British Airways Concorde G-BOAB at London Heathrow Airport (Image Credit: London Air Travel)
Today, Saturday 2 March 2019, marks the 50th anniversary since Concorde’s first flight.
The French prototype Concorde 001 completed its maiden flight in Toulouse on 2 March 1969. The flight was crewed by flight Captain Andre Turcat, co-pilot Jacques Guignard, flight engineer Michel Retif and mechanical engineer Henri Perrier. On its first flight the aircraft was limited to flying at 250 knots and 10,000 ft.
The British prototype Concorde 002 completed its first flight on 9 April 1969. Piloted by Brian Trubshaw and co-pilot John Cochrane, the aircraft flew from Bristol Fulton airport to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. London received its first sighting of the aircraft two months later when it flew over Central London on the Queen’s official birthday.
The history of Concorde is of course well documented. Events are taking place at a number of sites today to mark the anniversary. Aerospace Bristol will also be holding events throughout the year.
Aviation has always attracted dreamers and it would remiss to not encourage progress. However, we live in industry where efficiency and discipline, in good times and bad, rules.
Even if a new aircraft was to come to fruition it is unlikely that the major airline groups would be prepared to buy it. Nor would major corporate clients be willing to give the revenue guarantees it would require to be profitable. The era of overt corporate largesse is over.
The future is, sadly, not speed, but flying as efficiently as possible for both the airlines and those paying for the tickets.
For day flights, speed is less important with in-flight connectivity. For night flights, whilst some way short of your own bedroom, there are of course reasonably comfortable flat beds in business class.
Progress will be linking new city pairs that were previously not feasible either due to aircraft efficiency or distance. For the next innovation, all eyes are on Qantas to see whether it will order aircraft capable of flying from London to Melbourne and Sydney non-stop.
Render of British Airways Boeing 777-9 aircraft (Image Credit: Boeing)
International Airlines Group, the parent company of Aer Lingus, BA, Iberia, LEVEL and Vueling announced its annual results today, Thursday 28 February 2019.
All IAG airlines reported a healthy increase in operating profits for the year. IAG announced an annual operating profit of €3,230m, an increase of 9.5%. By airline this was £1,952m for BA, €305m for Aer Lingus, €437m for Iberia and €200m for Vueling.
Aircraft Order
The big headline announcement has been an order for 18 Boeing 777-9 aircraft with BA, with options for an additional 24 aircraft.
This, together with an existing order for 18 Airbus A350-1000, 4 Boeing 777-300 and 12 Boeing 787-10 aircraft effectively settles BA’s plan to replace the Boeing 747. The Boeing 777-9 will also replace 4 Boeing 777-200 aircraft. It does also provide for a healthy amount of growth at BA.
However, there are still a number of aircraft to be ordered to meet the group’s overall growth ambitions and the planned retirement of Boeing 777-200 aircraft. IAG CEO Willie Walsh said that there were aggressive pitches from all of Airbus, Boeing, General Electric and Rolls-Royce and there is still a lot of play for in terms of future orders.
IAG confirmed that it had looked at second-hand aircraft, but this had been discounted. Whilst nothing was said about the Airbus A380, this does seems to suggest that the prospects for BA acquiring any more aircraft, whether new or second-hand, are very remote.
International Airlines Group Fleet Plan – February 2019 (Image Credit: International Airlines Group)
BA Cabin & In-Flight Product Investments
The Net Promoter Score, which IAG uses to measure customer satisfaction, is said to be continuing to improve at BA.
It improved in 2018 over 2017 and is reported to be continuing to improve this year.
Not much more was given away about the new Club World seat and BA’s plans to retrofit the seat to existing aircraft, beyond what was said at last November’s Capital Markets Day.
There is an obvious element of expectations management as a number of airlines have experienced difficulties securing seats from manufacturers. Should additional manufacturing capacity become available, then the programme to retrofit seats will be accelerated.
