Category Archives: British Airways

British Airways announces new senior hires as it looks to boost its recovery from the global pandemic

Stuart Bailey / British Airways

British Airways has appointed four new leaders to its Management Committee as the airline accelerates its recovery and the delivery of its new business strategy following the most challenging period in its history.

Calum Laming becomes the airlineโ€™s Director of Business Recovery, leading its mission to rebuild its global network, resources and operations following the pandemic and ensuring the business has the resilience and agility needed in a dramatically changed aviation landscape for the years ahead. Calum is currently Chief Customer Officer at Vueling – the Barcelona-based IAG airline – and has previously held a variety of customer, brand, product and marketing roles at Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand and Etihad Airways.

Michelle Lydon has been appointed as Chief People Officer. She will shortly join British Airways from QinetiQ โ€“ global experts in defence, aerospace and security โ€“ where she was the companyโ€™s Group Human Resources Director. In her role at British Airways, Michelle will oversee the airlineโ€™s strategy for people and people transformation, learning and development, reward, strategic resourcing, recruitment, employee and industrial relations.

During the pandemic, Colm Lacy and Tom Stevens stepped up on an interim basis to the roles of Chief Commercial Officer and Director of Brand and Customer Experience respectively. Both have now been confirmed in their positions. Colm started working for British Airways in 1997 as a Finance Analyst, since then holding a number of finance and commercial positions. Tom joined British Airways on the graduate scheme in 2011, initially working in the procurement team before moving to customer and operational roles. Both have been on the Management Committee since 2021 and will continue to lead the airlineโ€™s digital-first, customer-centric strategy to ensure the airline delivers for its customers as itย moves out of the pandemic.

Announcing the appointments, British Airwaysโ€™ Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle, said: โ€œIโ€™m incredibly pleased to welcome Calum and Michelle to British Airways and confirm Colm and Tom in their roles to help us deliver our new vision for the business.

As we recover from the global pandemic, thereโ€™s never been a more important time to have a determined, ambitious and supportive leadership team that will put our people and our customers at the heart of everything we do. Thereโ€™s a lot of work to do but weโ€™re on our way and Iโ€™m confident we can create a working culture that allows our people to thrive, deliver excellent customer service and look to a sustainable future while always continuing to do what we do best – connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.โ€

Michelle Lydon starts her new role with British Airways in February, with Calum Laming joining in April.

British Airways names tennis ace Emma Raducanu as its newest global brand ambassador

British Airways has named tennis superstar, Emma Raducanu, as its latest global brand ambassador.

The airline, which prides itself on connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain, will support the British star as she represents the nation globally. The airline will fly Emma to tournaments and trainingย around the world, including next yearโ€™s French and US Opens and the Mastersโ€™ events in California and Rome, as Emma embarks on the next stage of her worldwide tennis career.

The news follows Emmaโ€™s triumph at the US Open in September 2021, making her the first British woman to win a Grand Slam title since 1977. The airline proudly carried both Emma and her team home from the win, warmly welcoming her back to the UK to be reunited with her family.

As well as tennis, Emma has a passion for aviation, which the airline hopes to bring to life with various activations through its long term partnership, reaching and inspiring women and younger audiences to consider a career in the industry.

The UKโ€™s flag carrier, who has a long-standing history in supporting national sporting events and teams, will be Emmaโ€™s first British brand partner.

Emma Raducanu, British professional tennis player, said โ€œBritish Airways has taken such good care of my team and I ever since the US Open and I have felt their support everywhere I have flown. To be partnering with such an iconic British brand that can play a big role in my performance makes a lot of sense to me. Iโ€™m fascinated by aviation and we have some interesting projects planned together.โ€

British Airways has been the proud airline partner to Team GB and Paralympics GB since 2008 and is currently the Principal Partner to Twickenham Stadium, Official Airline Partner to England Rugby. The airline also flew the British & Irish Lions to and from South Africa this year.

Germany tightens restrictions on UK travelers

From the BBC”

“Germany has become the latest European country to ban most travelers from Britain, to try to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.”

Read the full report:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59715820

Will Omicron stall the airline sector recovery in 2022?

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59654176

British Airways and Qatar Airways to extend their Joint Business Partnership

British Airways has made this announcement:

  • Carriers today announce that they have plans to further extend their Joint Business to offer customers a greater choice of destinations and routing options
  • News follows British Airwaysโ€™ return to Doha, with its first flight from Gatwick since the start of the pandemic
  • This winter, the two airlines are operating up to six daily flights to Doha from London Heathrow and London Gatwick

Today British Airways and Qatar Airways mark the next milestone in their Joint Business Partnership, as they announce their intent to extend their Joint Business.

The news follows British Airwaysโ€™ relaunch of daily services to Doha, with the airlineโ€™s first flight taking off from Gatwick last week, giving customers access to Qatar Airwaysโ€™ expansive global network with connections from Doha to over 100 destinations across the world.

The flight was operated by a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft featuring three cabins – Club World (business class), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy).

This winter, the airlines will jointly operate up to six daily flights between London and Doha – five from London Heathrow and one from London Gatwick.

