Airline News

British Airways and Qantas today said they had failed to reach agreement on a potential merger.

The pair revealed earlier this month that they were in discussions about joining forces through a dual-listed company structure.

But in a statement today, BA and Qantas said it had not been possible to come to an agreement over the key terms of the merger. They did not provide further details.

independent.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, merger, Qantas

British Airways is preparing to surrender its right to hundreds of transatlantic flights in an attempt to win the backing of US authorities for an alliance with American Airlines.

The slots are worth tens of millions of pounds, but BA chief executive Willie Walsh sees it as a price worth paying to secure a three-way tie-up with AA and Spain's Iberia.

The alliance would give the joint venture huge dominance in transatlantic flights.

It would have 46 per cent of all the slots and handle 62 per cent of all transatlantic passengers.

On one route - Heathrow to Houston - the combined group would control 100 per cent of all scheduled flights.

BA will meet US Department of Justice officials early this week and offer to give up the flights.

In return, the airline hopes to win immunity from prosecution under US anti-monopoly laws, allowing it to press ahead with its link-up without the risk of a lengthy legal battle.

When BA last tried a deal with AA in 2002, it was told it would have to surrender 16 flights a day to win anti-trust immunity.

That figure was deemed too high at the time, but this time round BA hopes to convince US authorities a much lower figure will satisfy their concerns.

BA is planning a full merger with Iberia and wants a deal to share costs and revenues with AA.

Walsh believes such a three-way venture is the only way airlines will be able to survive at a time of soaring fuel costs and falling demand.

He is shuttling between London and Washington to lay the groundwork for a successful application. This will be the third attempt by BA to link up with AA.

BA will run into tough opposition from rival Virgin Atlantic, which has pledged a full-blown campaign of opposition.

Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway said: "This alliance would give them a stranglehold on Heathrow-US flights. BA and AA will not face enough competition on their huge network to stop them raising prices."

The open skies agreement signed last year between Britain and the US means the domination of the transatlantic route by BA, American, Virgin and United has gone.

A further six US airlines have since been allowed to land at Heathrow.

Even more significant from BA's point of view is the fact that its rivals - Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Air France, KLM and Alitalia - have all won anti-trust immunity.

Faced by such a huge challenge Virgin is looking to merge with another airline. Its first choice would be to buy BMI, which has 11 per cent of all the slots at Heathrow.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Labels: american airlines, British Airways, merger

BRITISH AIRWAYS will make a third attempt to seal an alliance with its US partner American Airlines within weeks.

Willie Walsh, BA's chief executive, said he expected final preparations for the deal to be complete within a fortnight, with an application to US regulators to follow shortly afterwards. "We want to move on this as soon as possible," he said.

BA, which revealed sharply reduced profits last week, has tried to consummate its marriage with American Airlines for more than a decade. It first sought the permission of US regulators in 1997, then again in 2002.

The two airlines want to be exempt from America's tough anti-competition laws. This would allow them to run their transatlantic operations as a single company, with co-operation on pricing and schedules. A full merger of the companies is made almost impossible by America's strict airline-ownership laws.

Regulators rejected earlier attempts at an alliance because the arrangement was judged to be anti-competitive.

The deal with American may be expanded to bring in two other airlines, Iberia of Spain and Continental of the US. BA and Iberia last week announced plans for a full merger, details of which are likely to be announced in a few months.

Meanwhile, Walsh condemned government plans to drop air-passenger duty in favour of a flight tax.

"Aviation already more than covers the cost of its greenhouse gases through taxation and duty," he said. "This is nothing more than a revenue-generating exercise by the government."

Walsh said he supported aviation's inclusion in the European emissions-trading scheme, rather than the imposition of blanket taxes.

Source: timesonline.co.uk

Labels: american airlines, British Airways

British Airways is said to be close to seeking clearance from competition authorities for a three-way operational merger with American Airlines (AA) and Iberia.

The deal would allow the companies to combine nearly all aspects of their operations, including sales, purchasing and marketing, leading to lower costs and greater economies of scale. Legal sources in the United States said that a submission to the US Department of Transport was expected as soon as next week.

