British Airways News
British Airways announces First Class Las Vegas
Speaking at World Travel Market this morning, British Airways confirmed it will introduce First class cabins on its popular Las Vegas route next summer. The services will begin from June 1st, while capacity will also be increased by 18 per cent.
British Airways wins latest round in cabin crew battle
British Airways has won the latest round in its ongoing battle with Unite, after the High Court rejected the trade union’s appeal against the airline’s decision to reduce the number of cabin crew staff on flights. Meanwhile, Unite affiliate Bassa has told members the deal on the table is probably the “best available”.
British Airways interim management report for the 6 months ended September 30, 2010.
British Airways presents its interim management report for the six months ended September 30, 2010.
Virgin Atlantic, BA attack APD
Bitter rivals Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have at last found a common cause, with both launching attacks on increases in Air Passenger Duty. The duty – which is collected from all passengers departing from British airports – is set to rise on Monday, as the coalition government seeks to offset a ballooning budget deficit.
British Airways returns to profit
British Airways has returned to the black for the first time in two years, reporting pre-tax profits of £158 million for the six months to September 30th. The British flag-carrier is due to merge with Iberia in January next year, with the Spanish carrier also reporting positive financial results today.
BlackBerry boarding at British Airways
BlackBerry users can now take a step into the future and board British Airways flights using the airline’s new mobile boarding passes. Users of Android-operated mobile smartphones will also benefit from the new functionality in November, following its successful launch to iPhone users in July.
BA strikes out against US security checks - Skyscanner comment
“We know from a survey of our users earlier in the year that passengers are increasingly impatient with the time needed for current security checks. Travellers are in favour of anything which will make security checks faster, but they need to feel confident that safety measures have not been compromised too. 66% of users voted that airport scanners were a good idea as they would speed up security checks and improve security,” said Barry Smith, Skyscanner co-founder and business director.
BA chairman attacks US security measures
British Airways chairman Martin Broughton has accused Britain of “kowtowing” to the United States in implementing “completely redundant” airport security checks. Practices such as asking passengers to remove their shoes should be “abandoned” he suggested, while also questioning why laptop computers are scanned separately.
Airline ancillary fees surge
Airlines are expected to collect more than £16.2 billion in ancillary revenues this year, including fees for checked baggage, an increase of nearly £6.5 billion on 2009. The figure could also quadruple to £65.9 billion, accoridng to a new study by Amadeus and IdeaWorks.
Emirates rejects state subsidy claims
Emirates chairman Tim Clarke has angrily rejected claims made by Air France chief executive Henri Gourgeon suggesting the airline accepts government subsidies. Mr Gourgeon warned earlier this week Europe’s status as an air travel hub was “under threat” from emerging Middle Eastern carriers.
US proposes Japan antitrust immunity
The United States department of transportation has mooted antitrust immunity for two aviation alliances offering services to Japan. The news comes on the same day British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia launched their long-awaited transatlantic tie-up.
Increasing traffic eases pressure at BA
Shares in British Airways have rocketed this morning, as the British flag-carrier reported a sharp rise in passenger numbers. The picture was repeated at rival easyJet, with an expected increase in profits seeing the airline make the largest gains of the day on the FTSE 250.