Bringing back the BA Magic

As a child we didn’t go on many overseas holidays, but I remember avidly watching movies about the golden age of flying, and being in awe of the fabulous British Airways adverts where beautiful air-hostess greeted passengers and the whole experience of flying was imbued with a sense of luxury and glamour. Not to forget the iconic BA Face advert created by Saatchi and Saatchi in the late 80s. I grew up as a huge fan of the brand, British Airways was solid and reliable, and it evoked for me all that I loved about being British.

And, although for a price, that feeling of luxury is still available, with the rise of budget airlines, tortuous airport security not to mention strikes and cancellations causing untold chaos to holidays and business trips, the former excitement and experience of flying seems to have got somewhat lost. Our beloved UK flag carrier, BA, beset with a succession of bad news stories, frequent cancellations, tired looking interiors and sub-par customer service, also seemed to have lost its charm, and I admit that I stopped flying on my favorite airline when there seemed to be much better alternatives.

Recently however, I accepted a job in the Cayman Islands, and since BA was the only airline which flies there direct from London, I was re-introduced to the airline and was so delighted with the experience, both at London Heathrow Terminal 5 and in the air that I wanted to explore more.

As it celebrates 100 years in the skies this year, BA has appeared to find its voice and regain its status on the world’s stage embodying what puts the “Great” into Britain. BA’s forerunner, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, launched the world’s first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris on 25 August 1919. And the centenary celebrations come at the perfect time, with the doom and gloom in the country around Brexit (and have been saddened at how the country I love has been affected so badly by the prospect of us leaving the EU). We definitely need more good news in this country, and have been delighted to learn about the fantastic ways in which BA have celebrated this very special birthday, including a visit to their headquarters from Her Majesty The Queen in May and the launch of a special edition Aston Martin car, the DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition, made from reclaimed metal from Concorde planes.

Firstly, the airline has committed to investing £6.5 billion over five years, including the installation of better Wi-Fi and power in every aircraft seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft. This year the airline is also introducing its Club Suite, a new business class seat with direct aisle access and luxurious flat bed seats, which is scheduled to be in all long haul BA aircraft flying from Heathrow by 2025.

This cash injection, and the excellent leadership of Alex Cruz, who took over as CEO in 2016, was undoubtedly much needed and a step in the right direction, to put the airline back in the major leagues in which it deserves to be.

Business aside, it has been heartwarming to follow the #BAMagic100 stories which form part of British Airways’ commitment to 100 acts of kindness across the world to celebrate its centenary, including making 96 year old former RAF and commercial pilot Frank Dell’s wish to get back into a cockpit come to true.

British Airways also stepped in to fly a special four-legged friend to the UK to receive an ‘Animal OBE’ at the House of Lords in October. Ex-US Secret Service dog, Hurricane (also known as Cane), had been awarded a PDSA Order of Merit for protecting former President Barack Obama and his family from an intruder who attempted to gain access to The White House. BA flew Cane and his former handler, and now owner, Marshall, in Business Class along with personalised dog bed and bowl to London.

I was also pleased to learn of BA’s general commitment to supporting animal welfare. Earlier this year, British Airways Holidays announced its partnership with international wildlife charity Born Free as part of its new Animal Welfare Policy, as well as funding the creation of a new enclosure in South Africa, BA flew two neglected lionesses, Alpha and Cora, rescued from a failed zoo in Spain to their new home. And even more exciting as part of the new Animal Welfare Policy, BA have commited to never promoting the captivity of wild animals for entertainment purposes and discouraging its hotel partners from doing so, which is huge news and I look forward to hearing more about this in the near future. 

And even more importantly, in line with the rest of the airline industry, BA have expressed their commitment to combating climate change. In the last year there has been a lot of negativity around flying with Greta Thunberg famously refusing to fly because of the effect on the climate. And whilst I am a huge fan of what she advocates and am very interested and involved in climate issues personally and professionally, I personally don’t think the solution is not to fly. Rather, we need to re-evaluate our travelling, perhaps investigating ways where we don’t need to fly as frequently (eg virtual conferences and meetings). I also think it is important to remember that flying allows us to experience different cultures and places as well as bringing people together, which in a world that is increasingly becoming more xenophobic is even more important. And to again mention the iconic Saatchi and Saatchi 1980s BA Face advert, apart from being stunning visually, what I loved about this ad was that it put the emphasis on coming together. In the voice over to the ad, Tom Conti says “Every year the world’s favourite airline brings 24 million people together.”

Notwithstanding the reasons why we will still wish and need to fly, it is essential that airlines recognize the part they play in issues surrounding climate change and the responsibility they have to tackle this. British Airways’ parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), became the first airline group this year to commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, contributing to both the UK Government’s commitment to a net zero carbon economy by 2050 and the United Nations’ objective to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. IAG’s emissions’ goal will be achieved through numerous environmental initiatives, including investing more than US$400m in the development of sustainable aviation fuels over the next 20 years.

And indeed BA have started to play their part by taking delivery of a dozen new modern and fuel-efficient aircraft, including A350s which emit up to 40% less carbon than the aircraft they replaced. In addition as of January 2020, British Airways will become the first UK airline to offset carbon emissions on all its flights within the UK and invest in carbon reduction projects around the world. Those travelling further afield can also reduce their impact on the environment by using British Airways’ carbon offsetting tool via charity Pure Leapfrog.

Finally, a big shout out to the fabulous and talented people behind the brand, from the CEO to the CSR advisers, cabin designers, PR teams getting these good news stories out there, and above all the amazing crew both on the ground and in the air who make the customer experience so outstanding. Congrats to you all on winning the CAPA’s 2019 Airline of the Year and as Alex Crux said in his thank you speech “British Airways has a proud history of taking Britain to the world and bringing the world to Britain, and that is set to continue for years to come.”

Happy 100 years British Airways! Here’s to your next centenary and to leading the way for the airline industry in our changing world. I look forward to flying with you and championing the brand!

Love Sangeeta x

Picture credits : all British Airways Media Centre (apart from last two).