SECTION 2 – BRITISH AIRWAYS PROFILE, Summaries of Business

Download SECTION 2 – BRITISH AIRWAYS PROFILE and more Summaries Business in PDF only on Docsity! British Airways Fact Book 2007 9 SECTION 2 – BRITISH AIRWAYS PROFILE OVERVIEW British Airways is one of the world’s largest international airlines, carrying in its last fi nancial year to March 31, 2006 almost 36 million passengers worldwide. Also, one of the world’s longest established airlines, it has always been regarded as an industry-leader. The airline’s two main operating bases are London’s two principal airports, Heathrow (one of the world’s biggest international airports) and Gatwick. During 2005/06 revenue passenger kilometres for the Group rose by 3.7 per cent, against a capacity increase of 2.4 per cent (measured in available tonne kilometres). This resulted in Group passenger load factor of 75.6 per cent, up from 74.8 per cent the previous year. In the same fi nancial year, the airline also carried 795,000 tonnes of cargo. In the early part of 2006/07, promotional activity drove seat factors across all cabins. Since August, tighter security arrangements have continued to impact Heathrow and traffi c volumes are down. The market continues to show good demand for premium cabins but weakness across some longhaul non-premium segments. British Airways Group fl eet as at 31 December 2006 comprised 282 aircraft - one of the largest fl eets in Europe. The fl eet currently includes 57 Boeing 747s, 43 Boeing 777s, 21 Boeing 767s, 13 Boeing 757s, 66 Airbus A319/320/321s, 33 Boeing 737s and 49 smaller aircraft used in the company’s regional business. ALLIANCES The British Airways involvement in the oneworld alliance from the launch in February 1999 to the present time continues as the core of British Airways Alliance strategy. The Alliance is an important extension of the British Airways network, providing additional benefi ts to our customers around the world. British Airways joined with American Airlines, QANTAS, Canadian Airlines, and Cathay Pacifi c in offering a range of co-operative measures designed to provide a seamless world network. Iberia and Finnair joined in September 1999, and Aer Lingus and LAN Chile joined in June 2000. Canadian Airlines withdrew from the alliance in June 2000 following a merger with Air Canada. Aer Lingus have announced that they will be leaving oneworld in Spring 2007, as alliance membership is no longer appropriate to their business model as they move more towards a low cost approach. Royal Jordanian, Malev, and JAL are expected to join in Spring 2007. On a bilateral basis, British Airways has co-operation agreements with all the oneworld airlines. British Airways and QANTAS operate together, under a Joint Service Agreement, sharing costs and revenues on services between Europe and Australia over Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. In addition British Airways and Iberia maintain a Joint Business on services between Heathrow and Madrid/Barcelona. A new bilateral relationship was established in Autumn 2006 with prospective oneworld member Malev. British Airways has also franchised smaller carriers including GB Airways and British Mediterranean, to feed passengers on to the wider British Airways network. Taken together with its own extensive route network, these partnerships give British Airways a presence in all major world markets. The airline’s strategy for the future remains focussed on development of relationships within the oneworld alliance and its new members. 10 British Airways Fact Book 2007 LONDON HEATHROW SCHEDULED PASSENGER AIR TRANSPORT MOVEMENTS For the year ended March 2006 Airline Air Transport Movements (000s) % of total British Airways 193.6 40.9 BMI British Midland 54.6 11.5 Lufthansa 21.0 4.4 Aer Lingus 15.0 3.2 Scandinavian Airlines 13.9 2.9 Virgin Atlantic Airways 13.0 2.7 Iberia Airlines 10.9 2.3 American Airlines 10.8 2.3 United Airlines 8.1 1.7 Air Canada 8.1 1.7 Other Airlines Total 124.0 26.2 Heathrow Total Scheduled Passenger ATMs 473.0 100 Source: BAA plc LONDON GATWICK SCHEDULED PASSENGER AIR TRANSPORT MOVEMENTS For the year ended March 2006 Airline Air Transport Movements (000s) % of total British Airways * 74.4 29.3 easyJet Airlines 39.2 15.4 GB Airways 15.4 6.1 Thomson Fly Ltd 12.4 4.9 Monarch Airlines 10.1 4.0 First Choice Airways 8.9 3.5 Excel Airways 6.6 2.6 Ryanair 5.5 2.2 Continental Airlines 3.3 1.3 Delta Airlines 3.0 1.2 Other Airlines Total 75.3 30.0 Gatwick Total Scheduled Passenger ATMs 254.0 100 Source: BAA plc Notes: Both tables exclude cargo fl ights Includes BA & BA Connect * British Airways Fact Book 2007 13 KEY EVENTS Post-Privatisation (February 1987-January 2007) 2007 January Following a ballot for industrial action the T&G announced a series of planned strikes. As a result the airline cancelled 1,300 fl ights over a 48-hour period. While the dispute was averted and the schedule reinstated, supported by a seat sale of 500,000 tickets, the impact on lost bookings and revenue is expected to be some £80 million in the fourth quarter. The BA Forum, which represents British Airways’ unions, issued a statement recommending acceptance of changes to benefi ts to tackle the £2.1 billion defi cit in the New Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS). The airline reduced its fuel surcharge on longhaul fl ights less than nine hours from £35 to £30 per sector as a result of a fall in the price of oil. British Airways announced modifi cations to its uniform rules to allow staff to wear a symbol of faith openly. The decision came after a comprehensive review of the airline’s uniform policy and extensive consultation with a wide range of religious groups including representatives from the Church of England, the Catholic Church and the Muslim Council of Britain. The new policy was introduced on February 1, 2007. The airline announced a new daily service between London Gatwick and Newquay. The fl ights will start on Monday March 20, 2007 operating on a Boeing 737. 2006 December The airline launched a new fi ve times a week service From Heathrow to Calgary and a new fi ve times a week service from Gatwick to Salzburg. The T&G’s cabin crew branch is balloting its members on industrial action. The company has been in talks for some time with the T&G and Amicus on changes to work practices that would contribute toward the airline’s drive to achieve a £450m reduction in costs by March 2008. Talks continue. In response to the Government’s announcement of a 100 per cent increase in Air Passenger Duty, the airline called for tax reform and said at least £87 million should be ring-fenced for spending on emissions-reducing renewable energy projects in the developing world, thereby offsetting all the airline’s emissions. The New Year fl ight sale featured discounts on 4.5 million seats to 140 destinations worldwide. Avis and Vanguard have been selected as the airline’s worldwide car rental partners. November The airline has reached agreement in principle to sell the regional operation of its subsidiary airline BA Connect to Flybe. The proposed sale is expected to be concluded in early 2007. The airline purchased American Airline’s remaining stake in Iberia for approximately 19 million euro (or £13 million) taking BA’s total share holding from some nine to ten per cent. The transaction is intended to preserve British Airways’ two seats on the Iberia board. BA unveiled its next generation business class cabin, which offers greater comfort, more space and storage. It is part of an £100 million investment in the airline’s products and services that includes its First Class cabin and the introduction of an on-demand in-fl ight entertainment system in every cabin across the longhaul fl eet. The new Club World fl at bed is 25 per cent wider with a unique ‘z’ bed position that extends to six foot six inches. A ten-year funding plan to tackle the £2.1billion defi cit in the New Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS) was agreed in principle between BA and the trustees. It includes an increase in the company’s one off cash injection from £500 - £800 million plus cash payments of £50 million for three years and an increase in annual contributions to over £250 million. Following consultation with its trades unions the company proposed to increase its annual contributions to £272 million and offered staff the choice of a normal retirement age of 60 with increased staff contributions or retirement at 65 with a reduced pension. Willie Walsh, chief executive, called for faster progress on plans to increase runway capacity at Heathrow airport. He urged the Government to set out a step-by-step timetable for the introduction of mixed mode operations and a short third runway, with clear deadlines for the necessary preparatory work by airport owner BAA and the Civil Aviation Authority. British Airways announced a review of its uniform policy to examine ways in which the policy can be adapted to allow symbols of faith to be worn openly while remaining consistent with the British Airways brand and compliant with employment legislation. A mini ‘World Offers’ sale to 36 popular long-haul destinations with savings of up to 53 per cent was announced. New routes from London Gatwick to Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago, Dresden in Germany and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina will start from March 2007. The airline signed a code share agreement with Caribbean Airlines on British Airways’ services to Port of Spain, Barbados and Antigua. 14 British Airways Fact Book 2007 October British Airways launched a competition for new longhaul aircraft by issuing tender documents to aircraft and engine manufacturers. Airbus, Boeing as well as engine manufacturers Engine Alliance, General Electric, and Rolls Royce plus other key component suppliers have been invited to bid. The competition is the fi rst step in a lengthy process before the airline makes a decision on fl eet growth and replacement for the next decade. Launching the competition highlights the need to tackle the airline’s £2.1 billion pension defi cit in the New Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS). Martin George, commercial director, and Iain Burns, British Airways’ head of communications resigned their positions with the airline on October 9. They had been on leave of absence since June 2006 when the Offi ce of Fair Trading and the US Department of Justice began an investigation focused on long-haul passenger fuel surcharges. Robert Boyle, British Airways’ director of planning was appointed commercial director and Thomas Coops, former communications director at Abbey National, was appointed interim head of corporate and media relations. The airline launched a promotion offering savings of up to £1,455 on Club World return fares to 36 longhaul destinations this winter including New York, Shanghai and Tokyo. The airline also launched a promotion offering savings of up to £185 to US and Canadian ski destinations this winter including Denver, Vancouver and Calgary. The airline announced that the actuarial defi cit in its New Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS) is set to rise from £928 million to some £2.1 billion, despite a doubling of BA’s contributions and a recovery of the stock market. The trustees confi rmed that annual contributions at the unsustainable level of £497 million would be needed to fund the scheme unless changes to future benefi ts proposed earlier this year are introduced. This means the company’s contributions would go up from fi ve to 12 times members’ contributions. Negotiations between British Airways and the trustees are now underway to agree a funding plan including proposed benefi t changes. Consultation continues with the trades unions. British Airways urged the Civil Aviation Authority to cut the profi ts BAA receives from its asset base to ensure that the airport operator builds cost-effective facilities that generate additional airport capacity. The CAA is currently consulting on the level of user charges at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports for a fi ve year period from April 2008, in its role as an economic regulator. During the current charging period between April 2003 and March 2008, BAA receives a 7.75 percent return on it asset base. British Airways said this should be set at around 5.6 percent in the next charging period, a reduction of almost one third. It was announced that James A Lawrence will be joining the board as a non-executive director with effect from 1 November, 2006. He is currently vice chairman and chief fi nancial offi cer of General Mills Inc. one of the largest food companies in North America. His range of experience covers strategic consultancy, leading US multi-nationals in consumer products and the US airline industry. August British Airways called on the Offi ce of Fair Trading to refer its study on the UK airports market to the Competition Commission because of its concerns about current airport regulation and ownership. The airline said separate ownership of London Heathrow and London Stansted airports should be considered because decisions on new runways in South East England should not be concentrated in the hands of one company. In the event of a break-up of BAA, the airline said there would be a continued need for strong regulation to protect users against monopoly power, particularly at London Heathrow and London Gatwick. The airline sold its Travel Clinic business to MASTA (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad) who will become British Airways Preferred Partner for travel health services from this month. Alan McDonald, British Airways’ Director of Engineering, announced his retirement after 40 years at the airline. He will be succeeded by Garry Copeland, currently General Manager Quality and Engineering Services from September15. July British Airways reached agreement with its trade unions to merge its Gatwick based longhaul and shorthaul cabin crew into a single fl eet from October this year. The deal provides for signifi cant gains in productivity and staff fl exibility and reductions in employee costs estimated at £13.2 million a year. At BA’s annual general meeting, BA’s chairman Martin Broughton said the trustees of the New Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS) had written to the company to say they accept that on-going contributions much in excess of current levels may not be sustainable and that a reduction in future benefi ts is likely to be required. NAPS has an accounting defi cit of £2.1 billion. As part of an initial public offering by WNS (HOLDINGS) Ltd on the New York Stock Exchange, British Airways sold its 14.6 per cent shareholding in the India based business services company, for net US$ 96 million (approximately £52 million). The airline will report a gain on disposal of approximately £48 million in Q2 and the proceeds will be used to repay existing gross debt, which at March 31, 2006 amounted to £4.1 billion. A new fi ve times a week service is to be launched from Heathrow to Calgary in Canada on December 1, 2006. British Airways will also increase fl ights from Heathrow to JFK from seven to eight per day and increase fl ights from Heathrow to Sao Paulo in Brazil from seven to 10 each week. British Airways Fact Book 2007 15 British Airways announced an increase in the number of seats available at its record low one-way fare of £29 by fi ve hundred per cent from July 27. Almost two million additional seats are now annually available from Gatwick to Europe at low fares. More than 900,000 are priced from £29 one-way (including taxes and charges) and a further 700,000 from £34. The airline held a summer sale with up to £585 off popular holiday destinations. Flights from London to Bermuda and Antigua began at just £299, New York from £249 return and Mumbai from £299. The airline extended its on-line check-in facility to families and groups of six or less to further minimize waiting time at the airport. June British Airways Plc announced that it is assisting the Offi ce of Fair Trading (OFT) and the United States Department of Justice relating to alleged cartel activity involving British Airways and a number of other airlines in relation to passenger air transportation, including fuel surcharges. British Airways’ policy is to conduct its business in full compliance with all the applicable competition law. Martin George, commercial director, and