SimAirline.net - Viewpoint (Entries tagged as British Airways)

British Airways and Iberia Tie the Knot

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:52:00 -0800

After nearly a year and a half of active talks and even more years of speculation, British Airways and Iberia are finally merging. The two airlines yesterday reached agreement to merge the companies under a holding company, TopCo.

The new company, 55% controlled by British Airways shareholders, will have British Airways CEO Willie Walsh serve as the new CEO. Iberia Chairman and CEO Antonio Vazquez will be the new chairman, while British Airways Chairman Martin Broughton will be deputy chairman. Headquarters will be in London.

The merger had been rumored for years due to the two airlines' oneworld membership and British Airways' desire to maintain pace with the growing Air France and Lufthansa consortia. a

The agreement took so long to reach due to concerns over equity shares (British Airways wanted 60-65% of the combined equity) and British Airways' pension deficit. Iberia can still terminate the merger if British Airways does not adequately address this issue. Along the way, Iberia Chairman and CEO Fernando Conte stepped down in July, reportedly because of the stalled merger talks.

For at least five years after the merger, both airlines will "keep their main base in their home country," network plans would be balanced and based on "the importance of both London and Madrid hubs," and labor issues will be handled locally.

This topic is being discussed on the Message Boards.

British Airways Launches London City Longhaul, A318

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:39:00 -0700

British Airways today begins service from London City to New York JFK with its newest aircraft, the Airbus A318. The new innovative service connects London's most convenient airport with its biggest longhaul market.

Service is initially six days per week, with an additional six being added on 13 October. Due to headwinds, westbound flights make a technical stop in Shannon, where passengers will also go through U.S. customs. Eastbound service is nonstop. British Airways will operate two A318s, and the aircraft will be the largest to fly from London City Airport, which has both a short runway and a steep approach that requires special aircraft certification.

British Airways Begins E-Series Service

nospam@example.com (Jonathan Daoust) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:34:00 -0700

British Airways took delivery of it's first Embraer 170LR aircraft a few weeks ago and today begins flying the single-class, 76-seat aircraft. The aircraft will be operated from London City Airport by BA CityFlyer, British Airways' wholly-owned regional subsidiary.

The Embraer 170 obtained steep approach certification to operate at London City Airport in June 2007. The steep approach uses a software solution developed within the existing fly-by-wire system, which means improved flight quality and control, as well as reduced pilot workload, less weight, and lower maintenance costs.

The inaugural service flight for the aircraft will be London City-Amsterdam (BA8453). Other routes that will see the Embraer are as follows:
October 2009: London City-Frankfurt, London City-Nice
November 2009: London City-Madrid
December 2009: London City-Edinburgh, London City-Zurich
February 2010: London City-Glasgow
March 2010: London City-Barcelona

British Airways has ordered six Embraer 170s and five Embraer 190s, plus options for an additional three E-190s. The E-190 should enter service in April 2010. These aircrafts will replace the existing fleet of Avro RJ85s and RJ100s, which have been the dominant aircraft for London City since it opened two decades ago.

British Airways Celebrates 90 Years

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:46:00 -0700

British Airways celebrated its 90th anniversary last week. Although the British Airways brand has only been around since the BEA-BOAC merger in 1974, the airline can trace its history back to Aircraft Transport & Travel Limited (AT&T), which flew the world's first daily international service from London to Paris on 25 August 1919. AT&T became Daimler Airway in 1921, which merged to form Imperial Airways in 1924, which then merged with the original British Airways in 1939 to form the British Overseas Airways Corporation.

To date, British Airways has carried over 1.2 billion passengers. As part of the airline's celebration, memorabilia, special artwork, and special events will be shown at British Airways headquarters and at London Heathrow's Terminal 5.

British Airways has also opened a 'History and heritage' section on its website, which includes historical photos, posters, and of course, a timeline of the company's history.

