Jump to content

British Airways

From Niidae Wiki

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Protection padlock Template:Good article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox airline

British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers carried, behind easyJet. In January 2011, BA merged with Iberia, creating the International Airlines Group (IAG), a holding company registered in Madrid, Spain. IAG is the world's third-largest airline group in terms of annual revenue and the second-largest in Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the FTSE 100 Index. British Airways is the first passenger airline to have generated more than US$1 billion on a single air route in a year (from 1 April 2017, to 31 March 2018, on the New York-JFK – London-Heathrow route).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

BA was created in 1974 after a British Airways Board was established by the British government to manage the two nationalised airline corporations, British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways, and two regional airlines, Cambrian Airways and Northeast Airlines. On 31 March 1974, all four companies were merged to form British Airways. However, it marked 2019 as its centenary based on predecessor companies.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> After almost 13 years as a state company, BA was privatised in February 1987 as part of a wider privatisation plan by the Conservative government. The carrier expanded with the acquisition of British Caledonian in 1987, Dan-Air in 1992, and British Midland International in 2012.

It is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance, along with American Airlines, the now-defunct Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas. The alliance has since grown to become the third-largest, after SkyTeam and Star Alliance.

History

[edit]

Template:Main

File:British Airways Boeing 747-100 in BOAC basic livery Marmet.jpg
A Boeing 747-100 in BOAC-British Airways transition livery (1976)

Proposals to establish a joint British airline, combining the assets of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA), were first raised in 1953 as a result of difficulties in attempts by BOAC and BEA to negotiate air rights through the British colony of Cyprus. Increasingly BOAC was protesting that BEA was using its subsidiary Cyprus Airways to circumvent an agreement that BEA would not fly routes further east than Cyprus, particularly to the increasingly important oil regions in the Middle East. The chairman of BOAC, Miles Thomas, was in favour of a merger as a potential solution to this disagreement and had backing for the idea from the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, Rab Butler. However, opposition from the Treasury blocked the proposal.<ref>Robin Higham, Speedbird: The Complete History of BOAC (London: IB Tauris, 2013) p.117</ref>

Consequently, it was only following the recommendations of the 1969 Edwards Report that a new British Airways Board, managing both BEA and BOAC, and the two regional British airlines Cambrian Airways based at Cardiff, and Northeast Airlines based at Newcastle upon Tyne, was constituted on 1 April 1972.<ref>Airliner World (Cambrian Airways – The Welsh Dragon: New routes and turboprops), Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, September 2012, p. 71</ref> Although each airline's branding was maintained initially, two years later the British Airways Board unified its branding, effectively establishing British Airways as an airline on 31 March 1974.<ref name = EOP7>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following two years of fierce competition with British Caledonian, the second-largest airline in the United Kingdom at the time, the Government changed its aviation policy in 1976 so that the two carriers would no longer compete on long-haul routes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

British Airways and Air France operated the supersonic Concorde airliner, and the world's first supersonic passenger service flew on 21 January 1976 from London Heathrow Airport to Bahrain International Airport.<ref name = 'Concordeintro3'>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> Services to the U.S. began on 24 May 1976 with a flight to Washington Dulles airport, and flights to New York JFK airport followed on 22 September 1977. Service to Singapore was established in co-operation with Singapore Airlines as a continuation of the flight to Bahrain.<ref name = EOP7/> Following the crash of Air France Flight 4590 and the 11 September attacks, British Airways decided to cease Concorde operations in 2003 after 27 years of service. The final commercial Concorde flight was BA002 from New York-JFK to London-Heathrow on 24 October 2003.<ref name = EOP2000>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:British Airways Trident Three G-AWZA.jpg
A British Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident in its transitional scheme with BEA livery but with British Airways titles

In 1981 the airline was instructed to prepare for privatisation by the Conservative Thatcher government.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Sir John King, later Lord King, was appointed chairman, charged with bringing the airline back into profitability. While many other large airlines struggled, King was credited with transforming British Airways into one of the most profitable air carriers in the world.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The flag carrier was privatised and was floated on the London Stock Exchange in February 1987.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> British Airways effected the takeover of the UK's "second" airline, British Caledonian, in July of that same year.<ref name = BAP>Template:Cite news</ref>

The formation of Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic in 1984 created a competitor for BA. The intense rivalry between British Airways and Virgin Atlantic culminated in the former being sued for libel in 1993, arising from claims and counterclaims over a "dirty tricks" campaign against Virgin. This campaign included allegations of poaching Virgin Atlantic customers, tampering with private files belonging to Virgin, and undermining Virgin's financial reputation in the city. As a result of the case BA management apologised "unreservedly", and the company agreed to pay £110,000 in damages to Virgin, £500,000 to Branson personally and £3 million legal costs.<ref name="dirtytricks">Template:Cite news</ref> Lord King stepped down as chairman in 1993 and was replaced by his deputy, Colin Marshall, while Bob Ayling took over as CEO.<ref name = EOP9/> Virgin filed a separate action in the U.S. that same year regarding BA's domination of the trans-Atlantic routes, but it was thrown out in 1999.<ref name="dirtytricks" />

