TRAFFIC AND CAPACITY STATISTICS - SEPTEMBER 2004
Summary of the headline figures
In September 2004, passenger capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres, was
0.6 per cent above September 2003 and traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger
Kilometres, was higher by 3.6 per cent. This resulted in a passenger load factor up
2.2 points versus last year, to 77.9 per cent. The increase in traffic comprised a 0.2
per cent decrease in premium traffic and a 4.2 per cent increase in non-premium
traffic. Cargo, measured in Cargo Tonne Kilometres, rose by 13.6 per cent. Overall
load factor rose by 3.8 points to 72.4 per cent.
For the July to September quarter, ASKs rose by 2.1 per cent, with RPKs rising by
4.7 per cent. This resulted in an increase in passenger load factor of 2.0 points, to
78.4 per cent. This comprised a 4.6 per cent increase in premium traffic and a 4.7
per cent increase in non-premium traffic. CTKs rose by 19.3 per cent.
Market conditions
Market conditions remain unchanged. Longhaul premium volumes are recovering,
while shorthaul premium travel remains at lower levels. Non-premium volumes are
very price-sensitive. Revenue is still expected to be some 2-3 per cent higher in this
financial year.
Strategic Developments
British Airways completed the sale of its 18.25 per cent shareholding in Qantas. The
gross sale proceeds were A$1.1 billion (approximately £430 million) which the
airline received on 14 September. The airline expects to use the proceeds to repay
part of its existing gross debt which at June 30, 2004 amounted to £5.6 billion.
British Airways announced a series of measures to improve operational performance.
The winter schedule was announced and includes new services to Switzerland,
Greece, Croatia and Lithuania.
British Airways’ has introduced a bistro style restaurant at New York’s JFK airport for
business passengers to sample dishes created by UK based Michelin starred chefs
including Richard Corrigan of The Lindsay House in London, Vineet Bhatia from
Rasoi in London and Shaun Hill from The Merchant House in Ludlow.
British Airways celebrated 65 years of operations to Birmingham, 45 years to
Moscow and 20 years to Cape Town.
The airline swept the board at the Business Traveller magazine awards ceremony in
UK, picking up seven awards including best airline, best first class, best business
class, best economy class, best longhaul airline, best shorthaul airline and best
frequent flyer programme. The oneworld alliance won the best airline alliance.
Marketing magazine voted British Airways one of the UK’s best loved brands.
Ends 8 October 2004
BRITISH AIRWAYS TO INCREASE FLIGHTS
British Airways is set to expand its business in India following the successful outcome
of air service talks between the UK and Indian governments.
Airlines of the UK and India have each been granted 21 additional weekly flights
between the UK and India as a result of the government talks that took place in
London this week.
Andy Stern, British Airways’ General Manager South Asia, said: “We are delighted
that the UK and Indian governments have been able to agree successfully on
additional air frequencies between the two countries. It is the first time in nearly two
decades that there has been any significant increase in air services between the UK
and India.
“We have said for a long time that the Indian market is underserved. The decision to
give airlines of the UK and India permission to operate more flights is good news for
all air travellers in the two countries. It will offer our passengers greater flexibility to
fly direct to and from London. It is also good news for tourism to India and will
further improve business links between the UK and India. We have been operating
from the UK to India since 1929 and are fully committed to serving the Indian
market with high quality travel, non-stop to the UK with a worldwide network of 216
destinations in 94 countries. In 2001/02 we introduced our 21
st
Century air travel
concept, which included a four-cabin configuration, introducing World Traveller Plus,
a new premier economy cabin. In addition to the flat bed in our First cabin, we
introduced the first fully flat bed in business class in our Club World cabin and an
enhanced customer proposition through the entire journey.
“We have been committed to increasing the number of flights to cities we already fly
to and look forward to the possibility of starting flights to new destinations such as
Bangalore and Hyderabad.”