The operational partnership may also provide a foundation for a full merger of the carriers should foreign ownership rules in the United States and Spain change. BA said two months ago that it was in talks with AA and Continental, another American carrier, about creating an alliance, but Continental has since walked away.

BA and AA have continued their discussions and are believed to have invited Iberia - in which BA has a 13 per cent stake - to be the third member. BA said last night that its talks with AA were continuing but a decision had yet to be made.

If BA and AA do seek regulatory approval to merge their operations, it would be their third attempt, having been blocked by regulators in 1998 and 2001. The authorities in Britain and America were concerned that the

two carriers would have a dominant position on many North Atlantic routes and demanded that the airlines sell Heathrow slots to reduce their traffic.

However, sources familiar with BA's discussions said that the airline was more optimistic of gaining approval this time because of the liberalisation of air travel rules between Europe and the US. In addition, the dire state of the airline sector, which is striving to cope with high fuel prices, may force regulators to accept the deal.

AA lost $328 million (£164.7 million)and Iberia €28.3 million (£22.5 million) in the first quarter of this year. BA has given warning that it may struggle to stay profitable this year.

An analyst said: "There is a lot of pressure on BA and AA to do this deal and cut costs. It's inevitable." Another added: "Including Iberia makes sense, as it would give the alliance a strong position across both the North and South Atlantic."

Meanwhile, BA said yesterday that it had bought L'Avion, a French business-class only airline, for £54 million. L'Avion is the last of the survivors of the rush two years ago to launch all-business-class transatlantic services. Silverjet, MaxJet and Eos have all gone out of business.

L'Avion will be merged with BA's new OpenSkies service, which flies from Paris to New York. The purchase price includes L'Avion's £26million in cash and two Boeing 757 aircraft.

Source: timesonline.co.uk

Labels: american airlines, British Airways, Iberia, merger

Small-sized airlines are dropping out of the skies as record oil prices take their toll, giving British Airways a choice opportunity to boost its own tiny transatlantic venture.

The British carrier said on Wednesday it had bought a two-plane airline from France, called L'Avion, for a total cost of $107.6 million. The small deal will bolster British Airways' OpenSkies subsidiary, which launched last month with only one plane; once regulatory authorities clear the purchase, the carrier will run three daily flights between Newark and Paris Orly.

Shares in British Airways fell 1.7%, to 204 pence ($4.06), during afternoon trading in London, in line with the sector.

"The driver behind this is that the long-term survival of L'Avion is doubtful," said Geoff van Klaveren, analyst with Exane BNP Paribas. The privately-held business-class airline is reportedly unprofitable, which would not be surprising given the record price of fuel and the decline in demand for air travel.

The chief executive of L'Avion, Marc Rochet, said that the financial health of L'Avion was excellent; he told Forbes.com that the airline's cash position prior to the buy-out was 33 million euros ($52.4 million). His airline certainly has met a better fate than some: British business-class carrier Silverjet collapsed into bankruptcy last month, sacking all 420 staff. American equivalents like MAXjet Airways and EOS had filed for bankruptcy before then. (See "No Silver Lining For Silverjet")

A spokesperson for British Airways said that its OpenSkies venture hoped to reach profitability within the first three years of operation, and that the new acquisition did not change the time-frame.

Although there are almost no airlines similar to L'Avion available to whet British Airways' appetite going forward, the difficult business environment will likely see more carriers collapse into the arms of larger rivals.

"It's certainly an example of consolidation in the European industry," said Douglas McNeill, analyst with Blue Oar Securities. "My view would be that there will lots more to come."

Source: forbes.com

Labels: British Airways, l'avion, takeover

British Airways Plc began flights from France to the U.S. with a new airline division, taking advantage of an international treaty to add services across the north Atlantic, the world's most profitable aviation market.

The first plane operated by the U.K. carrier's OpenSkies subsidiary took off at 10:49 a.m. in Paris and is due to arrive at New York's John F. Kennedy airport at 1:25 p.m. eastern time.

British Airways is adding flights even as a slowing economy and surging oil prices cause the collapse of other carriers. Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh said yesterday that the new airline's costs will be kept low through joint purchasing with its London based parent, Europe's third-largest airline.

