British Airways

British Airways

File:British Airways logo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign BA BAW SHT XMS SPEEDBIRD SHUTTLE SANTA
Founded	1924 (as Imperial Airways)
Hubs	London Heathrow Airport London Gatwick Airport
Focus cities	Manchester Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Executive Club
Alliance	Oneworld
Fleet size	234 (+26 orders)
Destinations	222
Parent company	British Airways plc
Headquarters	Waterside, Harmondsworth, England
Key people	Willie Walsh (Chief Executive)
Website	http://www.britishairways.com

For the 1930s airline of similar name, see British Airways Ltd.

British Airways (LSE: BAY, NYSE: BAB) is the largest airline of the United Kingdom and third-largest in Europe (behind Air France-KLM and Lufthansa). Its main hubs are London Heathrow and London Gatwick. British Airways PLC 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.

History

British Airways Boeing 747-400.

On 25 August 1919 its forerunner company, Aircraft Transport and Travel (AT&T), launched the world's first daily international scheduled air service, between London and Paris. On 31 March 1924, Britain's four fledgling airlines - Instone Air Line, Handley Page Transport, Daimler Airways (a successor to AT&T) and British Air Marine Navigation - merged to form Imperial Airways, which developed its Empire routes to Australia and Africa.

Meanwhile a number of smaller UK air transport companies had started flights. These merged in 1935 to form the original privately owned British Airways Ltd. Following a government review Imperial Airways and British Airways were nationalised in 1939 to form the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Post-war, BOAC continued to operate long-haul services, other than routes to South America - these were flown by British South American Airways, which was merged back into BOAC in 1949. Continental European and domestic flights were flown by a new airline, British European Airways (BEA).

In 1952 BOAC flew the De Havilland Comet to Johannesburg, halving the previous flight time. The birth of the mass package-holiday business meant change for the airline industry. BEA met the challenge by establishing BEA Airtours in 1970. In 1972 BOAC and BEA were combined under the newly formed British Airways Board, with the separate airlines coming together as British Airways in 1974, under the guidance of David Nicolson as Chairman of the BA Board. British Airways, simultaneously with Air France, inaugurated the world's first supersonic passenger service with Concorde in January 1976.

Privatisation

Sir John King, later Lord King, was appointed as Chairman in 1981 with the mission of preparing the airline for privatisation. King hired Colin Marshall as CEO in 1983. King was credited with turning around the loss-making giant into one of the most profitable air carriers in the world, boldly claiming to be "The World's Favourite Airline", while many other large airlines struggled. The airline's fleet and route map were overhauled in the early years of King's tenure, with brand and advertising experts being recruited to change the airline's image. Over 23,000 jobs were shed in the early 1980s, though King managed the considerable trick of boosting staff morale and modernising operations at the same time. Offering generous inducements for people to leave led to record losses of £545 million, to the cost of taxpayers but to the benefit of the future privatised company.

The flag carrier was privatised and floated on the London Stock Exchange in February 1987 by the Conservative government, with the initial share offering being 11 times oversubscribed. In April 1988 British Airways effected the controversial takeover of Britain's second-force airline British Caledonian, and in 1992 absorbed Gatwick-based carrier Dan-Air.

"Dirty tricks"

Soon after BA's privatisation Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, which began with one route and one Boeing 747 in 1984, was beginning to emerge as a competitor on some of BA's most lucrative routes. Following Virgin's highly publicised mercy mission to Iraq to fly home hostages of Saddam Hussein in 1991, King is reported to have told Marshall and his PA Director David Burnside to "do something about Branson". This began the campaign of "dirty tricks" that ended in Branson suing King and British Airways for libel in 1992. King countersued Branson and the case went to trial in 1993. British Airways, faced with likely defeat, settled the case, giving £500,000 to Branson and a further £110,000 to his airline; further, BA was to pay the legal fees of up to £3 million. Branson divided his compensation among his staff, the so-called "BA bonus".

British Airways Concorde

Changes and subsidiaries

During the 1990s BA became the world's most profitable airline and trumpeted the slogan "The World's Favourite Airline". In 1992 Deutsche BA was established as a subsidiary operating in Germany. By the time it was sold in June 2003, DBA was operating 16 Boeing 737s and was the second-largest German domestic carrier, after Lufthansa.

Lord King stepped down as chairman in 1993 and was replaced by former deputy Colin Marshall, who initially combined the roles of CEO and Chairman. Bob Ayling, who would later take on the role of CEO, was appointed Managing Director by Marshall. Lord King was appointed President, a role created specifically for him, and became President Emeritus in 1997, until his death in July 2005.