As a result of the talks, which concluded on 17 September 2004, the airlines of both
the countries would be entitled to 40 weekly frequencies, with the airlines of the UK
now being able to operate flights to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cochin.
Andy Stern continued: “We will now work with the UK government to develop our
plans for expansion in a phased manner.”
Ends 19 September 2004
TRAFFIC AND CAPACITY STATISTICS - AUGUST 2004
Summary of the headline figures
In August 2004, passenger capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres, was 2
per cent above August 2003 and traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres,
was higher by 2.3 per cent. This resulted in a passenger load factor up 0.3 points
versus last year, to 77.7 per cent. The increase in traffic comprised a 5 per cent
increase in premium traffic and a 1.9 per cent increase in non-premium traffic. Cargo,
measured in Cargo Tonne Kilometres, rose by 19.3 per cent. Overall load factor rose
by 1.9 points to 71.5 per cent.
Market conditions
Market conditions remain unchanged. Longhaul premium volumes are recovering
steadily, while shorthaul premium travel remains at lower levels. Non-premium
volumes are very price-sensitive. Revenue is still expected to be some 2-3 per cent
higher in this financial year
Strategic Developments
In August the airline suffered operational disruptions due to a number of causes,
including bad weather, runway closures, technical problems with aircraft and baggage
system failures. This resulted in the cancellation of some 1 per cent of the scheduled
ASKs in the month. Operations recovered by the Bank Holiday weekend when some
225,000 passengers departed Heathrow, slightly up on the previous year.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has proposed granting
continued authorisation to the joint services agreement (JSA) between British
Airways and Qantas for a period of 5 years. The JSA covers routes between Australia
and Europe, including services between Australia and intermediate points such as
Bangkok and Singapore.
British Airways’ annual autumn long haul sale was announced with more than 1.5
million discounted flight tickets to more than 50 worldwide destinations and savings
of up to £208. The special World Offer fares are on sale until September 28 for
travel during differing time periods from September 2 through to June 30 2005.
The airline posted pre-tax profits of £115 million for the first quarter to June 30,
2004. The operating profit was £150 million delivering an operating margin of 7.8
per cent.
Ends 8 September 2004
AIRLINE SELLS QANTAS STAKE
British Airways has announced its intention to sell its 18.25 per cent shareholding in
Qantas by way of an underwritten offering managed by an international bank.
The gross sale proceeds are expected to be not less than A$1,090 million
(approximately £425 million).
British Airways acquired its original shareholding in Qantas in 1993 for A$665
million (£304 million). Since the original investment British Airways has received
A$600 million in dividends.
British Airways’ chief executive Rod Eddington said: “Our shareholders have had a
good return from our investment in Qantas. We now believe it is in our best interests
to sell our shares to pay down our debt and continue to strengthen our balance
sheet.
“A strong balance sheet will place British Airways in a robust position for any future
European consolidation.
“The share sale has no impact on the existing business relationship between the two
airlines and is not linked to our joint services agreement (JSA) which continues. The
JSA is a strong, well established relationship which brings real commercial benefits to
both British Airways and Qantas.”
The JSA between British Airways and Qantas has recently been given draft approval
for a five-year extension by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The JSA includes joint flight schedules, sales and operations between Australia,
South East Asia, the UK and Europe.
A further announcement about the share sale will be made in the next 48 hours on
conclusion of the process.
Notes to Editors:
1. British Airways plc (“BA”) has entered into an underwritten agreement to place its
entire 18.251% stake in the Australian airline Qantas Airways Limited (“Qantas”)
into the market.
2. Qantas is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and BA’s shareholding in it was
held through a wholly owned subsidiary, British Airways (Investments) Australia Pty
Limited.
3. The gross sale proceeds are expected to be not less than A$1,090 million and will
be satisfied wholly in cash by September 14, 2004.
4. BA will also receive a final dividend from its Qantas shareholding totalling
A$30.3million (approximately £12 million) and payable on September 29, 2004.
5. Total proceeds before taxation from the dividend and sale of shares are expected
to be approximately A$1,120 million (approximately £437 million). Taxation payable
on the sale is expected to be approximately A$33 million (approximately £13
mllion).
6. There will be a provisional accounting loss on sale for UK statutory accounting
purposes of approximately £12 million pre-tax. This will be recognised in BA’s half-
year results to September 30, 2004.
7. In BA’s UK reported statutory accounts for the year ended 31 March 2004 the net
assets of Qantas which are the subject of the transaction were included at £390
million and the pre-tax profit attributable to BA’s shareholding in Qantas was £47
million.
8. BA intends to use the proceeds to repay part of its existing gross debt which at
June 30, 2004 amounted to £5.6bn.
9. Qantas closing share price on Tuesday September 7, 2004 was A$3.33. BA’s
closing share price was £2.36p.
10. The two carriers began co-operating on the ‘kangaroo’ routes in 1995 following
approval for revenue sharing from the Australian competition authorities.
Ends 8 September 2004
BRITISH AIRWAYS Q1 RESULTS
• Pre-tax profit of £115 million
• Operating profit of £150 million
• Revenue up 5.1 per cent to £1.9 billion
• Total costs down 0.9 per cent and unit costs improve 9.1 per cent
• Net debt down by £334 million to £3.8 billion
British Airways today posted a pre-tax profit of £115 million (2003: £45 million
loss reflecting the full impact of the war in Iraq and SARS) for the first quarter to
June 30, 2004.
The operating profit for the first quarter was £150 million (2003: £40 million
profit) delivering an operating margin of 7.8 per cent.
Martin Broughton, British Airways’ chairman, said: “Market conditions remain
unchanged since our last report. Longhaul premium volumes are recovering
steadily, while short-haul premium travel remains at lower levels. The non-
premium markets are very price sensitive.
“We continue to forecast a revenue improvement of 2-3 per cent in the
current year. Yield declines over the full year are expected to be more than
offset by increased volume. Strategies to curb controllable costs remain the
key to achieving long-term, sustainable profitability.”
Passenger capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased by
3.4 per cent for the quarter and revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) were up 7.9
per cent. Seat factor was up 3.1 points at 74.9 per cent in the quarter.
Yield measured as pence per RPK deteriorated by 4.5 per cent – driven largely by
foreign exchange movements.
Cargo volumes, measured in cargo tonne kilometers (CTKs), were up 15.1 per
cent compared with last year, with yields down 9.3 per cent. Overall load factor
was up 2.3 points at
69.2 per cent.
Total costs were down by 0.9 per cent. Selling costs, down 14.2 per cent due to
travel agents’ commission restructuring and renegotiations in distribution
contracts. Unit costs improved by 9.1 per cent in the same period driven largely
by foreign exchange movements and capacity increases.
Fuel costs were up 12.7 per cent to £258 million due to increases in fuel price net
of hedging, and employee costs rose 4.4 per cent.
Revenue in the quarter, at £1,925 million, was up 5.1 per cent.
Net debt was £3,824 million, down £334 million since the start of the financial
year.
Ends 9 August 2004
BRITISH AIRWAYS HAS AN EXCITING OFFER FOR
STUDENTS
It’s that time of the year when students are packing their bags and heading overseas
to pursue their studies.
British Airways has a value packed offer with an attractive fare plus free baggage
allowance of an extra 20 kilos to UK or one extra piece (maximum weight of 32
kilos) when travelling to USA/Canada.
British Airways has also tied up with Air Sahara to make convenient flight
connections from your city of origin to any of the four metros for a direct flight to
London.
Announcing the special offer, Alok Sawhney, Commercial Manager India said: “This
offer provides our young customers value-for-money fares, free excess baggage, a
return ticket that is valid for a year and convenient connections to a wide choice of
destinations in UK, USA and Canada.
