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Home | Update | LATEST ISSUE | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 1/98 BRITISH AIRWAYS STARTS LOW-COST CARRIER by Heiko Reuter The branch had talked about it already for a while. On 17 November 1997 it became official: British Airways is establishing a new airline which is flying "with simplified service and for lower ticket prices" - BA's entry into the low-cost segment. The new company does not have its final name yet. "Operation Blue Sky", as it is called internally, will begin services from London Stansted airport at the beginning of 1998. According to British Airways, possible destinations include cities in Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, France and Germany. The Financial Times reports that the new carrier will start services with two Boeing 737-300. Later in the year, the fleet will supposedly grow to eight aircraft. Reportedly, there will be a "no frills" service on board. There will be no food and passengers will have to pay for the beverages. In return, the tickets will supposedly cost at least 30 percent less than the BA tickets today. Travel agencies will be excluded from selling the tickets. Reservations will only be possible directly through the airline or, later, via Internet. Also, Blue Sky will omit the conventional paper ticket. "In Europe, a new low-cost travel market is developing and British Airways will participate in it instead of watching it from the outside", BA head Bob Ayling is reasoning the airline's engagement in the low-fair segment. Some of the experts are skeptic that BA's entry in a territory occupied by the likes of Ryanair, Debonair, and EasyJet will proceed flawless. The new daughter might draw passengers from the mother airline. Ayling does not agree with that, he sees new target groups: "We are counting on hundreds of thousands of new customers who have never flown before." The 37-year old BA manager Barbara Cassani will become the head of Blue Sky. She says that the task which she has been given by British Airways is easy: "Make the airline popular and make it profitable." She plans to have these goals achieved within three years. From page 26 of FLUG REVUE 1/98 Home | Update | LATEST ISSUE | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 1/98 Copyright 1997/98 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated December 5, 1997 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany