Tag Archives: British Airways

British Airways to extend its sub-contract flying with Air Belgium

British Airways contracted with Air Belgium to operate its flights between London (Heathrow) and Cairo between September 3-5, 2018 while its Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine inspections continue.

The British carrier will again utilize Air Belgium to operate the daily London (Heathrow) – Abu Dhabi route from September 15 to October 4, 2018.

British Airways has made this announcement:

Like other airlines around the world, we continue to carry out detailed precautionary inspections on Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines on some of our Boeing 787-9 aircraft to ensure we meet all the relevant regulatory safety requirements.

To facilitate the additional engine inspections and any associated maintenance we have had to make some minor adjustments to our long haul flight schedules this summer.

To ensure we operate as many flights for customers as possible we have leased in additional long haul aircraft from Air Belgium.

Changing your flights

If your long haul flight this summer is due to be operated by Air Belgium on behalf of British Airways we recognise that you may not wish to travel as a result. If you wish to discuss the range of options available please contact us or your travel agent if you made your booking through them.

Continuing with your flights

If you wish to fly on the Air Belgium aircraft on the date and time you had originally planned please be aware that there may be some differences in the style and types of services on offer.

In particular Air Belgium offers two long haul cabins (business class and economy class) rather than the four long haul cabins offered by British Airways.

If you have been moved from your original cabin then you have a number of options available to you. Please contact us or your travel agent to discuss these further.

Differences to your journey

A number of other changes may be relevant to your journey and these are summarised in the table below.

Product and services	Customer information
Seat reservations	Customers who already have seats allocated will automatically be allocated a similar seat. Customers who have paid for their seat and find that their newly allocated seat is no longer suitable, will be entitled to a refund of their paid seating and will be able to choose an alternative paid for seat or a free seat at check-in.
Car seats	Car seats will be accepted on these flights for an infant or child who is between 6 and 36 months old, accompanied by an adult. The car seat should have a solid back and seat with internal restraint straps installed to securely hold the child.
Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES)	You may use your own ‘CARES’ child restraint belt on board these flights in conjunction with an aircraft seat. The child must be aged over 1 year and weigh between 10-20 kg (22-44 lbs) and is only suitable for Economy class seat without airbag seatbelts.
On-board child seat/carrycot	On-board carrycots will be provided and are subject to availability on board the aircraft on the day. They will be given to customers sitting in the carrycot positions on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note child seats will not be available.
Baggage allowance	Your baggage allowance will be honoured as per your original booking and customer eligibility.
Prepaid excess baggage	If there has been a change to your booking your prepaid excess baggage will be cancelled and refunded. You will need to repurchase any excess baggage in advance of travelling.
Firearms carried in the hold	The carriage of firearms carried in the hold is not available on these flights.
Lounge access	Lounge access will be honoured as per your original booking and customer eligibility.
Additional assistance	If you have requested assistance for these flights this remains unchanged with the exception of on-board therapeutic oxygen. The provision of on-board therapeutic oxygen is not available on these flights. Customers may bring their own therapeutic oxygen provisions providing they meet certain requirements and have obtained medical clearance in advance. Further details can be found on our medical conditions page.
Special meals	Special meals are available on these flights. Any special meal requests will be retained but there may be a variance in the style of meal for some customers.
Pre-ordered meals	Pre-ordered meals are available on these flights.
Purchased meals	Pre-purchased meals are available on these flights.
Wi-Fi on board	Wi-Fi on board will not be available on these flights.
High Life Shop	Duty free/tax free shopping (including our pre-order service) will not be available on these flights.
Avios and tier points	Avios and tier points will be credited to your Executive Club account as per your original booking.

Thank you for your support and understanding as we try to minimise the levels of disruption for customers which has arisen as a result of the issues with a number of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

Top Copyright Photo: Air Belgium (2nd) Airbus A340-313 OO-ABB (msn 844) LHR (Wingnut). Image: 943497.

Air Belgium aircraft slide show:

British Airways and Vistara to partner

British Airways and Indian domestic carrier, Vistara, have announced a new partnership that will open up more routes between London and India than ever before.

As part of the new agreement customers can book seats on Vistara flights to destinations across India from Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi.

British Airways operates two nonstop flights a day from Heathrow to Mumbai, a double daily service to Delhi and a daily flight to Chennai. The airline also flies direct to Hyderabad and Bangalore from Terminal 5.

The agreement means that British Airways customers will now be able to visit 13 new destinations across the region, opening up cities such as Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Goa, Kolkata, Kochi, and Pune, that have previously been more difficult to access from the UK.

