British Airways in merger talks with Qantas

LONDON — British Airways announced today that it is in merger talks with Australia’s Qantas Airways, according to the Associated Press. The potential merger would be added to a list of airlines BA is pursuing, including a revenue-sharing deal with American Airlines and Iberia.

AP quotes BA in statement to the London Stock Exchange as saying “There is no guarantee that any transaction will be forthcoming and a further announcement will be made in due course, if appropriate.”

 

source: USA today

British Airways cutting fuel surcharge

LONDON (AP) — British Airways is cutting its fuel surcharges because of the falling price of oil, the company said Wednesday.

The reduction applies on tickets purchased beginning Thursday, and the company is not offering refunds to customers who booked flights earlier at the higher price.

The airline is reducing the charge on world traveler class flights of nine hours or longer from 96 pounds ($147) to 66 pounds. For first class and club class passengers on those long-haul flights, the surcharge will be reduced 30 pounds to 85 pounds.

Surcharges on domestic and European flights are being cut by 25 percent, the airline said.

source: The Associated Press

British Airways Offers Check-in Via Mobile Phone

It might only run two flights a day out of Australia, but British Airway’s launch of a mobile phone check-in option is still a welcome harbinger for more airlines eventually making it possible to check-in ahead of time without a PC and a printer. Given that BA’s destinations are all overseas, this won’t save you queuing at the airport (unless you’re already in the UK and taking a British domestic flight), but it should guarantee you a better seat for a long trip. As I don’t have any pending BA bookings, I wasn’t able to check how well the feature works, or if you can use it for the domestic flights which BA codeshares with Qantas, though my guess would be not. If you’ve tried it out, share your experience in the comments.

source: www.lifehacker.com.au

British Airways new Club World flies into Qatar

British Airways has introduced its Boeing 747 aircraft with the new Club World cabin on the Qatar route in the winter schedule.

The new cabin, based on extensive research, with the customer in mind, offers a wider and more comfortable bed, which for the first time has a ‘z’ bed position, which increases from six feet to six and a half feet, supporting the knees and the back and is perfect for lounging, working or watching the in-flight entertainment.
The seat features a new privacy screen, and larger tables make it easier for customers to work, and a locker underneath the seat next to each customer for them to store computers, shoes or a handbag.
Club World travelers can also choose whether to have the full meal service or help themselves to the new Club Kitchen snacks in between, should they want to work, sleep or relax.

Bmi axes fuel surcharge on short-haul routes

Bmi has confirmed that it is removing all fuel surcharges on flights it operates within the UK and Europe. The airline said it is making the move in recognition of the worsening economic situation, which it said heightened the need for "more affordable and transparent airfares".

But surcharges will still apply on all short-haul flights operated by subsidiary carrier bmi regional. The axing of fuel surcharges marks the first major policy announcement by Heathrow’s second largest carrier since Lufthansa confirmed it was taking it over. Bmi managing director Peter Spencer said the travelling public stood to gain the most from the decision.

He commented: "Our extensive UK domestic and European mainline network links 17 cities and the abolition of fuel surcharges on these short haul flights are designed to help encourage more business and leisure travel." Last month, Virgin and BA announced that they were both reducing their fuel surcharges in response to the falling cost of oil.

source: news.cheapflights.co.uk

British Airways launches economy flight sale

British Airways has launched a promotion in the UK which gives travellers discounts of up to 40% off flights worldwide.

Sun revellers can escape to Mauritius from just £603 (saving up to £112), seek an adventure packed safari in Johannesburg from £544 (saving up to £149) or fall head over heels in love with scenic Cape town from £584 (saving up to £173).

Dubai is on sale from only £299 (saving up to £40) and Abu Dhabi is available from £339 (saving up to £73).

Relax your mind and body on sandy white beaches and idyllic surroundings of the Caribbean. Choose from Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia or Grenada all from only £499 (saving £127, £140, £142 and £187 respectively).

Treat yourself to paradise and fly the new direct service to St Kitts from only £499 (saving up to £256). Flights start from Gatwick on January 10, 2009.

Early Christmas shopping sprees to New York and Boston are on sale from only £279 (saving up to £21 and £42).

Visit the White House in Washington from £279 (saving up to £32), admire the views from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco from £339 (saving up to £26) or stroll along the walk of fame in Los Angeles from £339 (saving up to £26).

Customers booking flights to selected destinations in the United States can benefit from a one-way upgrade to our premium economy cabin, World Traveller Plus from only £129. The World Traveller Plus cabin gives customers wider seats and more space and privacy.

