British Airways has made this announcement:

In the airline’s centenary year and on the anniversary of Concorde’s final flight, British Airways is proud to announce a partnership with Aston Martin, with a limited-edition sports car that honors the supersonic aircraft.

The luxury British car manufacturer has created the DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition. Launching in October 2020 each vehicle will feature titanium from compressor blades that were used across British Airways’ supersonic fleet.

Each model will have a unique CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) approved registration number and British Airways’ iconic Chatham Flag tailfin has been incorporated into the striking design. The exterior features a bespoke painted livery in the airline’s red, white and blue colors, and a black tinted carbon fibre roof emblazoned with Concorde’s streamlined silhouette.

The paddle shifters will be made from the original Concorde metal and a Mach Meter graphic will be embroidered on the driver’s sun side visor; some of the many carefully judged design features that have been incorporated to celebrate the remarkable achievements of this aircraft.

Strictly limited to just 10 examples and priced at £321,350, all will be available to purchase exclusively from Aston Martin Bristol. On November 26, 2003, Alpha Foxtrot, the last ever Concorde to be built, touched down for the final time at RAF Filton, which is just three miles from where the cars will be sold and home to one of the 10 Concordes that were made in Britain.

Parts of the proceeds from the sale of each individual car will be donated to the Air League Trust, a not-for-profit organisation that teaches under privileged children how to fly and work in engineering. In June 2020, British Airways and Aston Martin Bristol, in partnership with the Air League Trust, will run a week-long scholarship programme for young people at Cranfield University – funded by proceeds from the cars. This builds on British Airways’ BA 2119: Future of Fuels initiative, which the airline partnered with Cranfield University on earlier this year.

The bespoke inspection plaque will be signed by Alex Cruz and Aston Martin Lagonda’s CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer, before the limited-edition cars are handed over to their buyers next year.

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Picture by Nick Morrish/British Airways

British Airways has made this announcement:

• Customers flying from Heathrow Terminal 5 can expect a faster getaway as British Airways employs latest artificial intelligence and wearable tech for staff preparing aircraft to depart
• Intelligent software captures every moment from when aircraft arrive at the airport until they depart to help spot areas to improve punctuality
• British Airways remains at the forefront of airport innovation, with biometric technology and autonomous, driverless vehicles also being trialled by the airline

In the latest phase of its £6.5 billion investment for customers, British Airways has introduced advanced neural networks, known as artificial intelligence, to its airside operation at Heathrow Terminal 5 to help its people ensure every flight departs safely and on time.

Currently, when customers disembark an aircraft, British Airways’ ground staff manually check and record the details of eighteen different activities that need to be completed before the plane can depart for its next flight – including thorough cleaning of the aircraft interiors, unloading and reloading of catering, luggage and cargo and refuelling. An issue affecting just one of these tasks has the potential to disrupt the entire process and delay the flight’s departure.

Now, using a network of cameras set up around the aircraft stand by technology start-up Assaia, an alumni of British Airways’ parent company IAG’s Hangar 51 start-up accelerator programme, artificial intelligence is employed to compare live footage of the complex turnaround process with the proposed schedule. If the technology detects any issues that could put the aircraft at risk of a delay, an alert is sent to the manager in charge of the turn within seconds via a smart watch, informing them of the issue and empowering them to take action to get the flight back on track.

In this first stage of the trial, British Airways and Assaia have installed four cameras on three stands at Heathrow Terminal 5 and as well as reducing delays, the airline is also able to collect data on every aircraft turn to help make its entire operation more efficient.

British Airways’ Director of Airports, Raghbir S. Pattar, said: “British Airways operates up to 800 flights a day to and from Heathrow; we run a highly complex operation so efficient turnarounds are critical to ensure all 145,000 customers travelling through our home hub every day enjoy a punctual departure.

“Artificial intelligence is a rapidly evolving area of technology and I’m thrilled that we’re the first airline in the world to harness it to further improve our customers’ journeys through the airport. We are the most punctual of the major short-haul airlines flying out of London and our commitment to introducing the latest technology to complement our outstanding customer service is how we will maintain our position at the top. We’re excited to introduce even more smart, tech-based solutions in 2020.”