There are continued references to improvements to Euro Traveller without specifying what they are. IAG still sees scope for profit margin growth at BA and future product investments are likely to remain very targeted.
BA Gatwick
An additional long-haul aircraft will be placed at Gatwick later this year, which will provide for some growth.
Continued growth at Gatwick as the slots BA acquired from Monarch are converted to long-haul use is likely to be at a very steady pace.
Render of British Airways Boeing 777-9 aircraft (Image Credit: Boeing)
International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, has ordered 18 Boeing 777-9 aircraft, plus 24 options, for the airline.
They will be used to replace 14 Boeing 747-400 and 4 Boeing 777-200 aircraft between 2022 and 2025, with 15 delivered by 2023.
Each aircraft will be fitted with 325 seats in a four class configuration. The approximate breakdown of seats by cabin is 8 First Class, 65 Club World, 46 World Traveller Plus and 206 World Traveller.
British Airways’ 777-9 aircraft will be powered by General Electric GE9X engines, notably not Rolls-Royce, where IAG CEO Willie Walsh has expressed his dissatisfaction with their performance over issues with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The announcement was made following IAG’s annual results on Thursday 28 February 2019.
Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive, said:
The new B777-9 is the world’s most fuel efficient longhaul aircraft and will bring many benefits to British Airways’ fleet. It’s the ideal replacement for the Boeing 747 and its size and range will be an excellent fit for the airline’s existing network.
BA is also due to take delivery of 4 Boeing 777-300, 18 Boeing A350-1000, and 12 Boeing 787-10 aircraft. It also has options for more Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft. Whilst it does not preclude further aircraft orders for growth, and a substantial number of aircraft are required to meet its parent company’s growth ambitions, this does effectively settle’s BA’s plans to replace the Boeing 747 by 2024.
International Airlines Group Fleet Plan – February 2019 (Image Credit: International Airlines Group)
BA currently operates 46 Boeing 777-200 and 12 Boeing 777-300 aircraft as well as 30 Boeing 787 and 34 Boeing 747 aircraft. This order does make the Boeing 777 series, already the backbone of BA’s long-haul fleet, by far the largest aircraft type in its long-haul fleet.
Alaska Airlines, Palm Springs Airport (Image Credit: London Air Travel)
Welcome to the The Atlantic Update for Wednesday 27 February 2019, our weekly update on transatlantic travel from Europe to North America.
It’s time for a diversion from our usual flight path for this week’s Atlantic Update.
Palm Springs has long been famous for its midcentury architecture and as a getaway from Los Angeles for famous Hollywood stars. It’s a city where even banks are of architectural interest.
Bank Of America, Palm Springs (Image Credit: London Air Travel)
In February every year Modernism Week celebrates the midcentury architecture of the city with talks, guided neighbourhood tours and self-guided open houses. We were fortunate to attend this year’s event.
As the photos below illustrate there are some truly stunning homes on display:
Palm Springs (Image Credit: London Air Travel)
Palm Springs Modernism Week 2019 Featured Home La Vie En Rose (Image Credit: London Air Travel)
British Airways Boeing 747 in BOAC Livery, Dublin Airport (Image Credit: British Airways)
Welcome to our Monday Briefing for the week beginning 25 February 2019.
The World’s Favourite Headline
BA would no doubt have been pleased with the extensive coverage of the arrival of its retro-liveried Boeing 747 at Heathrow last Monday.
A second aircraft, an Airbus A319, flew to Shannon on Saturday to be repainted in a modified British European Airways (BEA) livery. The airline has a habit of eschewing trends such as viral safety videos and retro liveries and then when it finally embraces them, they are well received.
It will not be so not enamoured with two articles in the Financial Times last weekend.
The first on airline wine lists by the highly regarded Master Of Wine Jancis Robinson who was, from 1995 to 2010, part of BA’s wine buying team.
Of BA in the late 1990s, Jancis writes:
This was BA’s golden age. Cabin crews were encouraged to attend special wine courses. Budgets were generous. Wines in first class would typically include a top classed growth claret and a premier cru white burgundy. Concorde, of which we were all so proud, was the jewel in the crown. Our tastings would be punctuated by the noise of Concorde taking off.
And of BA now:
Unfortunately, the wine selections on the two major airlines based in the UK, Virgin and British Airways, belie our nation’s standing as a major global force in wine. Virgin appeals much more effectively to the cocktail sipper than to the wine drinker, while one close trade observer describes the current state of wine-buying at BA as “rock bottom — there’s only one way for them to go”.
A second by Josh Spero, the FT’s transport correspondent, speaks to former CEO Sir Rod Eddington and former Head of Public Affairs David Burnside ahead of the airline’s centenary.
Sir Rod, who now lives in Australia, said he has “always resisted the temptation to pass judgment on what’s happened since I left, since I’m so far away”.
But he does note that BA “has slipped quite substantially down the rankings” of top global airlines as it has been overtaken by carriers such as Middle Eastern groups Emirates, Qatar and Etihad from wealthy Gulf states.
Mr Burnside said: “I don’t see the advertising, the excellence, I don’t see the excitement in BA. The Middle Eastern airlines ooze quality. BA has ended up six, seven out of 10.”
Perception is, as they say, reality. There’s a phrase in politics “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.” There are going to be awful lot of “It was once the world’s favourite..” articles in the coming months.
There are kernels of truth in the above. BA has always done its best marketing when it’s in position of confidence. BA willingly ceding its leadership position in long-haul business class has also had a huge impact on perception.
That said, the past isn’t always quite how people remember it. No-one would love to back to the late 1990s more than airlines themselves, not least as far as fares and corporate travel policies are concerned.
There is also a lot in BA’s past that it would rather not dwell on. As anyone who experienced its Heathrow operation in the years before Terminal 5, it was at best no industry leading model of efficiency and at worst an industrial relations pressure cooker. Operational and service failings were not amplified in the way they are today by social media and desk bound digital journalists.
BA can also say, with some justification, that many routes from the era of “The World’s Favourite” (Santiago, The Seychelles, with Oaska and Pittsburgh to come) have been reinstated in recent years. It is also easily forgotten that Gatwick came very close to closure and ten years ago BA had next to no presence at London City.
What is also often overlooked is how the last two major industry crises, 11 September 2001 and the 2008 financial crisis, have shaped the airline’s strategy today. In the case of the former, a high debt burden due to over expansion, a hangover from the 1990s glory days, led to a near decade long freeze on new long-haul aircraft and significant contraction of the route network and passenger numbers, which it has only just reversed.
The real test of the strategy set by BA’s parent company IAG is the next industry crisis, which will happen at some point. If IAG airlines emerge from the next crisis in a position of strength and are able to take advantage of opportunities, rather than fighting a rearguard action, they will be justified.
BA will launch a new weekend service to Mykonos from 19 May to 29 September 2019.
BA2335 departs Stansted at 10:05 and arrives at Mykonos at 15:25 on Sundays. The return BA2334 departs Mykonos at 16:35 and arrives at Stansted at 18:35 on Saturdays.
Nice
This route was due to return from Saturday 4 May to 26 October 2019. It has now been suspended.
Affected passengers are entitled to a full refund. Alternatively, passengers can be re-accommodated on BA services to other London airports. However, any consequential costs such as ground transportation will be at your own expense. Affected passengers should contact BA or their travel agent.
In terms of other summer seasonal routes, Berlin Tegel, Faro, Florence, Ibiza, Malaga and Palma will return this summer, albeit many routes will have reduced frequencies compared to previous years.
Flybe has confirmed this evening that the airline has been sold to the Connect Airways consortium which comprises Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Air and Cyrus Capital.
