Category: British Airways

British Airways Puts Kuala Lumpur Back On The Route Map

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British Airways is to resume direct flights from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur in summer 2015.

The daily service from Terminal 5 will be operated by a four-cabin Boeing 777-200ER, featuring 12 seats in First, 48 in Club World, 32 in World Traveller Plus and a further 127 in World Traveller.

Flights begin on May 27, 2015. British Airways last flew to the Malaysian capital in 2001.

Lynne Embleton, British Airways’ director of business strategy, said: “We have been working to resume flights to Kuala Lumpur for a long time, so it’s wonderful to be back in the heart of Malaysia once again.

“We are re-starting the route in response to commercial demand from our customers who have been asking us for direct British Airways flights to Kuala Lumpur, which opens up new connecting routes around the region.

“A thriving economy offers fantastic opportunities for UK businesses, while holiday-makers can enjoy some stunning destinations around the country and beyond.”

Kuala Lumpur is the world’s largest aviation hub not currently served directly by British Airways, and a major centre for oneworld airlines. Malaysia itself has strong ties with the UK and a large, rapidly growing economy with a focus on international trade.

British Airways, known then as Imperial Airways, first began flying to Malaysia on December 9, 1933. The flight from London Croydon Airport, made 22 stops before eventually reaching Alor Star (now Alor Setar) nine days later.

The airline’s first flight to Kuala Lumpur took off on August 1, 1956 when BOAC operated a Canadair Argonaut ‘Coronet’ aircraft on the outbound route and a Lockheed Constellation ‘Majestic’ on the return.

The airline has given the route the same flight numbers it previously operated with before 2001. The BA033 will depart T5 daily at 8.15pm, arriving into Kuala Lumpur 12 hours 45 minutes, later at 4pm (local). The returning BA034 will leave Kuala Lumpur at 11.05pm (local) and arrive back into Heathrow’s T5 at 5.25am the next morning.

Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, the managing director of Malaysia Airports, said: “I greatly welcome the return of British Airways to Malaysia.

“I believe this new route will have a very positive economic, political, social and cultural impact on both countries and it underlines the strength and vibrancy of the air travel market between them.

“Malaysia Airports has been working closely with British Airways for several years in planning the resumption of its flights to Kuala Lumpur. I wish them the best in their preparations to reconnect the two great cities of London and Kuala Lumpur and am confident it will enhance the airline’s huge global network.”

Return fares start from £708 in World traveller, £1,076 in World Traveller Plus, £3,181 in Club World and £4,681 in First. All prices include taxes and charges*.

British Airways Has It Covered For Sky-Tech Sleep Experiment

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British Airways has begun testing a hi-tech blanket which changes colour using brainwaves, to ensure it offers customers the best flight’s sleep in the sky.

The ‘happiness blanket’, which is woven with fibre optics, uses neuro-sensors to measure a person’s brainwaves and changes colour, from red to blue, to show when they’re at their most relaxed and meditative.

The airline hopes monitoring a person’s sleep and relaxation patterns during a flight will inform decisions made to improve aspects of the in-flight service; from changing the timing of meals, what food is served and even the types of films shown – to make flying and sleeping on British Airways flights even more relaxing.

Last week, a group of volunteers on board the BA189 Dreamliner service from Heathrow to New York, were among the first to try out the hi-tech ‘happiness blankets’ for themselves and report on their experiences.

Frank van der Post, British Airways’ managing director, brands and customer experience, said: “This is the first time this technology has been used by any airline to help shape how service is delivered on board an aircraft.

“Using technology like the British Airways ‘happiness blanket’ is another way for us to investigate how our customers’ relaxation and sleep is affected by everything on board, from the amount of light in the cabin, when they eat, to what in-flight entertainment they watch and their position in the seat.

“Having been the first airline to introduce the fully-flat bed in business class, we take our customers’ sleep and relaxation, very seriously. Now we want to ensure they get the best possible good flight’s sleep as well.”

Supporting the initiative, Vincent Walsh, professor of human brain research at University College London, said: “Sleeping on a plane is a great opportunity to reset your body clock so you arrive at your destination after a long flight, feeling refreshed and rested.”

“The short transatlantic flights west give a great opportunity for naps that will refresh you for that long first evening in New York or LA.”

“You can never underestimate the importance of a good sleep so I’m looking with interest at what the British Airways ‘happiness blanket’ will reveal about the traveller’s sleep and relaxation patterns during the course of a flight.