In 1995 BA formed British Asia Airways, a subsidiary based in Taiwan, to operate between London and Taipei. Owing to political sensitivities, British Asia Airways not only had a different name, but also had a different livery, with the Union Jack tailfin being replaced by Chinese characters. Many airlines followed the same practice, e.g. Qantas flew to Taiwan as "Australia Asia Airways" and KLM's Taiwan operations became "KLM Asia". British Asia Airways ceased operation in 2001 when the airline suspended flights to Taiwan due to low yield.

Bob Ayling

Main article: Robert Ayling

In 1996 British Airways, with its newly appointed Chief Executive Bob Ayling, entered a period of turbulence. Increased competition, high oil prices and a strong pound hurt profits. BA management and trade unions clashed and the disruption cost the company hundreds of millions of pounds. In 1997 Ayling dropped BA's traditional Union Flag tailfin livery in favour of world design tailfins, in an effort to change its image from a strictly British and aloof carrier to a more cosmopolitan airline. The move was not a success and Ayling slowed the process, eventually declaring the fleet would sport a dual livery; half a Union Flag design, half the world design tailfins. Ayling pursued antitrust immunity with American Airlines, but this was unsuccessful due to the conditions placed on the deal by regulatory authorities, the most painful of which would have been the sacrifice of landing slots at Heathrow.

Positive news during Ayling's reign included cost savings of £750m and the establishment of the successful, but highly subsidised, Go in 1998. Go was a low-cost carrier intended to compete in the rapidly emerging "no-frills" segment. After four years of successful operations, the airline was sold off to venture capitalists 3i and later merged with easyJet. Ayling also sought a reduction of capacity, cancelling Boeing 747-400 orders in favour of the Boeing 777 and rationalising BA's short-haul fleet with an order for the efficient Airbus A319/A320/A321 family.

Rod Eddington

Main article: Rod Eddington

In 1999 British Airways reported a 50% slump in profits, its worst since privatisation. In March 2000 Bob Ayling was removed from his position. British Airways announced Rod Eddington as his successor in May. Eddington set about cutting the workforce further, dramatically so after the slump caused by the September 11 attacks in 2001. In May 2001 Eddington announced the return of the Union Flag to the entire fleet, reversing his predecessor's rebranding exercise.

Marshall, who had been appointed a life peer in 1998, retired as Chairman in July 2004 and was replaced by Martin Broughton, former Chairman of British American Tobacco. On 8 March 2005, Broughton announced that former Aer Lingus CEO Willie Walsh would take over from Rod Eddington upon his retirement in September 2005.

Willie Walsh

Main article: Willie Walsh

In September 2005 new CEO Willie Walsh announced dramatic changes to the management of British Airways, with the aim of saving £300 million by 2008, the cost of the move to Heathrow's Terminal 5. He has also announced his intention to sell off BA Connect to Flybe, with Walsh stating "Despite the best efforts of the entire team at BA Connect, we do not see any prospect of profitability in its current form." BA will retain a 15% stake in FlyBe on completion of the sale.

Since 2004, BA has strongly marketed the full-service nature of its domestic flights (i.e the use of principal airports, complimentary food and drink) in response to the low cost operators aggressive pricing, even though its main full-service UK rival bmi has now abandoned some "frills" on its domestic network. Walsh on the other hand pledged to retain the full-service model, and sees it as a means of distinguishing BA from the competition and that customers will still be willing to pay extra for added levels of service.

The airline won the Skytrax Airline of the Year award in 2006 for the first time.

Financial performance

British Airways Financial Performance

Year Ended	Passengers Flown	Turnover (£m)	Profit/Loss Before Tax (£m)	Net Profit/Loss (£m)	Basic EPS (p)
March 31 2007	33,068,000	8,492	611	438	25.5
March 31 2006 (restated)*	32,432,000	8,213	616	464	40.4
March 31 2006	35,634,000	8,515	620	467	40.4
March 31 2005	35,717,000	7,772	513	392	35.2
March 31 2004	36,103,000	7,560	230	130	12.1
March 31 2003	38,019,000	7,688	135	72	6.7
March 31 2002	40,004,000	8,340	(200)	(142)	(13.2)
March 31 2001	36,221,000	9,278	150	114	10.5
March 31 2000	36,346,000	8,940	5	(21)	(2.0)
March 31 1999	37,090,000	8,915	225	206	19.5
March 31 1998	34,377,000	8,642	580	460	44.7
March 31 1997	33,440,000	8,359	640	553	55.7
March 31 1996	32,272,000	7,760	585	473	49.4

* restated for the disposal of the regional business of BA Connect.

