A special series of 100 adverts, aircraft, airlines, brands, cabins and routes from the 100 year history of British Airways and its predecessor airlines.
British Airways Pilots & Cabin Crew (Image Credit: British Airways)
Well what did you think would be Number 1?
You can fly the most advanced commercial aircraft with market leading cabins all supported by big budget advertising campaigns, but if you don’t have the people – both in the aircraft and on the ground – to deliver the service, it all falls flat.
As recent events have shown relations can become strained – it wouldn’t be BA if its centenary wasn’t interrupted by “events” – but in its people BA has a phenomenal wealth of flying “know how” based on decades of experience and passion for aviation.
British Airways Engineers (Image Credit: British Airways)British Airways Cabin Crew (Image Credit: British Airways)Continue reading “BA100: Number One.”
British Airways Concorde Logo (Image Credit: British Airways)
This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by themeor by decade.
Many have been updated since first published.
“You leave. Arrive before”.
That was the promise of Concorde.
One of the 20th century’s greatest design icons and the world’s only supersonic aircraft, flying at around twice the speed of sound at 1,350mph and at an altitude of 60,000 feet.
Concorde was in commercial service at BA from 21 January 1976 to 24 October 2003. In that time more than 2.5 million passengers flew on the fleet of seven aircraft.
It operated scheduled services principally to New York JFK, but also at times to Barbados, Bahrain, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami, Singapore and Washington.
Concorde also operated charter flights to over 250 destinations worldwide, including annual flights to Lapland.
It had a relatively small, but fiercely loyal customer base – with some 80% repeat passengers. One of its most frequent passengers was an oil industry executive who notched up 70 return trips a year.
Concorde also benefited from its own dedicated “cellar in the sky” wine collection and the promise that bags would be delivered to passengers within 8 minutes of arrival.
Sir Terence Conran said of the aircraft in the foreword to the book “Supersonic – The Design And Lifestyle Of Concorde”:
Concorde is the most iconic aircraft of all time and I can honestly say it is the most beautiful and exhilarating man-made object I have ever seen. It is one of the few designs to take my breath away.
Do not think I exaggerate when I say Concorde is the single most important piece of design in my long lifetime. Will we see anything quite so elegant, beautiful and optimistic again? I’m sad to say perhaps not, but that may be the challenge for our great designers, engineers, innovators and artists. Can you work together to create something beautiful, powerful, and iconic it pushes the boundaries of our imagination. Can you make us dream like that again? Can you show us the future?
Concorde Inaugural Flights & Routes
Concorde began scheduled passenger flights with a twice weekly service from London Heathrow to Bahrain on 21 January 1976.
British Airways Concorde Publicity, Launch of ticket sales to Bahrain, October 1975British Airways Concorde Publicity, Pre-launch of services to Bahrain, 13 January 1976British Airways Concorde Publicity, Pre-launch of services to Bahrain, 21 January 1976.
In preparation for its launch BA created a dedicated check-in area at London Heathrow Terminal 3 with a check-in time of 45 minutes, a dedicated lounge and the promise of a short walk to the aircraft.
A few months later, on 24 May 1976, BA operated its inaugural Concorde service from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles. Services to Washington would run until late 1994.
British Airways Concorde Publicity, Pre-launch of services to Washington, 20 April 1976
It took some time to secure approval for Concorde to fly to New York JFK, which proved to be the last Concorde route. Concorde began scheduled services to New York on 22 November 1977.
In December of that year, the Concorde service to Bahrain was extended to Singapore, operated in conjunction with Singapore Airlines.
Flights to Singapore had to use Indonesian airspace as Malaysia refused to allow the use of its airspace on environmental grounds. Flights were temporarily suspended for a year until Malaysia allowed use of its airspace in December 1978.
British Airways Concorde Publicity, Pre-launch of services to New York and Singapore, 28 October 1977.
On 12 January 1979, Concorde’s service to Washington was extended to Dallas / Fort Worth, with that sector operated by Braniff International crew. The service to Dallas was suspended by Braniff in June 1980, citing rising fuel costs.
British Airways, Concorde, London Heathrow – Washington, January 1979Braniff International, Concorde, Washington – Dallas Fort Worth, January 1979
On 27 March 1984, BA’s Concorde service to Washington was also extended to Miami three times weekly.
Concorde, London Heathrow – Miami, via Washington Dulles, 1984
It was hoped that Concorde services would be extended to Sydney (via Bahrain & Singapore), Tokyo (via the Soviet Union) and Johannesburg (via Nairobi). For a variety of reasons, including political, these did not come to fruition.
Concorde Charter Flights
In its 27 year history Concorde operated many charter flights.
These were not just for members of the Royal Family and senior politicians, but also members of the public.
By the mid-1980s Concorde had developed a very lucrative charter business which made the aircraft much more accessible to the public.
One notable trip took place in February 1985 when a Concorde completed a trip from London to Sydney in 17 hours, 3 hours and 45 seconds as a charter for Cunard. The aircraft landed in Sydney on 14 February 1985 having stopped in Bahrain, Colombo and Perth for refuelling. The day before, BA took out a full page advert in The Times with the message “DARLING SYDNEY Will be breaking all records to be with you on the 14th Love Concorde XX.”
Other charters for Cunard included Cape Town. On 28 March 1985, Concorde broke the speed record for a flight from London to Cape Town, taking eight hours and eight minutes with a refuelling stop in Monrovia, Liberia. This beat the previous record of 11 hours and 54 minutes, set by a Boeing 747 in 1977.
Concorde Aircraft & Liveries
British Airways Concorde G-BOAD, Negus Livery (Image Credit: Heathrow)British Airways Concorde Landor Livery (Image Credit: British Airways)British Airways Concorde G-BOAF Chatham Dockyard Livery (Image Credit: British Airways)
British Airways Concorde Advertising
Concorde was used relatively sparingly in BA advertising. Partly because of exclusivity, and partly because it’s not the sort of service that needs advertising.
This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by themeor by decade.
Many have been updated since first published.
When the idea for what is possibly the greatest airline advertisement of all time was presented by Saatchi & Saatchi to BA, it is existed solely as a rough scribble on a single sheet of paper.
BA had asked Saatchi to prepare a new blockbuster advertising campaign. Saatchi had presented two ideas, which by its own admission were fairly unremarkable, to an unimpressed BA.
They then pulled a rabbit out of the hat. Out came a crumpled piece of paper bearing a sketch with the fairly unappealing sight of a disconnected smiling mouth, an eye, and a nose and a scribbled face.
But BA bought into the idea. And so “The Face” was born.
BOAC Boeing 747-136 aircraft (Image Credit: British Airways)
Pan American World Airways, for whom the Boeing 747 aircraft was designed, was the first airline to operate passenger flights, from New York to London on 21 January 1970.
It may seem strange to think now, but there were doubts as to whether airlines could fill the aircraft with passengers. In addition, there were concerns about the ability of airports to handle the aircraft, at the time the biggest passenger jet in service. Both London Heathrow and New York JFK had to implement makeshift arrangements to handle the aircraft.
“All the 747 needed was BOAC service.”
BOAC began passenger flights from London to New York on 14 April 1971.
It had been delayed by a year, partly due to an industrial dispute with its pilots. You can see footage of the cabin interior, with its Monarch lounge on the upper deck in this video:
The 747 would be progressively added to many North American routes.
Lord Marshall Of Knightsbridge (Image Credit: British Airways)
This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by themeor by decade.
Many have been updated since first published.
Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge was recruited by Lord King to be Chief Executive of the airline in 1983.
Together with Lord King and Saatchi & Saatchi, Lord Marshall is credited with BA’s turnaround in the 1980s.