British Airways customers travelling on the codeshare flights will be able to check their bags straight through to their final destination and both airlines use the same terminals at Delhi and Mumbai airports, making it even easier for customers to connect on to domestic services.

British Airways offers dedicated services on flights to India, including tailored menus and local language speaking cabin crew.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by British and Vistara): Vistara Airbus A320-232 WL VT-TTL (msn 7163) (Jacques Guillem Collection). Image: 939478.

Vistara aircraft slide show:

British Airways upgrades its Club Europe catering

(Picture by Nick Morrish/British Airways)

British Airways is making a multi-million pound investment in its short haul business class cabin, Club Europe.

The spend is part of the airline’s current £4.5 billion investment plan and will focus on enhanced food and drink.

From September 12* the airline will introduce new menus with improved recipes and signature warm breads. There’s also a commitment to provenance, with dishes developed around key British ingredients. Launch options will include shaved Herefordshire roast beef on a tartar cream with rocket, British Reared Pork sausage and mash and a celebration of British chesses.

On the airline’s longer short haul flights to destinations such as Faro, customers will now have the choice of two hot options and one cold. Menus on flights to and from Heathrow will also be changed twice a month, rather than monthly.

(Picture by Nick Morrish/British Airways)

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “We’ve been investing in our meals for customers – our new long-haul Club World menus are proving incredibly popular and we want to be able to replicate that quality and choice in our short haul Club Europe cabin too.

“Many of our fliers travel regularly so we think they’ll appreciate more variety and great quality ingredients. Our focus on provenance will also deliver seasonal dishes from around the British Isles.”

As well as enhanced food, the airline will also be refining the beverages on offer, with new wines served in quarter bottles and coffee provided by British speciality roaster, Union Hand-Roasted coffee.

Short haul economy customers will also see the new Autumn M&S On Board menu launch. New items include one of the retailer’s top food-on-the go sellers – the chicken and bacon sandwich. A new vegetarian café sandwich selection called ‘Life On The Veg’ will also be making its debut.

Lounges are also benefitting from the investment and the airline has already unveiled new lounges in Rome and Aberdeen, showcasing the airlines new design concept. The airline will be opening a new lounge in New York later year, followed by Geneva, San Francisco, Johannesburg, Chicago and Heathrow’s lounges will benefit from a refresh.

British Airways’ £4.5 billion investment for customers over the next five years, also includes the installation of the best quality WiFi and power in every seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft.

· The bi-weekly menus are available on flights to and from Heathrow. Flights to and from Gatwick will continue with monthly menus.

· *The new meals will be available on flights to and from Heathrow and Gatwick from September 12, 2018.

British Airways becomes the Official Airline Partner to England Rugby

British Airways issued this statement:

British Airways announced as Principal Partner to Twickenham Stadium and the Official Airline Partner to England Rugby.

British Airways will become the Official Airline Partner to England Rugby, flying the Men’s and Women’s squads to tournaments around the world. The multi-year, ground-breaking new partnership will also see the airline become the first ‘Principal Partner’ to Twickenham Stadium, the home of England Rugby. British Airways will have exclusive stadium branding, including the building’s roof, which as an iconic landmark on the flight path and is seen by the thousands of travellers flying in to Heathrow every day.

British Airways and England Rugby will also work closely together on the digital experience at Twickenham Stadium, including developing and launching a new stadium app and e-ticketing in the future. It also sees the new top floor facility of the redeveloped East Stand named as the British Airways Rose Garden, which will be a modern relaxed environment for guests featuring live music and a mix of open cooking stations.

Alex Cruz, Chairman and CEO of British Airways, said: “We’re getting behind England Rugby and looking forward to supporting the Men’s and Women’s squads, by delivering them ready to win on their travels all over the world. Twickenham Stadium also sits on the flight path in to Heathrow, so our partnership with the home of England Rugby will be visible to British Airways customers from the skies.”

RFU Chief Executive, Steve Brown, commented on the launch today: “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with British Airways and are extremely excited about working together. Twickenham Stadium is the home of English rugby and we’re so pleased to have British Airways – an iconic British brand with a strong heritage and aligned with our core values – as our first ever principal partner of the stadium.”

The partnership will see British Airways fly the England Men’s and Women’s teams to matches all around the world, including to Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan and Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2021.

To kick off the partnership, British Airways held a photoshoot at the stadium with uniformed ambassadors and created a bespoke pitch design captured by an aerial camera.

Photo: British Airways.

British Airways to add more aircraft and routes from London City

British Airways has made this announcement:

British Airways is celebrating its busiest ever summer at London City Airport with news that more aircraft, more routes and more frequencies will be added to the network this winter.

