1000 passengers carried, it lost 23 bags, 46% more than the average.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6524639.stm
- In April 2007, British Airways removed footage of Richard Branson and obscured a tail fin of a Virgin aircraft from '' Casino Royale ''.16 A representative of EON Productions , producer of all the Bond films, said Barbara Broccoli considered removing BA from their list of suppliers.17 However, it was not the first time that BA censored rivals from in-flight movies.18
