British Airways launches new Algiers flights from London Gatwick

British Airways has launched a new service to Algiers from London Gatwick, which will commence from the start of the summer schedule.

Flights to Algiers will move from Heathrow to Gatwick with seven flights a week. Algeria's capital city, Algiers mixes past with present with 17th-century mosques and Ottoman-style palaces in the hilltop Kasbah city with a Mediterranean harbour. British Airways offer hotels in the city, including the beach front Sheraton Club des Pins Resort and Towers and the Hilton Alger, which is set among pines over looking the bay.

Algiers is one of five routes to North Africa offered by British Airways, the others being Cairo in Egypt, Tripoli, Marrakech and Tunis.

The year-round service will operate on Boeing 737 jets, and roundtrip flights to London are available to book on www.ba.com.The fares are all inclusive, offering passengers free online check-in and seat selection up to 24 hours before departure, a 23 kg checked-in luggage allowance, plus two pieces of hand baggage, and no debit card fees.

In addition to the new service to Algiers, British Airways customers can also enjoy the luxury of flying in First Class on the airline's new long haul service to Moscow. The start of the summer season also sees addition of long haul flights from Heathrow to New York JFK, Johannesburg, Miami, Hong Kong and Riyadh.

British Airways' partner Iberia will also move its eight daily services from Heathrow to Madrid into Terminal 5 from Terminal 3, for the first time. This terminal move will allow customers better access to more destinations, and a smoother transfer experience at Heathrow between British Airways and Iberia flights.

Other changes at Heathrow have resulted in additional short haul flights to popular destinations such as Barcelona, Brussels, Bologna, Rome, Hamburg, Paris Orly, Prague, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester.

Three new leisure routes, to Mahon in Menorca, Angers in the Loire Valley and Quimper in Brittany, will also start from London City Airport, resulting in a total of 21 destinations in the UK, Europe and USA being served from the docklands airport.

British Airways increases flights from London City

British Airways is expanding its aircraft fleet and route network at London City Airport where it is now officially the largest operator with the highest number of routes and customers.

The airline is to take delivery of another Embraer 190 in the late summer, bringing the total fleet size to 14 aircraft.

It will be used for new year-round flights to Venice and to increase frequency to the key business destinations of Frankfurt from March and Glasgow from September.

The new route means even more choice for customers wanting to take holidays in Venice, the gateway to Northern Italy, when the flights launch in September and there will be one extra flight a day to Frankfurt and Glasgow.

The news comes as British Airways is about to start brand new services from the Docklands airport to Mahon in Menorca, Quimper in Britanny and Angers in the Loire Valley in France from May.

As the airline continues to grow its network, passengers now have more choices of leisure destinations when they fly from London City on one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the business. A total of 22 destinations in the UK, Europe and the USA will be served by British Airways from London City Airport.

Peter Simpson, managing director British Airways wholly owned subsidiary airline BA CityFlyer, said: "We are very excited about the arrival of our 14th aircraft which will add frequency to existing business destinations and has opened up new flying possibilities to popular leisure destinations. Our customers love the quick and easy service at London City, just 15 minutes from curbside to airside, making the most of their valuable time.

"We have some very competitive all inclusive fares to all our destinations, which include a generous free 23kg luggage allowance, free on-line check-in and seat selection 24 hours before departure and complimentary food and drink on board."

British Airways launch sale with up to thirty per cent off flights

British Airways has started a twelve day sale, ending on March 27, which includes hundreds of great value holiday packages as well as flights to more than 90 worldwide destinations for various travel departures between March 15, 2012 and January 31, 2013.

Travellers can discover a new city or just enjoy one of the offers on short breaks to Europe including two night holidays in Nice from Gatwick and accommodation only at the 2 star Comte de Nice. Menorca is another option with a two night break at the 4 star San Luis including accommodation with breakfast and return flights from London City. Costa del Sol holidays also feature in the sale with a seven night fly-drive to Malaga including return flights from Gatwick and Avis car rental.  

USA destinations on offer include New York where travellers can bag a bargain with three nights' accommodation only at the 3 star Roosevelt Hotel and return flights from Heathrow. Holidays in Orlando are also available, staying room only at the 3 star Ramada Hotel Gateway with return flights from Gatwick.