File:British Airways Concorde official handover ceremony Fitzgerald.jpg
British Airways' first Concorde at Heathrow Airport, on 15 January 1976

In 1992 British Airways expanded through the acquisition of the financially troubled Dan-Air, giving BA a much larger presence at Gatwick Airport. British Asia Airways, a subsidiary based in Taiwan, was formed in March 1993 to operate between London and Taipei. That same month BA purchased a 25% stake in the Australian airline Qantas and, with the acquisition of Brymon Airways in May, formed British Airways Citiexpress (later BA Connect).<ref name = EOP9>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 1998, British Airways, along with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and Canadian Airlines, formed the Oneworld airline alliance. Oneworld began operations on 1 February 1999, and is the third-largest airline alliance in the world, behind SkyTeam and Star Alliance.<ref name = BAP/>

File:British Airways Lockheed L-1011-385-1 TriStar 1 Gilliand.jpg
A British Airways Lockheed TriStar in Landor livery

Bob Ayling's leadership led to a cost savings of £750M and the establishment of a budget airline, Go, in 1998.<ref name=aylingquits>Template:Cite news</ref> The next year, however, British Airways reported an 84% drop in profits in its first quarter alone, its worst in seven years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2000, Ayling was removed from his position and British Airways announced Rod Eddington as his successor. That year, British Airways and KLM conducted talks on a potential merger, reaching a decision in July to file an official merger plan with the European Commission.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The plan fell through in September 2000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> British Asia Airways ceased operations in 2001 after BA suspended flights to Taipei. Go was sold to its management and the private equity firm 3i in June 2001.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Eddington would make further workforce cuts due to reduced demand following 11 September attacks in 2001,<ref name = EOP2000/> and BA sold its stake in Qantas in September 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2005 Willie Walsh, managing director of Aer Lingus and a former pilot, became the chief executive officer of British Airways.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> BA unveiled its new subsidiary OpenSkies in January 2008, taking advantage of the liberalisation of transatlantic traffic rights between Europe and the United States. OpenSkies flies non-stop from Paris to New York's JFK and Newark airports.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July 2008, British Airways announced a merger plan with Iberia, another flag carrier airline in the Oneworld alliance, wherein each airline would retain its original brand.<ref name="baiberiamerger">Template:Cite news</ref> The agreement was confirmed in April 2010,<ref name = BAIM>Template:Cite news</ref> and in July the European Commission and U.S. Department of Transportation permitted the merger and began to co-ordinate transatlantic routes with American Airlines.<ref name = ECABAIB>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name = DAOAIA> Template:Cite news</ref> On 6 October 2010 the alliance between British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia formally began operations. The alliance generates an estimated £230 million in annual cost-saving for BA, in addition to the £330 million which would be saved by the merger with Iberia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This merger was finalised on 21 January 2011, resulting in the establishment of International Airlines Group S.A. (IAG), the world's third-largest airline in terms of annual revenue and the second-largest airline group in Europe.<ref name=BAIM/><ref> Template:Cite news </ref> Prior to merging, British Airways owned a 13.5% stake in Iberia, and thus received ownership of 55% of the combined International Airlines Group; Iberia's other shareholders received the remaining 45%.<ref name = TEP>Template:Cite news</ref> As a part of the merger, British Airways ceased trading independently on the London Stock Exchange after 23 years as a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2010 Willie Walsh, now CEO of IAG, announced that the group was considering acquiring other airlines and had drawn up a shortlist of twelve possible acquisitions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 2011 IAG announced an agreement in principle to purchase British Midland International from Lufthansa.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> A contract to purchase the airline was agreed the next month,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the sale was completed for £172.5 million on 30 March 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The airline established a new subsidiary based at London City Airport operating Airbus A318s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:British Airways Iberia aircraft tails BA IB.jpg
British Airways and Iberia merged in January 2011, forming International Airlines Group, one of the world's largest airlines.