Following on from this milestone in their partnership, the two airlines announce that they intend to further expand their joint business and offer customers access to more destinations on their respective networks.

The proposed expansion will give customers enhanced access from Europe to popular destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australasia, such as Singapore, Sydney, Colombo and Nairobi. It will also improve access to destinations across Europe such as Amsterdam, Madrid or Dublin.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: โ€œExpanding our Joint Business with our strategic airline partner, British Airways, is an important milestone in our ambition of providing customers access to the most extensive route network and unrivalled product.โ€

Sean Doyle, British Airwaysโ€™ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: โ€œThe launch of our first flight from Gatwick to Doha was an important milestone in our existing joint business with Qatar Airways.ย The proposed expansion of the joint business will be great news for customers, offering them access to more destinations across the world with seamless connections. We know customers are always looking for more options to connect onto popular holiday hotspots such as the Maldives and Seychelles, and this expansion will allow them to do just that.โ€

The airlines expect to receive news of any relevant regulatory approvals of their expanded Joint Business proposition in the first half of 2022.

British Airways to restore the Pittsburgh route on June 3, 2022

British Airways hasย announcedย that year-round nonstop service between Pittsburgh International Airport and London Heathrow Airport will resume June 3, 2022, restarting a key route for the region.

The flight will operate once again four days a week with service on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays departing from London Heathrow at 4:45 p.m. and landing in Pittsburgh at 7:50 p.m. The return flight will depart Pittsburgh at 9:50 p.m., arriving in London at 10:10 a.m. the following day.

After a 20-year hiatus, British Airways resumed service to Pittsburgh in 2019. The flight operated successfully for a year before pandemic-related travel restrictions led to the flightโ€™s suspension in 2020. The flight is expected to generate more than $50 million annually to the Pittsburgh regional economy.

British Airways announces the first routes for its new Gatwick ‘BA EuroFlyer’ short-haul subsidiary

British Airways has revealed the initial destinations for its new Gatwick subsidiary, which will start flying from March 2022. Tickets to 35 short-haul destinations will also be on sale from Tuesday, December 14, 2021.

The airline announced its intention to create a short-haul standalone business at Gatwick in August, similar to its operation from London City Airport, which operates under the British Airways name but exists as an entirely separate entity. The offshoot will launch later in 2022, with short-haul services at Gatwick being operated by mainline BA until the new entitiesโ€™ Air Operators Certificate is issued. BA short-haul flights will start operating from Gatwick at the end of March, with three Airbus short-haul aircraft initially, ramping ramp up to 18 aircraft by the end of May.

The subsidiary will herald the airlineโ€™s return to short-haul flying from the London airport, which had been suspended as a result of COVID-19 in Spring 2020. During the pandemic, several routes were moved to Heathrow airport, some of which will return to Gatwick, as well as being maintained at Heathrow to give customers choice, including Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Marrakech and Tenerife. In addition, other new routes will be added at Gatwick including Athens, Berlin, Madrid, Milan Malpensa and Santorini.

The new services will be branded and known as British Airways. Customers will receive the same high level of service they expect of British Airways as well as enjoying the benefits of traveling with the UKโ€™s flag carrier including a generous baggage allowance, free water and snacks, free seat selection at -24 hours and frequent flyer benefits which include lounge access.

Club Europe customers will also receive complimentary food and drink and Euro Traveller customers who want to order additional food will benefit from access to the airlineโ€™s โ€˜Speedbird Cafรฉ’, which features a selection of products from a range of carefully selected British brands.

The airline has already launched a significant recruitment campaign to invite people interested in roles to help the company launch the new subsidiary.

The new services will initially be operated by British Airways, but by Autumn 2022 the organization will be managed separately under the company trading name โ€˜BA Euroflyerโ€™, consistent with its sister subsidiary โ€˜BA CityFlyerโ€™. The brand name will remain as British Airways.

Atlantic joint business partners announce new routes between Europe and North America

British Airways made this announcement:

As customers look to plan a trip next year, through the Atlantic Joint Business, customers will have a selection of new routes to choose from for Summer 2022.ย ย New gatewaysย include,ย Londonย toย Portland,ย Barcelona to Los Angeles and Helsinki to Dallas.

The Atlantic Joint Business is a joint venture that started in 2010, between American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia, with Finnair joining in 2013, LEVEL in 2017 and Aer Lingus in 2021.ย  By bringing their network of flights together, the partnership offers customers in the North Atlantic the most competitive choice, with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and LEVEL operating in Europe and American Airlines in the USA.