With prices from £329 to Toronto (saving up to £49) and Montreal (saving up to £50) and Calgary from £449 (saving up to £210) travellers can enjoy a city break whilst taking in the natural beauty of Canada.

Culture vultures can escape to Bangkok from £609 (saving up to £185) and vibrant Singapore from £609 (saving up to £181). Fly to Shanghai from £489 (saving of up to £55) and enjoy the cherry blossom trees in Tokyo from £557 (saving up to £67).

City breaks from London Gatwick to Europe include Barcelona, Naples, Madrid and Venice from £42 one-way.

Short breaks from Heathrow include Frankfurt from £52 one-way, Milan from £59 one-way or enriched with culture Vienna from £65 one-way.

source: www.ba.com

BMI being taken over by Lufthansa

UK airline BMI is being taken over by Germany’s Lufthansa.

Lufthansa, which already owns a 30% stake in BMI minus one share, is buying the 50% of the company owned by BMI chairman Sir Michael Bishop. The deal will give Lufthansa control of more flights from London Heathrow airport than any other airline except British Airways. The remaining 20% of BMI is currently owned by Sweden-based Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).

BMI flew 10.6 million passengers last year and operates 54 aircraft. It controls 11% of landing and take-off slots at Heathrow. Lufthansa said it intended to complete the deal by 16 January. It has not said how much it is paying for the 50% stake. The German airline signed an agreement with Sir Michael back in 1989 that if he ever wanted to sell his BMI stake, it would have first refusal.

source: www.bbc.co.uk

British Airways launched Daily Gatwick to New York flights

Daily wide-body British Airways flights between JFK International Airport and London Gatwick Airport will begin on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008.

British Airways will operate a daily B777 in each direction in a four-class seat configuration: 14 First class; 48 Club World (business class); 40 World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and 124 World Traveller (economy).

Flights to London Gatwick will depart JFK’s Terminal 7 each evening at 6 p.m. and arrive the following morning at 6:05 a.m. Westbound flights will depart Gatwick at 11:20 a.m. and arrive at JFK Terminal 7 the same afternoon at 2:15 p.m.

The new flights mean that British Airways will fly 62 times each week from JFK to London as the Gatwick flights will operate in additional to 55 flights to Heathrow.

"The new JFK-Gatwick flight will give our customers even more choice when flying between New York and London," said Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Vice President Americas, British Airways. "Not only does British Airways already have an extensive schedule from both JFK and Newark to London Heathrow, but next year we plan to launch business-only flights between JFK and London City Airport."

Customers planning travel to the European continent via Gatwick have a choice of excellent connections to a wide range of continental destinations in Italy, France, Ireland and numerous other countries.

Further information on flight schedules, airfares and British Airways Holidays is available from travel agents, or by visiting British Airways web site.

source: www.marketwatch.com

British Airways’ move to terminal 5 complete

British Airways has completed its move into Heathrow’s Terminal 5 with the transfer yesterday of services to 12 destinations from Terminal 4. The move affects passengers to Boston, Dubai, Calgary, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Montreal, Denver, Seattle, Dhaka and Shanghai. Flights to Islamabad, currently suspended after the bomb blast in the city in late September, will also operate from terminal 5 when they resume.

A BA spokesman said the move had “gone well”, in contrast to the botched opening of the terminal in March. The transfer of long-haul services to the terminal were phased in a effort to avoid a repetition of the chaos. Some 500 flights operated from the terminal yesterday, carrying 64,000 passengers.

The latest move now means that just a handful of BA services now operate from other terminals. Flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Sydney will continue to operate from terminal 4 until next year, when they move to a dedicated check-in zone in terminal 3. These flights are run in conjunction with BA’s oneworld partner Qantas, which will move its services to terminal 3 next year.

BA also plans to move its Barcelona, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid and Nice services, currently operating from terminal 1, to terminal 3 on 27 January 2009.

Cathay denies British Airways takeover rumours

HONG KONG (AFP) — Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific on Thursday denied market rumours that it was planning a takeover of British Airways. "These rumours are unfounded. We have no plans to buy British Airways," a Cathay spokeswoman said in a brief statement.

London-listed shares of BA rose on Wednesday on speculation that the firm was a takeover target. BA is in merger talks with Spanish national carrier Iberia, but company president Willie Walsh said in an interview in early October the move would take longer than expected due to the downturn in the aviation sector.

Cathay said last week its passenger numbers had dropped in September due to the global financial crisis, its first fall since 1993. The airline said in its company newsletter earlier this month it had been "hit hard" by the economic downturn, with a significant drop in the number of first and business class travellers.

source: afp.google.com

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