Sun seekers can check out the Caribbean for a great deal on their holiday with seven nights room only in Tobago at the 3 star Rex Turtle Beach and return flights from Gatwick. British Airways is also offering all inclusive holidays in Cancun with seven nights at the 4 star Oasis Palm with return flights from Gatwick.

Thousands of flights are also on offer in the sale with savings of up to 31 per cent including a 20 per cent saving on Moscow flights, a 31 per cent saving on flights to Cancun, or save 28 per cent on flights to Beijing, 27 per cent on Bangkok flights and 17 per cent on flights to Cape Town from Heathrow.

Flight only deals to Europe include Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Zurich from London City, and Munich, Athens and Pisa from London Heathrow.

The sale ends March 27.


www.ba.com.

Want to find your perfect holiday? British Airways will help you with that

British Airways is making it easier to find the perfect holiday with the launch of a new 'Holiday Finder' tool on their website, www.ba.com.

Andrew Crawley, the commercial director with British Airways said: "We have been developing ways to make choosing the right holiday even easier, so we are excited to launch the new 'Holiday Finder' on ba.com.  Now customers can be inspired and find a bargain that's just right for them at the same time."

A new section called 'Not sure where and when' has been added to ba.com homepage and this is where customers will find a link to the 'Holiday Finder'. The tool can also be accessed directly at ba.com/holidayfinder.

The new ba.com feature allows customers to find the best deal on their flight+hotel package to a range of British Airways' most popular holiday destinations. Customers can personalise their specific requests by adding in budget, departure date, number of nights, destination or group of destinations, journey time, star rating, board basis, type of holiday and temperature.

Once these filters are added a list of holiday packages will be displayed to fit their specific criteria.

This will not only benefit anyone not sure where or when they want to go on holiday but also those looking for a good deal, anyone on a budget, holiday-makers with flexible dates and those who do not have the time to shop around.

The 'Holiday Finder' tool offers a more personalised experience for customers, enabling them to search for specific options including  budget, departure date, number of nights, destination, journey time, star rating, board basis, type of holiday i.e. city break or beach, and temperature.

British Airways launches travel tip videos for half-term holidays

With over 900,000 people travelling with British Airways this February half-term, the airline is giving travellers a light-hearted helping hand with their top travel and baggage tips collected from their staff all over the airline.

The videos, which are located on YouTube, can be found at: http://bit.ly/y0jiLN (Travel) and http://bit.ly/xNZFgE (Baggage).

The videos include tips pertaining to travelling with small children, remaining comfortable when travelling between different climates, how to remember passports and other essentials, and practical packing and baggage advice.

Abigail Comber, Head of Brands and Marketing, said: "With thousands of our worldwide team travelling around the globe and 30 million customers flying with British Airways a year, the airline is a font of top tips to make travel easy and the video is a nice way for us to pass that on."

The top day for getting away is Friday, February 10th with nearly 95,000 people jetting off on British Airways flights and the peak return date is Friday, February 17, 2012 with nearly 85,000 travelling.

Most popular holiday destinations with British Airways over half-term are New York, Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Dubai, Las Vegas, Orlando, Hong Kong, Prague and Paris.

And there are still a few bargains to be had including three night city breaks in Amsterdam staying at the 3-star Blyss Hotel departing on February 13th. The package includes return British Airways flights from Gatwick and accommodation only.

British Airways adds First and business class to Moscow flights

For the first time, customers on British Airways' London Heathrow to Moscow service will be able to sample the airline’s award-winning services in First and business class from next year.

The changes were announced during a UK trade delegation to Russia hosted by the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, alongside several major British business leaders.

British Airways has three return flights to Moscow Domodedevo airport per day. From April 2012, this route will change from a short-haul service operated with two cabins to a long-haul operation offering customers up to four classes of travel. This means customers will have the opportunity to enjoy the airline’s fully flat-beds, comprehensive in-flight entertainment and sample a wide selection of meals and drinks in unrivalled comfort. No other airline currently offers such a premium service on the four-hour flight between the two capital cities.