Ian Burns, Head of Communications, are given leave of absence during the investigation. British Airways won the title Airline of the Year 2006 at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards, with more premium passengers nominating BA that any of the other airlines in the top ten. A new baggage policy is announced following Department for Transport recommendations. The new guidelines mean changes to hand, checked, and excess baggage allowances and are being phased in from July. British Airways and Malev Hungarian Airlines signed an agreement that will enable the airlines to begin code sharing on each others fl ights between London and Budapest from November 1,2006. May British Airways announced a pre-tax profi t of £620 million for the year to March 31, 2006 (2005: £513 million profi t) including a pre-tax profi t for the fourth quarter of £91 million (2005: £6 million loss). Operating profi t for the year was £705 million (2005: £556 million profi t) and £93 million for the quarter (2005: £46 million profi t). The accounting valuation of the New Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS) showed an increased defi cit up, £101 million from the previous year to £2,070 million despite increase contributions and strong equity markets, refl ecting low long-term interest rates. The airline launched a pro motion offering savings of up to £1,250 on Club World return fares to longhaul destinations including New York, Singapore, and the Caribbean. April British Airways increases the fuel surcharge on its longhaul fl ights from £30 to £35 one-way effective April 21, 2006 as a result of further rises in the price of fuel. The shorthaul fuel surcharge remained unchanged at £8 per sector. The company announced a radical shake up of its shorthaul airfares with one-way all-inclusive tickets starting at £29. The airline scrapped all non-changeable economy tickets, with passengers able to change their fl ights up to midnight the day before departure, and increased the fl exibility of its lowest priced tickets in response to feedback from its customers. Willie Walsh, chief executive, urged the European Commission to keep its aviation emissions trading scheme simple and practical, and not to delay the extension of its carbon-trading scheme to airlines by over complicating arrangements. He said it was vital to bring the EU scheme into operation to demonstrate the aviation industry’s commitment to addressing its impact on global warming, but warned that the size of aviation’s share of global carbon emissions was sometimes overstated. British Airways donated £500,000 raised through the Change for Good Programme to UNICEF in order to help rebuild 11 schools devastated in the South Asia earthquake of Autumn 2005. March British Airways announces a proposal to clear the £1 billion past service actuarial defi cit in its New Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS). The proposal retains a fi nal salary pension scheme with no changes to past service benefi ts. BA announced the restructure of parts of its UK direct sales operations with the proposed closure of British Airways’ Travel shops and the airline’s Belfast based customer call centre by August 2006. The summer 2006 schedule includes British Airways’ fi rst ever fl ights to Tirana in Albania and Varna on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. Flights from London Gatwick to Reykjavik in Iceland, Izmir in Turkey, Kiev in Ukraine, and Athens, Greece are also announced. A series of service enhancements to be introduced ahead of the move to Terminal 5 are announced, including the introduction of self-service check-in for all customers travelling on UK domestic services from April 2006. 18 British Airways Fact Book 2007 The ‘manage my booking’ feature on ba.com was revamped to offer customised travel advice to passengers. British Airways announced its support for the ‘Sustainable Aviation’ initiative, a comprehensive programme to address aviation’s impact on the environment. A new twice-weekly service from London Gatwick to Hassi Messaoud in Algeria began. May British Airways reported a pre-tax profi t of £415 million for the year (2004: £230 million profi t) including a pre-tax profi t of £5 million for the fourth quarter (2004: £45 million profi t). Operating profi t for the year was £540 million (2004: £405 million profi t) and £40 million for the fourth quarter (2004: £32 million profi t). British Airways won two awards at the 2005 OAG awards ceremony in London based on votes polled by a worldwide audience of business travellers - the Best Airline Based in Western Europe and Best Transatlantic Airline. British Airways received an award in recognition of its corporate responsibility activity in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Prime Minister Tony Blair signed a British Airways Boeing 747 in support of London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. British Airways, a premier partner of the London 2012 bid, hopes to collect in excess of 100,000 signatures on the aircraft that will carry the bid team to Singapore for the decision vote by the International Olympic Committee. Commission payments to UK travel agents on British Airways’ bookings were reduced from one percent to zero. April British Airways offered large savings on business class returns to 36 longhaul destinations and 36 European cities and resorts for the summer holidays. The franchise agreement with Air Kenya Aviation Ltd, which traded as Regional Air was terminated. The decision followed the Kenyan based airline’s suspension of fl ights operated as part of the franchise agreement. British Airways is to appeal against an employment tribunal ruling after losing an indirect sex discrimination claim from a female pilot who had requested a 50 per cent contract. The airline said it could only offer her a 75 per cent contract because all pilots, male and female, must have at least 2,000 fl ying hours’ experience before being permitted to work less than 75 per cent of a full time contract. This policy is based on safety grounds and is not a gender issue. March Willie Walsh was announced as British Airways’ new chief executive offi cer. Previously CEO of Aer Lingus, he begins as chief executive designate on May 3. Rod Eddington will retire at the end of September at which stage Mr. Walsh will become chief executive. British Airways announced its 2005 summer timetable, which included new services from Gatwick to Salonika in Greece, Split in Croatia, Vilnius in Lithuania, Bucharest in Romania, and Sofi a in Bulgaria. British Airways increased its fuel surcharge on all fl ights as a result of continuing record oil prices. The longhaul fuel surcharge rose from £10 per sector to £16 per sector (£32 return trip) and on shorthaul from £4 per sector to £6 (£12 a return trip). Flights from London Heathrow to Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia were suspended for commercial reasons, due to reduced passenger demand. February The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) gave approval to the continuation of the joint service agreement (JSA) between British Airways and QANTAS for a further fi ve years. Installation was completed of Club World fl at beds on all Boeing 777 aircraft operating direct services from Gatwick to twelve destinations in the USA and Caribbean. British Airways offered over 50,000 discounted return fl ights to North America. January The airline’s multi-award winning Club World fl at bed is to be improved with the latest cushioning technology to give customers more comfort and further ergonomic support. This is the fi rst time such cushioning has been used in an airline seat. A bumper New Year mileage offer is launched to give Executive Club members the opportunity to earn the equivalent of a free ticket when booking BA business class. At the Aviation and Environment summit in Geneva, British Airways’ chief executive Rod Eddington urged the global aviation industry to work together to reduce its impact on climate change or face the risk of additional taxation. The airline is currently trading emissions in a voluntary British government scheme and supports the inclusion of aviation into the European Union’s emissions trading scheme from 2008. 2004 December A new bilateral agreement between the UK and Indian governments increases the number of frequencies British Airways Fact Book 2007 19 between the UK and India from 19 to 40 per week. Following a scarce capacity hearing at the Civil Aviation Authority British Airways was given seven new services: four extra to Chennai and a new three-times-a-week service to Bangalore, starting in winter 2005. British Airways has appealed the decision and is awaiting the outcome of that appeal. A new feature is introduced on ba.com which enables customers to change the date or time of their fl ight, upgrade class of travel and cancel and arrange a refund of their tickets. Any costs for changes are calculated instantly and are completely transparent. British Airways and Iberia sign an agreement to develop a joint business on key routes between London and Spain that includes revenue and cost sharing on fl ights between London Heathrow and Madrid and Barcelona. It will also ensure a better spread and choice of fl ight timings on these routes, better connections, and shorter journey times for customers travelling around the world from London Heathrow and Madrid. Plans to start two new Eastern European services from London Gatwick to Budapest and Sofi a from June 2005 are announced. British Airways launches its fi rst drive-through check-in facility for Club World passengers and a new exclusive check-in and lounge for First passengers at Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados. November Solid second quarter results are delivered as British Airways continued cost drive delivers a pre tax profi t of £220 million. The three-month pre-tax fi gures took the result for the half-year to £335 million. Yields in the second quarter were down 5.1 per cent. Unit costs were down 6.1% for the tenth consecutive quarter. Net debt at £3.3bn is at its lowest since 1993. British Airways becomes the fi rst airline in the UK to enable passengers departing from Heathrow to print their own boarding pass online for fl ights from Terminal 1 to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, and Newcastle. Passengers travelling from Manchester are offered the facility on both domestic and international routes. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announces a consultation for NATS’ (National Air Traffi c Services) charges for the fi ve-year period starting in 2006. The fi nal decision about NATS’ charges will be made in the latter half of 2005. British Airways signs a four-year partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to be the Offi cial Airline of the England Rugby Team. October British Airways increases its fuel surcharge from £6 to £10 per sector on longhaul fl ights and from £2.50 to £4 per sector on shorthaul fl ights as a result of the continued rise in oil prices. Denise Kingsmill, CBE, is to join the British Airways Board as a Non-Executive Director from 1 November 2004. The US State Department introduces new passport rules and security measures for all customers fl ying into the USA as part of tighter security controls following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The fi rst Airbus A321 194 seater aircraft is delivered to British Airways. It will operate on shorthaul high- density routes from Terminal 4 at London Heathrow. British Airways launches a six-month trial of an innovative text message service called Flight Tracker, which allows customers to receive the latest information on the status of their fl ight while on the move. September British Airways completes the sale of its 18.25 per cent shareholding in QANTAS. The gross sale proceeds were A$1.1 billion (approximately £430 million). The airline expects to use the proceeds to repay part of its gross debt, which at June 30, 2004 amounted to £5.6 billion. The winter schedule is announced which includes new services to Switzerland, Greece, Croatia, and Lithuania. A bistro style restaurant is introduced at New York’s JFK airport for business passengers to sample dishes created by UK based Michelin starred chefs. British Airways celebrates 65 years of operations to Birmingham, 45 years to Moscow, and 20 years to Cape Town. The airline sweeps the board at the Business Traveller magazine awards ceremony, picking up seven awards including best airline, best fi rst class, best business class, best economy class, best longhaul airline, best shorthaul airline, and best frequent fl yer programme. The oneworld alliance wins the best airline alliance category. Marketing magazine votes British Airways one of the UK’s best-loved brands. New technology on ba.com allows British Airways’ customers travelling from London City Airport to print their own boarding card before arriving at the airport. August The threat of industrial action against British Airways lifts following agreement with its unions on a three-year 20 British Airways Fact Book 2007 pay deal. The company agrees a backdated pay increase over three years in line with predicted rates of infl ation plus non-pensionable lump sum payments. The agreement follows an acceptance by the unions of a single absence policy, which targets a reduction in current absence from an average of 17 days per employee down to 10 days within 12 months and should deliver £30 million in cost savings. The airline suffers a series of operational issues, including some beyond the airline’s control, which resulted in disruption for customers. The airline apologises to its customers and commits to taking steps to ensure it is able to handle such exceptional circumstances in the future. Operations recovered by the Bank Holiday weekend when some 225,000 passengers departed Heathrow, slightly up on the previous year. The Joint Services Agreement between British Airways and QANTAS on the kangaroo routes is given draft approval for a fi ve-year extension by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. July The British Airways’ annual Social and Environmental report is published. During the last fi ve years the airline’s aircraft noise levels have halved, global carbon dioxide emissions are down by 15 per cent, and nitrogen dioxide emissions at Heathrow are down by 13 per cent. Fuel effi ciency has improved by 25 per cent since 1990. The British Airways Skyfl yers’ family travel brand is re-launched to make fl ights more fun with new activity packs on fl ights lasting more than three hours. Families can request seats together and kids’ meals whilst booking their tickets online. British Airways announces an Employee Reward Plan so that all staff can benefi t from the airline’s future success. Staff will be rewarded when profi t margin targets are “triggered” as the airline makes progress towards its 10% target. Notice of ballots for industrial action over pay is received from the TGWU representing ground support services staff and from the TGWU and GMB covering administration and terminal staff. June Swiss International Air Lines asks British Airways to release it from some of the obligations of the commercial pact agreed in 2003. An amicable agreement is reached. British Airways retains the eight Heathrow daily slots exchanged with Swiss and codesharing between London Heathrow and Geneva will continue for a further three years. Swiss will not join the oneworld alliance. Other codeshare agreements will end by October 2004. British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington calls for the European Commission to oppose any form of ‘state aid’ to Alitalia, which applied for a 400 million euro bridging loan from the Italian government. No agreement is reached in the latest round of EU US talks on a new air treaty between Europe and the United States. A record number of British Airways’ customers use the enhanced online check-in facilities on ba.com, with more than 100,000 checking in from the comfort of their own home. A new improved food service is introduced for Club Europe customers offering greater choice, healthy meal options and more appropriate food depending on the time of the fl ight during the day. May British Airways posts a pre-tax profi t of £230 million for the full year to March 31, 2004 (2003: £135 million profi t). There was a pre-tax profi t for the fourth quarter of £45 million (2003: £200 million loss). The operating profi t for the full year was £405 million (2003: £295 million profi t). The operating profi t for the fourth quarter was £32 million, £196 million better than last year. The year end results marked the completion of the two year Future Size and Shape programme that delivered £869 million to March 2004, £219 million better than target and 13,000 headcount reductions. British Airways adds £2.50 per fl ight sector (£5 return trip) as a separate fuel surcharge to its fares in the UK as a result of the rising price of oil. In all markets outside the UK a surcharge of $4 USD per fl ight sector is added. British Airways CitiExpress launches direct fl ights from Birmingham International Airport to Lyon, Vienna, and Nice, and announces increased capacity on existing services from Birmingham to Düsseldorf. British Airways cuts year-round European airfares by up to a third on 38 major European routes departing from London Gatwick. Her Majesty the Queen visits Heathrow Airport to mark the tenth anniversary of Change for Good, the fundraising partnership between British Airways and UNICEF which has raised over £18 million from donations of loose change from British Airways customers. The money has directly benefi ted UNICEF’s work to improve the lives of children in over 50 developing countries. April British Airways unveils its new uniform created by leading British fashion designer Julien Macdonald for more than 25,000 staff including fl ight crew, cabin crew, dispatchers, and check-in agents. The new uniform will cost British Airways 30% less than the previous design and will continue to generate long term cost savings whilst bringing a new and smarter look to staff. British Airways Fact Book 2007 23 to negotiate a new air treaty to replace existing bilaterals between the European Union member states and the United States. British Airways is named as the “best low cost airline” in an annual Guardian newspaper poll. The airline, which restructured its European and domestic fare structure in summer 2002, now offers new reduced fares on more than 180 routes across the continent. May British Airways signs an agreement to sell its wholly owned German subsidiary dba to Intro Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, the Nuremburg-based aviation consultancy and investment company. The US Department of Transportation gives fi nal approval to the British Airways and American Airlines codesharing application on destinations beyond British Airways’ US gateway cities and American Airline’s UK gateways. British Airways posts a pre-tax profi t of £135 million (2002: £200 million loss) for the full year to March 31, 2003. There was a pre-tax loss for the fourth quarter of £200 million (2002: £85 million loss). The operating profi t for the full year was £295 million including an £84 million exceptional operating charge relating to Concorde. The operating loss for the fourth quarter was £164 million, £119 million worse than last year. In its response to the government’s consultation on airport infrastructure, BA calls for a new short runway to be built at London Heathrow airport to give Britain maximum economic benefi t from an effective international hub airport that would boost the UK economy by £37 billion. British Airways announces the withdrawal of services between Guernsey and London Gatwick airport from 16 June 2003. The service was continued by Aurigny Air Services. British Airways announces the withdrawal of its services to Plymouth and Newquay from London Gatwick and Bristol airports from 25 October 2003. The three times a day Plymouth to Newcastle service is also withdrawn and the Dash 8 fl eet move to Manchester. April British Airways announces the retirement of its Concorde fl eet of seven aircraft with effect from the end of October 2003. British Airways launches a new direct air link from Glasgow to London City operated by its wholly owned subsidiary, British Airways CitiExpress, using 110 seat RJ100 jet aircraft. This followed the launch of fl ights from London City to Paris and Frankfurt at the end of March. British Airways resumes fl ights from Heathrow to Tel Aviv and Kuwait and re-introduced direct services to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, Jeddah, and Riyadh. It also announces plans to return to Baghdad after 14 years with a thrice-weekly service, when it is safe to do so. March British Airways announces a package of measures in response to the impact on its business of the confl ict in Iraq. The airline implemented a reduced fl ying programme and an acceleration of its future size and shape recovery programme. British Airways re-launches its Executive Club loyalty programme to make the scheme simpler, with more ways to spend BA Miles and better incentives for loyal customers, to take effect from July 1, 2003. easyJet notifi es British Airways that it will not exercise the option to buy its German subsidiary, dba (formally Deutsche BA). easyJet paid the airline £6.1 million during the purchase option period. British Airways says it will continue to work towards the long-term future of dba. British Airways and SN Brussels Airlines receive approval from the European Commission to continue their commercial relationship agreed in July 2002. It enables the two airlines to code share on selected fl ights and offer reciprocal frequent fl yer benefi ts for customers. February British Airways criticises the Civil Aviation Authority for failing to revise its new pricing regime at Heathrow airport, which will allow the airport operator, BAA, to raise landing charges by up to 50 per cent over the next fi ve years. A three-month internet trial begins on a British Airways 747-400 aircraft, on services between London Heathrow and New York using Connexion by Boeing broadband system. Passengers can plug in their laptop from their seat and access personal and work emails, corporate intranets and the web. British Airways, its oneworld partner Iberia, and franchise partner GB Airways, announce new code share routes from February 20 on services between London Heathrow and Seville, Valencia, Malaga, Santiago de Compostela, and Bilbao and services between London Gatwick and Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao. British Airways and its oneworld partner Cathay Pacifi c Airways increase their code-share destinations to 19 with the announcement of extra code-share fl ights to Seoul, Copenhagen, and Lisbon. January British Airways announces its shorthaul summer 2003 schedule that included new routes from London Gatwick and Manchester airports and increased services on profi table routes to Europe. 24 British Airways Fact Book 2007 The airline begins wearer trails of a new uniform for customer contact staff. British Airways submits its detailed response to the Civil Aviation Authority as part of the consultation process on airport charges. It said an increase in airport charges of 6.5 per cent above infl ation at Heathrow from April 2003 - 2008 means airlines are being asked to pay £300m in advance for airport services which they and their passengers won’t benefi t from for many years. 2002 December British Airways announces it is winning back traffi c from the no-frills airlines as forward bookings on fl ights show year on year increases of over 41 per cent from some of its major UK regional bases. The strongest bookings were over the Christmas and New Year period, with Edinburgh and Glasgow proving to be the top performers. Vineet Bhatia, the Michelin-starred and innovative head chef of Indian restaurant Zaika in Kensington, is recruited to the British Airways Culinary Council. Set up to advise, inspire and develop signature dishes for British Airways, the council already includes the prestigious Michel Roux, chef and proprietor of The Waterside Inn and Mark Edwards, head chef of Nobu. British Airways switches its aircraft order with Airbus to receive10 A321 aircraft instead of 12 A318 aircraft and three A319 aircraft. The airline’s capital spend with Airbus for the orders placed in 1998 and 1999 remains unchanged. The move comes as part of BA’s fl eet simplifi cation strategy to base its Airbus fl eet at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports and re-deploy its fl eet of 16 110-seater RJ100 aircraft from Gatwick to British Airways CitiExpress fl eet at regional airports. British Airways announces it will be simplifying and strengthening its UK regional operation. British Airways CitiExpress is to operate for the fi rst time from London City in April 2003 with the launch of three new routes. In addition British Airways is giving its key Manchester network a major boost with the introduction of three new routes and extra capacity. British Airways CitiExpress also signs a heads of terms with Eastern Airways with the intention of transferring its 12 strong fl eet of 29-seater Jetstream 41s and its associated engineering hangar at Glasgow to the Humberside-based airline. This is fi rst part of an accelerated strategy to move to an all jet regional operation. CitiExpress is to withdraw from 21 regional routes and will no longer fl y from Cardiff and Leeds-Bradford airports. Rod Eddington, chief executive of British Airways, is the new chairman of the Association of European Airlines for 2003. His leadership will build on the foundations laid during the chairmanship of Leo van Wijk of KLM, who held the position in 2002. November Good second quarter results are delivered as British Airways cost drive posts a pre tax profi t of £245 million. The three-month pre-tax fi gures took the result for the half-year to £310 million. Yields in the second quarter were up 1.2 per cent. Debt was down by £1 billion. Changes to British Airways’ longhaul fl ying programme for the summer 2003 season refl ect the airline’s drive to maximise revenue on profi table routes, reduce its cost base, and work its assets harder. Flights increase to four North American destinations and capacity is reduced to Brazil and Argentina. British Airways and American Airlines fi le an application with the US Department of Transportation seeking US regulatory approval to offer certain codeshare services permitted under the current provisions of the US-UK air services agreement. The arrangement would enable British Airways to place its code on American’s fl ights beyond British Airways’ US gateway cities to points in the US, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The application submitted by the two carriers excluded codesharing on each other’s transatlantic services between the US and London. British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington calls on European nations to strike a new air deal with the USA. Speaking at the Institute of Economic Affairs annual conference in London he urged the European nations to join together to break down America’s protectionist aviation policies. He said it was the only way Europe could rebalance a one-sided air treaty the USA had pursued and he appealed to the British government to throw its weight behind the cause. British Airways announces it is the offi cial travel partner of the Rugby World Cup in Australia. Rugby fans are able to buy a complete travel package to the tournament on offi cial partners websites. October The annual charity fl ight for Dreamfl ight fl ies to Disneyworld with192 sick, disabled and incurably ill children. The special British Airways fl ight has been an annual event for some years and was the inspiration of British Airways cabin crew Patricia Pearce and retired fl ight engineer Derek Pereira. Five tourism projects, including two UK entries, clinch top honours in the travel industry’s leading environmental British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow awards. The awards receive entries from 32 countries around the world and recognise best practice in the fi eld of sustainable tourism. The winning project is chosen from fi ve environmental award categories. September In-fl ight entertainment is revamped when British Airways launches a repackaged on-board product - High Life Entertainment. Six new television channels are launched including Film Four and MGM. British Airways Fact Book 2007 25 Free upgrades to First are offered on one sector of customer’s journeys when they book their British Airways’ long haul business class tickets. In addition, passengers fl ying in the airline’s Club World (business class) cabin to New York JFK are offered a free upgrade to Concorde on one leg of that journey. British Airways emerges as the most successful airline at the prestigious 2002 Business Traveller Awards, winning a total of seven categories. As well as winning the blue riband Best Airline award, British Airways also regains top spot in the Best Business Class category by ousting Virgin Atlantic. August British Airways posts a pre-tax profi t of £65 million for the fi rst quarter to June 30, 2002. The operating profi t for the fi rst quarter was £158 million. Net costs were down 14.6 per cent for the quarter, and unit costs fell by 2.6 per cent in the same period. Revenue in the quarter, at £2,052 million, was down 10.7 per cent. Passenger yields were up 5.0 per cent primarily due to improved cabin mix. The launch of British Airways’ winter longhaul sale sees thousands of discounted fl ight tickets to 49 far fl ung destinations, offering savings of up to £204. Prices started from just £239 for a return ticket to New York, Boston, and Atlanta including taxes. Prices are slashed by to 80 per cent on British Airways’ fl ights to Spain, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Luxembourg completing the launch of year-round low fares on 170 key routes to Europe by the airline. July A World Traveller Plus promotion launches on 11 US destinations for passengers to travel for an extra £150 for a one-way upgrade in the airline’s premier economy cabin. A return ticket to New York, Boston, and Washington with a one-way upgrade to World Traveller Plus starts from £399 including taxes (saving up to £74). British Airways and its oneworld partner, Iberia, expand their codesharing arrangements, resulting in new international destinations for each carrier. From July 12, the Iberia code is added to connecting fl ights operated by British Airways from London Heathrow to Budapest, Nairobi, and Singapore. At the same time, British Airways added its code to connecting fl ights operated by Iberia from its main hub in Madrid for travel on to Havana in Cuba and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. British Airways and SN Brussels Airlines announce that they are entering into a commercial relationship, subject to regulatory approvals. The agreement between the two carriers is to enable the SN Brussels fl ight code to be placed on all British Airways services between Brussels and London from October 27, 2002. In addition to the code-share, new ticketing arrangements have been put in place to allow customers to benefi t from improved access to each airline’s network. Lambeth councillors vote unanimously to grant the British Airways London Eye permanent planning permission on its South Bank site, opposite the Houses of Parliament. British Airways welcomes the government announcement about the options for improving airport infrastructure across the UK. Rod Eddington, British Airways’ chief executive, said: “Heathrow is a unique national asset and by including it in the options, the Government is recognising the key contribution that it makes to the British economy. The priority must be to build on that contribution.” British Airways announces changes to its winter schedule for 2002, which include increased services to profi table destinations and further route transfers from London Gatwick to London Heathrow. These transfers are in line with the airline’s Future Size and Shape strategy, unveiled in February 2002. Services to San Diego, Denver, and Phoenix in the USA, Harare in Zimbabwe, and Lusaka in Zambia moved from Gatwick to Heathrow’s Terminal Four, a move which will concentrate British Airways’ African network at Heathrow. Flights to New York’s JFK airport from Heathrow increased from six to seven daily sub-sonic services. June British Airways and Finnair expand their current codesharing arrangements by adding destinations in South Africa, Canada, and the UK regions. The Finnair code is added to BA operated fl ights from London