British Airways was the official airline partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games. On 18 May 2012 it flew the Olympic flame from Athens International Airport to RNAS Culdrose while carrying various dignitaries, including Lord Sebastian Coe, Princess Anne, the Olympics minister Hugh Robertson and the London Mayor Boris Johnson, along with the footballer David Beckham.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 27 May 2017, British Airways suffered a computer power failure. All flights were cancelled and thousands of passengers were affected.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the following day, the company had not succeeded in reestablishing the normal function of its computer systems. When asked by reporters for more information on the ongoing problems, British Airways stated "The root cause was a power supply issue which our affected our IT systems - we continue to investigate this" and declined to comment further.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Willie Walsh later attributed the crash to an electrical engineer disconnecting the UPS and said there would be an independent investigation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Amidst the decline in the value of Iranian currency due to the reintroduction of U.S. sanctions on Iran, BA announced that the Iranian route is "not commercially viable". As a result, BA decided to stop its services in Iran, effective 22 September 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2018, British Airways partnered with British tailor and designer Ozwald Boateng to redesign the company's historic uniforms, in honour of its approaching centenary, creating a new look for BA, while adhering to its traditional style. The new collection "A British Original" was launched in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This design initiative also included English bone china manufactured by William Edwards and cutlery by Studio William for the company's first class service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2019, as part of the celebrations of a centenary of airline operations in the United Kingdom, British Airways announced that four aircraft would receive retro liveries. The first of these is a Boeing 747-400 (G-BYGC), which was repainted into the former BOAC livery, which it retained until its retirement. Two more Boeing 747-400s were repainted with former British Airways liveries. One wore the "Landor" livery until its retirement in 2020 (G-BNLY), the other (G-CIVB), wore the original "Union Jack" livery until its retirement in 2020 also. An Airbus A319 was repainted into British European Airways livery, which is still flying as G-EUPJ.<ref name=Flight455845>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 28 April 2020, the company set out plans to make up to 12,000 staff redundant because of the global collapse of air traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic<ref name="guardian-british-airways-plans-to-make-up-to-12000-staff-redundant">Template:Cite news</ref> and that it may not reopen its operations at Gatwick airport.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They reopened at Gatwick in March 2022.<ref name="Gatwick reopens">Template:Cite news</ref>

In July 2020, British Airways announced the immediate retirement of its entire 747-400 fleet, having originally intended to phase out the remaining 747s in 2024. The airline stated that its decision to bring forward the date was in part due to the downturn in air travel following the COVID-19 pandemic and to focus on incorporating more modern and fuel-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. At the same time, British Airways also announced its intention to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 28 July 2020, the company's cabin crew union issued an "industrial action" warning in order to prevent the 12,000 job cuts and pay cuts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 12 October 2020, it was announced that Sean Doyle, CEO of Aer Lingus (also part of the IAG airline group) would succeed Álex Cruz as CEO.<ref name="Guardian">Template:Cite news</ref>

Corporate affairs

[edit]
[edit]

The key trends for the British Airways PLC Group are shown below.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On the merger with Iberia, the accounting reference date was changed from 31 March to 31 December; figures below are therefore for the years to 31 March up to 2010, for the nine months to 31 December 2010, and for the years to 31 December thereafter:

Year Turnover
(£ bn) 		Net profit
(£ m) 		Number of
employees
(FTE)Template:Efn 		Number of
passengers
(m) 		Passenger
load factor
(%) 		Number of
aircraftTemplate:Efn 		References
2008 Mar 8.7 694 41,745 34.6 79.1 245 <ref name="Report2008">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Report2010">Template:Cite web</ref>
2009 Mar 8.9 Template:Color 41,473 33.1 77.0 245 <ref name="Report2010" />
2010 Mar 7.9 Template:Color 37,595 31.8 78.5 238 <ref name="Report2010" />
2010Template:Efn 6.6 170 35,778 24.1 78.5 240 <ref name="Report2011">Template:Cite web</ref>
2011 9.9 672 36,164 34.2 78.2 245 <ref name="Report2011" />
2012 10.8 84 38,761 37.6 79.9 273 <ref name="Report2013">Template:Cite web</ref>
2013 11.4 281 38,592 39.9 81.3 278 <ref name="Report2013" />
2014 11.7 702 39,710 41.5 81.0 279 <ref name="Report2014">Template:Cite web</ref>
2015 11.3 975Template:Efn 39,309 43.3 81.5 284 <ref name="Report2015">Template:Cite web</ref>
2016 11.4 1,345 39,024 44.5 81.2 293 <ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
2017 12.2 1,447 38,347 45.2 81.8 293 <ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
2018 13.0 2,091 38,202 46.8 82.5 294 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2019 13.2 1,109 38,230 47.7 83.6 305 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020 4.0 Template:Color 33,898 12.2 61.4 277 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2021 3.6 Template:Color 26,890 10.3 58.3 276 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022 11.0 61 33,644 33.0 79.9 276 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023 14.3 1,161 37,401 43.0 83.6 284 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2020, due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, British Airways had to reduce its 42,000-strong workforce by 12,000 jobs. According to the estimate by IAG, a parent company, it will take the air travel industry several years to return to previous performance and profitability levels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