“Flying presents the body with a unique set of challenges, but getting a proper sleep on a flight isn’t rocket science. You need to ensure your brain has as few distractions as possible so that you can ease it into a different time zone.

“Lying down, making sure you have as much darkness as possible and covering your eyes from any available light source, by turning off your in-flight entertainment, phone and computer, all go a long way to helping you to sleep and fly well.”

Professor Walsh’s top tips to improve you sleep while flying:
• Have a light pre-flight meal before you board
• If you can, book a seat that lies fully flat or reclines as much as possible
• Take off your shoes, to improve circulation
• Don’t drink any alcohol and avoid anything with caffeine, such as tea, coffee or fizzy drinks
• If you’re awake, always take the hydration offered
• If you want to sleep, try to not watch any movies, use your tablet computer or mobile phone
• Wear an eye mask and ensure any lights around you are off and the window blind is down
• If you want to relax, put in ear plugs or listen to a specially made relaxation soundtrack, such as specially produced podcasts by British Airways
• Listen to your body. Sleep is not a waste of time
• If sleeping pills help you, only use them at bed time in New York, if you’re flying from London to New York. Whereas if you’re flying from London to Beijing, take the pills at Beijing bed time, while you’re on board the flight
• If you fly often make a habit of these things. Sleep hygiene is a habit.
British Airways already features special in-flight podcasts to encourage customers to relax and de-stress during their flight.

Last week it also announced the introduction of ‘Slow TV’ programming on board a number of its long-haul flights. The ‘wallpaper’ style footage, which features a seven hour train journey through Norway, introduces a hypnotic quality for some viewers.

British Airways features more than 130 movies, 650 TV shows from around the world and some 550 audio albums and 225 radio shows in its in-flight entertainment systems.

Research by Kantar Media for British Airways, has found that customers start their journey in a stage of ‘nesting’ which involves planning their in-flight entertainment schedule and getting comfortable in their surroundings.

After food and drink has been served they enter the next stage of ‘me time’ used indulgently to watch films, catch up on box-sets, or possibly doing work. The final stage of ‘adjustment’ see’s the customer preparing for the new destination, this is the peak time for looking at the moving map, as well as getting changed and refreshing for the onward journey.

The seven stages of emotions a flier will go through were identified by Ipsos MORI as; enjoyment, conviviality, belonging, security, control, empowerment and vitality.

As well as providing pre-flight dining in many of its airport lounges, British Airways also looks to serve light and refreshing in-flight dining to aid sleep and relaxation.

Notes to editors:
Click on the link below to see the British Airways ‘happiness blanket’ being tested on a British Airways flight at 30,000ft:

Selling on Vueling

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British Airways customers will have access to new destinations and scores more routes when the airline adds its flight code to more than 170 Vueling services.

This significant move for the two International Airlines Group (IAG) airlines heralds the beginning of a closer relationship with more codeshare routes planned for the future.

British Airways customers will be able to book Vueling flights through all BA sales channels, including ba.com, and collect Avios on these bookings. The codeshare routes are largely centred on Vueling’s operation in Italy with 37 international and 11 domestic routes available from Vueling’s Rome Fiumicino base. These include the destinations, new to BA customers, of Brindisi, Palermo, Lamezia, Valencia, Split and Nantes. Other new routes on offer through the codeshare include Heathrow to Bilbao and La Coruña, Cardiff to Malaga and Alicante, and Edinburgh to Barcelona. Tickets for the codeshare routes go on sale from 17 June for travel from 24 June, 2014.

Steve Ronald, British Airways’ head of alliances, said: “Our customers will have an even greater choice of routes, destinations and fares now that we have joined forces with Vueling. As we forge ever closer relationships with our fellow IAG airlines, Iberia and Vueling, our customers will be able to access all corners of Europe and beyond, with one simple booking on ba.com and the enticement of the collection of reward points for their loyalty. Vueling shares our commitment to excellent customer service and we are delighted that we can introduce more of our customers to their network.”

Fernando Estrada, Vueling’s director of strategy, alliances and business development, said: “We are very excited about this agreement with British Airways, which allows us to be more competitive in the market and concretely support the development of the Airport of Rome Fiumicino and tourism in the city of Rome. The agreement, which is part of the significant international expansion undertaken by Vueling, will soon be extended to other routes and markets”

Other routes in the codeshare include: Paris Orly to Catania (Sicily), Barcelona to Naples, Brussels to Venice and Copenhagen to Florence.