“Our entire team is really excited to be working with British Airways – an airline that is prioritising innovation and sees the value of AI-powered solutions” said Max Diez, CEO, Assaia International. “We’re eager to work with the airline to maximise the potential that the technology has to improve operations.”

British Airways has unveiled its latest lounge refurbishment in Johannesburg as part of its £6.5 billion investment for customers.

The lounge, based in O.R. Tambo International Airport, has undergone significant refurbishment with the new and improved space being converted into one large lounge with a dedicated boutique dining area for First customers. Guests will enjoy a warm welcome and a place to relax or work prior to their departure from Johannesburg to London Heathrow.

The carefully curated lounge follows a new design concept for the airline, which debuted in 2018, and features the very best of British and South African design, delivering a luxurious and contemporary look and feel.

The 880 square metre lounge can host up to 247 customers and offers a modern lobby bar area for socialising, a brasserie dining area and office space with ample work stations with power outlets. A peaceful, separate seating area with a mix of elegant armchairs and banquette seating is available for those who wish to recharge ahead of their journey with complementary magazines and newspapers.

Zoned areas in the lounge will enable guests to choose what area they would like to relax in depending on their mood, with a music system and bespoke playlist. Lighting has been carefully planned by zone and dimmable to reflect the time of day.

The new lobby bar, illuminated by brand new feature lighting, is stocked with a tempting display of spirits, beers and soft drinks together with a selection of fine wines. New kitchen facilities offer an enhanced dining menu of hot and cold options including Cape Malay curry, fresh seasonal salads, mezze, local charcuterie and Indezi river cheeses. First Boutique Dining offers a pre-flight a-la-carte menu carefully curated by the in-house chef, complemented by an extensive wine list.

Every detail has been carefully designed and we’ve created a space to meet our customers’ needs – whether they want to relax with a hot meal, work in peace or enjoy a drink at the lobby bar, the lounge will get their travels off to the best start.”

British Airways has this year completed the renovation of its First and Club lounges in New York’s JFK Terminal 7, along with improvements to the customer experience at check-in, which are currently underway. A brand-new, contemporary lounge has also been unveiled in San Francisco, spread across 665 square metres with fantastic views of the runway. Further investment is planned with a new British Airways lounge in Geneva, which is also set to open in 2019.

The refurbished Johannesburg lounge comes as the airline is investing £6.5 billion for its customers over five years, including the installation of the best quality Wi-Fi and power in every aircraft seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft.  This year the airline has also introduced its Club Suite, a new business class seat with direct aisle access.

British Airways has made this announcement:

As part of its ongoing £6.5bn investment for customers, British Airways is trialling autonomous, emissions-free baggage vehicles at its home at Heathrow Airport, to help the airline further improve punctuality and depart every flight on time.

British Airways currently operates up to 800 flights a day to and from Heathrow, transporting around 75,000 bags back and forth between its baggage halls and aircraft.

Now, in what is believed to be a world first, the airline, in conjunction with Heathrow Airport and autonomous vehicle specialist, Aurrigo, is trialling driverless baggage vehicles, which are known as dollies.

Carrying up to 40 bags in one journey, the driverless dollies use the latest navigating technology to memorise the airfield to determine the shortest route to transport luggage. Unlike the current vehicles, the new autonomous dollies will depart for the aircraft as soon as each one is full, speeding up the aircraft loading process. In addition to improving operational efficiency, the trial also forms part of the airline’s wider environmental commitment to run an emissions-free airside operation.

British Airways’ Director of Airports, Raghbir Pattar, said: “We are always looking at ways to improve efficiency and modernise our operation to ensure that we are delivering bags to and from our aircraft on time and without delay.”

If successful, the dollies could transport customers’ baggage to and from the aircraft by 2021.

British Airways already operates emissions-free remote-controlled Mototok vehicles at Heathrow to pushback all of its short-haul flights and is trialling the devices for long-haul flights. These vehicles are powered by Heathrow’s 100% renewable electricity supply saving 7,400 tonnes of C02 every year compared to traditional baggage tugs. The airline also operates environmentally-friendly electric taxis to transport premium transiting customers between their arriving and departing flights.

British Airways has called in an expert to give advice to all those amateur photographers whose perfect shot from an aircraft window is never quite right – and it could simply be because they are in the wrong seat.