However, 2022 saw a dramatic increase in travel, and the company now faced a worker shortage, forcing it to cancel more than 1,500 flights.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During February 2023, The international airlines group, the owners of British Airways announced that the group has returned to making an annual profit of €1.3 billion for the first time since the pandemic, following a €2.8 billion loss in 2021. The company warned that due to the surge in demand for flying this could lead to more disruption.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Operations

[edit]

British Airways is the largest airline based in the United Kingdom in terms of fleet size, international flights, and international destinations and was, until 2008, the largest airline by passenger numbers. The airline carried 34.6 million passengers in 2008, but, rival carrier easyJet transported 44.5 million passengers that year, passing British Airways for the first time.<ref name="British Airways Traffic Statistics"> Template:Cite news </ref><ref name="Passenger statistics for December 2008">Template:Cite news</ref> British Airways holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, it is permitted to carry passengers, cargo, and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:WatersideBAHQLondon.jpg
Waterside, the head office building of British Airways

The airlines' head office, Waterside, stands in Harmondsworth, a village that is near Heathrow Airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Waterside was completed in June 1998 to replace British Airways' previous head office, Speedbird House,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Willcock, John. "People and Business: Toy story is just a fable Template:Webarchive." The Independent. Wednesday 7 October 1998. Retrieved 27 February 2010. "This is a lot more complimentary than the nickname for BA's old head office, Speedbird House, universally known as "Birdseed House". How cheap."</ref> located in Technical Block C on the grounds of Heathrow.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

British Airways' main base is at Heathrow Airport, but it also has a major presence at Gatwick Airport. It also has a base at London City Airport, where its subsidiary BA CityFlyer is the largest operator. BA had previously operated a significant hub at Manchester Airport. Manchester to New York (JFK) services were withdrawn; later all international services outside London ceased when the subsidiary BA Connect was sold. Passengers wishing to travel internationally with BA either to or from regional UK destinations must now transfer in London.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Heathrow Airport is dominated by British Airways, which owns 50% of the slots available at the airport as of 2019,<ref name="Slots 2019">Template:Cite web</ref> growing from 40% in 2004.<ref name="Slots 2004">Template:Cite news</ref> The majority of BA services operate from Terminal 5, with the exception of some flights at Terminal 3 owing to insufficient capacity at Terminal 5. At London City Airport, the company owns 52% of the slots as of 2019.<ref name="Slots 2019" />

In August 2014, Willie Walsh advised the airline would continue to use flight paths over Iraq despite the hostilities there. A few days earlier Qantas announced it would avoid Iraqi airspace, while other airlines did likewise. The issue arose following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, and a temporary suspension of flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.<ref name="IraqBA">Template:Cite news</ref>

Subsidiaries

[edit]

Over its history, BA has had many subsidiaries. In addition to the below, British Airways also owned Airways Aero Association, the operator of the British Airways flying club based at Wycombe Air Park in High Wycombe, until it was sold to Surinder Arora in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:2010-06-30 B757 OpenSkies F-HAVN EDDF 02.jpg
An OpenSkies Boeing 757-200 landing at Frankfurt Airport
Airline Still owned by BA Current status Details
BA CityFlyer Yes Active Founded 25 March 2007 as a reforming of the former subsidiary CityFlyer Express with assets of BA Connect not sold to Flybe
British Airways Engineering Yes Active Responsible for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of British Airways' aircraft. BAE was formed from the merger of the engineering divisions of BOAC and BEA's when the two airlines merged in 1974 to form British Airways.
British Airways World Cargo No Merged with fellow Cargo subsidiaries of IAG to form IAG Cargo British Airways first opened a World Cargo centre at Heathrow in 1999. The company ended operations on 30 April 2014,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> having been fully merged into IAG Cargo
British Airways Helicopters No Sold Sold in 1986 - Now trades as British International Helicopters
BA Connect No Closed Formerly known as BA CitiExpress. Sold in 2007 to Flybe,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> closed down in 2020
British Asia Airways No Closed Founded in 1993 to enable British Airways to continue operating service to Taiwan despite disputes over the legal status of the Republic of China.
OpenSkies Yes Reorganised Founded in 2008. OpenSkies ceased to operate under its own brand after summer 2018 to operate for IAG's new low-cost subsidiary brand Level.<ref name="LV18">Template:Cite web</ref>
British Airways Limited No Closed Established in 2012 to take over the operation of the premium service between London City Airport and New York-JFK. The flights returned to be directly operated by British Airways plc in 2015. The service was suspended in March 2020 amidst COVID-19, before being cancelled in August 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
CityFlyer Express No Closed Formerly a short-haul regional airline founded in 1991 (as Euroworld Airways). In 1993 it became the first British Airways (BA) franchisee operating as British Airways Express. CityFlyer's ownership passed to BA in 1999 when that company bought out the original promoters as well as 3i, the airline's main shareholder at the time. Initially, CityFlyer continued to operate as a separate unit, but it was eventually absorbed into British Airways' mainline short haul operation at Gatwick in 2001.
British Regional Airlines No Closed Founded in March 1991 when Manx Airlines created Manx Airlines Europe in order to expand and fly routes within the United Kingdom.<ref>Wings of Mann, Kniveton G N</ref> In 1994 Manx Airlines Europe became a franchise carrier for British Airways. In March 2001 British Airways purchased the British Regional Airlines Group (holding company of British Regional Airlines and Manx Airlines) for £78m and merged it with Brymon Airways to create British Airways CitiExpress.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Deutsche BA No Closed Sold in 2008 to Air Berlin where it traded as dba by Air Berlin, before closing down in 2008 <ref name="FI">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="aero.de">Template:Cite web</ref>
Air Liberté No Closed Purchased Air Liberté together with TAT and inaugurated them under one management. On 5 May 2000, BA sold Air Liberté to a partnership between Taitbout Antibes and Swissair.
BA Euroflyer Yes Active Created in 2022, was established to compete with easyJet at Gatwick by providing a lower cost option to the primary airline.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Franchises

[edit]
File:British Airways (Comair) B727-230 ZS-NVR (13893472608).jpg
A Comair Boeing 727-230 at O. R. Tambo International Airport
Airline Still a BA franchisee Still operating Details
Sun-Air of Scandinavia Yes Active Founded in 1978. Became a franchisee in 1996<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Comair No Closed Founded in 1943. Became a franchisee in 1996<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The company entered into voluntary business rescue proceedings on 5 May 2020, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Operations were suspended on 31 May 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Loganair No Active Founded in February 1962. In 1993, the airline became a franchisee of British Airways, operating its Islanders in the British Airways livery. This would stand until July 2008, when it became the new franchisee of Flybe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Maersk Air UK No Closed Founded in May 1993 as part of the demerger of BEA. It flew out of Birmingham Airport to domestic and European destinations under a British Airways franchise agreement. By early 2003 the Maersk Group had given up on operating an airline in the UK and put Maersk Air UK up for sale. However, there were not interested buyers and the company was therefore sold in a management buyout in 2003, with the airline becoming Duo Airways before ceasing operations in May 2004, when an investor withdrew support at short notice.

Shareholdings

[edit]

British Airways obtained a 15% stake in the now-defunct UK regional airline Flybe from the sale of BA Connect in March 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It sold the stake in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

BA also owned a 10% stake in InterCapital and Regional Rail (ICRR), the company that managed the operations of Eurostar (UK) Ltd from 1998 to 2010,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> when the management of Eurostar was restructured.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="eurostar.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

Industrial relations

[edit]

Staff working for British Airways are represented by a number of trade unions, pilots are represented by British Air Line Pilots' Association, cabin crew by British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (a branch of Unite the Union), while other branches of Unite the Union and the GMB Union represent other employees. Bob Ayling's management faced strike action by cabin crew over a £1 billion cost-cutting drive to return BA to profitability in 1997; this was the last time BA cabin crew would strike until 2009, although staff morale has reportedly been unstable since that incident.<ref name = CCSA>Template:Cite news</ref> In an effort to increase interaction between management, employees, and the unions, various conferences and workshops have taken place, often with thousands in attendance.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 2005, wildcat action was taken by union members over a decision by Gate Gourmet not to renew the contracts of 670 workers and replace them with agency staff; it is estimated that the strike cost British Airways £30 million and caused disruption to 100,000 passengers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2006, BA became involved in a civil rights dispute when a Christian employee was forbidden to wear a necklace bearing the cross, a religious symbol.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> BA's practice of forbidding such symbols has been publicly questioned by British politicians such as the former Home Secretary John Reid and the former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Relations have been turbulent between BA and Unite. In 2007, cabin crew threatened strike action over salary changes to be imposed by BA management. The strike was called off at the last minute, British Airways losing £80 million.<ref name = CCSA/> In December 2009, a ballot for strike action over Christmas received a high level of support,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> action was blocked by a court injunction that deemed the ballot illegal. Negotiations failed to stop strike action in March, BA withdrew perks for strike participants.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Allegations were made by The Guardian newspaper that BA had consulted outside firms methods to undermine the unions: the story was later withdrawn.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A strike was announced for May 2010, British Airways again sought an injunction. Members of the Socialist Workers Party disrupted negotiations between BA management and Unite to prevent industrial action.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Further disruption struck when Derek Simpson, a Unite co-leader, was discovered to have leaked details of confidential negotiations online via Twitter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Industrial action re-emerged in 2017, this time by BA's Mixed Fleet flight attendants, whom were employed on much less favorable pay and terms and conditions compared to previous cabin staff who joined prior to 2010. A ballot for industrial action was distributed to Mixed Fleet crew in November 2016<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and resulted in an overwhelming yes majority for industrial action.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Unite described Mixed Fleet crew as on "poverty pay", with many Mixed Fleet flight attendants sleeping in their cars in between shifts because they cannot afford the fuel to drive home, or operating while sick as they cannot afford to call in sick and lose their pay for the shift. Unite also blasted BA of removing staff travel concessions, bonus payments and other benefits to all cabin crew who undertook industrial action, as well as strike-breaking tactics such as wet-leasing aircraft from other airlines and offering financial incentives for cabin crew not to strike.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first dates of strikes during Christmas 2016 were cancelled due to pay negotiations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Industrial action by Mixed Fleet commenced in January 2017 after rejecting a pay offer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Strike action continued throughout 2017 in numerous discontinuous periods, resulting in one of the longest running disputes in aviation history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 31 October 2017, after 85 days of discontinuous industrial action, Mixed Fleet accepted a new pay deal from BA which ended the dispute.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Senior leadership

[edit]

Destinations

[edit]

Template:Main

File:Airbus A318 of British Airways at J.F.K. International Airport New York (USA).jpg
British Airways' former Airbus A318-100 parked alongside two Boeing 747-400s at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City. This aircraft operated a special route between London and New York and was equipped with an all-business class configuration (named "Club World London City").

British Airways serves over 170 destinations in 70 countries, including eight domestic and 27 in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Alliances

[edit]

British Airways co-founded the airline alliance Oneworld in 1999 with airlines American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Codeshare agreements

[edit]

British Airways has codeshares with the following airlines:<ref name="CAPA BA profile">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Fleet

[edit]

Template:Main

Template:As of, the British Airways operates a fleet of 274 aircraft with 42 orders. BA operates a mix of Airbus narrow and wide-body aircraft, and Boeing wide-body aircraft, specifically the 777 and 787. In October 2020, British Airways retired its fleet of 747-400 aircraft. It was one of the largest operators of the 747, having previously operated the -100, -200, and -400 aircraft from 1974 (1969 with BOAC).<ref name="747 retirement">Template:Cite news</ref>

British Airways Engineering

[edit]

The airline has its own engineering branch to maintain its aircraft fleet, this includes line maintenance at over 70 airports around the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Amongst the company's various hangar facilities are its two major maintenance centres at Glasgow and Cardiff Airports.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Marketing

[edit]

Branding

[edit]
File:British Airways at Terminal 5 in 2011.jpg
British Airways' promotional banner above the check-in desks at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5
File:Typeface sample Mylius Modern.png
Mylius Modern, a custom-made typeface used by British Airways

The musical theme predominantly used on British Airways advertising has been "The Flower Duet" by Léo Delibes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was first used in a 1984 advertisement directed by Tony Scott, in an arrangement by Howard Blake.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was reworked by Malcolm McLaren and Yanni for 1989's iconic "Face" advertisement,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequently appeared in many different arrangements between 1990 and 2010. The slogan 'the world's favourite airline', first used in 1983, was dropped in 2001 after Lufthansa overtook BA in terms of passenger numbers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other advertising slogans have included "The World's Best Airline", "We'll Take More Care of You", "Fly the Flag", and "To Fly, To Serve".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="BA100-41"/><ref name="ytb_a4JdQi60an0"/>

BA had an account for 23 years with Saatchi & Saatchi, an agency that created many of their most famous advertisements, including "The World's Biggest Offer"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the influential "Face" campaign. Saatchi & Saatchi later imitated this advert for Silverjet, a rival of BA, after BA discontinued their business activities.<ref name = SJA>Template:Cite news</ref> Since 2007, BA used Bartle Bogle Hegarty as its advertising agency.<ref name="adref">Template:Cite web</ref>

In October 2022, BA launched a brand new ad campaign, titled "A British Original" produced by London-based Uncommon Creative Studio. This was to be another record-breaking campaign for its use of 500 unique executions along with a series of 32 short films, coinciding with the launch of Ozwald Boateng's new collection of uniform.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

British Airways purchased the internet domain ba.com in 2002 from previous owner Bell Atlantic,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 'BA' being the company's initialism and its IATA Airline code.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

