British Airways Guide
Known as the United Kingdom's flag carrier airline, British Airways maintains its headquarters in Waterside, located near the airline's main hub at London Heathrow Airport
From the initial planning all the way through to reaching your destination, travelling with British Airways means feeling secure as well as being able to arrive at your destination feeling refreshed and ready to enjoy your stay.
British Airways History & Information
Formed as British Airways in 1974 and privatised in 1987, the airline spent much of the last years of the 20th century focusing on expansion. This included an increase in the number of international flights to a growing number of destinations, as well as expanding the number of aircraft.
BA's commitment to continuous expansion over the past 35 years has allowed them to establish themselves as one of the world's largest and most luxurious airlines.
British Airways Routes
Along with domestic and European flights, British Airways also flies to selected airports in North and South America, the Orient, Australia, and Africa. Travellers can fly to destinations in the United States like Atlanta, New York, Las Vegas, and Chicago, as well as dozens of others. Travellers bound for Canada can enjoy BA services to Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal.
As with many of the classier airlines, British Airways makes it easy to book holiday travel that includes hotels, car hires and even tours at selected destinations. All these arrangements can be made via the BA web site, which includes a comprehensive trip-planning programme for anyone interested in taking care of all their travel needs at once.
The British Airways Fleet
The British Airways First is the long haul solution that's offered on a number of international flights on the Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft. Sometimes referred to as flying hotel rooms, the flights boast small private cabins that include beds, power connections for laptops and other electronic devices, as well as personal telephones and a range of entertainment options.
Club World is another option offered by British Airways. With this option, passengers have access to business lounges at a number of destinations and stopover points, as well as an arrivals lounge at the Heathrow Terminal. Flat beds and ample seats are part of this flight experience, as well as many of the amenities found with First service.
For economy class flights, British Airways offers the World Traveller and World Traveller Plus options. World Traveller is the standard economy offering. While more limited on amenities than Business Class, the seating is above industry standard in terms of dimensions. Seat-back entertainment options are also standard as part of this particular flight option.
For something a little more robust in economy travel, the World Traveller Plus option offers a wider seat as well as two individual armrests with each seat. There are also in-seat laptop connections, as well as an easy recline function. For longer flights, World Traveller Plus offers a nice compromise between cost and comfort.
Additional Information
There's something for just about everyone with British Airways. UK Domestic flights are all one class and offer seats that are of a comfortable size for most people. This class of flight includes food for most of the flights and any flight that takes place before 10 a.m includes a hot breakfast. After this time, passengers can enjoy snacks and beverages. Scottish flights originating at London Heathrow offer meal-sized salads in the evenings.
With Business UK flights, all the amenities of UK Domestic flights are included. In addition, passengers enjoy lounge access at various destinations, as well as a fully flexible ticket.
The Euro Traveller offers various food options on different flights to destinations like Paris, Rome, and Athens. These flights and most others include in-flight entertainment. Club Europe is a business class that caters to short-haul situations. This class offers access to business lounges at many of the airports and also includes a full English breakfast with the morning flights. For the traditional among us, afternoon tea is also served.
With a fleet that boasts Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s, as well as the use of Boeing 747-400s as part of its long-haul fleet, its sheer volume of aircraft makes British Airways the largest operator of its kind in the world.