to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto. British Airways also adds its code to selected fl ights operated by Finnair. British Airways takes a further step into the next generation of air travel by offering on-board e-mail and internet access for its passengers. BA installs the system in its First, Club World, and World Traveller Plus cabins for a trial period of three months. British Airways reaches the fi nals in the UK’s most prestigious national awards for corporate community working. It was among a handful of companies to be selected as a fi nalist for the Investing in Potential award in Business in the Community’s Awards for Excellence 2002. The award marked the company’s achievements and confi rmed its position as an ‘Example of Best Practice’ in the fi eld of corporate responsibility. British Airways cuts European airfares by up to 80 per cent on 42 routes. Saturday night stay and advance purchase restrictions are scrapped and prices slashed to from £59 return on domestic routes and £69 return to Europe. More than 50,000 air tickets at the lowest fare will be available every month on the 71 domestic and European routes, which also have lower fl exible fares, and fewer booking restrictions. May BA launches a summer promotion for Concorde return fares to New York. The special Concorde tickets went on sale for £3,999, representing savings of up to £3,867. The tickets are on sale throughout May. 28 British Airways Fact Book 2007 June UK and US offi cials meet to discuss prospects for an “open skies” agreement. The atmosphere surrounding the discussions is described as “positive and constructive”. British Airways sells its no-frills subsidiary “Go” for £100m to 3i. British Airways launches its Pets Travel Scheme trial operating from Barcelona, Rome, and Bermuda to London Gatwick. British Airways opens a new US telephone sales centre in Jacksonville, Florida. It is run by a wholly owned subsidiary Flytele. British Airways celebrates 10 years of operations at Birmingham’s Eurohub. May “Air rage” incidents are targeted by British Airways with the release of its new Conditions of Carriage. British Airways announce customers can save money each time they buy a ticket from the airline’s website - www.britishairways.co.uk. Passengers will benefi t from a £3 discount for domestic and shorthaul fl ights and £5 for longhaul journeys. The discount will apply to all bookings to and from the UK. Mike Jeffery, Director of fl ight Operations, retires after 35 years with the company. April British Airways announces its new summer schedule from London Gatwick, which focuses on the Airline’s strategy to develop viable, point-to-point services at the airport. The highlights include a new daily non-stop service to San Diego, the fi rst scheduled service to the Turks and Caicos Islands, and increased fl ights to Houston and Buenos Aires. British Airways co-hosts a visit of travel chiefs to help dispel misconceptions about foot and mouth disease. British Airways and Iberia announce that they are to extend their code-sharing arrangements to long-distance routes. British Airways’ code will be added to Iberia’s six weekly fl ights between Madrid and Lima. Iberia’s code will be placed on fi ve weekly British Airways’ fl ights between London Heathrow and Bangkok. Australia is the latest country to get the Next Generation products. Aircraft fl ying to Melbourne and Sydney are embodied with the new 21st century products. March British Airways revises its menu plans following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the UK. British Airways confi rms it intends to make a recommended offer for all of the issued shares in British Regional Air Lines Plc (BRAL). The offer is subject to formal approval by the Offi ce of Fair Trading. The purchase is a further step in British Airways’ previously announced plans to co-ordinate better its various shorthaul businesses and reduce fragmentation among subsidiary and franchise partners. A computer outage on British Airways computer systems causes disruption for passengers around the world. The Airline Group, including British Airways, is named by the UK Government as strategic partner for National Air Traffi c Services’ public-private partnership. The group announced plans for £1 billion worth of investment. February British Airways send an emergency relief fl ight to transport aid workers and more than 36 tons of vital supplies to victims of the Gurjurat earthquake disaster. British Airways re-opens its First class lounge at London Heathrow’s Terminal 4 for premium passengers ensuring unrivalled comfort and luxury on the ground and in the air. A new Concorde Room designed by Sir Terence Conran also opens in the airline’s Lounge Pavilion at Terminal 4, in anticipation of a resumption of supersonic services later in the year. As part of its continued commitment to its home market British Airways announces a new range of benefi ts for passengers fl ying within the UK. British Airways will offer its full fare passengers the opportunity to choose their seat at the time of booking and lounge access at selected destinations around the UK. A worldwide Passion Day is held by British Airways to recognise the airline’s “Passion for Service” campaign. British Airways takes part in a survey into air quality on board commercial passenger jets. January British Airways begins modifying its Concordes, with the hope of resuming services later in the year. £17 million will be spent on safety-related modifi cations and £14 million on upgrading the onboard product. British Airways announces large cuts in many of its fares, effective from April 1. The adjustments to fares refl ect the changes in payments to agents, following the introduction of its new agents’ remuneration scheme. British Airways announces the launch of its new Value Pass, enabling passengers to buy full fare domestic and Club Europe e-tickets in bulk at a 10-18 per cent discount. British Airways introduces a facility to check-in and select seats for fl ights out of the UK via WAP phone. The British Airways Fact Book 2007 29 service is available to Gold and Silver Card Executive Club members, and will be available to Blue Card holders in the summer. British Airways unveils the Journey Baggage Service, which uses information from computer systems around the world to pinpoint the whereabouts of baggage. This will be the single source of information from which Customer Service staff can trace missing baggage. British Airways and Iberia announce the expansion of their code-sharing agreement to cover four destinations in Spain served by Iberia subsidiary Air Nostrum. From February, the BA code will be added to Air Nostrum/ Iberia fl ights between Madrid and the regional cities of Almeria, Murcia, Pamplona, and Zaragoza. 2000 December British Airways announces the results of its review of Gatwick operations, marking a shift from previous attempts to build Gatwick as a transfer hub. The plan, which will be implemented over two years, includes reducing longhaul destinations served from Gatwick from 43 to around 25, through cutting some destinations and relocating other services to Heathrow. Gatwick’s shorthaul business will be refocused on serving the needs of London and South East England, and the consolidation of City Flyer operations in the North Terminal. Thomas Cook and British Airways announce that they plan to merge their existing UK scheduled businesses, Thomas Cook Holidays and British Airways Holidays outbound business, to create a 50/50 joint venture company. British Airways appoints Mike Street, the airline’s Director for Customer Service and Operations, to the company’s Board. Zambian Air Services (ZAS) becomes a British Airways franchisee. ZAS will begin fl ying from Johannesburg to N’dola twice a week and from Johannesburg to Lusaka three times a week. November British Airways announces that it will restructure its operations at Gatwick into a largely point-to-point business. British Airways also announces its intention to sell GO, its no frills subsidiary, and to better integrate its various shorthaul operations. British Airways unveiled its new-look First cabin. The investment includes new interiors, improvements to seat cushioning and bedding, and in-seat telephones and laptop power. British Airways selects internet consulting fi rm, iXL, to work with it to develop and implement its future e- Commerce services. The agreement will begin with the redesign of British Airways’ global website and the implementation of a new content management system, which are both due to be complete by Spring 2001. British Airways and Finnair extend their code-sharing agreement to include a longhaul route. Finnair’s AY fl ight code is added to one of British Airways’ two daily services between Heathrow and Toronto. October British Airways announces signifi cant changes to its fl ying programme for Summer 2001, which will reduce capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres, by 2 per cent on top of the previously planned 8 per cent reduction. However, in terms of fl ying hours, the changes will mean a 1 per cent increase versus Summer 2000. The changes include the transfer of two longhaul routes from Gatwick to Heathrow, the suspension of one loss- making longhaul route and increased frequencies on some core routes. Following the completion of the Club Europe embodiment on its aircraft, British Airways increases the baggage allowance for that cabin. Passengers now can take two pieces of hand baggage, weighing up to 18kgs on board, doubling the previous allowance. AirNewco, an airline-led B2B initiative that includes British Airways, and MyAircraft, a B2B exchange led by aerospace manufacturers, announce their intent to combine their efforts into one venture. British Airways launches a new corporate rewards program for small to medium sized businesses, called On Business, following a successful nine months trial period. Each time an employee books an eligible fare with British Airways, the company earns points, which can be exchanged for a range of business travel rewards, such as free fl ights, chauffeur drives to or from UK airports, Heathrow and Gatwick Express train tickets and hotel vouchers. British Airways and Iberia announce further code-sharing agreements. BA codes will be added to Iberia services between Gatwick and Oviedo, Palma, and Ibiza and between Palma and Mahon. The IB code will be added to BA fl ights between Gatwick and Faro, Porto, Palma, Tenerife, and Bermuda and between Heathrow and Faro. September British Airways and internet agency DoubleClick signed an on-line advertising deal, spanning 14 countries on four continents with a potential audience of over 33 million people. August New Club World fl ying beds are available on the Hong Kong route. The seats have been well-received by customers on the Heathrow - New York JFK route, with signifi cant rises in customer satisfaction ratings for cabin crew, catering, sleep, privacy, comfort and space. 30 British Airways Fact Book 2007 World Traveller Plus opened for sale for travel from October 29 for services between London Heathrow and New York JFK, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. British Airways announced changes for its Winter 2000 schedule. Shorthaul frequencies are improved from Heathrow to Paris, Prague, Bologna, Rome, and Munich and from Gatwick to Venice and Barcelona. All Tel Aviv services will operate from Heathrow and increase in frequency from 10 to 17 per week. Services to Jersey, Venice, and Bilbao transfer from Heathrow to Gatwick. Service reductions include Heathrow - Paris Orly (reduced from six to three per day), Gatwick - Verona and Gatwick - Genoa. Operations from London to Ljubljana and Salzburg will cease. Longhaul changes include London - Johannesburg becoming a double daily operation, with the addition of an extra weekly fl ight. A fourth weekly service to Nassau is added, and services to Kuala Lumpur reduce by one frequency to fi ve per week. British Airways cancelled all Concorde operations after the Air France Concorde accident. British Airways remains optimistic that services will resume at some point. As a result of the suspension of Concorde operations, an extra 32 new Club World seats will be available on two daily Heathrow - New York JFK services from mid-September. July Embodiment of Club World fl at beds is complete for the Heathrow-JFK route. British Airways launches a trial offering on-line check-in for its top corporate customers via the British Airways extranet. The system allows customers to check in and select seats from home or the offi ce up to 24 hours before departure. If the trial is successful, the service will be offered to the top 200 corporate customers by the end of March 2001. The British Airways Executive Club is re-launched with an enhanced range of benefi ts. In October, BA Miles replaces AirMiles as the mileage currency for UK Executive Club members. Members will be able to earn miles on discount economy fares for the fi rst time and mid and longhaul destinations will be easier to reach. BA Miles will focus on rewarding anyone who fl ies with British Airways, while AirMiles continues as the UK’s leading frequent shopping reward scheme. CityFlyer Express orders six new Avro RJ100 jets, together with options for six more. The aircraft will be used to upgrade selected routes currently operated by ATR aircraft, as well as introduce some new routes on to the CityFlyer network. Delivery of the aircraft is scheduled from November 2000 through to April 2001. National Jet Italia, a start-up carrier, becomes the 11th member of the British Airways franchise family, fl ying from Rome to Palermo four times daily. June British Airways and KLM commence talks on a possible combination of their businesses. In September the two companies announce they will not be preceding any further. With the entry into service of the ninth Airbus A319 at Birmingham, the last Boeing 737-200 was retired from the Eurohub terminal. British Airways and LAN Chile reach a code-sharing agreement. From August, LAN Chile operate connections between Buenos Aires and Santiago, replacing British Airways’ London-Buenos Aires-Santiago service, which struggled to make a profi t since introduction in 1993. Canadian Airlines International withdraws from the oneworld alliance. The oneworld airlines continue to provide services to seven Canadian cities with 64 daily fl ights. British Airways consolidates its leisure activities into one division, to offer an integrated range of leisure products sold through all distribution channels, including travel agents, tour operators, British Airways Telesales, Travel Shops and Britishairways.com. British Airways renews its franchise agreement with GB Airways for a further eight years. The Gatwick-based carrier has been a franchise carrier since 1995. May Three new Directors are appointed to the British Airways Board. Rod Eddington joins as Chief Executive. Martin Broughton, Chairman of British American Tobacco Plc. and Dr Martin Read, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Logica Plc, are appointed Non-Executive Directors. Sir Michael Angus, Non-Executive Deputy Chairman, will step down from the Board at the Annual General Meeting in July. British Airways sells its 86 per cent shareholding in the parent company of Air Liberté to Taitbout Antibes BV. British Airways’ net cash proceeds FFr457 million (£40 million). Accounting rules require goodwill previously written off to be reinstated, leading to a loss on disposal of approximately £56 million. The net effect of the disposal is to increase reserves by £117 million, and eliminate the continuing trading losses of Air Liberté. In conjunction with ten other major airlines, British Airways announces the creation of the fi rst European, multi- airline, on-line travel agency. The new site will offer the public access to the most up-to-date fare information, including the airlines’ lowest branded fares. Passengers will also be able to book hotels, car hire, insurance and other travel services through the site. British Airways Fact Book 2007 33 British Airways sells to Galileo International Inc its subsidiary that indirectly held 7,000,400 shares of Galileo International Inc. The disposal realised a profi t before tax of £149 million. British Airways sells its in-fl ight catering facility at Gatwick to ALPHA Catering Services for £14 million. In addition, ALPHA and British Airways enter into