BA Boeing 787 at British Airways Maintenance Cardiff (Image Credit: British Airways)
British Airways is currently wet leasing an Airbus A340 aircraft from Air Belgium to cover the London Heathrow – Cairo route.
This was due to end on Thursday 31 October 2019 for the outbound flight from London Heathrow (flight BA155) and Friday 1 November 2019 for the inbound flight to London Heathrow (flight BA154).
The Air Belgium wet lease has now been extended to Wednesday 6 November 2019 and Thursday 7 November 2019 respectively.
Due to ongoing maintenance requirements to the Rolls-Royce engines of BA’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, BA will then wet lease an Airbus A321-200 aircraft from Titan Airways to cover this route.
Titan Airways will operate flight BA155 from Thursday 7 November 2019 to Wednesday 12 January 2020 and BA154 from Friday 8 November 2019 to Thursday 13 January 2020.
Given it has, much to the frustration of BA, taken longer than expected to address the issues with the Boeing 787 fleet, there is every possibility that the wet lease may be extended.
Club World Passengers
The Titan Airways Airbus A321-200 aircraft has two cabins which, for BA, will operate as economy and premium economy.
There is no equivalent cabin to Club World on this aircraft and Club World passengers will be downgraded to premium economy, with an appropriate refund of their fare.
Club World passengers will retain their original baggage allowance, lounge access privileges and Avios/tier points earning entitlements. Club World passengers are also entitled to cancel their flights with a full refund.
Titan Airways has recently refurbished its fleet of Airbus A321 aircraft and you can see pictures of the interiors from Titan Airways. From the pictures available, there appears to be no seat-back in-flight entertainment system on this aircraft.
British Airways has launched a new summer seasonal route from London Gatwick to Antalya, Turkey.
The route launches on Thursday 30 April 2020. It initially operates three times weekly, before progressively increasing to six times weekly in the summer peak.
The flight times vary by day, but flights typically leave Gatwick at around lunch time and depart from Antalya in the evening.
In other Gatwick related news, BA’s seasonal routes to Gibraltar and Limoges will not return this summer. These were due to return on 30 April and 22 May 2020 respectively.
BA will continue to serve Gibraltar year-round from Heathrow. Passengers whose flights from Gatwick to Gibraltar have been cancelled can be re-accommodated on BA services from Heathrow.
BA does not serve Limoges from any other London airport. Passengers whose flights have been cancelled are entitled to a full refund. Alternatively, passengers should be able to choose an alternative BA destination in France. However, any consequential costs will be at passengers’ expense.
Passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com
Affected passengers should contact BA or their travel agent.
There has been relatively little news so far this year on BA’s schedules for summer 2020. Further route news is expected for all London airports in the coming weeks.
British Airways and Malaysian Airlines, London Heathrow (Image Credit: British Airways)
British Airways has launched a new codeshare partnership with its Oneworld alliance partner Malaysia Airlines.
Currently, BA flies from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur daily with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft and Malaysia Airlines flies from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur twice daily with Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
BA will now place its code on Malaysia Airlines flights from Kuala Lumpur to the following destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, which are not served by direct BA flights:
Malaysia: Alor Setar, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Kuantan, Labuan, Langkawi, Miri, Penang, Sibu, Kuala Terengganu, Sandakan, Kota Bharu, Bintulu
Australia: Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth
Cambodia: Phnom Penh
Indonesia: Denpasar-Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya
New Zealand: Auckland
Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City
Note that these can only be booked when connecting to/from a BA operated flight between London Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur. The two airlines will not codeshare on London Heathrow – Kuala Lumpur.
BA Airbus A319 aircraft at London Heathrow (Image Credit: British Airways)
Following the decision by BALPA to cancel planned industrial action on Friday 27 October 2019, BA has now updated its policy on accommodatingpassengers who have been affected by the planned strike.
BA had cancelled the vast majority of its flights at Gatwick and Heathrow on the day of strike action. BA has advised that it is reinstating much of its schedule. However, at the time of publication, BA does not appear to have reinstated any flights but this may change imminently. Edit: A large number of flights have been reinstated on Friday.
If were due to fly BA between Thursday 26 September and Saturday 28 September, and you wish to revert back to your original travel plans, you can now do so. This can be done by calling BA on 0800 727 800 from within the UK or +44 (0)203 250 0145 from outside the UK, or by contacting your travel agent.
However, if your flight was cancelled and you have requested a refund, you will need to buy a new ticket.
If you were due to fly between Thursday 26 and Saturday 28 September 2019 and have already changed your plans you do not need to change them again if you do not wish to do so.
The latest strike guidance is available on ba.com Please note this is subject to constant review and may be amended at any time.
In terms of where this latest move by BALPA leaves the prospect of a settlement, currently there are no talks underway between BALPA and BA. BALPA is required by law to give 14 days’ notice of any further industrial action.