BA at LCY

Four additional Embraer E190 aircraft will join the BA CityFlyer fleet during 2019, bringing the total fleet number to 26 aircraft.

These aircraft will add nearly 20 percent more seats from London City Airport in 2019 and enable the launch of new destinations.

From November 11, 2018 a new year-round service will be launched to Rome from the Docklands airport, with one-way hand baggage only fares from £55.

In addition a fifth daily service will be added to the popular Zurich route on week days.

Rome is the first of a number of new routes and extra flights to be announced for next year.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by British Airways): British Airways-BA CityFlyer Embraer ERJ 190-100SR G-LCYX (msn 19000178) BHX (Fred Freketic). Image: 942630.

BA CityFlyer aircraft slide show:

British Airways to drop the Tehran route

British Airways has decided to drop the London (Heathrow) – Tehran, Iran route due to declining passenger numbers.

The last flight will depart Tehran on September 23, 2018.

British Airways currently operate six flights a week to Tehran from London.

The flights from London Heathrow (LHR) to Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA) take just under six hours. The return flight (IKA to LHR) takes just over six hours.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by British Airways): British Airways Boeing 777-236 ER G-VIIE (msn 27487) LHR (SPA). Image: 936781.

British Airways aircraft slide show:

Over 7,000 items help to get your British Airways flight airborne

Average flight infographic

Over 7,000 items loaded onto the average British Airways aircraft to cater for customers on their summer holidays
That includes 798 glasses, 388 quarter bottles of wine, 350 bags of pretzels, 78 toilet rolls and 282 blankets
Study also showed almost half of customers are travelling alone and over a quarter are travelling as a pair
Cargo includes fashion goods, fruit and veg, and pharmaceuticals

As the summer holidays reach full swing British Airways has released data revealing exactly what, and who, is on one of the airline’s 850 flights a day.

A Boeing 747 operating from Heathrow to JFK is loaded with over 7,000 items – many of which have to be unloaded and re-loaded before each flight. Included in the inventory are 101 full bottles and 388 quarter bottles of wine, 293 headrest covers, 350 bags of pretzels, 78 toilet rolls, five first aid kits and up to around 800 items of bedding, including the new Club World White Company bedding, which has been introduced as part of British Airways’ £600m investment in its long-haul business class.

The study also looked at how people fly. In an average year* one in two (47 per cent) are solo travellers, while 27 per cent travel as a pair. Around 70 per cent are travelling for leisure, while 28 per cent are flying for business.

To help visualise the figures, British Airways has created an infographic of the results.

For those who’ve ever wondered what’s flying in the hold beneath them besides their suitcases, our sister company IAG Cargo can shed some light on this. So far in 2018, 26 per cent of cargo flying in the hold has been made up of priority goods such as fashion products, the latest smartphones, or tablets. While five per cent of the cargo was specialist cargo like live animals or high value artwork, four per cent has been perishable produce such as raspberries from Kenya or lettuces from the US and three percent of the cargo was temperature controlled pharmaceuticals and lifesaving vaccines.** Some of the year’s most interesting shipments includes Cognac from Bordeaux to Kuala Lumpur, emergency lettuce from Los Angeles in response to the UK’s heatwave vegetable shortage and royal wedding special magazines from the UK to the US.

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “Many of our customers are curious about flying and want to know who or what else is on their aircraft. With more than 800 flights each day all over the world it takes a lot of planning, from loading cargo to wine, to toilet rolls, and first aid kits.”

New champagnes and English sparkling wines for customers travelling in First class and Club World have also been added to the list of items onboard, as part of the airline’s £4.5 billion investment for customers over the next five years. The investment is also driving the installation of the best quality WiFi and power in every seat, the fitting of 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and the delivery of 72 new aircraft.

British Airways schedules the last Boeing 767 revenue flight

British Airways has extended the service life of its dwindling Boeing 767-300 fleet to late November 2018. Subject to change, the last BA Boeing 767-300 revenue flight is now scheduled for November 25, 2018.

According to Airline Route, the last revenue flight will be from Larnaca (LCA) to London (Heathrow) (LHR) on November 25, 2018, probably as flight BA 663.

Top Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 767-336 ER G-BNWA (msn 25333) LHR (SPA). Image: 931054.

British Airways aircraft slide show:

Some liveries worn over the years:

Above Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 767-336 ER G-BNWE (msn 24337) (The World’s Biggest Offer) CDG (Christian Volpati). Image: 932809.

Above Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 767-336 ER G-BNWV (msn 27140) (Colum) LHR (Bruce Drum). Image: 102176.