a new ten-year agreement for the supply of in-fl ight catering service at Gatwick and eight UK regional airports. British Airways receives the Investor award for Best Investor Relations Website at the annual Investor Relations Magazine Awards ceremony. May British Airways announces that it is developing radical new products that redefi ne longhaul business travel and set new benchmarks in comfort and design. The plans include improved Club World featuring completely fl at beds, a new state-of-the-art entertainment system with bigger screens, in-seat power for lap top computers, e- mail, phones and fax. Linea Aerea Nacional de Chile (LAN Chile) becomes the eighth member of oneworld. British Airways and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) announce the launch of British Airways Global Financial Services. The fi rst in a range of innovative products is the Offshore Deposit Account available from June 1 and provided by RBC’s international private banking arm. British Airways offi cially opens its New World Cargo Centre fi tted with state-of-the-art technology. Business is scheduled to transfer to the new facility progressively over the next 18 months, enabling an increased focus on higher-yielding loose freight and signifi cant improvements to the customer offering. This should raise average yields and the new technology and working practices are expected to improve productivity by 30 per cent. April The airline’s last McDonnell Douglas DC10 aircraft leaves service as part of the new fl eet strategy. The DC10 fl eet has been sold and will be converted to cargo freighters. British Airways launches an issue of Euro 300 million (approximately £200 million) fi xed interest perpetual preferred securities. This is the fi rst Euro dominated issue of its type by a non-fi nancial UK business. The non- voting, cumulative preferred securities have no fi xed maturity but may be redeemed by the issuer at any time after fi ve years. March Base Airlines of Holland becomes the airline’s 10th franchise partner and will offer services between Eindhoven and Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, and Zurich. British Airways and LOT announce additional codesharing and deeper frequent fl yer integration. Combined Heathrow to Warsaw services will increase to 35 per week. A High Court judgement confi rms the right of airlines to freely exchange slots and that an exchange may be accompanied by fi nancial consideration. The decision was made in the course of a Judicial Review that considered slot exchanges between British Airways and Air UK in 1997. February British Airways confi rms that it is to take a 9 per cent stake in Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana SA as part of the Spanish airline’s privatisation programme. The expected price will be in the region of £200 million with a maximum of £215 million. The fi nal price will depend on a number of adjustments, such as the eventual value of Amadeus in which Iberia has a 29 per cent stake and which is planning an Initial Public Offering. American Airlines confi rms that it will take a 1 per cent holding in Iberia. British Airways and American Airlines will have the right to appoint two directors to Iberia’s 12 person board as well representation on all Board sub- committees. Iberia announces that it has accepted an invitation to join oneworld. British Airways and Iberia sign a commercial agreement under which they plan to co-operate in a wide area of activities, including code-sharing on fl ights beyond the UK and Spain, reciprocal frequent fl yer programmes, and common ground handling and cargo. British Airways sells just under 30 per cent of its holding in Equant the telecommunications company for a profi t of £49 million. January British Airways and Japan Airlines (JAL) announce a deepening of their relationship. Members of the British Airways Executive Club and JAL’s Mileage Bank will be able to earn and redeem miles on both international networks from June. The airlines also plan, subject to approvals, to code-share on JAL’s daily service between Heathrow and Osaka from late summer. 1998 December Finnair becomes the fi rst new recruit to oneworld. British Airways opens its new Concorde Room at New York’s JFK airport. November The New York City Industrial Development Authority launches a $115 million 34-year tax-exempt bond to assist in fi nancing improvements to the British Airways terminal at JFK. The fi rst jumbo jet to join a British airline retires from British Airways service as part of the sale of the airline’s fl eet of 15 747-100s. 34 British Airways Fact Book 2007 British Airways announces that it will not resume regional transatlantic services to New York from Glasgow and Birmingham for Summer 1999. Neither of the services operates in the winter season due to poor demand and fi nancial performance. British Airways launches a comprehensive range of new services and benefi ts for “World Traveller” passengers. New features include new seats with adjustable headrests and footrests and more knee room; and personal video screens for every passenger. British Airways and QANTAS announce six new code-share routes with fl ights to Australia from Gatwick, Birmingham, and Manchester connecting over Paris or Frankfurt. British Airways and Finnair announce codesharing on two daily British Airways fl ights from Heathrow to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The airlines also join their codes on four daily services between Birmingham and Helsinki, operated via European hubs, offering the most convenient connecting times. British Airways also adds its code to Finnair fl ights from Helsinki and Stockholm to Turku in Finland. British Airways and Malev announce codesharing on services between Budapest and Birmingham and Manchester. The code-share fl ights operate via Frankfurt, which Malev serves from Budapest twice daily, where passengers can connect to British Airways’ three daily fl ights each to Manchester and Birmingham. October On the third day of open skies discussions between the UK and US, the US negotiators call an end to the discussions. The US DoT also postpones evidentiary hearings. British Airways and American Airlines continue to press for approval of their proposed alliance on commercially acceptable terms, but reiterate that the terms of the EC proposal are too harsh. British Airways and Emirates sign a code-share agreement covering selected fl ights between Britain and the United Arab Emirates. Subject to Government approval, from December British Airways’ fl ights between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi will carry Emirates’ EK code, and Emirates services between Manchester and Dubai will bear the BA prefi x. British Airways and LOT further extend their codesharing to their six weekly fl ights between Krakow and Gatwick. At the same time, LOT moves its operations from Gatwick’s South Terminal to the North Terminal. The agreement is supported by a link-up of mileage award programmes, enabling frequent fl yers to earn and redeem miles on the code-shared fl ights. September American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacifi c Airways and QANTAS Airways announce new the oneworld global alliance. From early 1999, the fi ve airlines will together phase in a wide range of initiatives designed to provide greater customer benefi ts, including more information and support, greater value and increased opportunities for rewards and recognition. British Airways and Nigeria Airways announce an agreement over services between London and Lagos, which has the approval of the UK and Nigerian authorities. A three times a week B747-400 service will be operated by British Airways in co-operation with Nigeria Airways. August The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry publishes the advice of the Director General for Fair Trading, which sets out the basis on which he would recommend approval of the alliance with American Airlines. His advice includes the making available of 250 slots at Heathrow and Gatwick and the suggestion that slots might be sold. British Airways orders 59 aircraft in the Airbus A320 family with options on a further 129. The airline also orders 16 Boeing 777s, with options on a further 16, whilst cancelling 5 fi rm orders and 7 options for Boeing 747-400s. The airline announces in September that Rolls Royce has won the contract to supply the engines to power the new Boeing 777s. British Airways announces that it will suspend services to Osaka as a result of worsening passenger demand and the continued fall in the value of the Japanese yen. British Airways and Malév Hungarian Airlines begin codesharing on Malév’s services between Gatwick and Budapest. Members of both airlines’ mileage programmes are also able to earn and redeem miles on the code- share fl ights. July The European Commission (EC) publishes its draft remedies on the proposed alliance between British Airways and American Airlines. The draft opinion says that the Commission intends to approve the alliance provided that certain conditions are fulfi lled. British Airways announces a codeshare agreement with LOT Polish Airlines covering eight weekly fl ights between the UK and Poland from August. Frequent fl yers will be able to earn and redeem miles on the code- share fl ights. British Airways resumes services to Nigeria after a break of 14 months. The move follows the Nigerian Government lifting a ban on all UK-registered aircraft from operating to Nigeria. British Airways Fact Book 2007 35 British Airways announces a further realignment of capacity in the Asia-Pacifi c region. From October, fl ights between Jakarta and London decrease from six to two a week. A new route connecting the UK and Australia via Kuala Lumpur will be opened up, with QANTAS coming off the Kuala Lumpur to Sydney leg. British Airways also announces a 14th weekly fl ight between London and Tokyo. June British Airways and Canadian Airlines expand their codesharing to include new fl ights between London and Ottawa and an additional daily service between London and Toronto. May The High Court refuses easyJet’s request for an injunction against ‘Go’, British Airways’ new low-cost airline. ‘Go’ operates its fi rst fl ight from London Stansted to Rome as planned. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) issues its advice to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) on the suggested remedies for anti-trust immunity for the proposed alliance between British Airways and American Airlines. The DoJ suggests that suffi cient slots be made available at Heathrow for 14 new daily services to the US to remedy the competition aspects of the alliance. In a separate matter not directly related to the proposed alliance, the DoJ also suggests that a further 10 weekly slot pairs be made available to US carriers to remedy what it sees as a disadvantageous position as a result of the existing bilateral air services agreement between the UK and the USA. April British Airways and QANTAS announce an expansion of their co-operation on the “kangaroo route”, with the launch of code-sharing services via Bangkok. Manchester Airport’s new £75 million terminal - named Terminal 1 British Airways - is offi cially opened. The new terminal, funded largely by Manchester Airport Plc, is capable of handling up to six million passengers a year and enables all British Airways domestic and international fl ights - and those of its partners - to be brought together under one roof, offering a minimum connection time of just 30 minutes for transfer passengers. February British Airways announces its link up with Finnair with codesharing on 15 return fl ights a day between London and Helsinki as well as Stockholm, effective form March. Deutsche BA will also code-share with Finnair from March on seven routes. As well as codesharing, the agreement will enable frequent fl yers to earn and redeem miles on each other’s networks. January British Airways opens a new business centre at the Club Europe lounge in Terminal 1. It is equipped with personal computers, modem connections for laptop computers, faxes, phones and printers, photocopying and scanning facilities. British Airways introduces electronic ticketing on international routes. It is available on all routes between the UK and Germany and on all internal German routes with Deutsche BA. 1997 December British Airways sells its Heathrow catering production units to Gate Gourmet, part of the SAir Group. The 1200 staff transfer to Gate Gourmet. A US Court throws out most of the claims in a lawsuit against the airline by US Airways. November British Airways announces that it is to introduce a new reward scheme in the UK and US for travel agents. The airline is also modifying its commission structure in other markets. British Airways confi rms that it is to launch a new low-fare, no-frills airline, which will start fl ying in Europe in early 1998. The new airline will operate as a separate business with its own name, identity, management and employees. September British Airways and the Transport and General Workers Union announce the settlement of the cabin crew dispute. The agreement secures the £42 million annual savings targeted from cabin crew as part of the Business Effi ciency Programme. It also paves the way for a new relationship between the airline and the unions representing its cabin crew. British Airways announces the sales of its Landing Gear business to Hawker Pacifi c Inc. and its Wheels and Brakes business to AlliedSignal Aerospace. British Airways announces extensions of the relationships with QANTAS and with Canadian Airlines with further codeshares added. August British Airways Engineering announces a strengthened focus on maintaining British Airways’ own aircraft. It will continue to sell services to other operators, but on a more selective basis. This results in a streamlined organisation and a reduction of 450 managerial and support jobs. July British Airways extends its network in Australia with code-shares on certain QANTAS domestic fl ights, and QANTAS extends its network in the UK and Europe by codesharing on certain British Airways fl ights from Heathrow. Some of the cabin crew workforce at the airline hold a three-day strike. Talks between British Airways, the 38 British Airways Fact Book 2007 March British Airways sells its charter airline subsidiary Caledonian Airways, including its fl eet of fi ve Lockheed TriStar aircraft, to Inspirations plc. British Airways and BAA plc restructure leases covering 224 acres at Heathrow, giving the airline security of tenure on its core maintenance base for 150 years. January Eight additional destinations are added to the British Airways route network as Manx Airlines Europe becomes a franchise operator. 1994 December GB Airways, 49 per cent owned by British Airways, announces that from February 1995 it will operate scheduled services as a franchisee in British Airways livery. September British Airways launches its new Club Europe brand, with a £70 million package of improvements including new seats, lounges at key business destinations throughout Europe, telephone check-in, Fast Track through passport and security checks at Heathrow’s Terminal 1, better food, and a choice between a snack and a full meal. August British Airways and QANTAS announce a much greater level of co-operation on services between Europe and Australasia. The airlines will co-ordinate scheduling, sales and marketing on their 35 weekly Boeing 747-400 kangaroo route services and the QANTAS network of Boeing 767 services between Australia, Singapore and Bangkok. June British Airways announces changes on services to the Caribbean from Gatwick, including discontinuing the under-utilised First Class to provide more Club World seats. April British Airways and Loganair announce plans to protect loss-making Scottish routes with British Airways redeploying resources on strengthening cross-border routes. Loganair will enter into a franchise arrangement to provide services on several Scottish routes in British Airways Express livery from July. March British Airways launches “World Offers” fares to more than 50 destinations, cutting prices by an average of a third, to sell seats that would otherwise probably be unsold. January The US Department of Transportation (DoT) approves British Airways and USAir codesharing to 65 destinations across the USA until March 17, 1994. In March the DOT renews approval for one year and says it will not act on British Airways’ application to extend these arrangements to further destinations. 