Destinations

Main articles: British Airways destinations and British Airways franchise destinations

• It will increase the frequency on its London Heathrow - São Paulo Guarulhos and London Gatwick - Algiers Houari Boumedienne Airport routes from 7 to 10 flights a week.
• Boeing 737-400 flights from London Gatwick to Oued Irara Airport in Hassi Messaoud have been suspended until June 2007 for safety reasons.

Fleet

Until the late 1990s BA had been mainly a Boeing customer. This has always been a subject of controversy, as many expect that as a British carrier it would be natural for BA to support the British manufacturing industry and buy Airbus jets (Airbus wings are made in the UK and many subcontractors are also based there). The company has defended its decision by arguing that, with the exception of 29 of its 777 fleet, it has often equipped its Boeing aircraft with British-made Rolls-Royce engines (examples include the Trent 800 on its Boeing 777s, the RB211-524 on its 747-400s and 767s and also RB211-535s on its 757-200s). This goes back to the 1960s when the company ordered Boeing 707s - a condition was placed on the company that it used Rolls-Royce power for the new jets. BA inherited BOAC's Boeing airline code (36). Boeing aircraft built for British Airways have the suffix 36, for example 737-236, 747-436, 777-236.

However, it has operated non-Boeing planes historically mainly as a result of takeovers and joint agreements with other airlines. One example of this was planes acquired through the buyout of British Caledonian Airways in the 1980s; it successfully operated the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Airbus A320 for a number of years. In the late 1990s British Airways placed its own first direct Airbus order, for over 100 A320/A319s to replace its own ageing fleet of Boeing 737s.

BA was an operator of the supersonic Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic airliner, with a daily service between Heathrow and New York JFK (although the original service was from London to Bahrain). Initially, Concorde was a financial burden, placed on the national carrier by the government, and attracted criticism from the press as a white elephant. However Lord King recognised the charismatic importance of Concorde to British Airways. BA used Concorde to win business customers, guaranteeing a certain number of Concorde upgrades in return for corporate accounts with the airline - a key factor in winning business from transatlantic competitors.

With the Paris Crash in 2000, the September 11, 2001 attacks and escalating maintenance costs, the future of Concorde was limited despite the expensive modifications after the crash. It was announced (on 10 April 2003) that, after 24 October 2003, they would cease scheduled services with Concorde, due to depressed passenger numbers. The last day of its Saturday-only London Heathrow to Barbados Concorde flight was on 30 August 2003. The airline still owns 8 Concordes which are on long term loan to museums in the UK, U.S. and Barbados.

Fleet

The British Airways fleet includes the following aircraft as of March 2007:

British Airways Fleet

Aircraft	Total	Passengers (First/Business/Premium Economy/Economy)	Routes	Notes
Airbus A319-100	33	132	From LHR Europe and UK (Short haul)
Airbus A320	26 (18 orders)	149 150 156	From LHR, MAN, Europe and UK (Short haul)
Airbus A321	8 (4 orders)	194	From LHR Europe and UK (Short haul)
Boeing 737-300	5	126	From LGW Europe and UK (Short haul)
Boeing 737-400	19	147	From LGW, MAN Europe and UK (Short haul)
Boeing 737-500	9	110	From LGW Europe and UK (Short haul)
Boeing 747-400	57	291 (14/70/30/177) 360 (14/38/36/272)	From LHR Asia, Australia,North America, South America and South Africa (Long haul)
Boeing 757-200	13	180 (180)	From LHR, MAN, Europe and UK (Short haul)
Boeing 767-300ER	21	181 252	From LHR and MAN North America, Europe, Caribbean, Africa (Short-long haul)
Boeing 777-200	5	229 (14/48/40/127)	From LHR and LGW Middle East, North America, East Asia, Africa (Medium-long haul)
Boeing 777-200ER	40 (4 orders)	288 (48/24/216) 224 (14/48/40/122)	From LHR Middle East, Caribbean, North America, East Asia, Africa, Australia (Medium-long haul)
Total	236 (26 orders)

Details of the fleets of British Airways' franchises which use the British Airways name and logo can be found on their relevant articles: BA Connect, BA CityFlyer, Loganair, Sun Air, Comair, GB Airways, and BMED (until late 2007).

In March 2007, the average age of British Airways fleet was 9.8 years. British Airways is the largest operator of the Boeing 747-400, with 57 aircraft.

British Airways offers between two and four classes of service on their long haul international routes. World Traveller (Economy Class) and Club World/Club Europe (Business Class) always feature. Most aircraft are also fitted with World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and FIRST (First Class).

Seat pitches are as follows:

• UK Domestic/Business UK (Domestic Classes on shuttle services) : 31" (on Boeing 737s, 757s, Airbus A319s and Airbus A320s)
• Euro Traveller (Economy Class) : 31" except on Boeing 757 where it is 32" and Airbus A321 at 30"
• World Traveller (Economy Class): 32" (127 seats on the 777-200 and between 177 and 272 seats on the 747-400)
• World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy): 38" (40 seats on the 777-200 and between 30 and 36 seats on the 747-400)
• Club Europe (Business Class) : 34"
• Club World (Business Class): 6' flat bed (48 seats on the 777-200 and between 38 and 70 seats on the 747-400)
• FIRST (First Class): 6'6" flat bed (13 seats on the 777-200, as one is given over as a crew rest area and 14 seats on the 747-400)

Future

British Airways has 32 outstanding options with Airbus, which may be taken as any member of the A320 family. Secured delivery positions on 10 Boeing 777 aircraft are held.

The long-term replacement of the 767 fleet is likely to lead to a purchase of the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350.

The shorthaul and domestic fleet at London's Gatwick Airport is the next in line for replacement, with the 32 Boeing 737 series aircraft dating from the early to mid 1990s. On Friday 18th May 2007, BA announced that it has placed a firm order with Airbus for eight new A320 aircraft, which are thought to be beginning the phased replacement of the Gatwick EuroFleet. The new aircraft are due for delivery between 2008 and 2010.

On 17 October 2006 the airline announced that it was seeking responses for initially 34 airplanes to replace its existing long haul fleet. BA, which said it planned to place the orders in 2007, said it was considering the Airbus A380, as well as the A330 and A350; and the Boeing 787, 777 and 747-8. Analysts estimate the airline would ultimately spend at least $7bn (£3.7bn). The decision will be made by September 2007.

On 27 March 2007, British Airways placed a firm order for four 777-200ER aircraft with an option for four more, with the order totalling more than US$800 million at list price.

Media

One musical track used on BA advertisements was "Flower Duet" by Léo Delibes. The advertising agency used for many years by BA was Saatchi & Saatchi, who created many of the most famous advertisements for the airline. As of June 2007, BA's advertising agency is Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

The airline features in prominently in several films:

• The James Bond films Goldeneye and Die Another Day. The Bond relationship appears to have ended with 2006's Casino Royale.
• Coming to America, in which the prince arrives in the U.S. on board a BA aircraft.
• The 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, in which Hallie arrives in London on a BA aircraft.
• Three Men and a Baby, in which the three men arrive at the airport and assume that the baby has been taken to England on a BA aircraft.
• A Fish Called Wanda, when Archie and Wanda escape to Rio De Janeiro on a British Airways 747 at the end of the film after some fighting on the tarmac below the plane.

Tail fins

British Airways Boeing 767, featuring Ethnic art tailfin.

The Blue Peter special-paint British Airways Boeing 757-200

Further information: [[:British Airways ethnic liveries]]

Since its formation in 1974, though to a limited extent until all aircraft were repainted, British Airways aeroplanes carried a Union Flag scheme painted on their tail fins. In 1997, they began to be repainted (and the planes re-named) with abstract world images, Delft pottery or Chinese calligraphy for example, relating to countries they fly to. This caused problems with air traffic control: previously controllers had been able to tell pilots to follow a BA plane, but because they were each painted in different colours they were harder to identify.

Margaret Thatcher famously covered the tail fin of a model aircraft with the new design using her handkerchief at the 1997 Conservative Party conference. She slated it, claiming they made it look like a third world airline. "We fly the British flag, not these awful things."

In May 2001, chief executive Rod Eddington declared that all BA planes would be repainted with the Chatham Dockyard Union Flag, based on a design first used on Concorde.

Cabins

FIRST

FIRST is the long haul first class product on British Airways and is offered only on BA's Boeing 777 and Boeing 747 aircraft. In it are 14 private "demi-cabins" with 6' 6" beds, in-seat power for laptops, personal phones, and entertainment facilities. Meals are available on demand. BA offers dedicated check-in facilities at some airports.

Club World

Club World is the longhaul business class product of British Airways. Passengers have access to business lounges at most airports. On 13 November 2006, British Airways launched a new Club World service, offering larger seats and a service revamp.

Club Europe

Club Europe is the business class product of British Airways, offered on European routes. Passengers have access to business lounges at most airports and are also served a full English breakfast in the mornings and afternoon tea later in the day.

World Traveller and World Traveller Plus

World Traveller and World Traveller Plus are the two main economy classes offered internationally on British Airways. World Traveller is standard economy and offers a 31" seat pitch. World Traveller Plus is premium economy and offers a 38" seat pitch.

Euro Traveller and Domestic

The other two economy class services are operated only within Europe and the UK. Euro Traveller is together with Club Europe on BA services to European destinations while Domestic is the only cabin class offered by BA on domestic flights within the UK and Northern Ireland.

Operations

British Airways is based at London Heathrow Airport in London, England. It also has a presence at Gatwick and previously held a presence at Manchester International Airport. BA has succeeded in dominating Heathrow to the point that the airport is commonly referred to as Fortress Heathrow within both the airline and its competitors.

As an incumbent airline, BA had grandfather rights to around 36% of takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow, many of which are used for the lucrative trans-Atlantic market. Some competitors, such as Virgin Atlantic and bmi, assert that this stifles competition and some political think-tanks recommend an auction of slots. In recent years British Airways has been buying slots from other airlines including United Airlines, SN Brussels and Swiss International Air Lines, and now owns about 40% of slots at Heathrow.

Although British Airways is described as the 'National Carrier of the United Kingdom', it does not have a presence in Northern Ireland. Neither does it serve any destinations to or from Wales.

File:DSCF1934d submitted.jpg

British Airways aircraft dominate at Terminal 4 at Heathrow Airport

Traditionally viewed as a full fare airline, BA operations in some ways resemble those of a budget airline; notably in the February 2007 decision to charge up to £240 for a second piece of hold luggage..

In March 2007 it completed the sale of its regional UK operation (BA Connect) to Flybe.

BA CityFlyer is a new subsidiary with Avro RJ100 aircraft based in Edinburgh, but operating mainly from London City Airport.

In March 2008, BA will move most of its Heathrow operation to the new Terminal 5, vacating the existing terminals, although certain flights will depart Terminal 3 which will undergo a significant re-organisation.

Subsidiaries and franchisees

Subsidiaries

• BA CityFlyer

British Airways is the full owner of Airways Aero Associations Limited, which operates the British Airways flying club and runs its own aerodrome under the British Airways brand at Wycombe Air Park, High Wycombe

Franchisees

• BMED, UK, franchisee from 1997 until late summer 2007.
• Comair, South Africa, franchisee since 1996.
• GB Airways, UK, franchisee since 1 February 1995.
• Loganair, UK, franchisee since July 1994.
• Sun Air, Denmark, franchisee since 1 August 1996.

On 8 September 2004 British Airways announced that it was to sell its 18.5% stake in Qantas, but would continue the alliance (such as sharing revenue), particularly on the Kangaroo routes. The £425 million raised was used to reduce the airline's debt.

It owns a 10% stake in Spanish airline Iberia. It raised its stake in Iberia from 9% to 10% by purchasing American Airlines' remaining shares, reportedly paying £13m for the small shareholding. This 10% stake gives British Airways the right to appoint two board members.

It obtained a 15% stake in FlyBe when it sold BA Connect to FlyBe in March 2007.

It owns a 10% stake in Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd. as part of the InterCapital and Regional Rail alliance that also includes SNCF, SNCB and National Express Group. Eurostar (U.K.) is the UK arm of Eurostar, the cross-Channel rail operator.

British Airways is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

Engineering

British Airways Engineering took over from BOAC and BEA's engineering (who had themselves come about from the spilit of Imperial Airways) divisions when the two airlines merged in 1974 and was one of the leading aircraft maintenance companies in the world, responsible for the maintenance of over 300 aircraft and their interiors, as-well as carrying out upgrades to cabin furnishings, engines and most aircraft systems when needed.

Today, British Airways Engineering has hangars at London Heathrow, Gatwick, Glasgow and Cardiff International airports as well as hundreds of line maintenance stations (where an engineer or two will be based to do minor 'line' maintenance such as routine daily and transit inspections, changing wheels or fixing a broken seat, and certifying the work) around the world. It also owns a hangar at Manchester but this was mothballed in March 2002 and remains unoccupied. A team of about 30 engineers are still based at MAN earning much needed revenue from a large number of 3rd party airlines. In short-Engineering is responsible for the entire BA main-line fleet maintenance, cabin interior conversions and general ramp maintenance work for both their own fleet, and other airlines.

London Heathrow is and always has been Engineering's main base since the 1940s. There are now 3 main maintenance hangars (in a distinct yellow colour) at London Heathrow, these being (TB standing for technical block) TBJ, TBK and TBA along with a huge maintenance hangar called TBE and engineering's main office building called TBC. There is a disused hangar at Heathrow called TBD which no longer used is scheduled for demolition in the next few months. TBJ & TBK (4 bays combined together): All of BA's 747 fleet 'light' maintenance is done here. The hangars are complete with Component and engine maintenance facilities, workshops, engineers 'lounges' (to sit in during breaks) a small interior 'patching up' line (to do minor maintenance on to seats) and all of the hangars' front line engineers. Outside the hangar there is a parking area for the up to 8 planes, so they can be parked before or after maintenance. There is also an engine test pit, where engine tests (running the engines at a certain speed to test them after maintenance without too having to leave the ground) can be carried out.

TBA (8 bay hangar): Airbus A319, A320, A321, 757 and 767 'light' maintenance along with almost all 757 and 767 fleet 'heavy' maintenance is done here, and the hangar is again complete with Component and engine maintenance facilities, training facilities, class rooms, offices, a canteen , minor interior patch up line along with workshops and all the hangar's front line engineers and managers. Outside, there is a small ramp area where planes can be parked for a short-while.

TBE: The minor or 'casualty' hangar, is where most minor work is done, engine and leg changes for example and any work that can be done in a short period of time an aircraft has on the ground. The section covers all the airline's Airbus fleet along with the Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft. Engineers based here support the line maintenance and major maintenance areas as required and the section is now known as the FSU (Fleet Support Unit).

TBC: Engineering's main offices and some training facilities are located here, and is where most support engineers and senior managers are based. Planning, development, finance and tech support sections are all based on the 9th floor. Inside, other than offices and class rooms, there is also a multi-story car park and a small canteen. The ground floor houses the engine workshops.

At Cardiff International Airport, there is BAMC (the maintenance base is called BAMC for short, standing for British Airways maintenance Cardiff) Here, all 747 and 777 fleet 'heavy' maintenance along with most of the airline's long-haul fleet interior conversions is done. The hangar and base have the usual Component and engine maintenance facilities, training facilities, class rooms, workshops, a canteen and all the hangars front line engineers and managers.

Also in South Wales, is British Airways Avionic Engineering (BAAE) responsible for the repair, modification and overhaul of the vast majority of the avionic and electrical components used in the BA fleet and some of those used by other airlines. It is situated in three purpose built workshop buildings at Llantrisant.

Again in South Wales, is the GE engine plant, which does most of BA's engine work for any aircraft with General Electric engines.

British Airways Maintenance Glasgow (BAMG) is where all Airbus A319, A320, A321 and Boeing 737 'heavy' maintenance is done. The hangar has avionic, composite and an interiors workshop. All components that are not overhauled at Glasgow are sent to London for overhaul. There is also training facilities, as well as a canteen and office for hangar staff. Line maintenance at Glasgow is carried out by hangar engineers, as well as a dedicated shift for night stop-overs.

Finally, BA Engineering has a small base at London Gatwick airport with 1 hangar where BA's B737 'light' maintenance is carried out. It has all the usual Component and engine maintenance facilities, training facilities, class rooms, workshops, a canteen and all the hangars front line engineers and managers along with an interior conversion facilities.

British Airways Engineering has changed a lot over the years, reducing in size in terms of numbers of buildings, staff and the amount of work carried out for other airlines as well as for itself. Nowadays, BA Engineering carries out '3rd Party' (Non BA) 'line' maintenance at LHR and around the world and has a dedicated 3rd party maintenance team at LHR (CEG-Customer Engineering Group). It also sends some of its own heavy maintenance work out to other companies for them to do for them, although the vast majority of aircraft and cabin interior work is still carried out by BA Engineering itself.

World Cargo

BA is, through its subsidiary British Airways World Cargo, the world's twelfth-largest cargo airline based on total freight tonne-kilometers flown. BA World Cargo has global reach through the British Airways scheduled network. In addition to the main fleet, BA World Cargo wet lease three Boeing 747-400F dedicated freighter aircraft from Global Supply Systems on a multi-year basis, as well as utilising space on dedicated freighters operated by other carriers on European services. Dedicated freighter services allow the airline to serve airports not connected to the scheduled network, such as London Stansted, Glasgow Prestwick, Frankfurt-Hahn, Vitoria and Seoul.

British Airways opened its £250m World Cargo centre, Ascentis, at Heathrow in 1999. As one of the largest and most advanced automated freight handling centres in the world, it contains a handling centre for unusual and premium cargo, and a perishables handling centre for fresh produce, of which it handles over 80,000 tons per year. BA World Cargo also handles freight at London's Gatwick and Stansted airports, and, through its partner British Airways Regional Cargo, at all of the main regional airports throughout the UK.

Executive Club

Executive Club is British Airways' frequent flyer program. It forms part of the network of frequent flyer programs in the Oneworld alliance. The Executive Club has three tiers of membership: Blue, Silver, Gold. It also has an invitation-only Premier program. Cheaper leisure fares accrue BA Miles (at a percentage of actual mile flown), but no Tier Points, which are needed to progress to Silver or Gold status. The benefits of the Silver and Gold cards are considerable, including access to airport lounges and dedicated reservation lines. Continued membership of Silver Tier requires members to have flown four "Qualifying Flights" each year. These are full fare returns, which with so many discounted fares means spending a lot with this airline for the benefit.

Further information

British Airways Boeing 757.

• In recent years, British Airways has transported Queen Elizabeth II and the British Prime Minister on official duties, using Boeing 777 aircraft. Royal Air Force transports were traditionally used in such roles.

• British Airways is an investor in Public-Private Partnership Guided Bus system which operates in Crawley and Horley for Gatwick Airport that is called the Crawley Fastway network, and can be used by Gatwick Airport workers to get to the airport.
• British Airways was awarded 2006 Airline of the Year in the World Airline Awards run by UK-based Skytrax , and OAG Airline of the Year 2007, Best Airline Based in Western Europe 2007, Best Transatlantic Airline 2007, and Best Europe - Asia/Australasia Airline 2007' in the Airline of the Year Awards run by UK-based OAG.
• British Airways is the official airline of Wimbledon Championship tennis tournament.
• British Airways is Royal Jordanian Airlines sponsor in oneworld.