Customers can mix and match flights operated by any of the six carriers to get the best deals and enjoy smoother connections through coordinated schedules.ย  The new routes are:

Aer Lingus

Two new North American routes have launched from its new base in Manchester:

Manchester to JFK New York, launched 1 December operating year-round

Operating 7 times a week

Fares start from ยฃ438 economy return including taxes and charges

Aircraft type A321Neo

 

Manchester to Orlando, launched 11 December operating year-round

Operating 4 flights a week โ€“ Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; increasing toย ย ย  daily flights from 2 May 2022

Fares start from ยฃ558 economy return including taxes and charges

Aircraft type A330-300

 

American Airlines

Charlotte to Rome, 5 April 2022 to 29 October 2022

Operating 7 times a week

Fare start from $1,168 USD or 969โ‚ฌ

Aircraft type Boeing 777-200

 

British Airways

Heathrow to Portland, 3 June 2022 onwards

Operating 5 times a week โ€“ Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Fares start from ยฃ499 based on return fare in World Traveller (economy)

Aircraft type Boeing 787-8

Sunset over the iconic Portland, Oregon Old Town sign in downtown Portland, Oregon

Returning service: Heathrow to Pittsburgh, 3 June 2022 onwards

Operating 4 times a week โ€“ Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Fares start from ยฃ449 based on return fare in World Traveller (economy)

Aircraft type Boeing 787-8

 

Finnair

Helsinki to Dallas, 6 February 2022 to 30 October 2022

Operating 4 times a week โ€“ Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday

Fares start from 729โ‚ฌ

Aircraft type Airbus A350

 

Helsinki to Seattle, 1 June 2022 to 29 October 2022

Operating 3 times a week โ€“ Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Fares start from 779โ‚ฌ

Aircraft type Airbus A330

 

Iberia (increaseed capacity from April to October):

Up two daily flights Madrid – New York

Up two daily flights Madrid – Miami

Up one daily Madrid-Chicago flight

Up to six weekly frequencies Madrid-Los Angeles

Up to five weekly flights Madrid – San Juan de Puerto Rico

Up to 19 weekly flights Madrid – Mexico

 

LEVEL

Barcelona to Los Angeles, 28 March 2022 onwards

Operating 4 times a week โ€“ Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday

Fares start from 429โ‚ฌ

Aircraft type Airbus A330-200

British Airways to relaunch the Boston route with Airbus A380s

British Airways is gradually reintroducing its formerly grounded Airbus A380s.

BA will restore the London (Heathrow) – Boston route with A380s on May 15, 2022 on a daily basis.

British Airways and Phillips 66 sign a multi-year sustainable aviation fuel supply agreement

British Airways made this announcement:

  • British Airways and Phillips 66 Limited have signed a multi-year sustainable aviation fuel (โ€œSAFโ€) supply agreement
  • Sustainable aviation fuel produced at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery in North Lincolnshire will help power a number of the airlineโ€™s flights from early 2022
  • The Phillips 66 Humber Refinery will be the first to produce SAF at scale in the UK
  • SAF is produced from sustainable waste sources and can reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by over 80% compared to traditional jet fuel
  • The airline is delivering a range of short-, medium- and long-term initiatives to decarbonize and achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as part of its BA Better World sustainability program

British Airways will become the first airline in the world to use sustainable aviation fuel produced on a commercial scale in the UK after signing a multi-year agreement with Phillips 66 Limited.

Thousands of tons of SAF will be produced for the first time in the UK at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery near Immingham and will be supplied to British Airways to power a number of its flights from early 2022.

The supply agreement between British Airways and Phillips 66 Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company Phillips 66, advances both companiesโ€™ commitments to a lower-carbon future. The airline, which is driving to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, will purchase enough sustainable fuel to reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by almost 100,000 tonnes, the equivalent of powering 700 net zero CO2 emissions flights between London and New York on its fuel-efficient Boeing 787 aircraft.

The SAF will be produced from sustainable waste feedstock at the Humber Refinery, which will deliver its SAF supply to British Airways via existing pipeline infrastructure that feeds directly into UK airports.

The airlineโ€™s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), is investing $400 million over the next 20 years into the development of SAF and British Airways has existing partnerships with a number of technology and fuel companies to develop SAF plants and purchase the fuel. SAF can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by over 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces.

Last year Phillips 66 Limited investedย significantlyย to expand its production ofย fuelsย from waste feedstocks. The investmentย is part ofย a broaderย energy transitionย plan to reduce the carbon intensity of its refinery operations and productsย that supportย 1,000ย Humber Refinery jobs.

Phillips 66 and British Airways support government plans for a future SAF mandate and a business model for investing in advanced waste to jet fuel projects through participation in the Department for Transportโ€™s Jet Zero Council Delivery Group, of which British Airways and Phillips 66 Limited are members.

British Airways reaches NDC distribution agreement with Travelport

British Airways made this announcement:

Travelport, a global technology company that powers travel bookings for hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels worldwide, and International Airlines Group (IAG) today announced a distribution agreement to enable modern travel retailing โ€“ by bringing New Distribution Capability (NDC) content from British Airways and sister airlines Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Vueling to Travelport-connected travel agencies around the world.

By channelling its NDC content through the next-generation Travelport+ platform, British Airways will be able to offer travel retailers a wider range of content โ€“ including Additional Price Points and an expanded selection of ancillary products โ€“ while taking advantage of modern digital retailing tools such as intelligent storefronts to merchandize them effectively.

Travelport and IAG are progressing well on the technical solution for NDC distribution and will continue to add features and functionality ahead of NDC content being rolled out.