More of Vueling’s network will be accessible to ba.com users when further codeshare routes are added in the near future.

Selling on Vueling

PRNEWS Leave a comment

British Airways customers will have access to new destinations and scores more routes when the airline adds its flight code to more than 170 Vueling services.

This significant move for the two International Airlines Group (IAG) airlines heralds the beginning of a closer relationship with more codeshare routes planned for the future.

British Airways customers will be able to book Vueling flights through all BA sales channels, including ba.com, and collect Avios on these bookings. The codeshare routes are largely centred on Vueling’s operation in Italy with 37 international and 11 domestic routes available from Vueling’s Rome Fiumicino base. These include the destinations, new to BA customers, of Brindisi, Palermo, Lamezia, Valencia, Split and Nantes. Other new routes on offer through the codeshare include Heathrow to Bilbao and La Coruña, Cardiff to Malaga and Alicante, and Edinburgh to Barcelona. Tickets for the codeshare routes go on sale from 17 June for travel from 24 June, 2014.

Steve Ronald, British Airways’ head of alliances, said: “Our customers will have an even greater choice of routes, destinations and fares now that we have joined forces with Vueling. As we forge ever closer relationships with our fellow IAG airlines, Iberia and Vueling, our customers will be able to access all corners of Europe and beyond, with one simple booking on ba.com and the enticement of the collection of reward points for their loyalty. Vueling shares our commitment to excellent customer service and we are delighted that we can introduce more of our customers to their network.”

Fernando Estrada, Vueling’s director of strategy, alliances and business development, said: “We are very excited about this agreement with British Airways, which allows us to be more competitive in the market and concretely support the development of the Airport of Rome Fiumicino and tourism in the city of Rome. The agreement, which is part of the significant international expansion undertaken by Vueling, will soon be extended to other routes and markets”

Other routes in the codeshare include: Paris Orly to Catania (Sicily), Barcelona to Naples, Brussels to Venice and Copenhagen to Florence.

More of Vueling’s network will be accessible to ba.com users when further codeshare routes are added in the near future.

British Airways’ Apprentices Prepare for Lift-off

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A team of nine British Airways’ apprentices, based at Heathrow, has been selected as a finalist of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge 2014.

This prestigious nationwide award recognises, among other attributes, achievement in team building and communication, both essential skills for those starting out in their careers.

After three months of competition between more than 100 teams of apprentices from around the country, eight teams were selected as finalists for impressing the judges with their energy, enthusiasm and commitment.

The British Airways team was commended for its voluntary work at Orione Care, a home for older people in Kingston, and organising a community project at the Willow Tree Centre in Harefield which involved clearing land and planting trees following a storm. The team also attended several careers fairs and spoke at schools in order to promote the value of apprenticeships and the benefits of the British Airways scheme to school leavers.

Francesca Catling, 19, from Hillingdon, a member of the apprentice team, said: “I am thrilled that we’ve been chosen to compete in the final of the Brathay Challenge. Joining the British Airways’ apprenticeship scheme has been a very valuable experience for me and reaching the final of the competition is the icing on the cake. I would encourage other school leavers to investigate the opportunities offered by apprenticeships – it’s really allowed my career to take-off!”

In a final push to show-case their organisational skills and raise money for Comic Relief, the British Airways team has organised a comedy event at the Concorde Club in Cranford on May 23. Eastenders’ Shane Ritchie will be hosting the event that features, among others, the talents of Tim Vine.

The competition culminates in a series of team building, logistical and physical challenges at Brathay Trust’s Windermere headquarters where the apprentice team of the year will be announced on June 11.

In 2014 British Airways will employ 185 apprentices across the business, with areas ranging from engineering and operations, to IT, finance and project management.

Keith Williams, British Airways’ CEO said: “Apprenticeships are a fantastic way or providing young people with a combination of on-the-job training and theoretical education. They are a great foundation for a whole range of skilled careers at British Airways and we are proud to offer them, and proud of our team for reaching this year’s Brathay Apprenticeship final.”

Since 2010, more than 500 students have begun an apprenticeship, with many graduating to permanent roles with the airline. The airline is always keen to encourage more young people to apply for apprenticeships: more information can be found at www.ba.com/careers.