1993 December The airline opens a new £23 million avionics facility in South Wales, which will create some 375 jobs by October 1994. The new workshop will be capable of handling over 130,000 avionic components a year, more than double the workload at Heathrow, with a three day turnaround compared with the industry norm of up to 28 days. August As a result of redeployment of aircraft in the fl eet and the airline’s drive to improve utilisation, the last four Boeing 737-400 aircraft due for delivery (in the period September - December 1993) will be placed into storage pending disposal. July British Airways announces a new marketing agreement with CityFlyer Express. From August the airline operates all scheduled services under the name British Airways Express, with British Airways’ livery, uniforms and service standards. The agreement, for an initial fi ve years, is designed to increase feeder traffi c at Gatwick to the benefi t of both airlines. June British Airways launches daily fl ights between Gatwick and Pittsburgh using a USAir B767 in British Airways livery and staffed by USAir crews in British Airways uniforms. Similar services are launched to Baltimore in October and Charlotte in January 1994. British Airways Maintenance Cardiff (BAMC), the new £70 million aircraft maintenance base at Cardiff-Wales Airport, is formally opened. May British Airways raises approximately £442 million, net of expenses, by way of a Rights Issue on the basis of one New Ordinary Share for every four Ordinary Shares. Acceptances are received in respect of 92 per cent of the shares offered. British Airways and Maersk Air of Denmark announce a conditional agreement to each inject £6 million into The Plimsoll Line to enable it to meet its outstanding debts and restructure. Brymon Aviation and Plymouth City Airport will become wholly owned British Airways subsidiaries and Maersk Air Ltd (formerly Birmingham European Airways) will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Maersk Air. Following approval to the restructuring by Offi ce of Fair Trading, British Airways announces in August that fl ights operated by Brymon and Maersk Air Ltd are to fl y in the colours of British Airways. April In conjunction with USAir’s sale of 10 million shares of common stock, British Airways exercises its right under British Airways Fact Book 2007 39 the investment agreement of January 1993 to invest US$101 million additional preferred stock to maintain its 24.6 per cent holding in USAir. Fast Track, a dedicated channel for premium passengers opens at Heathrow Terminal 4, providing a fast service from check-in to the departure lounge. TAT European Airlines commences operations from Gatwick’s North Terminal. March British Airways purchases a 25 per cent stake in QANTAS. The US Government approves British Airways’ alliance with USAir, with clearance for the normal period of one year for codesharing and wet-lease operations. The two airlines commence in May a phased programme of codeshare fl ights to 38 cities. British Asia Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary, inaugurates direct services between the UK and Taiwan. February Lord King retires as Chairman and becomes the fi rst President of British Airways. The Board appoints Sir Colin Marshall as Chairman and Robert Ayling as Group Managing Director. January British Airways announces a new alliance with USAir, including an immediate investment of US$300 million (£198 million) by British Airways in new convertible preferred shares in USAir for an initial 19.9 per cent voting interest. The agreement gives British Airways options over the next fi ve years to invest up to a further US$450 million in preferred shares in USAir in two tranches if fi nancial and regulatory conditions permit. Commercial arrangements announced simultaneously cover codesharing on USAir fl ights in the USA, and the launch by British Airways of three new transatlantic services using USAir crews and aircraft leased from USAir. Both parties intend to explore other areas in which they will be able to work together to their mutual benefi t. British Airways pays £610,000 in settlement of a libel action brought by Mr Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited. 1992 November British Airways acquires for £1 the assets of the holding company for Dan-Air. September British Airways announces it will acquire a 49.9 per cent share in TAT European Airlines (TAT) for £17.25 million, subject to adjustment at the time of completion (January 1993). July British Airways and USAir Group Inc. announce an agreement to forge links through an investment by British Airways of US$750 million in convertible preferred shares in USAir. The transaction is conditional upon obtaining the necessary regulatory and legal consents and the approval of USAir shareholders. The agreement was terminated in December after the US Government indicated the transaction would not be approved without unwarranted and unilateral concessions by the UK Government under the two countries’ bilateral air services agreement. Lord King announces he is to step down as Chairman in July 1993 after 12 years. March British Airways Regional, a new business to run and improve the profi tability of services from Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland, is announced. Deutsche BA, the company formed by a consortium of German Banks and British Airways, announces the acquisition of the German regional airline, Delta Air. February The airline agrees the sale of its property maintenance branch to Drake and Scull. January A three-year plan to restore the airline’s Gatwick operation to an acceptable level of profi tability is announced. 1991 October Boeing 737-400 enters service. August The airline orders 15 Boeing 777 aircraft powered by General Electric GE90 engines with a further 15 options. The aircraft form part of a £4.3 billion package, including orders and options for 24 Boeing 747-400s and 11 British Aerospace ATPs. British Airways agrees in principle to sell the business previously carried on by British Airways Engine Overhaul Limited to General Electric of the US for around £272 million. July An agreement is signed to begin work on setting up a new international airline based in Moscow to be known as Air Russia. British Airways would have a 31 per cent stake. March A campaign designed to bring back traffi c after the Gulf War is spearheaded by “The World’s Biggest Offer” to give away free every seat on international services on 23 April. February Losses of 4,600 jobs, through early retirement and severance, and the standing down on half pay for up to a 40 British Airways Fact Book 2007 year of a further 2,000 employees are announced because of the signifi cant downturn in traffi c following the outbreak of the Gulf War. January World Traveller and Euro Traveller brands are introduced. 1990 February Boeing 767 enters service. 1989 December Agreement is reached to acquire a 20 per cent shareholding in Sabena World Airlines. Other partners in the joint venture are Sabena and KLM. The UK Monopolies and Mergers Commission approve the proposal in July 1990, but the European Commission issues a statement of objection, requesting further information, in June 1990. The three partners eventually decide not to proceed with the plan in December 1990. October Shareholders approve a 15 per cent investment in United Airlines. The bid was withdrawn when other partners in the planned buy-out failed to raise fi nancing. September Super Shuttle re-launched. July Boeing 747-400 enters service. March New First Class service introduced. January BAe Advanced Turbo-Prop (ATP) enters service. 1988 April British Airways and British Caledonian (Bcal) merge. British Airtours Ltd renamed Caledonian Airways Ltd. March British Airways services at Gatwick transfer to the new North Terminal. January New Club World and Club Europe brands introduced. 1987 December British Airways and United Airlines announce a worldwide marketing partnership. February Trading in British Airways shares begins on 11 February. British Airways Fact Book 2007 43 BR IT IS H A IR W A YS M A NA GE M EN T TE A M FE BR UA RY 2 00 7 IN FL IG H T SE RV IC ES Si m on T al lin g- Sm ith RE SO U RC E PL A N N IN G Pe te r L yn am O PE RA TI O N S PL A N N IN G A nd y Lo rd C A RG O St ev e G un ni ng D IR EC TO R O F O PE RA TI O N S G ar et h Ki rk w oo d A LL IA N C ES & FR A N C H IS ES A dr ia n Ti gh e BR IT IS H A IR W A YS BA C on ne ct D av id E va ns IN VE ST M EN TS & JO IN T VE N TU RE S Ti m H am m on d IN VE ST M EN TS & JO IN T VE N TU RE S C ar ol yn P ro w se D IR EC TO R O F IN VE ST M EN TS & A LL IA N C ES Ro ge r M ay na rd M A RK ET IN G & D IS TR IB U TI O N Ti ff an y H al l SA LE S D re w C ra w le y EU RO PE & A FR IC A Pa t G af fe y M ID D LE E A ST , A SI A & P A C IF IC Ro b b ie B ai rd A M ER IC A S Ro b in H ay es FL EE T PL A N N IN G N ei l C ot tr el l N ET W O RK PL A N N IN G Ly nn e Em b le to n C O M M ER C IA L D IR EC TO R Ro b er t B oy le LG W , U K RE G IO N S & IN TE RN A TI O N A L C U ST O M ER S ER VI C E Be ve rle y Be nn et t H EA TH RO W D av id N oy es G RO U N D O PE RA TI O N S C O M PL IA N C E Ke ith H ey w oo d T5 P RO G RA M M E Jo na th on C ou ns el l D IR EC TO R O F G RO U N D O PE RA TI O N S G eo ff W an t O PE RA TI O N A L M A IN TE N A N C E Br uc e H un te r A IR C RA FT M A IN TE N A N C E Ru ss J on es M M C O Ra j M eh ta EN G IN EE RI N G SE RV IC ES Ro b C re w Q U A LI TY & TR A IN IN G C ol in B ro w n D IR EC TO R O F EN G IN EE RI N G G ar ry C op el an d FL IG H T O PE RA TI O N S Pa ul D ou gl as FL IG H T TE C H N IC A L Ti m D e La F os se FL IG H T TR A IN IN G St ev e Sh et er lin e FL IG H T O PE RA TI O N S RE SO U RC ES C ha rli e M au nd er D IR EC TO R O F FL IG H T O PE RA TI O N S Ll oy d C ro m w el l G rif fit hs IT O PE RA TI O N S D av e W es to n IT D EL IV ER Y M ik e C ro uc he r IT & B U SI N ES S C H A N G E Jo hn M or ne m en t IT C O M M ER C IA L & C O RP O RA TE G or do n Pe nf ol d IT A IR LI N E O PE RA TI O N S N ei l C la rk Im B U SI N ES S C O N TR O L Ru th C as si dy IT R ES O U RC IN G & S KI LL S Bi ll Fr an ci s C H IE F IN FO RM A TI O N O FF IC ER Pa ul C ob y G FC /G FA H ea th D re w et t IN TE RN A L C O N TR O L TB A PR O C U RE M EN T & P RO C ES SI N G Si lla M ai ze y TA X A TI O N , T RE A SU RY & IN VE ST O R RE LA TI O N S G eo rg e St in ne s PR O PE RT Y A nd re w G ra in ge r C H IE F FI N A N C IA L O FF IC ER Ke ith W ill ia m s H EA D O F LE G A L & G O VT & IN D U ST RY A FF A IR S M ar ia D a C un ha H EA LT H S ER VI C ES N ig el D ow da ll C O RP O RA TE R ES P IN SU RA N C E & R IS K M A N A G EM EN T A la n Bu ch an an SA FE TY & S EC U RI TY Ti m S te ed s M ED IA RE LA TI O N S Th om as C oo p s (In te rim A p p t) G EN ER A L C O U N SE L Ro b er t W eb b E M PL O YE E RE LA TI O N S D av id L eb re ch t PE O PL E D EL IV ER Y Pe te r H ol lo w ay RE SO U RC IN G , SY ST EM S, P O LI C Y & S ER VI C ES Ki m P et tig re w TR A IN IN G To ny V ol le r D IR EC TO R FO R PE O PL E TB A C H IE F EX EC U TI VE W ill ie W al sh 44 British Airways Fact Book 2007 EMPLOYEES The motivation and commitment of employees remains key to the success of British Airways. Employee ownership in the company is encouraged. As at January 2007, some 40 per cent of employees owned 1.16 per cent of the company’s ordinary shares. The last Sharesave plan was launched in 2000 and matured in 2003. It is unlikely that a new plan will be launched in the near future. Recent changes in accounting standards could substantially increase employee costs. The company has gained shareholder approval to operate any aspect of the new all employees Share Incentive Plan (SIP). The Company has appointed Computershare Investor Services to administer the SIP but there is currently no time-scale for the launch. British Airways actively promotes equality and diversity in all areas of employment across the Company. A clear business case and strategy is in place and focuses on creating an inclusive culture that understands and respects the individual differences of our employees and customers. This year saw the implementation of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, which was a complex piece of employment legislation. It introduced a concept of Intended Retirement Date allowing employees to continue working until age 65 and also a process to make a request to continue working beyond age 65. This was a major change for many of our people, particularly Flight Crew and Cabin Crew, who had previously had a contractual retirement date of 55. We also audited all our employment processes and policies to ensure they were compliant and invested in training for our managers to raise awareness. The impact of these changes may not be felt immediately but will signal a change towards different demography in the future. The integration and cohesion of Diversity and Inclusion continues in all parts of our business. July 2006 saw British Airways sponsor Europride, one of the leading gay and lesbian festivals. British Airways also featured in the Workplace Equality Guide published by Stonewall for the third year running. The guide recognizes the top 100 employers for gay and lesbian employees. We signed a partnership with representatives from our four main unions to work together on Dignity at work issues. Amicus and the Department of Trade and Industry sponsor this work. The work covers all aspects of potential harassment and bullying in the workplace including the impact of behaviour and role modelling and a review of process and policy. The group will recommend and implement solutions during 2007. Another priority for 2007 is integrating changes arising from the Work and Families Act. This includes changes to maternity provision and introduces the concept of the right to request fl exible working for elder care. Twenty fi ve percent of all employees already work part time and greater fl exible working can offer benefi ts to both employees and to the business. British Airways places great emphasis on ‘Investing in its people’ and training is seen as integral to this. It ensures that all staff are trained and competent to deliver a safe and secure service that fulfi ls the airline’s customer proposition. Mandatory training includes safety and operational programmes for air and ground staff to meet Joint Aviation Requirements, including refresher training to ensure that competencies are kept up to date. In addition to the equal opportunities and diversity courses in support of the policy described above, health and safety courses are mandatory for all managers, and British Airways also focuses on training in good people management including effective performance management and personal capabilities. The airline updates its training programmes to meet changing regulations and also to refl ect more effective and effi cient learning methods. As well as classroom and workshop training, employees have access to over 300 eLearning courses available through the company intranet. This fl exible form of learning provides courses 24/7, covering a huge range of subjects including a wide range of management and personal effectiveness skills, technical training particularly for IT staff and mandatory training for operational staff. The airline’s Cranebank centre, near Heathrow, is one of the largest airline training establishments in the world. Its fl ight crew unit houses 15 full fl ight simulators plus further sophisticated fl ight-training devices. The company has a comprehensive internal communications programme to ensure employees are well informed about the business and the airline industry. The chief executive, Willie Walsh, hosts monthly briefi ngs for managers from across the business to share information on company strategy and business issues. This information is then communicated through departmental forums thereby ensuring that each part of the business understands the company’s goals and the part they play in delivering them. To keep everyone in the airline updated on a regular basis, a staff newspaper, BANews, is issued free each week to staff across the globe. There is also a series of publications that address the local departmental issues. Company email is also used to communicate corporate announcements and