British Airways Vacates Terminal 1

nospam@example.com (David Malinowski) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:19:00 -0800

As part of the ongoing terminal moves at London Heathrow, British Airways will move all its remaining flights out of Terminal 1 (Barcelona, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid, and Nice) to Terminal 3 today. Most of the rearrangements are based on which alliance each airline belongs to. Eventually, British Airways plans to move all of their flights to Terminal 5.

BA CityFlyer Accident at London City

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:50:38 -0800

British Airways Flight 8456, an Avro RJ100 operated by BA CityFlyer from Amsterdam to London City, suffered a collapsed landing gear on arrival yesterday. One person of the 71 on board were injured. The airport closed overnight and reopened this morning. London City Airport has a history of hard landings due to its short runway and steep approach, inducing pilots to try to land short.

This topic is being discussed on the Message Boards.

Oneworld Announces Alliance Livery

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:37:30 -0800

At its 10th anniversary meeting, oneworld's members announced increased alliance ties in both marketing and operational areas. As part of the marketing side, all members will repaint part of their fleets in the new oneworld livery. The oneworld logo will also appear more prominently alongside member's logos.

Governing Board Chairman and American Airlines Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said that oneworld would continue to focus "on quality rather than quantity, on service rather than size. This is what makes oneworld stand out as an alliance and that will not change." Besides wanting members in Brazil, Russia, India, and China, there is "relatively little opportunity for expanding our roster without diluting the quality we offer our customers, or the value the alliance creates for its existing members." He futher pointed out that oneworld's profitability in the last decade was $11.3 billion vs. $9.3 billion for Star and -$19.5 billion by SkyTeam, despite having the smallest membership base.

My commentary: alliance recognition is certainly important, but oneworld has always been less alliance-centered than SkyTeam or Star Alliance, and it shows in the livery. However, Qualiflyer had a unique and I think classier approach to solidarity: create a unifying theme, in their case the blue belly.

London Fog…and Snow

nospam@example.com (David Malinowski) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:52:29 -0800

Yesterday southern England received large amounts of snow, the worst in eighteen years. All five of the airports in Greater London and many across the country have been affected one way or another. Most airports are struggling to keep the runways open. These airports will see many and several large delays for flights that will resume operations.

Here are some links to how our major airlines at these airports are affected:
-British Airways
-Virgin Atlantic Airways
-Other airlines’ information via BAA's website

Putting the 'British' Back in 'British Airways'

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:23:08 -0800

Although British Airways is sometimes referred to in criticism as "London Airways" due to it only flying internationally from the U.K. capital, SimAirline.net is taking a different path. This week we're adding the first of nearly 200 discontinued by British Airways and its franchise partners to Virtual British Airways.

We'll start by adding up to thirty routes from Birmingham, an airport that British Airways departed from in late 2006. Other cities with major expansions forthcoming are Manchester (nearly 50 routes), Glasgow (20), and Edinburgh (20). Once these are complete, we'll continue our commitment to the U.K. by adding routes formerly operated by GB Airways (to the Mediterranean) and Loganair (Scotland).

Going British doesn't just mean airports or routes though. Many of these will be operated by British-manufactured aircraft such as the BAC 1-11, BAe ATP, BAe Jetstream 31/32/41, BAe 146/Avro RJ, and the Shorts 360.

This topic is being discussed on the Message Boards.

British Airways Orders Embraers

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:12:00 -0800

British Airways today ordered six E-170s and five E-190s for BA CityFlyer's routes from London City. The order includes options for three additional E-190s. The first aircraft will be delivered in the second half of next year. The E-170 has been cleared for London City's unusually steep approach, although E-190 certification is still ongoing. The aircraft will eventually replace BA CityFlyer's current fleet of Avro RJ85s and RJ100s, the long-time most popular aircraft family at the airport.

BA-Qantas Merger Called Off

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:41:00 -0800

Almost as quickly as it started, merger talks ended between British Airways and Qantas. Official statements from the two only read:

British Airways Plc and Qantas Airways Ltd are announcing that after detailed discussions about a potential merger, talks have ended. Despite the potential longer term benefits to both British Airways and Qantas, the airlines have not been able to come to agreement over the key terms of a merger at this time. British Airways and Qantas will continue to work together on their joint business between the UK and Australia and as part of the oneworld alliance.

