How things have changed

SIXTY years ago, British Airways, then called BOAC – British Overseas Airways Corporation – became the first airline to fly a turbo jet engine aircraft between Europe and New York, reducing the journey time from 18 hours to around seven. First jet engine flight across the Atlantic On October 4, 1958 the airline flew two de Havilland Comet 4 aircraft, one from New York to London and the other from London to New York.

Back in 1958, Comet 4 could fly just 48 customers every day from London. Today British Airways operates up to 12 flights a day from the capital, offering around 3,500 seats. On the Comet there were two cabins, Deluxe and First Class. Today, British Airways flights feature four cabins, to suit all budgets – World Traveller, World Traveller Plus, Club World and First. In 1958 a ticket to travel on the Comet staggeringly cost the equivalent of £8,000.

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JAL launches new route between London & Tokyo

JAPAN Airlines (JAL) is set to launch a new direct morning flight each way between London and Tokyo starting from 29th October, 2017.

The new service will operate between Tokyo’s Haneda (HND) and London’s Heathrow (LHR) airports. The outward flight will depart from LHR at 9:30am and arrive at HND the following day at 6:25am, while the return flight will depart from HND at 2:45am and arrive at LHR later the same day at 6:25am.

With the addition of the new daily nonstop service, JAL will operate a total of four flights daily to and from Japan together with its partner airline British Airways (BA). The addition will greatly enhance choice for customers, as both outbound and inbound flights offer completely different departure and arrival timings to those of JAL’s existing services between the two countries.

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Up in the air . . .

British Airways Operated by C

omair

wishes to advi

s

e

you

that there will be

a

n

additional

flight into and out of

Victoria Falls from Johannesburg

with effect from

the 28

th

of July

.

British Airways Operated by C

omair

wishes to advi

s

e

you

that there will be

a

n

additional

flight into and out of

Victoria Falls from Johannesburg

with effect from

the 28

th

of July

.

BA Comair has announced there will be an additional flight into and out of Victoria Falls from Johannesburg with effect from the 28th of July until the 12th November.

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BA Island Challenge

Mercedesz at Peel Castle, Isle of Man

RESIDENTS on the Isle of Man were asked to put their local knowledge to the test recently as the British Airways island challenge took off. The airline teamed up with 3FM Radio for a unique treasure hunt to promote the return British Airways flights between the #IsleofMan and London City Airport. 

Luke Hayhoe, British Airways’ general manager commercial and customer said: “We had a fantastic two days visiting some of the most beautiful parts of the Isle of Man. We visited local travel agents and also had fun with the radio station testing people’s local knowledge. “The Isle of Man-London City route is very important to us and we always welcome the opportunity to get involved with the local community to promote the flights.” 

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Picture Credit: British Airways

BA to fly to Tehran

BRITISH AIRWAYS direct flights to #Iran, the new six times a week service started on September 1 . 

Following the recent relaxation of sanctions, which opens up exciting new prospects for Iran as a tourist destination.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Head of network and fleet, said: “British Airways has a long history of flying to Iran so we are very excited to be launching our new six times a week service, direct from Heathrow to Tehran. “Iran is a fascinating country, full of amazing and surprising places for tourists to visit and discover its sophisticated and ancient culture.

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Picture Credit: British Airways

Up in the air …

BRITISH AIRWAYS customers can now meditate their way to a more relaxing flight – it says here – thanks to an in-flight entertainment channel on the airline’s long-haul routes. The Headspace video channel offers content designed to help travellers unwind in the air, by practicing simple meditation and mindfulness exercises.

Guided by Headspace co-founder, and former monk, Andy Puddicombe, each exercise focuses on a different topic, such as enabling stressed parents and anxious travellers to feel happier and more relaxed, overcoming jet lag or just helping them to get the most from every minute of their journey.

Troy Warfield, British Airways’ director of customer experience, said: ‘We know our customers value making the most of their time on our aircraft and the new Headspace channel on our in-flight entertainment system offers them a fantastic way to make their flight more fulfilling and relaxed. Our partnership with Headspace means their specially curated content offers customers a range of guided meditations to unwind, de-stress, and feel happier and more relaxed, all from the comfort of their aircraft seat, at 35,000 ft.’

SCHEDULED passenger flights between the US and Cuba could resume as early as the autumn. Eight airlines have been tentatively awarded rights to operate a total of 20 daily flights between the US and Havana.