The sale has been effected by the sale of Flybe plc’s operating subsidiaries. This was not as originally intended and had been done to circumvent the requirement for shareholder approval. This is much to the fury of Flybe shareholders, some of whom had threatened legal action to block the sale. This now means that Flybe plc is a shell company with no assets.
As far as Flybe’s operations are concerned it is business as usual for now.
As the airline is now owned by a privately owned consortium there will not be much way of formal updates on its business plans.
However we do have a flavour of what to expect:
– Flybe aircraft and routes will progressively operate under a Virgin brand. This is most likely those that serve Heathrow and Manchester. Virgin will naturally be conscious of risk to brand perception so any painful or politically unpopular decisions will be made before rebranding.
– Flybe has already sold its slots at Gatwick so will withdraw from the airport when its last remaining route to Newquay transfers to Heathrow on Sunday 31 March 2019.
– Flybe will also launch a new route from Heathrow to Guernsey from 31 March 2019.
– It will not be possible to earn or redeem Avios on Flybe flights from Tuesday 30 April 2019.
Given the poor state of Flybe’s trading and the need for the consortium to provide a bridging loan, quick action will be taken to improve Flybe’s performance. It is inevitable that some routes may be cut.
BA CityFlyer Embraer Aircraft at London City airport (Image Credit: British Airways)
British Airways has suspended its route from London City to Paris orly from Friday 31 May 2019.
The route currently operates up to three times daily. It transferred from London Heathrow to City two years ago. This will mean there is now no direct route from any London airport to Paris Orly, nor any direct route from London City to Paris.
Passengers whose flights have been cancelled are entitled to a full refund.
Alternatively, passengers can be accommodated on alternative BA services between London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle. However, any consequential costs such as ground transportation will be at your own expense.
Affected passengers should contact BA or their travel agent.
Flybe is to launch a new route from London Heathrow to Guernsey.
The new daily service launches on Sunday 31 March 2019. It will initially operate daily and for the summer season only. However, this may be extended.
Whilst the timings and frequencies are not ideal for long-haul connections at Heathrow, it is a better option than having to traverse across London to take a connecting flight at Gatwick.
Whilst this announcement has been made before the Connect Airways consortium has purchased Flybe, it does give an indication of what may be to come if the transaction completes tomorrow, Friday 22 February.
It is plausible that the slots of this route have been sourced from Virgin Atlantic’s own portfolio, which have previously been leased to other airlines.
Flying Over Greenland, February 2019 (Image Credit: London Air Travel)
Welcome to the The Atlantic Update for Wednesday 20 February 2019, our weekly update on transatlantic travel from Europe to North America.
American Airlines Secures Access To The Private Suite At Los Angeles
American Airlines has long offered a “Five Star Service” enabling passengers to purchase access to its top tier “Flagship” lounges and personal escorts at certain airports.
Passengers travelling through Los Angeles can, for a handsome fee, now secure access to a private terminal known as The Private Suite with a dedicated check-in and security screening for departing passengers, and customs and immigration for arriving passengers.
United announced a similar partnership last year. Whilst an expedited journey through the airport is one of the main benefits, this is really aimed at passengers who value discretion and privacy above all else.
In addition, passengers travelling through Los Angeles and New York JFK can also secure a helicopter transfer to / from the airport with helicopter charter company Blade. This can be done by selecting “American Add On” via the Blade app or website.
New Norwegian Routes
Norwegian may be battling to get its finances in shape, but it has not been deterred from launching new transatlantic routes.
Norwegian will fly from Athens to New York JFK four times weekly from Monday 1 July 2019 to Saturday 25 October 2019. Judging by the amount of New Yorkers who head to the Greek islands each summer, this could be very successful if onward connections were offered.
It will also fly from Barcelona to Chicago O’Hare four times weekly from Friday 7 June 2019 to Saturday 26 October 2019. Norwegian will also increase frequencies from Barcelona to New York to daily and Los Angeles to six times weekly.