Different media sources reported different reasons for the deal's collapse, in addition to the previously known concerns from the Australian government and public and Iberia. These included that Qantas felt most potential synergies already existed through oneworld and that British Airways decided to drop the deal in favor of Iberia.

British Airways and Qantas Talk Merger

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:40:34 -0800

British Airways and Qantas Airways are discussing the possibility of a merger, following Australia's relaxiation of foreign ownership laws, which allow foreign entities to own up to 49%. British Airways held a 25% stake in Qantas from 1993 to 2004, and the two airlines currently have a joint venture between the U.K. and Australia.

However, the proposed merger is not popular in Australia, where both the public and the government are opposed to Qantas losing its Australian identity. "Our bottom line is the 'Flying Kangaroo' remains majority Australian-owned and based," said Treasurer of Australia Wayne Swan. Similar concerns ended TPG's attempted purchase of Qantas last year.

Both of British Airways' merger partners have remained cool to the idea since it was announced last week. Iberia CEO Fernando Conte called British Airways' plan "too complex", saying "I do believe in global consolidation, but at this point, from a regulatory point of view and maybe a political one, we are still not prepared for [an intercontinental merger]."

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who took the helm late last month, reassured the media that Qantas would remain Australian in any merger, but that British Airways would have to choose between Iberia and Qantas: "BA are conscious, as Iberia are and we are, that only one of the transactions could take place. When you explore dialogue with any carrier the likelihood is that the carrier has multiple dialogues going on; that's the way it takes place."

747-200 Now Available at British Airways

nospam@example.com (Gregg James) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:44:00 -0700

For over half a century, British Airways served Detroit until it ended service earlier this year. This longtime route is once again available at Virtual British Airways, but now with another British Airways stalwart: the 747-200, our retired aircraft. The 747 was the largest aircraft in the British Airways fleet for over a decade, and with 26 different aircraft in operation, has been an important part of its global growth.

I’m pleased to offer this aircraft in its three most common liveries, the "Red Tail" scheme from 1972-1984, the "Landor" scheme (1984-1997), and the current "Chatham Dockyard" Union flag scheme. Additional 747-200 flights may be available in the coming months, possibly to Australia and New Zealand.

British Airways Flies Gold

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:55:54 -0700

In support of the most successful British Olympic Team in the last century, British Airways painted the nosecone for the team's 747-400 gold. "Team GB has led the opposition home in event after event at this golden Olympics. So it is right that a gold nose cone should adorn the aircraft that brings the team home to the UK. We salute our Olympians," said British Airways CEO Willie Walsh. London of course will be home to the next Summer Olympics in 2012.

BMED Flights Added to British Airways

nospam@example.com (Gregg James) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:50:57 -0700

I’m pleased to announce that the first of the BMED routes is now available as a Discontinued Flight at British Airways. In late 2007 British Mediterranean Airways (BMED) was acquired by bmi, which soon ended BMED's franchise agreement with British Airways. At Virtual British Airways there will be no differentiation between these flights and regular British Airways flights, including aircraft, when they are added. Destinations to be added will hopefully include, although not all might be possible to add due to scheduling constraints:
-Addis Ababa
-Aleppo
-Alexandria
-Almaty
-Amman
-Ankara
-Ashgabat
-Baku
-Beirut
-Bishkek
-Dakar
-Damascus
-Ekaterinburg
-Freetown
-Khartoum
-Luxor
-Tashkent
-Tehran
-Tbilisi
-Yerevan

BMED began flying in 1994 with one A320 aircraft flying from London Heathrow to destinations in the Middle East. In 1997 the airline entered a franchise agreement with British Airways in which BMED operated all of its flights with British Airways’ product, livery, and service as regular British Airways flights (the original livery is pictured). BMED benefited greatly from this arrangement and was able to pick up unprofitable mainline routes from British Airways that were better suited to its cost structure. By the time it was bought, BMED operated its 8 Airbus A320s and A321s to seventeen destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia from Heathrow.