Lord Marshall had previously been Chief Executive of Avis in the United States. The UK was of course a very different country in the early 1980s. Those in the UK who had been to the United States in the 1970s knew, for all of the faults of the US, of the competitive power of the market. Lord Marshall would later say:
“In a deregulated environment, where government policies can no longer fix markets and offer competitive protection, who calls the shots? The answer is obvious: the customer. It is the essential truth of the new world competitive order – of global business development – that customer choice, preference and demand are its real driving forces.”
Like Lord King, Lord Marshall joined BA with no experience of working in the aviation industry. Speaking to the New York Times in 1989, Lord Marshall said of BA:
”There was very little understanding of what the passengers wanted and what the marketplace was all about,” ”And ‘marketing’ was a word that did not exist in the company. They had a commercial director, but no marketing director.”
Lord Marshall oversaw a “night of the long knives” which resulted in the dismissal of over 70 senior managers.
“Almost like an archaeological excavation, we had to sweep away the dust and dirt of generations of economic and attitudinal litter, in order to expose the treasure trove of air transport quality that we knew had accumulated over years of network, product and technical development. Then it needed to be polished to the point where it would both attract the customer and dazzle the competition.”
This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by themeor by decade.
Many have been updated since first published.
It was in January 1988 that BA introduced the “Club World” brand, roughly ten years after the concept of long-haul business class first became known.
Initially, long-haul business class was simply a separate part of the economy cabin for full fare passengers. Then, BA introduced its Super Club cabin.
BA claimed that the introduction of Club World in 1988 which featured a dedicated crew for the first time, improved catering and ground services, increased traffic by 31%.
Since then, Club World has become by far BA’s most important cabin and it has featured the airline’s biggest innovations. The financial performance of BA is inextricably linked to the volume of Club World traffic. So much so, it was to become known as the “profit engine” of BA.
The First Club World Seats
The initial Club World seat was a “slumber seat”.
In the 1990s, BA maintained a regular pace of change in the cabin. Another new cabin interior and seat was introduced in the early 1990s with seat-back TV for the first time.
British Airways Club World Advert 1993
The Cradle Seat
The next significant change to Club World came with the “Cradle Seat” in 1996.
British Airways Club World Cradle Seat
The concept behind this seat was that rather than simply reclining, the seat would tilt and, with the aid of “ears” in the headrest and a built in leg-rest, it would support the entire body whatever the position of the seat.
“Presenting a revolutionary view from business class”
At the turn of the century, BA announced one of the most significant innovations in its history, the first fully flat bed in business class.
British Airways Club World Cabin, 2000
Designed by tangerine, it featured a patented “yin-yang” layout of rear and forward facing seats that would convert into fully flat beds.
Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II returns to London airport on BOAC, 7 February 1952 (Image Credit: Heathrow)
This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by themeor by decade.
Many have been updated since first published.
Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II has a long history with BA and its predecessor airlines, BOAC and BEA.
The Royal Family’s First Atlantic Flight
On 8 October 1951, then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke Of Edinburgh were the first members of the Royal Family to cross the Atlantic ocean by air.
They flew on a BOAC Stratocruiser aircraft “Canopus” G-AKGK from London airport to Montreal. This was also the first royal tour to start at the airport.
British Airways Logo (Image Credit: British Airways)
This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by themeor by decade.
Many have been updated since first published.
BA, like much of the world, entered the 21st century with a sense of optimism.
There had been some difficult years with the adverse reaction to World Tailfins. The airline was also facing increased competition from low cost carriers and in 1999 reported its worst financial results since 1982.
“21st Century Air Travel”
However, at the turn of the century, there was a cause for optimism.
One event of course changed everything. 11 September 2001 was the single worst day in aviation history. The events of that day and its substantial human cost are well known. It had a profound impact on the US psyche and global geopolitics which are still felt to this day.
For BA, there was the immediate impact of the closure of US airspace to all civil aviation. 22 BA aircraft were diverted.
The Federal Aviation Administration placed an immediate ban on all non-US airlines flying to the US until such time they could be satisfied that security conditions could be met. US airspace reopened to domestic airlines two days later. The FAA gave BA permission to fly to the US again on 15 September 2001.
The Times, Europe Edition Front Page, Wednesday 12 September 2001The Guardian, Europe Edition Front Page, Wednesday 12 September 2001
At the time many wondered whether air travel would ever be the same again with some speculating that airports would have to be rebuilt to accommodate additional passenger screening processes.
Many security measures were implemented such as installing armour plated cockpit doors and the submission of advance passenger lists to US authorities.
BA subsequently announced a review of its business which became known as “Future Size and Shape”. This resulted in a substantial cut in capacity, thousands of job losses, and numerous cost-cutting initiatives – many of which did not go unnoticed by passengers.
This set the course for BA the rest of the decade with a focus on improving its balance sheet by selling its 25% stake in Qantas and disposing of regional operations, simplifying its fleet, removing legacy complexity and no significant capacity growth. It was only towards the start of this decade did BA start growing again.
Many at BA’s parent IAG, mindful that Ryanair was able to secure a substantial discount from Boeing for new aircraft after 11 September 2001, are determined that this does not happen again. Put in fairly crude terms, they want the next shock to the aviation industry to be an opportunity, not a problem, for IAG.
London Heathrow Terminal 1, 1969 (Image Credit: Heathrow Airport)
This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by themeor by decade.
Many have been updated since first published.
London Heathrow airport has been BA’s principal UK hub for the entirety of its, and much of its predecessors, existence.
Whilst the airport has its operational constraints and at times BA has had a difficult relationship with its owner that could be summed up as “Can’t live with you. Can’t live without you.”, if affords the airline a dominant position in one of the most lucrative premium traffic markets in the world.
This is so much so that rival airlines are prepared to pay tens of millions of dollars for a single pair of arrival and departure slots.
The Origins of Heathrow
Heathrow traces its origins to the 1920s.
In 1925, RAF test pilot Norman MacMillan was forced to make an emergency landing at the small rural hamlet of Heathrow and considered the terrain ideal for an airfield.
Four years later Norman MacMillan joined forces with British aero-engineer Richard Fairey who needed a new airfield for his aircraft-building business. Richard Fairey bought 150 acres of farm land at Heathrow and built a new aerodrome, to be known as the Great West Aerodrome.
The site was requisitioned by the Air Ministry during World War Two. An RAF base was built on the site with three runways and a control tower. Following the end of World War Two it was considered surplus to requirements.
After The Second World War: London Airport Opens
On 1 January 1946, ownership of Heathrow passed to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
On that day, the first flight to depart the airport was a British South American Airways “proving” flight to South America operated by a Lancastrian Star Light. The aircraft, carrying mail and freight only, arrived in Rio de Janeiro 32 hours later, before continuing to Montevideo and Buenos Aires.
The first passenger flight to arrive at the airport a BOAC flight service from Sydney on 31 May 1946. The Lancaster aircraft took 63 and 1/4 hours to fly from Sydney, landing 2 hours ahead of schedule. BOAC’s three times weekly “express” service to Sydney was the first route the airline transferred to London airport, having previously operated from Hurn (also known as Bournemouth International) airport.
Pan American World Airways and American Overseas Airlines transferred services to New York from Hurn to London Airport that week.
The airport was a far cry from the modern terminals of today. Passengers initially used military tents as departure and arrival terminals – though there was a branch of WH Smith!
The 1950s – The Central Area & Europa Terminal Open
Baggage Sorting Area, London Heathrow, 1950s (Image Credit: Heathrow)
As passenger numbers grew in the 1950s, architect Frederick Gibberd was commissioned to design permanent buildings for the airport.
The Central Area was created, along with the Europa Terminal, an office block known as The Queens Building (pictured below in the 1970s), and a 127 feet Control Tower. The new terminal was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 December 1955.
Her Majesty The Queen, Heathrow Airport, 1970s (Image Credit: Heathrow)
The 1960s – The Oceanic Terminal & Terminal 1 Open
Terminal 3 opened in 1961 and was originally known as the Oceanic Terminal and became the principal base for long haul flights.
The 1960s was the era of the emergence of the celebrity and popular culture. Many famous faces from The Rolling Stones to Joan Collins would be pictured departing London airport on BEA and BOAC aircraft.
Terminal 1 was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in April 1969. BEA operated the first flight out of Terminal 1, BEA 5362 to Edinburgh, on 17 April 1968.
On the opening of Terminal 1, the Oceanic and Europa terminals were renamed Terminals 2 & 3 respectively.
Baggage Belt, Terminal 1, London Heathrow 1960s (Image Credit: Heathrow)
BA’s main home at Heathrow was Terminal 1 from 1968 to 2008 until the opening of Terminal 5, with a brief reprise from 2012 to 2015 following BA’s purchase of bmi. BA operated the last flight out of Terminal 1, BA970 to Hanover, on 30 June 2015.
The 1970s – The Jumbo Jet & Supersonic Era
In the 1970s, Heathrow readied itself for the era of the jumbo jet and Supersonic air travel.
Terminal 3 had to modified to accommodate the Boeing 747 which was more than twice the size of its immediate predecessor, the Boeing 707.
Ahead of the launch of scheduled Concorde flights to Bahrain in January 1976, part of Terminal 3 was converted into an exclusive Concorde terminal with a dedicated check in area, with an escalator to Concorde lounge, adjacent to the boarding gate for Concorde. Passengers were also promised that their luggage would go direct from check-in to the hold aircraft.
The 1980s – Terminal 4 Opens
Terminal 4 when it opened in 1986, at a cost of £200 million, became BA’s principal base for long haul flights, with a small number of short haul routes.
Terminal 4 Under Construction, London Heathrow Airport (Image Credit: Heathrow)
The terminal was officially opened by the Prince Charles & Diana, Princess of Wales on 1 April 1986. It opened to passenger flights shortly after on 12 April 1986.
Although Terminal 4 was intended to ease congestion in the Central Area, it was ill-suited in its design for long-haul flights. It was located south of the southern runway, so you had to cross an active runway to reach the north runway.
The 1980s saw BA launching more long haul routes at Heathrow with services to Bogota, Caracas, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Orlando, Pittsburgh and Tampa in 1985.
The 1990s – American Airlines, United & Virgin Atlantic Enter Heathrow
1991 was a significant year for Heathrow. Under a treaty between the UK and US governments only BA, Pan American World Airways and Trans World Airlines could fly to the US from the airport.
All other airlines, notably Virgin Atlantic and a number of US airlines following the deregulation of US aviation in 1978, had to fly from Gatwick.
Both Pan Am and TWA were heavily indebted and reeling from the collapse of international travel following the Gulf War, rising oil prices. Many clients, particularly business customers, actively avoided Pan Am the aftermath of the Lockerbie disaster.
Pan Am entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 1991. It sought to raise around $290 million by selling its London routes to United Airlines. American Airlines purchased TWA’s London routes for $440 million.
This required a renegotiation of the bilateral treaty between the UK and the US. It also required a change in UK law which barred new airlines flying from Heathrow, which was intended to facilitate growth at Gatwick. This was lifted by the UK government in March 1991.
Virgin Atlantic started flying from London Heathrow to New York JFK and Los Angeles from July. In classic fashion, Sir Richard Branson dressed up as a pirate, covered a model BA Concorde at Heathrow with a Virgin logo and declared the airport “Virgin Territory”. This marked a significant deterioration in the relationship between the two airlines.
