Bouncing back
After facing a tumultuous year with an IT breakdown and stiff competition from budget airlines, Britain’s flagship carrier British Airways has announced a revamp plan by promising smarter planes, better food and fast WiFi in a bid to restore its reputation as a ‘premium airline’.
Chief executive Alex Cruz has outlined plans to spend £4.5bn over the next five years on 72 new planes, including the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787-10, on refurbishing its 128 existing fleet and rolling out ‘the best Wi-Fi in the sky’.
“The glory days are coming back,” he said during a speech at World Travel Market yesterday: “I firmly believe that our best days lie ahead.”
Cruz is also committed to installing at-seat power points in all cabins and improving long-haul catering in economy, with the return of a proper second meal instead of a snack.
British Airways aims at providing a better service for passengers in a bid to set it apart from budget rivals like easyJet, Ryanair and Norwegian. “The low-cost model is now spreading to long haul,” said Cruz, adding: “If you don’t change habits formed in cosier eras you will shrink and ultimately risk irrelevance.”
On Brexit, Cruz said the group wa snot worried: “We don’t expect air travel will collapse between the UK and Europe. BA will shine through any type of Brexit scenario.”
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