urgent operational or business news. In addition, a short document known as the Weekly Brief summarises three or four pieces of key business information each week and is circulated to managers in the airline to help them conduct staff briefi ngs. BANewsinteractive, an online news and communication service available through the staff intranet, delivers an immediate source of breaking news and in-depth briefi ngs giving instant access to employees worldwide. An interactive element enables staff to express their views through opinion polls and a weekly talking point. Details of the airline’s fi nancial results are communicated to staff at the same time as briefi ngs for the City analysts. Staff have the opportunity to attend face-to-face forums to discuss the results and the information is also made available via the intranet and BA News. British Airways Fact Book 2007 45 The company aims to increase employee involvement in order to motivate people to deliver a signifi cant business change agenda and to continuously improve business performance and customer service. In order to achieve these things it is recognized that everyone in the airline must have a shared view of business challenges and opportunities and must be able to feel that these are relevant to the role they play. A strong focus has therefore been placed on employee involvement. As a key part of BA’s comprehensive internal communication programme, an emphasis is being placed on face to face communication and investment is being made in training for the people managers and supervisors who deliver this day to day. To date 350 people managers have attended the new face to face communications training course. A programme is also underway to increase the visibility of key leaders in the business by supporting them in getting out into the business on a regular and, often, informal basis. This gives employees the opportunity not just to put faces to names but also to chat informally to leaders from parts of the BA business other than their own. Regular feedback is solicited from BA employees through a formal Employee Feedback Programme and the output and actions that result from this shape and drive the direction and emphasis of the work on employee involvement. There is extensive work about Leadership and Performance Management in the business, which is directly connected to research conducted with employees in September 2006. The involvement of employees is being increasingly worked into the way communication is managed. For example, recent discussions about the pensions defi cit with NAPS members aimed to involve people in discussion rather than simply ‘briefi ng’ or ‘telling’ them about the situation. Feedback from the discussion sessions suggests that this approach has been very effective. The airline also seeks to deliver a permanent step change in employee and trade union involvement and is therefore closely aligning the employee involvement objectives, strategies, and plans with those of the Industrial Relations Change Programme. In 2003 British Airways embarked on a joint initiative with its recognised Trade Unions called the Industrial Relations Change Programme. This long-term programme is designed to strengthen links between the airline and the Trade Unions and to develop better ways of working together. There have been three key developments through 2006 building on the ongoing success of the one-day Introduction to IR course. Effective Industrial Relations Skills; A two-day practical orientated course designed for managers, supervisors and trade union representatives. There are also modules designed to meet specifi c departmental relationships and issues. New Industrial Relations Intranet site; This site has been developed for use by both managers and trade union representatives and gives details on industrial relations support and learning. Communication between the company and the Trade Unions representing employees is important and the Executive Management team meets regularly with the British Airways Trade Union Council (BATUC) to provide a business update. British Airways’ relationship with the Trade Unions is managed through a network of negotiating and consultation forums, to support the effective management and communication of change. A large number of British Airways UK employees are members of Trade Unions, approximately 70%. In the UK the following Trade Unions are recognised by British Airways: Amicus, BALPA, the GMB and the TGWU (Transport & General Workers Union). This year British Airways has strengthened it’s on-line capability for recruitment. The company’s recruitment website, britishairwaysjobs.com, has been instrumental in maintaining a strong on-line recruitment presence, and all external applications are now made on-line - in total 15,000 since April 2005. The new recruitment system provides a convenient way for candidates to fi nd out about career opportunities with British Airways, facilitates quick and reliable communications with candidates, and also places more control of the process in the hands of the applicants - for example booking their own interview times on-line. This system has also now been rolled out for all internal recruitment, which will deliver effi ciency and consistency improvements to the process. All UK internal vacancies are now managed on-line through the system. Careerlink is our dedicated service for redeployees, based at The Rivers. Careerlink offers a range of products and services for individuals and line managers who are facing change and need to consider career transition within or outside British Airways. Individuals who are seeking internal redeployment, outplacement support after taking early retirement / voluntary severance or considering alternative employment for health reasons may attend job search related workshops and have access to professional one to one career counselling. A sustained effort through 2005 has seen the numbers of redeployees fall to the lowest level for fi ve year. The British Airways staff intranet facility provides valuable job search tools to employees throughout the company as well as access to all current internal vacancies. In 2005/06 the average number of employees decreased to 49,957. Of these, 42,963 were employed in the United Kingdom and 6,994 overseas. Productivity increased to 462,500 ATKs per employee for the Group. 48 British Airways Fact Book 2007 World Traveller Plus World Traveller Plus, our newest cabin provides our customers with 20% more personal space than World Traveller. The cabin offers customers a separate, quieter and smaller cabin with a maximum of fi ve rows. At only 8 seats abreast on B747s and B777s and 6 abreast on B767s, the seating offers wider seats than our standard Economy product (World Traveller). The ergonomically designed seat also gives more legroom to stretch out than World Traveller, with a seat pitch of 38” compared to the industry economy standard of 31”. It has a fully adjustable headrest, lumbar support, leg rest and a personal entertainment system in the seat back offering a wide choice of fi lm & TV entertainment and 17 interactive games. It offers travellers the opportunity to work or relax in an informal environment with in-seat business amenities such as a laptop power point and an individual phone. Extra benefi ts include double the normal economy checked baggage allowance, two pieces of 23kg each and for Executive Club members, additional BA Mileage awards. World Traveller Plus is available on the entire longhaul fl eet of 747s, B777s and B767s at both Heathrow and Gatwick. World Traveller Most of our customers discover our extensive network in our popular World Traveller cabin. They can relax in the knowledge that everything will be taken care of, allowing them to simply sit back and enjoy what’s on offer. Our whole product offering has been developed with customer comfort in mind. Customers can benefi t from our simple, easy to use check-in options such as online check-in or our check-in kiosks at the airport. During the fl ight, the ergonomically designed seats, complete with lumbar support, adjustable footrests and headrests give customers maximum comfort in our Economy cabin. Each seat offers personal seat-back video with a wide selection of fi lm and TV entertainment and audio programmes, to help customers while away the hours. Friendly and professional cabin crew are always on hand, providing a complimentary bar service throughout the fl ight as well as tasty three course meals. Families do enjoy additional benefi ts to make travelling with children easier. Families travelling with children (up to 11yrs) will be assigned seats together and enjoy priority boarding. As part of our service onboard, we provide a range of kid’s products designed to make the time fl y by. There are new ‘Skyfl yers’ kids packs and activity books, family friendly meal options, hours of on-screen family entertainment and ‘Early Check-in’ at London Gatwick allowing families to check-in from 4pm the day before departure. Customers can also enjoy the new shopping basket function on ba.com, which enables customers to book fl ights, car hire, and hotels in one go. Club Europe Club Europe is our premium short haul service combining an effi cient and smooth ground experience with the comfort and space on board to ensure customers can make the best use of their valuable time. With fl ights to centrally located European airports, our schedule is designed to fi t around the needs of our customers, with convenient departures providing the option to return home to family and friends at the end of the working day. Customers can speed through the airport quicker than ever with our innovative check-in options. All of our European destinations offer online check-in plus at over 30 European airports customers can now print out their boarding cards at home or in the offi ce, allowing them to bypass airport check in completely. Club Europe customers checking in at the airport can choose between dedicated check-in desks or self-service check-in. And where available customers departing from London can take advantage of a fast track channel to minimise queues through security. To provide an escape from the busy airport environment, Club Europe customers also have access to over 80 lounges across Europe allowing them to catch up on work or relax in comfort until their fl ight departs. Once on board, the cabin features blankets, cushions and head rest covers in restful blue tones, coupled with wider contoured leather seats with extra legroom. Our highly trained cabin crew offer a selection of menu options, designed to suit the time of day and length of fl ight plus a full bar service. Euro Traveller British Airways’ Euro Traveller offers a package of products and services that represent value for money, with fl ights to over 70 European destinations and a schedule that ensures customers have the fl exibility to choose fl ight times that are convenient for them. We are committed to designing innovative products that make a difference to our customer’s journey experience. For example our “Manage My Booking” tool on ba.com allows customers to access their booking at any time, providing the ability to amend update or upgrade their booking, or even check-in for their fl ight, saving valuable time at the airport. Self-service check-in kiosks are available for those customers wishing to check-in at the airport. British Airways Fact Book 2007 49 Complimentary newspapers are available at selected departure gates. Onboard customers can sit back and relax in ergonomically designed seats that maximise legroom and seat comfort. Customers can enjoy breakfast with fresh coffee and tea. For the rest of the day complimentary snacks and drinks are served appropriate to the time of day and length of fl ight. We continue to offer every-day low fares across Europe, and have introduced one-way fares on the majority of our European routes, providing customers with even more fl exibility when purchasing fl ights with British Airways. UK Domestic British Airways offers a frequent schedule and competitive fares to centrally located airports across the United Kingdom and Channel Islands. We fl y more people, more often, to more UK destinations than any other airline. Customers travelling on full fare tickets can enjoy lounge access at key UK airports plus they can choose their seat at the time of booking. Full fare tickets can also be changed at any time prior to departure without any fee, providing customers with fl exibility should their travel plans change. Customers can take advantage of our innovative check-in options with online check-in at ba.com and they can even print out their own boarding pass allowing them to speed through the airport and go straight to security. Alternatively they can check-in at the airport in less than a minute by using a self-service check-in kiosk. Complimentary newspapers are available at the departure gate. Customers can enjoy a hot breakfast served on board with fresh coffee and tea. Complimentary snacks and a bar service is served throughout the rest of the day. Executive Club The Executive Club is British Airways’ frequent fl yer loyalty programme for recognising our most valuable customers. For those who travel frequently, the Executive Club provides an enhanced service throughout the journey experience such as lounge access and priority check-in through the airport, as well as the ability to earn BA Miles for reward fl ights. The Executive Club also knows it is important to leverage our understanding of our customers to provide them with the services, products and communications which are appropriate and personalised to our customers’ differing needs. There are three tiers within the Executive Club: Blue - benefi ts including the ability to collect BA Miles for reward fl ights when fl ying with BA or our partners, or even when not fl ying with our network of hotel, car rental, fi nancial or service partners. BA Miles can be earned either as an individual or as part of a Household Account. Silver - further benefi ts include access to airport lounges regardless of class of travel, priority check-in and boarding, and ability to earn BA Miles at a quicker rate. Gold - loyalty is recognised further with access to our FIRST and Arrivals lounges, Gold members who achieve 2,500 Tier Points and 3,500 Tier Points also receive a free Upgrade for Two. Gold members also earn BA Miles at a quicker rate than Silver members. Access to Silver and Gold membership comes from collecting Executive Club Tier Points, awarded when fl ying on eligible fares on British Airways and oneworld™ partner airline fl ights (excluding American Airlines’ direct transatlantic fl ights between Europe and the Americas). 