Many air travellers like to capture the unique views from their vantage point thousands of feet in the air, but very often the perfect picture is spoilt by an aircraft wing or glare from the sun.

So British Airways invited top aerial photographer Jason Hawkes to take a flight from London City Airport to Edinburgh to document his journey in photographs and share some tips with his fellow travellers.

Jason, who usually specialises in photography from helicopters rather than jet aircraft, chose his seat carefully to ensure the perfect view from the Embraer 190 aircraft.

With two-abreast seating so a choice of window and aisle seats on both sides of the aircraft, all he needed to consider was what part of the cabin to sit in.  He chose window seats in row three in the front of the cabin to capture the perfect take-off shot over Canary Wharf and the approach over the North Sea into Edinburgh.

The result was a collection of picture perfect images of some of the most iconic landmarks of the two capital cities.

They included the famous dome of the O2 Arena and the 95-storey Shard building in London and the extinct Arthur’s Seat volcano, the commercial Calton Hill district and the Scottish Parliament buildings in Edinburgh.

Jason said: “I’ve spent the last 25 years of my working life hanging out of the sides of helicopters shooting aerial views all over the world. In a helicopter your first thoughts are safety, both for yourself and the pilot, and of course also for those below you on the ground.

“It was a very different experience altogether shooting from a British Airways aircraft, certainly the first time I’ve been offered such good coffee whilst I’ve been working! In the helicopter the doors are either taken right off or open, but in a standard aircraft the first thing you’ll have to deal with are reflections and glare from the window. So here are my top tips:

• On this aircraft type row three worked best for me, I chose to sit in 3A for the outbound leg from City Airport and 3D for the return.  Try and ensure you sit towards the front or the back of the aircraft to get an unobstructed view.
• To try and shoot without reflections the most basic tip of all is to ensure your lens is as close to the window as possible without actually touching it.
• I always try and shoot in one of the “golden hours“, either the hour just after sunrise or the hour just before sunset, to get lovely warm light and long shadows to accentuate both the urban and natural forms of the landscape
• If you are shooting images on take-off and landing, and have various lenses, I found anything between a 24mm and 70mm works best
• If you can, set your camera or phone camera onto a shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second or higher this will ensure you get sharp images even if the aircraft is vibrating.
•  If you have a DSLR you could also try using a polariser filter. A circular polariser filter only allows light rays that are traveling in one direction to enter the lens. It’s a great tool but is a little tricky to use if the aircraft is banking round, as you have turn the filter to get the desired effect.
• You could also try a lens skirt or large rubber lens hood, which are both great for blocking out window glare
• This is a really technical tip but one I would give in whatever situation you are working, set your camera to shoot in both RAW and jpeg. You’ll have to grade the RAW file yourself to get the most out of it, but it’s really worth the effort and gives you a huge amount of control over the final image that you could never get from a jpeg.  The standard iOS camera app for iPhone doesn’t support capturing RAW photos, so you’ll need to download a third-party app, such as Adobe Lightroom CC

British Airways has announced the launch of flights between London Gatwick and Antalya, Turkey. The summer route, which will operate on an Airbus A320 and run six times a week, commences on April 30, 2020, and is available to book from today.

The Antalya announcement comes as the airline adjusts its Gatwick schedule for Summer 2020.

Antalya is often described as the gateway to the Turquoise Coast with some of the most stunning landscapes in Turkey.  The beaches and crystal-clear Mediterranean Sea are perfect for sunbathing, swimming and water sports.

As well as the rolling landscapes and beaches, the region has two-thousand years of history with a range of spectacular temples and Greco-Roman ruins close by, as well as a bustling food and cultural scene.

The new route to Turkey complements a summer Gatwick service to Dalaman and year-round flights between Istanbul and Heathrow.

British Airways flies to more than 70 destinations from Gatwick, offering a variety of routes to suit both business and leisure travellers. The airline has refreshed its Boeing 777 fleet at London Gatwick with new generation economy (World Traveller) and premium economy (World Traveller Plus) seats. These seats have all new Panasonic in flight entertainment 10” screens in World Traveller and 12” screens in World Traveller Plus, offering four times more choice, including movies, television and audio programs. British Airways is investing £6.5 billion to improve its customer experience over five years, including new aircraft, new cabins, new catering, new lounges, WiFi, and even more new routes.