Incidents and accidents

• On 10 September 1976, British Airways Flight 476, a Trident 3B aircraft flying from London Heathrow to Istanbul, Turkey and Inex-Adria Aviopromet flight 550, a Douglas DC-9 flying from Split, Croatia to Cologne, West Germany, collided in mid-air over the Zagreb VOR in what was then Yugoslavia. The two aircraft struck the ground near Vrbovec, a small town northeast of Zagreb. All 176 aboard both aircraft died.
• On 24 June 1982, Flight 9, a Boeing 747-200, G-BDXHdisaster, City of Edinburgh flew through a cloud of volcanic ash and dust from the eruption of Mount Galunggung, causing extensive damage to the aircraft, including the failure of all four engines. The aircraft managed to glide out of the dust cloud and restart all of its engines (only to have one fail again as it climbed over the mountain), allowing it to make an emergency landing at Jakarta. No-one was injured.
• On 10 June 1990, Flight 5390, a BAC 1-11 flight between Birmingham and Málaga, suffered a windscreen blowout. The pilot was partially blown out of the cockpit but was held back by the crew. The co-pilot landed the plane safely at Southampton Airport.
• On 2 August, 1990, Flight 149 landed at Kuwait International Airport four hours after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, leading to the capture of the passengers and crew, and the destruction of the aircraft.
• On 10 October 2000, a British Airways Boeing 757 en route from London was on approach to Amsterdam between two storm cells when the aircraft was struck by lightning just below the first officer's windscreen. The first officer, Richard Adcock, was stunned by the strike as his arm was touching the screen and later found it impossible to use. Realising he was unable to complete the landing, Adcock handed control to his colleague, Mike Tarry. The plane continued its approach and landed without further incident. The first officer sustained a burn wound to his chest. None of the other 157 aircraft occupants were injured.
• On 29 December 2000, Flight 2069 from London Gatwick Airport to Nairobi experienced a hijack attempt whilst flying over Sudan. A Kenyan student with a mental illness named Paul Mukonyi burst into the cockpit of the Boeing 747. As three crew fought to restrain Mukonyi, the auto-pilot became disengaged and the jet plunged downward around 10,000 feet with 398 passengers on board including British rock singer Bryan Ferry and Jemima Khan. However disaster was averted when pilots recovered the aircraft, successfully restrained Mukonyi with handcuffs and the plane landed safely.
• On 5 September 2001, at 1714 mountain daylight time, a Boeing 777-236, British registration G-VIIK, was substantially damaged during a ground fire at Denver International Airport, Denver, Colorado. The fire started when the airplane was parked at the gate unloading passengers and being refuelled. The captain, first officer, a third pilot, 13 cabin crewmembers, and 10 passengers who were on board at the time of the accident, were not injured; however, the ground service refueler was fatally injured.
• On 10 June 2004, a Boeing 777-200 took off from Heathrow bound for Harare spewing fuel from an uncovered fuel tank aperture. It dumped fuel and returned to land, with no injuries to the 15 crew and 151 passengers. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch reported in July 2004, but ordered a fuller study now published. The mistake that caused the incident occurred during a check at the Cardiff heavy maintenance base when a purge door cover was removed and not replaced. Maintenance procedures are to be improved.
• On 19 February 2005, the No 2 engine of a Boeing 747-400 (G-BNLGdisaster) surged and suffered internal damage just after take off from Los Angeles on a flight to London Heathrow with 16 crew and 351 passengers on board. The crew shut the engine down. They continued the climb and, having checked the performance figures, decided to continue the flight, in line with BA's standard operating procedures for 4 engined aircraft. Because it was unable to attain normal cruising speeds and altitudes, the aircraft was forced to divert to Manchester, England. The United States Federal Aviation Administration had been critical of the Captain's decision and accused BA of operating the aircraft in an unairworthy condition. In June 2006 the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch recommended that the UK and US authorities review the policy on flight continuation and give clear guidance. This has not happened but the FAA have accepted the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority’s determination that the aircraft was not unairworthy.
• On 25 February 2005, a crew flying the same aircraft (G-BNLG) also had to shut an engine down, this time in the cruise from Singapore to London, and the Captain again elected to continue. This time they landed without any further incident at their destination.
• On 10 August 2006 the airline cancelled a large number of its flights to and from London Heathrow Airport due to a foiled terrorist plot to destroy jet airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States. British Airways was one of those airlines that was targeted by the terrorists along with American Airlines, Continental and United Airlines. Had this plot got past the planning stages, the planes would've been blown up with the use of liquid explosives. Three days later on 12 August 2006 the owner and operator of London Heathrow, BAA ordered airlines using the airport to make a 30 per cent reduction in departing passenger flights (something BA was already having to do as passengers missed flights due to the extra time it took to clear security), to help reduce delays and cancellations. BA would later say the disruption cost it £40 million and forced it to cancel 1,280 flights between 10 and 17 August.
• On 29 November 2006 BA announced that three Boeing 767 aircraft had been grounded while forensic tests were carried out for traces of radiation, in relation to the investigation of the death of Alexander Litvinenko the previous week. Two aircraft were being tested at Heathrow, the other at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport. It was later revealed that this third aircraft would be flown back to Heathrow without passengers or cabin crew for testing. Initial results of the forensic tests have shown very low traces of a radioactive substance onboard two of the three aircraft.

Controversies

• In October 2006, the British Airways cross controversy - a dispute over the right of a Christian check-in worker to wear a visible symbol of faith - occurred.
• In November 2006, it was revealed that British Airways has a policy of not seating adult male passengers next to unaccompanied children, even if the child's parents are elsewhere on the plane. This led to accusations that the airline considers all men to be potential sex offenders. The policy came to light following an incident in which Michael Kemp, a retired journalist, was asked to move from his seat next to a 9-year-old girl; he was told that the aircraft would not be taking off until the issue was resolved. The policy was condemned by Michele Elliot of British children's charity Kidscape, who said: "It is utterly absurd... what message does it send out to children - that men are not to be trusted? ...this is just totally lacking in common sense."
• British Airways was announced by the Association of European Airlines as having lost the most luggage in 2006 compared to other major European airlines. For every 1000 passengers carried, it lost 23 bags, 46% more than the average.
• In April 2007, British Airways removed footage of Richard Branson and obscured a tail fin of a Virgin aircraft from Casino Royale. A representative of EON Productions, producer of all the Bond films, said Barbara Broccoli considered removing BA from their list of suppliers. However, it was not the first time that BA censored rivals from in-flight movies.

External links

• British Airways
• British Airways routemap
• British Airways fleet age
• British Airways Flight Training