British Airways is coming to Pittsburgh

British Airways will shortly become the only airline to offer a direct flight from the UK to Pittsburgh. From April 2, 2019, the airline will launch a year round four-per-week service to the Pennsylvanian city from Heathrow.

The new route will take the number of US destinations the airline flies to from London up to 26, and the number of daily flights offered by British Airways and American Airlines as part of their transatlantic joint business up to 67 per day.

The route will be operated by one of British Airways’ newest aircraft, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

The new flights will run on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with the BA0171 departing from London Heathrow at 5.00 pm and landing into Pittsburgh at 8.15 pm, while the BA0170 will leave Pittsburgh at 9.50 pm, arriving into London at 10.25 am the following day.

https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd1btjlf89lsb3b.cloudfront.net%2FBrandID86%2F720-mp4%2FNashville-Edit-2_5b5891e430b40_1532531172.mp4&key=3bfd13e721bf58457e9792a75e85de7b&v=1f073574f46299b496893461b5becc17

British Airways will launch 16 new routes across the globe this year including direct flights to Nashville that started in March. These new routes come as the airline rolls out a £4.5 billion, five-year customer investment plan, with a focus on excellence in the premium cabins and more choice and quality for all its customers.

Top Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner G-ZBJD (msn 38619) LHR (SPA). Image: 935597.

British Airways aircraft slide show:

IAG, Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air submit French ATC strikes complaint to European Commission

International Airlines Group (IAG), Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air have submitted complaints to the European Commission against France as its air traffic controllers’ strikes restrict the fundamental principle of freedom of movement within the EU.

The airlines are not questioning the right to strike but believe France is breaking EU law by not enabling flights over the country during strikes. Passengers on overflights are being denied their fundamental freedom to travel between member states not affected by strike action.

So far this year, French ATC strikes have increased by 300 per cent versus 2017. Last month, the French Senate confirmed that France alone is responsible for 33 per cent of flight delays in Europe. The Senate states also that the right to strike has to be balanced against the obligation to provide public service. (*).

Willie Walsh, IAG’s chief executive, said: “The right to strike needs to be balanced against freedom of movement. It’s not only customers flying in and out of France who are affected during French ATC strikes. Passengers on routes that overfly France, especially the large airspace that covers Marseille and the Mediterranean, are also subject to delays and massive disruptions. This affects all airlines but has a significant negative impact on Spain’s tourism and economy.”

The complaints state that there is a legal precedent to this case. In 1997, the Spanish complained to the European Commission after they suffered for many years when French farmers prevented their fruit and vegetable exports into the EU. The European Court ruled against France as the French authorities didn’t address the farmers’ actions and failed to ensure the free movement of goods (**).

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, said: “Europe’s ATC providers are reaching the point of meltdown with hundreds of flights being cancelled and delayed daily either because of ATC strikes or because Europe’s ATC don’t have enough staff. When Greece and Italy have ATC strikes, overflights continue as normal. Why won’t France do the same? ATC providers (especially in Germany and the UK) are hiding behind adverse weather and euphemisms such as “capacity restrictions” when the truth is they are not rostering enough air traffic controllers to cater for the number of flights that are scheduled to operate. These disruptions are unacceptable, and we call on Europe’s Governments and the EU Commission to take urgent and decisive action to ensure that ATC providers are fully staffed and that overflights are not affected when national strikes take place, as they repeatedly do in France.”

Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s chief executive, said: “We fully respect the right to strike and have been in constructive dialogue with the EU and the French government to address the issue of ATC strikes. Unfortunately, our passengers have felt little progress so far, which is why we felt it is necessary to take this next step – particularly given the sustained industrial action this year which has totalled 29 days to date.”

József Váradi, Wizz Air’s chief executive, said: “The failure of French air traffic control authorities to ensure a continued and adequate service has already caused massive disruption to the travel plans of thousands of passengers across Europe, with airlines left to pick up the pieces. Addressing this issue must be a priority for the European authorities to ensure European citizens and businesses are no longer held hostage to national industrial relations issues.”

According to Eurocontrol, more than 16,000 flights had been delayed by June this year due to ATC strikes, affecting more than two million passengers.

Last summer, the European Commission said that since 2005 there have been around 357 ATC strikes in Europe. That’s the equivalent of roughly one month per year when the EU skies are disrupted.

Top Copyright Photo (all other photos by respective airlines):

British Airways aircraft slide show: British Airways Airbus A320-251N WL G-TTNB (msn 8139) LIS (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 942707.

British Airways slide show (Airbus):