50 British Airways Fact Book 2007 DEPARTMENTAL ANALYSIS COMMERCIAL PLANNING The fl eet, network, and schedule are at the core of any airline. Fleet Planning develops the fl eet strategy for the company and determines when to acquire or dispose of aircraft ensuring that BA has the right fl eet to meet its network requirements. The role of the Network Planning department is to develop BA’s schedule to maximise network profi tability and to plan the requisite infrastructure. This department identifi es which routes and frequencies to fl y, where to deploy the fl eet, and then develops and manages the BA schedule to deliver this. Currently the shorthaul operation consists of more than 4,000 weekly fl ights, to over 60 destinations, using more than 120 aircraft. The longhaul operation consists of more than 1,000 weekly fl ights, to over 70 destinations, using more than 110 aircraft. The group also ensures the next 18 months of schedules are developed so they will work within the current terminal and slot infrastructure. The team also identifi es the need for additional future capacity to meet growth / service aspirations and works with / infl uences external agencies to delivery this. It also manages to airline’s slot portfolio at all airports on the network. OPERATIONS The Operations department covers all aspects of Resource Planning, Operations Planning, and In-fl ight Service. Heathrow Customer Service manpower planning is responsible for determining manpower and equipment levels, and all planning activities for Heathrow terminals. This currently includes a focus on the resource planning activities for T5. Crew Planning areas are responsible for determining accurate Flight and Cabin crew manpower levels, and for planning the monthly rosters for all crew. Once complete, the planned rosters are handed over to Operations Control, where they are maintained on a day-to-day basis. Operations Control is responsible for the day-to-day control of the BA operation, plus emergency and other contingency planning. The area includes a number of specialists who work together to cover all aspects of the 24 hour, 365 day a year operation – fl ight crew controllers, cabin crew controllers, operations controllers, customer service controllers and planners. The corporate contingency planning team is responsible for anticipating potential operational disruption, from the effects of bad weather to industrial action, and developing plans to handle it. It is also responsible for emergency planning for crisis situations, such as an aircraft accident. The In-fl ight Service department manages 15,000 UK and International cabin crew of which 37% are part-time, worldwide catering operations, in-fl ight retail and service development. FLIGHT OPERATIONS Apart from the technical side of the fl ying operations, responsibilities include the recruitment, training and standards of 3,000 pilots and the safety training and standards of 14,000 cabin crew. At our training facility, British Airways Flight Training we have nineteen simulators in which to train our pilots in both normal fl ight routines and in the handling of emergency procedures. Every pilot in British Airways must undergo simulator training and checking every six months for their entire fl ying career. BAFT also undertakes third party training for other air carriers earning over £9m per year of Third Party Revenue. Within the department lies the expertise for Flight Planning and Air Traffi c Control matters. The extensive experience of the company in its worldwide operations together with modern computer software enables British Airways to operate as effi ciently as is possible. The Flight Operations Department is responsible for the airline’s Fuel Policy, which is implemented on over 240,000 sectors and over 900,000 fl ying hours. The policy takes into account the economic, commercial and environmental effects of the company’s fuel usage recognising that reducing fuel consumption provides benefi ts on several fronts. DISTRIBUTION AND MILEAGE PARTNERSHIPS This department is responsible for ensuring that customers can book, pay and ticket a booking both through our website, contact centres and shops, as well as travel agents around the world. This includes: o Managing our relationship with card companies such as American Express, Diners, MasterCard and VISA o Managing the contracts with infrastructure providers to link travel agents to BA globally o The role out of ticketing initiatives such as E-ticket The department is also responsible for setting the company’s distribution and booking channel strategy to deliver more bookings through ba.com and reducing the cost of sale to BA. In addition all executive club members can earn miles when they spend money with BA partners including airlines, hotels, car companies and co-branded credit cards amongst others. This department ensures the provision of a wide range of excellent products for the executive club. British Airways Fact Book 2007 53 Airmiles can be exchanged for a wide variety of travel rewards, including fl ights on over 110 airlines, 25,000 world-wide hotels, city breaks, cruises, travel insurance, car-hire and brochure holidays from the UK’s leading Tour Operators. Customers can open an AIRMILES account by visiting www.airmiles.co.uk or by calling the AIRMILES travel centre on 0870 55 77 777. Alternatively, an AIRMILES account can be set up directly through a collection partner. AIRMILES employs around 580 staff and is based on two sites: the head offi ce is in Crawley near Gatwick and the Travel Centre is based in Birchwood, near Warrington. BRITISH AIRWAYS HOLIDAYS British Airways Holidays is a wholly owned subsidiary of the airline. The business sells ground products (hotels, cars, transfers and sightseeing) to around 200,000 British Airways customers each year in over 80 countries around the world. The products are distributed through ba.com, British Airways Call Centres and in some markets through the travel trade. Annual turnover is over £70 million. Ground products are provided in almost all gateway locations that British Airways and their Alliance Partners fl y to. The business is a global leader for inbound holidays into the UK and British Airways Holidays is one of the largest providers of accommodation in London, with an excellent range of products and competitive pricing. Additionally British Airways Holidays sells package holidays to key longhaul destinations such as Florida, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and the Indian Ocean and has a superlative range of hotels in its prestige programme. To fi nd out more, select the “Flights and More” tab on ba.com. CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Corporate Communications enhances, protects and manages the global reputation of British Airways and ensures that a wide range of audiences including staff, customers, shareholders, media and governments are aware of developments and issues involving the airline. Corporate Communications operates on a 24 hour, seven day a week basis and responds to tens of thousands of media every year. An internal communications team, part of Corporate Communications, produces BA News, a weekly newspaper available to more than 45,000 staff. The team also manages content for the airline’s Intranet, which is used to communicate to staff all around the business, including thousands of fl ight crew, cabin crew and staff working overseas. This is one of the key channels used in keeping a mobile workforce up-to-date with the latest news and policies. Corporate Communications is based at the airline’s Waterside headquarters near Heathrow airport. There is also a dedicated team in New York covering North America. A number of specialist communications agencies are employed to deliver the airlines’ key messages to customers and media in more than 80 other countries where the airline operates. BRITISH AIRWAYS WORLD CARGO British Airways is one of the top ten leading cargo airlines in the world and transports over 590,000 tonnes of freight, mail and courier traffi c each year. British Airways World Cargo is a separate contribution centre and generated £498 million in turnover in the year to March 31, 2006. 89% of which was earned outside the UK. In 2006 the carrier launched two new products: Constant Climate for temperature-sensitive freight and Prioritise for time- sensitive freight. To support these and other premium products, more than £15 million was invested in a new, purpose-built facility at Heathrow. BA World Cargo opened Premia in September 2006, on time and on budget. Every day, the carrier transports a range of products for many businesses and industries all over the world, from fresh produce, biotechnology products, a vast range of electronic goods, spare parts for cars, ships and aircraft, textiles, and fashion goods to family pets relocating with their owners. One of the carrier’s greatest strengths is the British Airways network, spanning nearly 200 destinations in over 80 countries. To supplement this, BA World Cargo has developed a network that profi tably meets the needs of its customers. The carrier operates a scheduled longhaul freighter service that provides additional capacity, serving key destinations worldwide. The freighters not only increase fl ight frequency to key destinations but also offer the opportunity to accommodate requests for large or unusual airfreight. BA World Cargo is growing its shorthaul freighter programme in Europe using wide body DHL freighters in response to customer demand. By January 2007, the schedule was delivering 45 weekly services to 11 European destinations. The freighters, interline agreements with other airlines, and an extensive trucking network in key markets allow the carrier to connect to almost any city that it doesn’t serve directly with the British Airways and BA World Cargo network. 54 British Airways Fact Book 2007 At the heart of the BA World Cargo global network is Ascentis, one of the world’s most advanced freight processing facilities, with capacity to handle 800,000 tonnes of cargo annually. It delivers consistently high operational performance, driven by leading edge technology and the commitment of more than 2,000 people across the network. Freight is transported effi ciently between cargo handling facilities and aircraft by drivers using an electronic tracking system that speedily processes the necessary information and directs them to the next location. BA World Cargo has two other cargo handling facilities at Heathrow: Premia and the Perishables Handling Centre (PHC). At 72,000 square metres, Premia - where premium products that require special handling are processed - has three times the handling capacity of the building it replaced. The facility has allowed the carrier to take advantage of new and emerging product streams and to offer a range of bespoke premium services. Every year, more than 85,000 tonnes of perishable goods - fruit, vegetables, fi sh and fl owers - are processed through the PHC. The facility is operated by Salvesen’s on behalf of BA World Cargo. The wide range of value-added services it offers for importers and major supermarket chains enables them to put fresh produce on their shelves the same day as the shipment arrived. BA World Cargo’s customers use its website www.baworldcargo.com to track their freight and to generate bar codes for their consignments. Customers can also book online through Global Freight Exchange, which is now available in 35 countries. e-bookings for BA World Cargo in 2006 were up by 20 percent year on year. BA World Cargo is a founder member of Cargo 2000 (C2K), an IATA interest group that is setting new standards for the air cargo industry. In 2006 the carrier extended its monitoring of the operational performance for participating forwarders’ freight across its network and plans to publish key C2K metrics in 2007. GROUND OPERATIONS Ground Operations consists of four key areas whose prime objective is to deliver a safe, secure ground operation with excellent customer service. Heathrow Ground Services – Management of customer service and terminal operations at Heathrow. Gatwick, UK Regions and International Customer Service - Management of ground operations at LGW and mainline UK regional airports plus operational compliance at all International airports. Ground Operations Compliance – Management of regulatory requirements for safety and quality at airports worldwide. Terminal 5 Development – Ensuring the Terminal 5 building will allow British Airways to deliver an effi cient and effective operation. BRITISH AIRWAYS ENGINEERING British Airways Engineering is a world leading aviation maintenance organisation providing full support for the aircraft fl eets of British Airways and for the aircraft of a number of other customer airlines. It currently employs 5400 staff both in the UK and at stations overseas supporting British Airways’ global network. The organisation has a world-wide reputation for engineering excellence and its technical and logistics expertise supports airline operations on every continent, 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day. British Airways Engineering’s core capabilities are centred on Boeing 747, 777 and 767 for longhaul operations, and Boeing 737, 757, 767 and the Airbus single aisle family for the shorthaul network. Fully equipped hangar facilities at the main operating hubs of London Heathrow and London Gatwick, and at Glasgow, are supported by workshops, technical and design services, and a comprehensive warehousing and logistics network. The organisation has also invested in three world class operations based in South Wales, dedicated to delivering Boeing 747 and 777 heavy maintenance and repair and overhaul of avionics and interiors equipment. The extensive maintenance network extends overseas with some 60 British Airways Engineering ‘line maintenance’ stations established at airports around the globe. Again, these support British Airways and its subsidiaries together with a number of customer airlines. British Airways Engineering utilises a large network of top quality suppliers based around the world to complement the internal capabilities of the organisation. In addition to its everyday task of ensuring the safety and operating reliability of aircraft through excellence in maintenance, British Airways Engineering continues to focus on the growing technical capability within the passenger cabin. World class design, delivery, and in-service support of new cabin products demonstrates that British Airways Engineering has a major role to play in helping to deliver on-board customer satisfaction. In recent years, Engineering has undergone signifi cant change as it continues to develop its expertise and enhance its effi ciency. Constant focus by Engineering is helping maintain British Airways and its world-class service in an increasingly competitive global market. British Airways Fact Book 2007 55 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (Im) Information Management (Im) is responsible for all IT across the British Airways Group and plays a fundamental role in shaping the future of the airline. As a full-service, network carrier committed to providing the right service to our customers, high performing IT and telecommunications systems, along with effective and simple processes, are vital to the running of the Group’s business. Cost-effective deployment of technology, and using it effectively, is a critical skill in the airline industry and one that is enhancing British Airways’ proposition, enabling our customers, and generating productivity. Im’s objectives are to: 1. Deliver a secure, robust and reliable worldwide IT Operation 24x7 at a reducing absolute cost; 2. Deliver IT projects to time, budget and specifi cation, with a year-on-year productivity improvement; 3. Simplify BA processes by delivering effi cient solutions implemented by business change capability. 2006 was another award-winning year for British Airways’ IT with Im receiving the top award from Computing magazine for Outstanding Contribution to UK IT. This was a tremendous and indeed unique accolade for an entire IT department. The award was recognition and citation for the sustained 5 years of hard work and pivotal role IT has played in turning BA round since 9/11. The following are examples of initiatives being undertaken by Im that serve to illustrate how the objectives for IT in British Airways are being met and also how Im is supporting British Airways’ corporate objectives. IT OPERATIONS Critical to the airline’s 24 hour a day operation, IT Operations manages British Airways’ IT infrastructure, including some of the Group’s most critical systems. Against a background of reduced costs and manpower, the airline’s key systems have been increasingly reliable and available. In addition, a strong focus on reducing the cost of running the IT operation, coupled with the improved productivity and effi ciency of the IT Delivery unit, has created the room for more investment in IT development. Decreasing IT Ops Spend in favour of Investment 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/6 2006/7 fcst P er ce n ta g e o f IT S p en d IT investment Cost of running the IT operations CUSTOMER SELF SERVICE Driving simplifi cation of the airline’s business processes through IT continues to be a core element of out IT strategy. The vision to make British airways a company so easy to do business with that customers choose to serve themselves continues to drive our business processes and systems. The same principles are applied internally for employees through the Employee Self Service Programme. ba.com has recently been re-launched with a new look and feel. It continues to offer customers award winning functionality for buying tickets and managing bookings before travel. The fare-explorer booking engine is still a market leader after 5 years and puts the customer fi rmly in control, with easy access to BA’s product and pricing, including the ability to trade up both cabin and ticket fl exibility. With the introduction of the Shopping Basket feature, passengers are now also given the