Airlines that won rights include American Airlines Group, Delta, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, and Southwest Airlines. They will be allowed to operate flights between Havana and Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa, Fla., Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, and New York.

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Up in the air …

LONDON is the world’s most connected city with 351 direct international flights, beating New York, Paris, Berlin, and Tokyo, according to research by Rome2rio. 

Paris is second, with connectivity to 291 destinations followed by Frankfurt (278) and Amsterdam (242). The most internationally connected city in North America is Toronto with 154 different destinations. New York with its three airports connects with 137 different international destinations.

The second most connected city in the English-speaking world is in fact Manchester, England, with 162 international connections.

AIR TRAVEL last year was 30% safer than the five-year average, according to the latest figures. In 2015 there was one major accident for every 3.1 million flights, says IATA chief Tony Tyler. He said air accidents are extremely rare and flying remains the safest way to travel. But he added: ‘The EgyptAir tragedy reminds us that safety is a constant challenge.’

Mr Tyler said air travel security has been tested in the last 12 months, with atrocities including the death of 224 people when a Russian Metrojet flight from Sharm el Sheikh crashed in the Sinai desert, the suicide bomb on Somali-owned Daallo Airlines, and the terror attacks at Brussels Airport. ‘All are grim reminders that terrorists do not care who they victimize in trying to achieve their ends – including innocent travellers … Flying is safe and it is secure. But we cannot take that for granted, for even a second.’

BRITISH AIRWAYS is rolling out its pre-order meal service for customers on long-haul flights from Gatwick. The service was introduced at Heathrow in 2014.

Customers can select their meal between 24 hours and 30 days before their flight using 'manage my booking' on the airline's website.

BA has added several new long-haul routes from Gatwick this year, including Costa Rica, New York, Lima, which launches today, and Cape Town starting on November 24.

HAVANA to be the next Eurowings long-haul destination, as from December, with weekly flights from Cologne/Bonn.

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BA revives Inverness-London route

BRITISH AIRWAYS has launched direct flights between Inverness and London Heathrow. The daily service re-connects the capital of the Highlands to London Heathrow for the first time in almost a decade.

Economic analysis released by Heathrow predicts the route will have a significant positive impact on the Inverness economy with benefits for regional industries such as life sciences, food and drink, and tourism. The research found that for in-bound tourism alone, the link will could generate up to £8 million a year in additional growth.

Whisky and Salmon are the biggest contributors to the value of Scotland’s international exports of food and drink and are key sectors in the area around Inverness and the Highlands.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: ‘The Inverness-Heathrow route offers so much potential for the businesses and people of the north west of Scotland who for too long have been let down by the indecision on airport expansion. The new route means more growth and a more secure economic future for the Highlands.’

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British Airways announces new route to Alicante from London City

BRITISH AIRWAYS has announced plans to launch a new service to #Alicante from London City Airport this summer. 

The new flights to the popular holiday destination on Spain’s Costa Blanca will operate four times a week for 10 weeks from the end of June.

With the launch of the Alicante flights, BA will serve 33 destinations direct from the Docklands, where the airline is also launching new services to Berlin and Hamburg this summer.

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Picture Credit: Polop de la Marina</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin

BA to show latest Star Wars film on long-haul flights

BRITISH AIRWAYS is to show the international box office smash #StarWars, #TheForceAwakens, on its long-haul flights. 

From March 1 and for four months, long-haul passengers can enjoy the film in immersive 3D sound. 

Troy Warfield, BA director of customer experience, said: ‘Blockbusters don't come much bigger than Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, which more than deserves all the hype generated by fans desperate to the see the latest twist in this incredible film series. 

‘We know it will be a huge hit with our customers, eager to watch the return of Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker - not forgetting R2D2 and C3PO.’

Also showing from March 1 are Spectre, The Martian, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 

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Airlines ready for Xmas

BRITISH AIRWAYS is preparing for Christmas 2015 with more than 450 of its pilots expecting to fly 35,000 customers across the world on December 25.

There will be more than 3,400 British Airways cabin crew working on Christmas Day, while over the course of the festive period (December 24 to December 31) the airline will have more than 10,000 cabin crew on duty.

easyJet has predicted that Friday, December 19 will be the busiest Christmas get-away day in the airline’s history – with more than 204,000 passengers set to fly on more than 1,300 flights across the network. A record 2.5 million passengers will fly with the airline between December 17 and January 4.

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