In total, the number of airlines competing against BA at Heathrow increased from 70 to 87.
The 2000s – Security Alerts & Industrial Relations Tensions
Following the events of 11 September 2001, BA embarked on a process to streamline its business and cut costs.
Many routes to Central & South America were transferred to Gatwick in the 1990s moved back to Heathrow. Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, Harare and Lusaka were also moved to Heathrow. Other Heathrow routes such as Manila and Taipei were suspended.
The process of reforming working practices and reducing labour costs was not an easy one. BA ground staff at Heathrow walked out at the start of the summer holidays in July 2003 over the introduction of a new swipe card system. Whilst industrial action in aviation wasn’t new, wildcat strike action at the time was very rare.
BA faced a call for industrial action by ground staff over the August 2004 bank holiday. This was called off, but the airline had offer a profuse public apology when it was forced to cancel many flights at Heathrow due to unexpected staff shortages.
A third consecutive summer of unofficial industrial action followed in 2005 when BA ground staff worked out in support of employees sacked by its catering supplier Gate Gourmet. The sight on TV news bulletins of passengers queuing in tents outside terminals would become a familiar one.
The airline remained exposed to geopolitical events. In August 2003, BA temporarily suspended flights to Jeddah and Riyadh on UK government advice of “credible intelligence of a serious threat to British aviation interests in Saudi Arabia”.
BA223 from Heathrow to Washington Dulles was also cancelled on New Year’s Day 2004 due to security concerns. Passengers on the previous days flight were interviewed on arrival and the cargo hold of the aircraft was searched. BA was also forced to cancel further flights to Washington and Saudi Arabia on 15 and 16 February 2004 respectively due to security concerns.
A plot to blow up a flight from London to the US in August 2006 prompted very severe restrictions on hand baggage and very public criticism by then CEO Willie Walsh over security queues and Heathrow forcing airlines to reduce their schedules.
Ongoing restrictions on hand baggage had a significant impact on transfer traffic. BA’s baggage handling infrastructure at Terminals 1 and 4 struggled to handle the volume of additional checked luggage.
That said, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The introduction of a new premium check-in area in 2004, Zone R, and a new First Class lounge in Terminal 1 proved popular with frequent flyers.
Whilst this era was largely one of contraction, BA did add Calgary, Hyderabad and Shanghai to its network at Heathrow.
Whilst it did, after bedding down, deliver operational improvements, severe disruption due to heavy snow at Christmas 2010 exposed a still dysfunctional relationship between Heathrow and its airlines.
British Airways Airbus A320 Aircraft G-BUSK, London Heathrow Terminal 5 (Image Credit: British Airways)
Relations between the airport and airlines have improved to a degree. There is at least at a more proactive approach to capacity reductions ahead of severe weather.
The acquisition of bmi British Midland in 2012 has cooled BA’s enthusiasm towards a third runway. IAG does not pull any punches regarding its costs of and effectively accuses Heathrow of misleading the public.
Should a third runway ever be constructed it will have a competitive impact on BA. easyJet has indicated it will seek access to Heathrow and a number of long-haul airlines will also be able to secure access and / or more competitively timed slots. That all said, no-one can predict the state of the industry by the time the third runway opens.
British Airways Orchestra performing “The Flower Duet” (Image Credit: British Airways)
This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by themeor by decade.
Many have been updated since first published.
The Flower Duet by Léo Delibes from the opera Lakmé has been the effective theme of BA.
It was first used in 1984 and has featured in many adverts and has often been played during the boarding of aircraft.
It has been remixed many times, including by Dave Stewart for “The world is closer than you think” advertising campaign in 1997 and subsequent campaigns such as “The way to fly” in 2004.
You can continue reading our 100 part series on the history of British Airways and its predecessor airlines Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA in numerical order,by theme or by decade.
If you would like to receive all future articles published by London Air Travel directly by e-mail, then enter your e-mail address below:
