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British Airways and Iberia parent IAG  said its transatlantic joint venture with American Airlines would continue to operate as normal after AMR Corp, the carrier’s parent company, filed for bankruptcy protection.

“We have every confidence in the future of American Airlines. We are pleased they are taking this step which shows commitment and determination,” IAG, which has a joint venture with American Airlines on transatlantic routes, said in a statement on Tuesday.

source: Reuters.com

BA will fly the Olympic Torch to the UK in May next year as a supporting partner of the Olympic Torch Relay.

The Olympic Flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece before travelling to the UK on 18 May.

Its 70-day journey around the UK starts on 19 May in Land’s End, Cornwall. From there it will travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the country.

The Torch Relay is presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. BA is a tier one sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

source: marketingmagazine.co.uk

International Airlines Group (IAG) and Lufthansa Group reached an agreement for the sale of LH’s loss-making British Midland (bmi) to IAG. The purchase of bmi could increase IAG subsidiary British Airways’ share of slots at London Heathrow to 53%, although regulators most likely will require some slot divestments.

The companies did not detail whether the agreement is for the sale of the entirety of bmi or just the carrier’s mainline operation. Recently, bmi confirmed it was “‘in advanced discussion’” to sell bmi regional to a UK-based investor group “‘previously associated with the regional business,’” indicating its owner was negotiating to divest its loss-making UK subsidiary in parts. It is not clear what will happen with the company’s low-cost carrier, bmibaby.

source: atwonline.com

British Airways (BA) would be the most likely buyer of the Irish government’s 25 percent stake in Aer Lingus, the Irish airline’s largest shareholder Ryanair said on Thursday.

BA, which formed the International Airlines Group when it merged with Spain’s Iberia last year, has not expressed interest in buying the Aer Lingus stake, which the Irish government is considering selling.

source: Reuters

British Airways spent ­£20million on a new promotion campaign… only to realise a TV advert contained a shot of a rival Virgin Atlantic plane.

Embarrassed bosses ordered an ­emergency edit of the 90-second ad – which uses state-of-the-art computer-generated images to plot the airline’s history – after a member of staff spotted the blunder just a day before its official launch.

One shot, centred around ­the company motto ‘To Fly. To Serve’, shows a row of three British Airways Boeing 747s docked at a terminal. But the nearest displays the ­serial code G-VGAL – the marking of a Virgin Atlantic aircraft based in Manchester.

source: mirror.co.uk

British Airways is to launch its biggest ad campaign in 11 years with a £20m push using staff to promote the virtues of the airline – months after finally resolving an acrimonious dispute with cabin crew.

The TV element of the ad campaign, which will debut on the British Airways Facebook page on Wednesday, will be aired in the UK and US before being rolled out to other key international markets.

The supporting press and outdoor campaign will include seven different ads highlighting the experience and skill of British Airways staff.

source: guardian.co.uk

British Airways was late to the airline merger party when it finally combined with Spain’s Iberia in January to form International Airlines Group, Europe’s third-largest carrier by revenue.

First, Lufthansa, Europe’s largest airline by sales, is considering selling BMI, its lossmaking UK subsidiary that has much sought after take-off and landing slots at Heathrow airport. Second, the Portuguese government is preparing to privatise TAP, or Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, the country’s flag-carrier. Third, there could be the chance to take over Aer Lingus, the Irish flag-carrier of which Mr Walsh was once chief executive.

Amid a deteriorating economic environment, the main benefit from consolidation could be to ease the pressure on airlines’ revenues. Fewer carriers means less competition, which in turn should mean different pricing tactics by the remaining airlines.

source: FT.com

International Airlines Group (IAG), the company formed from the merger of Iberia and British Airways, has hired US bank JP Morgan to advise on an offer for Portuguese airline TAP, according to reports in the British financial press.

The reports note that this agreement could help IAG improve earnings in expanding markets, as per plans outlined by company president Willie Walsh in an interview with a news agency in August.

source: sharecast.com

British Airways is inviting users of the carrier to contribute to an online collection of itineraries through their new ‘Perfect Days‘ Facebook app.

Consumers can pick a city the airline flies to and create an itinerary for a 24 hour stay there. Integration with Google Maps allows users to mark each café, museum or bar on a map; other Facebook users can therefore see the precise route and click on each attraction to read information about it.

source: businessrevieweurope.eu

Travel rewards scheme ‘AirMiles‘ is being rebranded as ‘Avios‘ following the merger between British Airways and Iberia.

The loyalty schemes from both airlines will be amalgamated under parent company International Airline Group from November 16.

Users will be required to pay taxes, fees and charges on their flights. Charges will be capped at £27. Avios will continue to be run by BA subsidiary The Mileage Company.

source: travelweekly.co.uk