"While the economic climate has worsened in recent months, we believe that OpenSkies can compete effectively," Walsh said in a statement. "It has a low cost base and support from British Airways in key areas such as sales and marketing. This differentiates it from some new airlines that have failed recently which were operating in isolation."

British Airways rose 0.25 pence, or 0.1 percent, to 226 pence, paring the stock's declines this year to 27 percent and valuing the company at 2.61 billion pounds ($5.15 billion).

Business Focus

OpenSkies will initially operate from Paris Orly airport using a single Boeing Co. 757s carrying as many as 82 passengers. The aircraft have 24 business-class berths that convert to beds, with 28 seats in premium economy and only 30 in economy. Upscale seating accounts for about half of British Airways' revenue.

OpenSkies is the only airline created specifically to take advantage of the U.S-European Union treaty of the same name, which allows carriers to fly between the U.S. and any of the bloc's nations instead of just their home countries.

At least 24 carriers have failed or entered bankruptcy this year, according to the International Air Transport Association, among them business-only carriers Silverjet Plc and Eos Airlines. The industry may report annual losses of $6.1 billion, the worst since 2003, hurt by slowing economies and a 50 percent jump in oil prices in six months, the trade body estimates.

"The timing's unfortunate but BA probably have one of the better brands in the U.S.," said Stephen Furlong, an analyst at Davy Stockbrokers in Dublin who has the U.K. airline on his focus list. "But ultimately they'll still have to generate a return."

Dale Moss, managing director of the new airline, said in a statement today that it aims to provide value, service and comfort that will "delight" customers.

Expansion Plans

OpenSkies plans to have six planes by the end of 2009, all from its parent's 757 fleet, and is considering flying to the U.S. from Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Milan. British Airways has spent 17 million pounds on the unit, it disclosed in accounts for the year ended March 31. The new carrier got takeoff slots at Orly through an agreement with L'Avion, which also operates from the Parisian airport to New York and is the only remaining independent business-class carrier across the Atlantic.

Establishing a subsidiary in Paris is also a response to competition at British Airways' London Heathrow hub after the introduction of the Open Skies treaty in March ended a lock that it and three other carriers had on U.S-Heathrow services.

American carriers Delta Air Lines Inc., Continental Airlines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Inc. have begun Heathrow flights. The influx means capacity between the U.S. and Europe's busiest airport is up 21 percent this summer compared with a year earlier, according to London-based consultant Aviation Economics.

Defensive Move

"OpenSkies is a defensive move by British Airways," said Davy's Furlong. "It seems to be a case of "you came into my market, so I'll come into yours.""

British Airways is Heathrow's biggest carrier, with 41 percent of slots at an airport that's already operating at 99 percent of government-permitted flight capacity.

Air France-KLM Group, Europe's biggest airline, has begun flights from Heathrow to Los Angeles under the new treaty as part of a revenue-sharing partnership with Delta. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the region's No. 2, bought a stake in JetBlue Airways Corp. in January, giving an additional partner to help steer U.S. customers to its trans-Atlantic flights. The German carrier also says it may exercise an option to buy BMI, the second biggest holder of slots at Heathrow, by the middle of next year.

Source: bloomberg.com

Labels: British Airways, OpenSkies

British Airways risks further undermining its relationship with pilots today as it starts selling tickets for its transatlantic OpenSkies airline.

The Paris-to-New York service will begin flying on June 19 with the threat of crippling industrial action still hanging over its owner.

BA pilots voted overwhelmingly to strike over the new carrier, which they claim is a stalking horse for imposing worse terms and conditions. The British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) had appealed to the high court to rule on whether any industrial action was legal - but today dropped the claim. A lawyer for Balpa said it would be "out of its mind" to pursue industrial action.

The airline is BA's riposte to the competitive threat posed by a treaty liberalising transatlantic air travel, also called Open Skies, which allows any EU-based carrier to fly to the US and vice-versa.

OpenSkies officially opened for business this morning by offering tickets on the first Paris Orly to New York JFK flights. It will offer business class flatbed seats at $1,700 (£862) for a one-way journey, with premium economy costing $700 and economy costing $500.

Robert Boyle, BA's commercial director, said OpenSkies, which will fly one plane decorated with BA livery, is a genuine departure from other BA services, starting with the fact that under the old transatlantic flight agreements BA was barred from operating US flights from continental Europe.

The 82-seater Boeing 757 plane will also have a new cabin layout, with the long-term possibility of turning the subsidiary into a business class-only carrier to rival the likes of Silverjet, which operates a first class-only service from Luton airport.

"Our real aim is that we are targeting the premium end of the market," said Boyle, who confirmed that BA will operate the service in tandem with L'Avion, a French business class-only carrier.

BA also warned that negotiations on a second stage of the Open Skies treaty have been a damp squib so far. The European commission wants to build on the first agreement with the lifting of ownership restrictions for EU and US carriers. Currently, an EU carrier can own no more than 25% of a US airline, while a US airline's shareholding in a European counterpart is limited to 49%.

John Wood, BA's negotiator in the Open Skies talks, said: "The US team does not necessarily subscribe to the ambition of a full open aviation area." He added that the first stage of the treaty gave the US carriers everything they wanted, including access to Heathrow airport, and very little to EU airlines.

"We were disappointed that the EU did not get a better deal and we did not find it edifying that both sides are celebrating a 'magnificent' achievement," he said. However, Wood said he was "optimistic" that a deal can be done on ownership following the establishment of the Transatlantic Economic Council, a joint EU-US body that is expected to put pressure on the US to loosen shareholding guidelines.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, l'avion, open skies deal, OpenSkies

British Airways plans to ground part of its fleet from October to cut costs and stem potential losses caused by the crippling price of fuel.

Confirmation of the move, from chief executive Willie Walsh, comes as analysts warn BA may only break even or worse for the next two years, despite having reported one of its best year's trading last week.

The sudden reversal has been caused by rapidly rising fuel prices - jet fuel went through the $1,300 a tonne mark last week - and sluggish demand.

BA has already selectively slashed fares across the Atlantic, offering returns to New York for £249, a base fare of £30 once taxes and fuel surcharges are stripped out. "It is a bloodbath," said one industry executive.

Scheduled airlines rarely ground aircraft, preferring to keep their expensive fleets in the air, although Ryanair has kept planes on the ground during slack periods. Walsh said: "You should certainly expect us to do that this winter."

The airline would park its oldest, least fuel-efficient aircraft. Walsh said this would be likely to include its older Boeing 747s, 767s and 737s.

BA last week reported strong annual results for 2007-8, hitting its long-held goal of a 10% profit margin, paying staff £35m in bonuses and the first dividend in seven years.

Walsh did not take his £700,000 bonus, saying it was not appropriate in the wake of the chaotic opening of Heathrow's terminal 5.

The fall-out from the T5 debacle will dent BA's figures this year. The company has guided analysts to expect a hit of a further £40m-£50m on top of the £18m in the last financial year.

Half of the hit would be in extra costs, half in lost revenue. Walsh told analysts that T5 was working smoothly, although the moves of additional flights to the terminal would still be later than first planned.

Fuel will be the biggest headache for BA. If oil continues at $120 a barrel, BA's profits could be wiped out this year. Chris Avery, analyst at JP Morgan, said that if oil remained above $110 a barrel, "investors need to be very conscious that BA could make a loss for one or both of the next two years".

BA is hoping tough times will help it take the lead in industry consolidation. Walsh said that he had resumed negotiations with American Airlines and Continental Airlines of the US with the aim of creating a transatlantic alliance.

Previous attempts have been rebuffed by American regulators, but Walsh said he was hopeful the difficult trading environment would clear the way for a deal. Pilots begin a legal challenge to BA's plans to start an "airline within an airline" tomorrow. The company wants to start flights between Paris and New York next month with a new subsidiary called Open Skies.

The British Airline Pilots Association does not oppose the services, but is against the planned use of flight crews from outside the main BA pilot group.

Pilots voted in favour of striking over the issue earlier this year, but they have put the action on hold pending this week's High Court challenge.

Labels: British Airways, fuel

OpenSkies, a new transatlantic airline created by British Airways, said Friday it won approval from US regulators to launch flights between New York and Paris starting in June.

The carrier, which calls itself a "premium" airline and offers codesharing with French-based L'Avion, said it received approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT).

It claims to be the first airline created on the basis of the US-European Union open-skies pact that allows carriers increased access to each other's markets.

"We are delighted to receive approval for take-off and sincerely appreciate the DOT's efficiency and careful consideration in reviewing our application," said Dale Moss, managing director of OpenSkies.

"As the first airline to be created as a result of the Open Skies agreement, this is a huge step forward as we work to make history and set a new industry standard across the Atlantic. We look forward to bringing travelers an intimate, personalized and premium travel experience between Paris and New York starting in just a few weeks."

The company said it will start taking bookings next week via its website www.flyopenskies.com or by phone, and through travel agents.

OpenSkies will use a Boeing 757 aircraft that is configured to allow the seats to fold into full beds in business class.

It plans to serve additional routes from European cities including Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Milan to New York.

Source: afp.google.com

Labels: British Airways, New York, OpenSkies, Paris

OpenSkies, the new BA subsidiary which plans to operate flights from Europe direct to the US, has received clearance from Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority to take to the skies.

timesonline.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, New York, OpenSkies, Paris

Anger is growing among airlines whose Heathrow relocation plans have been thrown into doubt by British Airways' decision to delay transferring its transatlantic operation to Terminal 5.

telegraph.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, Heathrow

British Airways canceled more flights at its new terminal at London Heathrow Airport on Wednesday and sought help from Italy in returning misplaced luggage to its customers.

nytimes.com

Labels: British Airways, Heathrow

People who flew long-haul with British Airways or Virgin Atlantic between 11 August 2004 and 23 March 2006 will be eligible for a refund.

news.bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, fuel, Virgin Atlantic

British Airways will launch an all-business-class airline between London and New York next year, despite the prospect of a US recession threatening its most important market.

guardian.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, business class, London, New York

A passenger plane has crash-landed short of a runway at Heathrow Airport, ripping off part of its undercarriage.

All 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped from the British Airways flight BA038 from Beijing. Eighteen people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

news.bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, crash, Heathrow

British Airways has launched its first direct services between the US and mainland Europe, with daily flights from New York to Brussels and Paris.

news.bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways

British Airways said pre-tax profits soared by more than a quarter to £593 million in the first six months of its financial year.

ukpress.google.com (page not found)

Labels: British Airways, profit

Budget airline Easyjet has expanded further by buying UK carrier GB Airways for £103.5m ($212m).

news.bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, EasyJet, GB Airways

British Airways has urged its U.S. partner American Airlines to get closer still as it seeks to fend off a transatlantic joint venture between Delta and Air France.

uk.reuters.com

Labels: Air France, american airlines, British Airways, Delta

Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines will team up on routes linking major U.S. cities and London's Heathrow airport in a direct challenge to rival British Airways.

uk.reuters.com

Labels: Air France-KLM, British Airways, Delta, Heathrow, US

Two airliners have been involved in a collision while taxiing at Heathrow airport. One was a British Airways Boeing 747 departing for Singapore and the other was a Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A340.

news.bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, collide, Heathrow, srilankan airlines

British Airways ended decades of loyalty to Boeing's 747 jumbo with a switch to Airbus's new A380 superjumbo on Thursday as it announced a mixed plane order worth up to $8.2 billion.

ibtimes.com

Labels: A380, Boeing, British Airways

British Airways is to halt direct flights between Harare and London next month as the route is no longer profitable, an airline official said on Thursday.

theage.com.au

Labels: British Airways, zimbabwe

British Airways said on Wednesday it would suspend its daily flight between Detroit and London's Heathrow Airport in March, citing the changing nature of the U.S. auto industry.

reuters.com

Labels: British Airways, detroit

Fine Gael Limerick East TD Michael Noonan has issued an invitation to British Airways to provide a Shannon-Heathrow route to replace the service being discontinued by Aer Lingus.

irishtimes.com

Labels: Aer Lingus, British Airways, shannon airport

British Airways attempted to conceal how many bags it was losing after discovering that it had come bottom of an industry league table, The Times has learnt.

business.timesonline.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, luggage

Troubled airline British Airways has seen a big improvement in its profits, although it warned that full-year revenue was expected to slow.

www.scotsman.com

Labels: British Airways, profit

British Airways has been fined about £270m after it admitted collusion in fixing the prices of fuel surcharges.

news.bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, fined, fuel

British Airways said Tuesday it had launched an investigation after two planes clipped each other while taxiing at London's Heathrow airport, causing some damage but no one was injured.

uk.news.yahoo.com (page not found)

Labels: British Airways, collide, Heathrow

The airline industry has "a diverse and generally unsatisfactory attitude" to carbon offsetting, a report from MPs says today.

independent.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, carbon

British Airways shares have risen 4.7 per cent on speculation the carrier may attract a private-equity bid.

bloomberg.com

Labels: British Airways, private-equity, shares

British Airways has reported a fourth quarter loss of £71 million, compared to a profit of £88 million in the same period last year.

cnn.com (page not found)

Labels: British Airways, fourth quarter, loss

British Airways has raised passenger fuel surcharges on longhaul flights, just four months after reducing the levy.

guardian.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, fuel, surcharge

British Airways is considering making a bid for the Spanish airline Iberia.

bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, Iberia, takeover

British Airways has been named airline of the year for the first time in nearly 20 years.

guardian.co.uk

Labels: airline of the year, best airline, British Airways

British Airways cabin crews have voted in favour of a new contract on pay, sick leave and pensions.

bloomberg.com

Labels: agreement, British Airways, pension

British Airways is set to cancel more than 1000 of its budget subsidiary airline's flights in order to 'protect the ongoing viability of the business'.

independent.co.uk

Labels: BA, BA Connect, British Airways

Shares in British Airways have slumped after the US and the EU tentatively reached its 'open skies' agreement on Friday.

bloomberg.com

Labels: British Airways, European Union, open skies deal

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have criticised the European Union's 'open skies' deal with the US amid concerns that the deal will favour US carriers.

bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, EU, open skies deal, Virgin Atlantic

Economy passengers on British Airways flights were today granted a temporary reprieve from the £240 excess baggage charge announced by the airline last week.

guardian.co.uk

Labels: BA, British Airways, luggage

British Airways is planning to charge passengers up to £240 for checking in an extra bag on a return long-haul flight, a move that some commentators say could damage BA's image as a full-service carrier.

bbc.co.uk

Labels: BA, British Airways, luggage

British Airways cabin crew are reportedly furious over what they see as the failure of union negotiators to extract sufficient concessions from the airline's management.

independent.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, strike, union

British Airways have agreed to an inflation-busting pay rise for its cabin crew to avoid strike action, which may be causing concerns at the Bank of England whose Governor last week warned pay negotiators against seeking 'self-defeating' wage increases.

independent.co.uk

Labels: Bank of England, British Airways, strike

A 48-hour strike by British Airways cabin crew planned for Tuesday and Wednesday has been called off with BA and the Transport & General Workers Union agreeing to a settlement.

timesonline.co.uk (page not found)

Labels: British Airways, strike, union

The outcome of last ditch talks between British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh and Transport & General Workers Union boss Tony Woodley will be revealed on Friday morning.

bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, strike, union

No British Airways passengers will be able to fly out of Heathrow from 12.01am Tuesday January 30 to 11.59pm Wednesday January 31, with BA canceling 1300 flights after talks to avert strike action failed.

timesonline.co.uk (page not found)

Labels: British Airways, Heathrow, strike

Up to 11 000 British Airways cabin crew workers will stage a three-day strike after negotiations with BA management broke down.

independent.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, dispute, strike

British Airways employees have voted in favor of strike action in a dispute over sick leave, pay and staffing.

bbc.co.uk

Labels: British Airways, employees, strike

British Airways' pension deficit row is still unresolved, and with staff angry at the 'imposition' of new working terms the airline faces potential strike action in the coming weeks.

timesonline.co.uk (page not found)

Labels: British Airways, pension, strike

British Airways will spend £100 million on installing wider beds, improving in-flight entertainment and revamping its interior design in business class cabins

uk.reuters.com

Labels: British Airways, business class, inflight entertainment

British Airways has sold its regional carrier BA Connect to low cost rival Flybe, cutting its services from Birmingham, Bristol, Inverness, Belfast, Southampton and Isle of Man airports.

travel.timesonline.co.uk (page not found)

Labels: British Airways, uk