British Airways is the official airline of the Wimbledon Championship tennis tournament, and was the official airline and tier one partner of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> BA was also the official airline of England's bid to host the 2018 Football World Cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

High Life, founded in 1973, is the official in-flight magazine of the airline.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Safety video

[edit]

The airline used a cartoon safety video from circa 2005 until 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Beginning on 1 September 2017 the airline introduced the new Comic Relief live action safety video hosted by Chabuddy G, with appearances by British celebrities Gillian Anderson,<ref name=Loughrey>Template:Cite news</ref> Rowan Atkinson,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jim Broadbent, Rob Brydon, Warwick Davis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ian McKellen, Thandie Newton, and Gordon Ramsay.<ref name=Loughrey/> A "sequel" video, also hosted by Chabuddy G, was released in 2018, with Michael Caine, Olivia Colman, Jourdan Dunn, Naomie Harris, Joanna Lumley, and David Walliams.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The two videos are part of Comic Relief's charity programme.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 17 April 2023, the airline launched a new safety video as a part of “A British Original” campaign, with Emma Raducanu, Robert Peston, Little Simz, and Steven Bartlett.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Liveries, logos, and tail fins

[edit]

Template:Main Template:Further

File:British Airways (Landor livery) Boeing 747-436 G-BNLY (City of Swansea) departing JFK Airport.jpg
One of the four retro liveries to celebrate the 100th anniversary of British Airways and its predecessors. This Boeing 747-400 aircraft (registered as G-BNLY) is painted in the Landor Associates design.

The aeroplanes that British Airways inherited from the four-way merger between BOAC, BEA, Cambrian, and Northeast were temporarily given the text logo "British airways" but retained the original airline's livery. With its formation in 1974, British Airways' aeroplanes were given a new white, blue, and red colour scheme with a cropped Union Jack painted on their tail fins, designed by Negus & Negus. In 1984, a new livery designed by Landor Associates updated the airline's look as it prepared for privatization.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> To celebrate its centenary in 2019, BA announced four retro liveries: three on Boeing 747-400 aircraft (one in each of BOAC, Negus & Negus, and Landor Associates liveries), and one A319 in BEA livery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

File:British Airways (27078321943).jpg
Current BA aircraft bear Chatham Dockyard Union Flag tail art.

In 1997, there was a controversial change to a new Project Utopia livery; all aircraft used the corporate colours consistently on the fuselage, but tailfins bore one of multiple designs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Several people spoke out against the change, including the former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who famously covered the tail of a model 747 at an event with a handkerchief, to show her displeasure.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> BA's traditional rival, Virgin Atlantic, took advantage of the negative press coverage by applying the Union flag to the winglets of their aircraft along with the slogan "Britain's national flagcarrier".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1999, the CEO of British Airways, Bob Ayling, announced that all BA planes would adopt the tailfin design Chatham Dockyard Union Flag originally intended to be used only on the Concorde, based on the Union Flag.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Clear

Arms

[edit]

Template:Infobox COA wide

In 2011, British Airways made a brand relaunch project, in which BA introduced a stylised, metallic version of the arms by For People Design to be used along with its Speedmarque logo. This is used exclusively on aircraft, First Wing Lounge and advertisements.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="BA100-41">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ytb_a4JdQi60an0">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2024, the damaged letters patent of the arms went up for auction online before being withdrawn.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Loyalty programme

[edit]

British Airways' tiered loyalty programme, called the British Airways Club, is a programme designed to incentivise its members to travel on British Airways and other partners, by advertising benefits and awarding members with currency.

Members would accrue points called 'Avios' and 'tier points' based on methods permitted by the airline, which included flying on the airline itself.<ref name=execclub>Template:Cite news</ref>

Avios is a currency owned by its parent company International Airlines Group. 'Tier points' are used to determine a member's tier in the programme.

Once a member reached a high enough tier by attaining enough 'tier points', they could access airport lounges and dedicated "fast" queues.

Members of the programme were also granted status within the Oneworld alliance, which permitted similar benefits when flying with Oneworld member airlines. The level of benefits were determined by the member's tier.<ref name=OneworldBenefits>Template:Cite web</ref>

Launching of the British Airways Club, and retirement of Executive Club

[edit]

On the 1st of April 2025, the programme was rebranded from 'Executive Club' to 'The British Airways Club'.

In the 'Executive Club', 'tier points' were earned based on the airline, distance and cabin class flown.

In the 'British Airways Club', 'tier points' were now earnt based on absolute spending with the airline (including the fare component and carrier-imposed surcharges, but not Government Taxes or Airport fees such as Air Passenger Duty).

