According to the New York Stock Exchange, British Airways (BA) is the largest airline in the UK, and one of the largest in the world. With a fleet of 57, BA is the largest operator of the Boeing 747-400.
With its beginnings in the early days of civil aviation, British Airways Ltd was the result of merging several pioneering British airlines in 1935. By 1939 the British Government merged it with Imperial Airways to become BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation). It wasn’t until 1974 that it was combined with BEA (British European Airways), the short-haul arm of BOAC, to form British Airways.
In more recent history, British Airways was one of the first airlines to introduce supersonic passenger travel with the Concorde, and more recently broke the frontiers of comfort as the first in the world to introduce full-flat beds in Business Class. BA also has one of the largest frequent flyer programmes in the world, known as the Executive Club. If luxury, prestige, comfort and service of a royal standard are things you demand of an airline, why not travel with the airline that transports the likes of the British Prime Minister, Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal family?
Destinations
British Airways provides services across the globe:
- Africa: Cairo (Egypt), Nairobi (Kenya), Mauritius, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Harare (Zimbabwe)
- Asia: Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Dhaka (Bangladesh), Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai, Islamabad (Pakistan), Singapore and Bangkok
- Middle East: Tel Aviv (Israel), Kuwait, Dubai, Doha (Qatar), Muscat (Oman) and Abu Dhabi
- Europe: all major European cities, from Vienna to Venice, Brussels to Bordeaux, Dubrovnik to Düsseldorf, Prague to St Petersburg, Athens to Amsterdam, Budapest to Belgrade, Barcelona to Bucharest, Luxembourg to Lisbon — and everywhere in between
- The Americas: Vancouver, Mexico City, Arizona, Antigua, Buenos Aires, Toronto, LA, Kingston, Rio de Janeiro, Montreal, San Francisco, Bermuda, Sao Paulo, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington DC and Seattle
- Australasia: Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland
Oneworld Alliance
As part of the oneworld (One World) alliance, when you fly with BA and other airlines in the network, you are collecting frequent flyer points that can be redeemed for flights, accommodation and other travel-related benefits.
The Executive Club programme has three levels of membership, with greater benefits and privileges at each level:
- Blue
- Silver
- Gold
Every time you fly with BA or the oneworld alliance network, you collect points that can be redeemed for flights, upgrades and other travel-related benefits.
The oneworld alliance is a major programme with a flight network including Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, LAN and Qantas. This is continually developing, with new airlines coming on board. Very good news for those travellers on code share flights, who are still able to collect points from affiliated partner airlines.
Executive Club - 250 Lounges Worldwide
The Executive Club, together with partner airlines, has 250 associated lounges worldwide — an ideal area for the business or leisure traveller.
Catch up on emails before you fly, enjoy a drink, a snack or just unwind; you’ll find an area to do all these things away from the busy airport environment.