Sir Martin Broughton, chairman of British Airways, who accompanied David Cameron to Moscow to represent British business, said: "We are proud to have been flying to Russia for over fifty years. It is an important and growing market for us and we want to reflect our commitment to the region and our customers by enhancing our services and increasing the number of seats that are available to Moscow."

British Airways has close ties with Russian airline, S7. The two airlines are members of the oneworld alliance and launched a code-share agreement earlier this year which means that customers can experience a seamless service between the UK and many destinations in Russia, transferring at Domodedovo airport. 

Both airlines' customers benefit from competitive through fares, co-ordinated schedules and excellent customer service. It is hoped that the codeshare agreement will be expanded in the coming months so that even more parts of Russia will be linked by air services to the UK.

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New BA Advert

British Airways Cabin Crew to use iPads to revolutionise customer service

British Airways cabin crew are using the latest iPad model to bring a new dimension to customer service in the air.

The iPads enable cabin crew to have prior awareness of customer preferences and a greater understanding of each customer’s previous travel arrangements, allowing them to offer a truly bespoke, personalised service.

The iPad lets crew quickly identify where each customer is seated, who they are travelling with, their Executive Club status and any special meal requests. It gives cabin crew a whole library of information at their fingertips including timetables, safety manuals and customer service updates. It also means any issues can be logged with ground-based colleagues around the network prior to departure so solutions can be delivered while the flight is airborne.

When all the passengers have boarded and just before the doors are shut, cabin crew are currently handed a long scroll of paper, listing up to 337 customers. With the new iPads cabin crew will simply refresh their screen when the doors have closed through wireless 3G networks and they will have a complete list of passengers on board.

Bill Francis, British Airways' head of in-flight customer experience, said: "The iPad is already allowing us to offer a more personalised onboard service, but the possibilities for future development are endless. We’re receiving great feedback from cabin crew and customers already. It allows the crew to offer the thoughtful service they want to deliver and customers are treated as valued guests."

The iPad is currently being trialled with 100 cabin crew with the aim to roll it out to all senior crew members across the airline in the coming months.

British Airways reveals Gatwick airport is top choice for families this year

British Airways reveals Gatwick airport is top choice for families this year

British Airways has revealed that more families than ever are choosing to fly from Gatwick airport as they jet off on holiday this year.

The airline has already seen a ten per cent increase in family bookings compared to last year and the trend is set to continue through the summer.

In July and August, British Airways will serve some 7,000 child meals on its long haul and European flights from Gatwick, and cabin crew will give out over 26,000 special Paddington Bear Skyflyer packs to keep its young customers entertained.

Florida is the number one destination for British Airways from Gatwick during the school holidays, offering 14 flights a week to the Sunshine State, with daily flights to Tampa and Orlando.

Parents travelling with children can benefit from family check-in and the chance to choose seats together free of charge 24 hours before departure.

On long haul flights children also have their own television channels as well as a choice of family movies on the in flight entertainment system.

Gatwick is the only UK airport, to join a new Family Friendly scheme launched by the Family and Parenting Institute which aims to make the UK more family friendly.

Over the past 18 months, the airport has rolled out a number of family friendly initiatives to help take the stress out of travel for families, particularly those with young children in tow.

In Spring 2010, Gatwick became the only UK airport to create separate security lanes – "Assistance lanes" - to give families travelling with young children in buggies extra help through security after checking-in.

Earlier this year, it also created dedicated "kids zones" in the departure lounges of both terminals for children aged between 0-5 years to enable parents and guardians to relax while their children are kept entertained.

Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive of Gatwick Airport said: "Millions of families choose to travel through Gatwick airport every year. We realise that travelling with children can be stressful, so we’re going out of our way to make their journey through the airport more enjoyable. That's why we’re proud to be supporting the Family Friendly scheme."

The second most popular long haul holiday hot spot for British Airways customers is Barbados and there are still some family holidays in Barbados available there and many other destinations from Gatwick, including many with free night offers and kids stay free.

British Airways has also introduced the family favourite destination of Malaga to its Gatwick schedule, moving the service moved from Heathrow and almost doubling frequency to 27 flights a week.