“Our aim in launching this offer is to provide an opportunity to our young scholars to
plan a trip that suits their budgets and enables them to carry that extra 20 kilos in
addition to their existing baggage allowance.”
For more details on the offer, please visit us at www.ba.com or you can reach us at
+124 5120747.
Ends 20 July 2004
RECORD NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS USE ONLINE CHECK-IN
ON BA.COM
A record number of British Airways’ customers used the enhanced Online Check-in
facilities last month – with more than 100,000 checking in from the comfort of their
own home.
By visiting ba.com and following the simple instructions customers can spend a
couple of minutes checking in and also have the satisfaction of selecting their seat by
accessing the seat map of the aircraft.
The airline is continuing to improve its Online Check-in technology to help
customers arrive at the airport in a more relaxed frame of mind.
Online Check-in is opened up 24 hours before a flight for Executive Club members
and 12 hours before a flight for Registered Customers. The customers have to visit
ba.com and follow simple instructions for online registration.
British Airways is also improving its portfolio of more than 200 Self-Service
Check-in kiosks in Europe and US. The Self-service machine enables our customers
to save time by checking in at the kiosk themselves and avoid any potential queues in
the airport terminal.
Andy Stern, General Manager South Asia, said: “We want to make our customers’
travel experience as relaxing and easy from start to finish and are encouraging
customers to use self service wherever they can.
“Online Check-in through ba.com is available for our customers from Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
“June saw a record month for self service usage across the airline with just under
500,000 customers either using a kiosk at the airport or Online Check-in via
ba.com.“
To find out more about Online Check-in or Self-Service Check-in kiosks and to
watch a demonstration on how to take advantage of them just visit ba.com and enter
the About My Journey section of the home page.
Notes to the editor:
1. Anyone who is 16 years of age or above can avail the facility of Online
Check-in from India provided they have registered themselves at ba.com.
2. Customers have the convenience of checking in from home/office up to 12
hours before the departure of the flight.
3. It helps them save precious time at the airport as the customers can now pre-
assign the seat of their choice by simply visiting the seat map available on
ba.com.
Ends 16 July 2004
INCREASED LONGHAUL SERVICES START THIS WEEK
British Airways is increasing its long haul services from this week to popular
destinations around the world.
Flights between London Heathrow and Los Angeles will be increased from 14 return
services a week to 17. The extra flights will depart London on Monday, Wednesday
and Saturday.
Holidaymakers and business travellers now also have a greater choice of flights when
flying to the Far East. Starting from June 2, flights between London Heathrow and
Hong Kong will be increased from 14 return services a week to 17. The extra
services will depart London on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
The airline is also increasing the number of return services a week to Beijing from
four a week to five a week.
The winter schedule, which starts at the end of October 2004, is still being finalised,
but there will be additional services to Cape Town in South Africa.
The airline intends to operate 12 return services a week using a Boeing 747 from the
end of October – which is an increase on last winter when there were 10 return
services.
Alok Sawhney, British Airways’ Country Commercial Manager said: “We have
increased the number of flights to some selected popular destinations to facilitate
your travel plans.’’
For further information please visit ba.com or call at +91 124 5120747.
Ends 2 June 2004
NEW SLEEPER SERVICE LAUNCHED
A new sleeper service is being launched tonight for British Airways’ Club World
customers on a range of overnight flights from North America and the Middle East to
London Heathrow.
The service has been created to give customers an even better and longer night’s
sleep and to maximise the use of the multi-award winning Club World flat bed.
The new style of service will be operated on 17 overnight flights and includes a
choice of five dining options before, during and after the flight, a more tranquil cabin
with fewer announcements and complimentary spa treatments on arrival at
Heathrow.
Larger pillows and higher quality thicker blankets will also be offered to all Club
World customers on these flights to help them sleep even better.