British Airways has now changed its schedules in advance of planned industrial action by BA pilots at Gatwick and Heathrow on Friday 27 September 2019.
London Heathrow Terminal 5A (Image Credit: Heathrow)
British Airways has now updated its schedules in advance of a planned second phase of industrial action by British Airways pilots on Friday 27 September 2019.
Once again, there are very extensive cancellations to BA’s schedules at Gatwick and Heathrow. There is also residual disruption before and after the strike.
Flights operated by BA CityFlyer Ltd at London City are not affected. BA has advised that extra capacity has been added from London City to Amsterdam, Berlin Tegel and Munich on the day of the strike.
Flights operated by franchise partners SUN-AIR A/S of Scandinavia and Comair are not affected. Nor are flights operated by codeshare partners under BA flight numbers.
If your flight is cancelled you should have now received an e-mail from BA. The best way to monitor the status of your booking is to use the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com
If your flight is cancelled you are entitled to a full refund. BA is offering rebooking on what is now a wide range of Oneworld alliance and non-alliance partner airlines.
BA Executive Club Avios and Tier Points
BA has today, Friday 13 September 2019, updated its guidance on ba.com to clarify its position on the awarding of Avios and tier points to members of the BA Executive Club whose flights have been cancelled.
BA now advises that if you are rebooked on a BA or Oneworld partner airline flight you will be awarded Avios and tier points automatically after you have taken the flight. (In actuality, it can take time for these to credit, so it’s worth keeping a close eye on your account).
If you are rebooked on a non-Oneworld alliance partner airline, you will need to submit a claim directly to BA in order to earn Avios and tier points. These will be awarded on the basis of your original booking with BA.
If you believe you have missed out on retaining your existing Executive Club tier or reaching the next tier as a consequence of industrial action, you should contact BA and they will look at your account on a case-by-case basis.
This is the guidance, as published this evening on ba.com, which may be amended at any time:
If your flight was cancelled as a result of the industrial action, and you were rebooked onto an alternative service operated by British Airways or a oneworld partner airline, you will automatically be credited with the applicable Avios and Tier Points once you have flown the rebooked flight.
If your flight was cancelled as a result of the industrial action, and you were rebooked by British Airways onto an alternative service operated by a non-partner airline, we will award you the Avios and Tier Points for your original cancelled British Airways flight. Please raise a claim online by logging into your Executive Club account and click the option “claim missing Avios on BA” and submit your original British Airways flight details.
In all other cases where you believe you would have upgraded or retained your Tier status had your flight not been affected by the industrial action, please contact your local Executive Club Service Centre who will review cases on an individual basis.
London Heathrow Terminal 5A (Image Credit: Heathrow)
With less than 24 hours before a strike by British Airways pilots represented by the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) is due to start, here is a quick summary of the status of the dispute between the airline and its pilots.
Strike – Monday 9 & Tuesday 10 September 2019
The planned strike by BA pilots at Gatwick and Heathrow on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 September 2019 is due to go ahead.
Very often planned strikes in a pay dispute can be called off at the last minute as talks go right up to the wire. However, no discussions appear to be currently underway between BA and BALPA. A revised pay proposal was presented by BALPA to BA this week, but this was rejected out of hand by BA due to its cost. The airline maintains it is available for talks, provided there are no pre-conditions.
Disruption to flights will begin, today Sunday 8 September 2019, as a number of inbound long-haul flights, particularly transatlantic flights from North America, are cancelled. Theoretically, these flights can operate as pilots can only strike when in the UK but there is the issue of where to park all the aircraft when they land at Heathrow.
BA has always adopted a conservative approach to strike schedule planing and virtually no BA flights are expected to operate from Gatwick and Heathrow on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 September. From a cursory scan of scheduled flights from Heathrow on Monday 9 September, no BA flights are scheduled to operate.
Short-haul flights operated by BA CityFlyer Ltd at London City and franchise partners SUN-AIR A/S of Scandinavia and Comair are not affected. Nor are flights operated by codeshare partners under BA flight numbers.
Flights will resume on Tuesday evening as a number of inbound long-haul flights are expected to operate.
There will be some residual disruption beyond Tuesday, particularly on Sydney-Singapore-London, due to the length of time it takes pilots to complete a return trip on this route.
BA has not yet announced cancellations for the second strike on Friday 27 September 2019.
The airline is expected to do so at least 14 days before the strike is due to start. If you are due to fly on BA between Thursday 26 and Saturday 28 September 2019, you can rebook on to an alternative date free of charge.
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.
One passenger on the inaugural flight was Bob Ingham, who reportedly saved up for three years for a ticket and wore an outfit he deemed appropriate for the inaugural flight.
Passenger Bob Ingham, Concorde Check-in, London Heathrow Terminal 3, 21 January 1976 (Image Credit: SWNS / London Heathrow Airport)Concorde, London Heathrow, 21 January 1976 (Image Credit: SWNS / London Heathrow Airport)
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.