1 'Tier point' is awarded per £1 spent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 'British Airways Club', qualification requirements (the amount of 'tier points' required) for the tiers were set as follows:

Bronze: 3500 'tier points'

Silver: 7500 'tier points'

Gold: 20,000 'tier points'

Cabins and services

[edit]

Template:Multiple image

Short haul

[edit]

Economy class

[edit]

Euro Traveller is British Airways' economy class cabin on all short-haul flights within Europe, including domestic flights within the UK.<ref name = ST/> Heathrow and Gatwick-based flights are operated by Airbus A320 series aircraft. Seat pitch varies from 78" to 31" depending on aircraft type and location of the seat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

All flights from Heathrow and Gatwick have a buy on board system with a range of food designed by Tom Kerridge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Food can be pre-ordered through the British Airways mobile application.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Alternatively, a limited selection can be purchased on-board using credit and debit card or by using Frequent Flyer Avios points.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> British Airways is rolling out Wi-Fi across its fleet of aircraft with 90% expected to be Wi-Fi enabled by 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Business class

[edit]

Club Europe is the short-haul business class available on all short-haul flights. This class allows for access to business lounges at most airports and complimentary onboard catering, as well as fast-track security at most airports.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The middle seat of the standard Airbus configured cabin is left free. Instead, a cocktail table folds up from under the middle seat on refurbished aircraft.<ref name = BAP/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Mid-haul and long haul

[edit]

First class

[edit]

First is offered on all Airbus A380s, Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 787-9/10s and on some Boeing 777-200ERs. There are between eight and fourteen private suites depending on the aircraft type. Each First suite comes with a Template:Cvt bed, a Template:Convert wide entertainment screen, in-seat power and complimentary Wi-Fi access on select aircraft.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The exclusive Concorde Room lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5 offers pre-flight dining with waiter service and more intimate space. Dedicated British Airways 'Galleries First' lounges are available at some airports, and Business lounges are used where these are not available. Some feature a 'First Dining' section where passengers holding a first class ticket can access a pre-flight dining service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Club World

[edit]
File:British Airways Club Suite seat.jpg
Club Suite seat unveiled in March 2019. It is featured in the Club World cabin on all Boeing 787-10s operated by BA, and is being rolled out on other aircraft in the fleet.

Club World is the long-haul business class cabin.<ref name = CWL>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The cabin features fully convertible flat bed seats. In March 2019, BA unveiled its new business-class seats - named Club Suite - on the new A350 aircraft, which feature a suite with a door.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since the unveiling, Club Suite has been installed on the Boeing 787-10 and is currently being installed on BA's Boeing 777s. The remaining aircraft are due to have their seats re-fitted over the coming years and they currently feature an older seat type introduced in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

World Traveller Plus

[edit]

World Traveller Plus is the premium economy class cabin provided on all BA long haul aircraft.<ref name="ST">Template:Cite web</ref> This cabin offers wider seats, extended leg-room, additional seat comforts such as larger IFE screen, a foot rest and power sockets.<ref name = WTP>Template:Cite web</ref>

World Traveller

[edit]
File:British Airways A380 Upper Deck.jpg
Upper deck of a British Airways Airbus A380, World Traveller cabin

World Traveller is the mid-haul and long-haul economy class cabin. It offers seat-back entertainment, complimentary food and drink, pillows, and blankets.<ref name=ST/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=WTNC>Template:Cite web</ref> While the in-flight entertainment screens are available on all long-haul aircraft, international power outlets are available on the aircraft based at Heathrow.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wifi is also available on selected aircraft at an extra fee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Award and recognition

[edit]

On 24 June 2024, British Airways was voted 2024 Most Family Friendly Airline in the World by Skytrax. The award encompasses the overall family travel experience such as seating policies, check-in facilities, priority boarding, meals and amenities for children, as well as other family-oriented aspects.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Incidents and accidents

[edit]

British Airways is known to have a strong reputation for safety and has been consistently ranked within the top 20 safest airlines globally according to Business Insider and AirlineRatings.com.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Since BA's inception in 1974, it has been involved in three hull-loss incidents (British Airways Flight 149 was destroyed on the ground at Kuwait International Airport as a result of military action during the First Gulf War with no one on board) and two hijacking attempts. To date, the only fatal accident experienced by a BA aircraft occurred in 1976 with British Airways Flight 476 which was involved in a midair collision later attributed to an error made by air traffic control.<ref name = "ukaviation midaircrash 2018"/>

File:BA38 Crash.jpg
The damaged British Airways Flight 38, photographed on 17 January 2008, the day of the accident

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

Template:Notelist

References

[edit]

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]

Template:Commons category

Template:Navboxes Template:Subject bar Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://wiki.niidae.com/index.php?title=British_Airways&oldid=8206"