The new onboard catering, includes a “Night Cap” service of a hot or cold drink and
a snack such as warmed cookies or a toasted sandwich, substantial snacks from a
“Midnight Munchies” menu such as cereals, luxury ice-cream or a cheese selection.
A “Breakfast in Bed” will also be served as close to landing as possible for those
customers who want it.
Customers can also take advantage of the of the improved pre flight supper options
in the departure lounges and the shower, spa and full breakfast facilities at the British
Airways’ arrivals lounge in Terminal 4.
Up to 70 customers can be seated in Club World and all parts of the cabin will be
included in the new style of service.
Martin George, British Airways’ director of marketing and commercial development,
said: “Club World has been the aviation world’s leading business class product for
several years now but we are constantly looking at ways to make it even better.
“We have acted on customer feedback and created a cabin atmosphere and service
which is designed to maximise customers’ opportunities to sleep and arrive in
London in the best possible shape.
“This is the latest in a series of improvements to our multi-award winning Club World
product and we will be introducing other new ideas later this year.”
Ends 23 April 2004
Notes:
On sleeper service flights from the Middle East customers will also be able to choose
to have a full hot breakfast. Due to the late hour of departure on these flights, there
will not be a pre-flight supper option for customers.
The flights, which have been chosen to have the Club World Sleeper Service are as
follows:
North America:
John F Kennedy, New York to Heathrow: BA176, 114, 116, 182
Newark, New Jersey to Heathrow: BA188 to be launched this summer
Boston to Heathrow: BA214
Philadelphia to Heathrow: BA068
Houston/Chicago to Heathrow: BA294, BA298
Toronto to Heathrow: BA098 and from 1 May BA096
Washington to Heathrow: BA292 to be launched this summer
Middle East:
Dubai to Heathrow: BA106
Doha/Bahrain to Heathrow: BA124
Riyadh to Heathrow: BA262
Muscat/Abu Dhabi to Heathrow: BA072
Jeddah to Heathrow: BA132 to be launched this summer
CHAMPAGNE BAR OPENS IN TERMINAL 1
Corks have been popping at Heathrow this month as British Airways unveiled its first circular
champagne bar for passengers.
The champagne bar, which was officially opened on Sunday 28 March, is located in
the First lounge at London Heathrow’s Terminal One. It is available to British
Airways First Class passengers and Gold Executive Club members and forms part of
the new Lounge Pavilion.
The bar was designed by Stewart Burnett Associates in conjunction with Gary Ranns
from the British Airways Product Development team. It accommodates up to 40
people and offers some of the finest onboard champagnes including Perrier Jouet,
Laurent Perrier and Charles Heidsieck Rose.
The champagne bar is the airline’s first fully manned bar with staff on hand to mix up
a variety of champagne based cocktails including the French 75 (consisting of gin,
sugar, lemon and crushed ice topped with Champagne) and the Copa (consisting of
Champagne, orange juice and Quantro).
It has 20 high plum leather stools plus red velvet chairs in the bar and the
centrepiece is a grand structure in the middle of the bar called the ‘Airco Tree’, which
is a light sculpture specially commissioned by British Airways to enhance the air-
conditioning tower. The ‘Airco Tree’ was created by renowned design company
Droog Design and stands at almost 6 metres in height.
Alok Sawhney, Country Commercial Manager said: “We are extremely excited about
our champagne bar. It is our first fully manned bar and the design concept
represents a move away from the traditional airline bar. We wanted to create a social
scene around the bar so our customers could relax and unwind before their flight.”
Ends 21 April 2004
Notes to editors:
o Photographs of the champagne bar are available on
www.newscast.co.uk
o The airline has just completed its Flight Switch programme with 51 of the
airline’s daily departures from Heathrow switching between Terminals 1 and 4.
The move will see the airline’s longhaul passengers using Terminal 1 for the
first time. To support these additional services, a range of new facilities for
customers have been opened in the terminal.
