Jaunted - Tag: British Airways

Virgin Atlantic, BA Squabbling over Heathrow Slots

pbb — 2008-08-18T15:45:12-05:00

Now that British Airways, American Airlines and three other carriers have announced their merger-which-isn't a merger, Virgin Atlantic is making a serious stink. After all, Richard Branson's baby holds just three percent of the slots at Heathrow, while BA and its newest pals control 47 percent of the landing rights at the airport.

This is actually the third time that British has tried to link up with American, but it's the first such attempt since the latest Open Skies provision was enacted, ostensibly to improve competition in the transatlantic market. But Branson says that hasn't yet happened--and won't if a tie-up between BA and AA is approved:

Open Skies has not delivered the greater competition that was promised because Heathrow is full. BA/AA and Iberia would still be unacceptably dominant, with nearly half of all of the slots at Heathrow, leaving competitors powerless to take them on.

For his part, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh says his airline doesn't plan to give up any market share to appease regulators. The UK Times asked him if he'd consider giving up any slots, which can sell for as much as �20 million ($37 million) a pair. His response?

I won't

Airline Mergers: American, British and Iberia Finally Make a Deal

pbb — 2008-08-14T10:35:10-05:00

American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Royal Jordanian have formally announced their intent to merge, and they've put together a website to hype the tie-up. The spin-tastically named MoreTravelChoices.com even goes so far as to ask passengers to write to the Department of Transportation asking regulators to approve the deal.

The "joint business agreement" the five airlines have signed will have them cooperating on flights between North America and Europe. They also plan to expand their code sharing so you can earn even more increasingly worthless frequent flier miles. Though the agreement is being called a merger, all five carriers will remain legally separate and maintain their own identities--at least for now.

The deal still needs to be approved by the US government, which might be concerned not just with competition but also rules on foreign ownership of airlines. Predictably, Virgin Atlantic is opposed to the deal.

Related Stories:
· MoreTravelChoices.com [Official Site]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]

Branson to U.S. Presidential Candidates: BA & AA Alliance Spells Bad News for Competition

Victor Ozols — 2008-08-10T12:50:07-05:00

Sir Richard Branson, a groovy rich guy from England who owns Virgin Atlantic airlines and enjoys doing fun, crazy stuff, sent a letter to U.S. presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama on Sunday warning that the proposed British Airways/American Airlines alliance would stifle competition and hurt consumers.

Not one for understatement, Branson also plans a nearly $6 million advertising and lobbying campaign intended to derail the pending deal.

Even though Branson has his own financial reasons to hope a deal doesn't go down, his complaints may well resonate with the candidates and consumers, as rising fares, disappearing routes, and lackluster service combine to make air travel a much bigger hassle than it ought to be.

London: Travel Ads: London's T5 Now Functioning Like an Average Airport Terminal

pbb — 2008-08-07T13:35:05-05:00

After the horrible first few days that spawned YouTube videos and Flash games, it seems the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow is finally starting to function like your average airport terminal. So what's the play for British Airways? Hype that mediocrity in some new ads!

The campaign involves photos of real passengers using T5 combined with reasonable statistics that explain how "Terminal 5 is working." Among the ho-hum stats featured: "Yesterday at T5 average time through check-in was 8.5 minutes."

The airline is also posting the snaps on its T5 website. We're waiting to see if the carrier posts a photo of passengers crying over lost luggage: BA still mishandles an average of nine bags per jumbo jet flight.

Related Stories:
· BA Launches New Heathrow T5 Campaign [UK Travel Weekly]
· First-Person Airport Review: So Is T5 Really That Bad? [Jaunted]

[Photo: Travel Weekly]

OpenSkies Travel: New Seats, New Routes

pbb — 2008-07-30T13:00:02-05:00

OpenSkies, the premium transatlantic airline launched by British Airways, recently announced it would start Amsterdam-New York service. But the bigger news from the airline is that it's about to rip out all its economy class seats.

Yep, now that Eos, MaxJet and Silverjet have left the market, OpenSkies is going all business class, removing the 30-passenger economy cabin and filling the space with 12 "Prem+" seats with 52 inches of pitch and 140-degree recline. With the existing premium seats and first class, the carrier's one 757 will only carry 64 passengers at a time.

Why the change? The managing director of the carrier, Dale Moss, told Cranky Flier Brett Snyder that those economy seats were "a distraction." Seems he'd rather focus on new destinations instead: Boston and Washington are candidates for future service, as are Barcelona, Brussels and Milan.

Related Stories:
· OpenSkies to Add Amsterdam Flights [Airline Biz Blog]
· OpenSkies' Earth-Shaking Announcement [The Cranky Flier]
· All Business Class Carriers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]

Is the BA-Iberia Merger a Sure Thing?

pbb — 2008-07-29T12:00:25-05:00

Despite our best guess, British Airways is getting hot and heavy with Iberia--though there's no word yet on shacking up with American. Most news outlets say the European duo is "holding talks," citing a news release posted on BA's website:

British Airways and Iberia are holding talks with a view to an all-share merger between the two companies. The negotiations are supported unanimously by the boards of both companies.
The British Airways and Iberia brands would be retained as part of a combined group.
It is expected that it will take several months to reach agreement on the terms of the merger and to finalise a joint business and integration plan for the combined group.

But the British Press Association says the deal is done, a pretty bold statement given how mergers tend to fall apart as talks proceed. Perhaps they know something everyone else doesn't?

Related Stories:
· BA to Merge with Spanish Airline [PA, via Google]
· BA and Iberia in Merger Talks [AP, via Google]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: alex-s]

London: First-Person Airport Review: So Is T5 Really That Bad?

pbb — 2008-07-22T15:00:20-05:00

The opening of T5 at London Heathrow was so outrageously botched, sometimes "shambolic" didn't seem good enough to describe it. But in the months since, have things changed? And, more importantly, can you fly there and hope to see your checked bags ever again?

NewYorkology blogger Amy Langfield transited the terminal three times during a recent European trip, and described one experience in T5 as "flawless." Really?!