A QUARTER OF A MILLION MORE LONG HAUL FLIGHT
SEATS
British Airways is increasing the number of flight seats from London to worldwide
long haul destinations this summer by more than a quarter of a million.
The airline is adding 257,000 seats during the summer months with more flights to
popular holiday destinations such as Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Cape Town, Mexico
City, Buenos Aires and Dubai.
South Africa is boosted with18,000 extra air seats this summer to Cape Town with
larger aircraft serving the route. There will be three additional flights a week to
Nairobi and one additional weekly flight to Buenos Aires.
Sunseekers travelling to California have three more flights this summer with the
number of flights between Heathrow and Los Angeles being increased from 14 to 17
flights a week. Mexico City will benefit from two extra flights from Heathrow,
bringing the total number of weekly services to five.
There will be an extra transatlantic service between Heathrow and New York’s John F
Kennedy airport every Saturday bringing the total number of flights a week from
London to 49. Toronto is increasing from 17 to18 flights.
Dubai will have three additional flights bringing the number of services to 17 each
week.
Travel to the Far East this summer is expected to grow with the introduction of more
British Airways’ services to the Chinese capital of Beijing which have been increased
from three a week to five, and flights to Hong Kong have been increased from 14 to
17 a week.
Alok Sawhney, British Airways’ Country Commercial Manager said: “We have
carefully selected some popular holiday destinations and have added a quarter
million more seats to facilitate you to plan your holidays better.’’
Ends 21 April 2004
Notes to editors
o The additional services to Los Angeles and Mexico will operate from early
June throughout the summer.
o The additional service from Toronto starts at the beginning of May and runs
until end of September.
o The new Hong Kong services will run year round.
o The additional services to Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Dubai, Nairobi
and Toronto started at the end of March and will run throughout the summer.
BETTER CONNECTIONS FOR TRANSFER PASSENGERS
British Airways embarks upon the second and final phase of its Heathrow flight
switch programme at the end of March, the beginning of the summer flying season.
The switching of carefully selected flights at Heathrow will make it more convenient
for many of the airline’s transfer passengers to connect between longhaul and
shorthaul flights without changing terminals at the airport.
The first phase of the Heathrow flight switch programme saw the airline’s two daily
Tokyo Narita and two daily Johannesburg services transfer from Terminal 4 to
Terminal 1 at the end of
October 2003.
From 28 March 2004, seven shorthaul services will transfer from Heathrow Terminal
1 to Terminal 4: Brussels, Copenhagen, Geneva, Lyon, Oslo, Vienna and Zurich.
Moving the other way, from Heathrow Terminal 4 to Terminal 1, will be Athens,
Hong Kong, Moscow (Domodedovo),
Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Airport staff, travel agents, BA call centres, Executive Club members, key corporates
and other groups have all been advised and ba.com has been updated.
Leaflets have been distributed at Heathrow and other UK and overseas airports.
Onboard announcements are being made on those flights affected by the changes.
This is supported by information in the airline’s in-flight magazines. As part of a new
trial, the airline will also be sending SMS text reminders to the affected passengers
whose mobile phone contact details are available, just a few hours before their flight
departs Heathrow.
To support the additional longhaul services at Terminal 1, British Airways has
invested in a range of new facilities for its customers, including a new dedicated
check-in zone for premium passengers and new arrivals and departure lounges.
The work by British Airways is part of more than £300 million worth of infrastructure
improvements in Terminal 1 by airport operator BAA, which includes expansion of
the terminal’s departure lounge, departure baggage system, check-in and arrivals
immigration hall.
Martin George, the airline’s director of marketing and commercial development, said:
“This represents the most significant relocation of BA flights at Heathrow since the
airline moved into Terminal 4 in 1986. More than 20 per cent of BA’s daily
Heathrow departures are being switched.
“It is important that passengers check which terminal they are flying from before they
set off. We’re doing everything we can to make information as widely available as
possible for our customers. If anyone is unsure about which terminal, they can visit
ba.com or call the airline.”
Ends 22 March 2004
Note to editors
Full details of the Heathrow flight switch programme and information on check-in
and boarding times can be found at www.ba.com or by ringing the airline’s flight
arrivals and departures telephone numbers.
BRITISH AIRWAYS MOVES TO A NEW OFFICE IN KOLKATA
British Airways office has moved to new premises at L & T Chambers, 16 Camac
Street in Kolkata.
Camac Street is acclaimed to be the modern commercial hub of the ‘City of Joy’. The
move from Chowringhee Road to Camac Street provides convenient access to all
enabling British Airways to meet the growing needs of a global airline.
L & T Chambers offers a world-class corporate centre environment with high quality
amenities, including 100% power back up, central air-conditioning and modern fire-
fighting facilities.
British Airways will occupy approximately 5,500 square feet of accommodation on
the fifth floor.
With a bright ambience, this state-of-the-art office is designed to meet a wide range
of modern business activities that matches the high standards maintained worldwide
by British Airways.
An ‘open plan’ working environment with the latest technology, shared facilities and
common circulation – encourages interaction amongst staff whilst avoiding disruption
to individuals.
Announcing the move, Andy Stern, British Airways' General Manager South Asia,
said: "Our new office is in the heart of the commercial centre of Kolkata making it
more accessible to our customers and travel partners. This is in line with our ongoing
strategy to simplify our business worldwide.
The move to this technologically advanced office is a step forward in our
commitment to further enhance our operations from East India.’’
Ends 22 March 2004
MANAGE YOUR OWN TRAVEL PLANS ON BA.COM
British Airways’ customers are now able to manage their own travel plans at every
stage of their journey from the comfort of their own computer.
The latest part of the new system to be launched on ba.com enables customers to
request their own seats and special meals after they have booked a flight via their
very own unique webpage.
As well as being able to make requests for seats or special dietary requirements,
customers can also use the system called Manage My Booking to:
· Check the exact details of their travel plans
· Email their itineraries to friends or business colleagues who may be meeting them
· Enter their Advanced Passenger Information (API) details before travelling to the
US
· Check-in for their flight, look at arrivals and departures information, book hotels,
cars and insurance
· Add Executive Club membership number
Later this year Manage My Booking will enable customers to:
· Change their booking
· Upgrade their class of travel
· Refund their booking
When requesting a seat, customers are presented with an interactive map of the cabin
and they can move the cursor wherever they choose to sit. They can also change
their seat number if for instance they wish to sit next to a friend or colleague who has
booked at different time.
Customers travelling on all longhaul services or in Club Europe will be able to use
the system to request a designated seat from the time of booking. If there are no
further seats available for pre-allocation then customers can use the online check-in
area of the website to choose a seat. The online check-in facility is opened up to
Executive Club members 24 hours before departure and 12 hours before for
registered users of ba.com
Executive Club members and registered ba.com users flying in Euro Traveller or
domestically in the UK can choose a seat through the online check-in process in the
24 hours and 12 hours respectively before their departure.
The website can be used in this way regardless of where customers are in the world
or how the booking was made. All customers will need are their name and booking
reference (which is made up of a unique combination of six letters or numbers).
Simon Parks-Smith, head of e-commerce at British Airways, said: “Manage My
Booking is the latest part of our website and builds on the success of our unique
selling search engine which has proved to be so popular with our customers.
“We know that there can be many months between making a booking and actually
flying. During that time customers often have questions, requests or want to make
changes and until now they have had to do that on the telephone or at a travel
agency.
“In particular we will be encouraging passengers flying to the US to use Manage My
Booking to enter their Advanced Passenger Information (API) details to help reduce
the amount of time they have to spend giving information at the airport before
departure.
“The Manage My Booking system will give customers far greater control of how they
wish to look after their own travel plans and is a real step forward in the airline
industry.”
Ends 11 March 2004
