NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–This weekend British Airways will begin flying its new double decker Airbus A380 between Miami and London. The inaugural flight BA209 will touch down at Miami International Airport on Sunday, Oct. 25 and will depart as the BA208 the same evening.
The superjumbo A380 is the largest and grandest aircraft in British Airways’ fleet. The new aircraft spans two full decks and can accommodate up to 469 customers across four cabins, including 14 First suites, 97 Club World business class seats with full flatbeds, 55 spacious seats in the private World Traveller Plus (premium economy) cabin, and 303 in World Traveller (economy).
The A380 is optimized for wellness, with quiet, spacious cabins and an advanced cabin air conditioning system that allows 15 different temperature control zones and cabin air that is changed every three minutes. Customers can enjoy on-demand seat-back entertainment, with more than 1,600 hours of programming from around the world.
“We have been flying between Miami and London for more than 40 years and this week we are reinforcing our commitment by introducing an incredible new aircraft onto the route,” said Simon Brooks, SVP Americas for British Airways.
At launch, British Airways will offer twice-daily service; the first departure will continue on the Boeing 747 aircraft, while the second departure will now feature the Airbus A380. A joint business agreement between American, British Airways, Iberia and Finnair, allows members of the AAdvantage, Executive Club and Plus programs to earn and redeem points or miles on codeshare flights across the airlines.
Premium Menu Options at 30,000 Feet
Understanding that the average flyer’s sense of taste decreases by about 30 percent at cruising altitude, British Airways has been working with experts for years to serve the perfect ‘Height Cuisine’ – food and drink with flavors optimized for taste buds at 30,000 feet. In addition to artfully building menus with ingredients that respond well to this environment, British Airways has also developed a full tasting menu for the A380 to give customers a truly memorable journey. For more information about British Airways’ menu selection visit here.
Cheers!
British Airways is introducing a pair of specialty cocktails, The Aviator and London Calling, to celebrate the launch of the A380 service. The limited edition cocktails highlight the coming together of British and South Beach cultures, and were developed exclusively for British Airways customers by Gui Jaroschy of The Broken Shaker in Miami.
Both cocktails present a playful twist on the classic gin and tonic. Gin is one of the most requested spirits on British Airways flights, with more than 128,000 liters served per year. For the next month, customers traveling in First class on the Miami A380 flight and those visiting The Broken Shaker will be able to order The Aviator. During the same period, Miami residents and tourists will be able to order London Calling exclusively at The Broken Shaker, a James Beard Award semifinalist located in Miami Beach and managed by Gui.
Business Wire
British Airways resumes Gatwick-JFK service
British Airways starting May 2016 is resuming London Gatwick – New York JFK operation, on board 3-class Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. First flight is scheduled on 01MAY16, operating on daily basis.
BA2273 LGW1640 – 1930JFK 777 D
BA2272 JFK2200 – 1000+1LGW 777 D
BA last served this route in March 2009.
Airline Route
Aer Lingus no longer on the Irish Stock Exchange
In a packed ballroom at Dublin’s Gresham Hotel in November 2006 – just weeks after its September debut on the stock market – then Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion urged shareholders to reject what he said was a “derisory” €2.80 a share takeover offer from Ryanair.
But Mr Mannion quickly earned a rebuke from the Takeover Panel. Asked by this reporter if, given the offer was derisory, what an acceptable offer might be, Mr Mannion insisted Aer Lingus was not for sale at any price.
It had to be for sale – any listed company is, every day. It turned out it was. Just not to Ryanair, which tried two more times to snap up its smaller rival.
Tomorrow, Aer Lingus shares – floated to much fanfare by the then Fianna Fáil government – will be delisted from the stock exchanges in Dublin and London as IAG puts the finishing touches to its acquisition of the airline.
Shareholders who stuck by the airline through the years might have been better off stuffing their money in the Post Office – almost.
With IAG paying €2.50 a share (plus a five cent dividend that was actually paid out by Aer Lingus a few months ago), investors who bought at €2.20 a share nine years ago are getting a 13.6pc return on their investment.
That excludes token dividends paid by the airline since 2012. It paid three cents a share that year. In both 2013 and 2014, it paid a four cent dividend, and this year, five cent. In total, that amounts to just 16 cents per share over three years. Barely a hill of beans.
For some investors, the takeover made for a big payday though. Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad, which owned close to 5pc of Aer Lingus, saw the value of its stake in the airline more than double to just over €65m.
Even Ryanair, which owned 29.8pc of Aer Lingus, managed to eke out a pyrrhic profit from the €407m it spent buying that stake. The Aer Lingus dividends helped to tip the investment into the black, but only just. Ryanair’s annual general meeting is next week, with shareholders anticipating that the airline will use those Aer Lingus proceeds to fund either a share buyback or a special dividend.
The Government has received €335m for the State’s 25.1pc stake in Aer Lingus. That income will be used to establish a ‘Connectivity Fund’ to back infrastructure projects around the country.
But tomorrow morning brings to an end the final chapter of Aer Lingus’ more than seventy-year history as an “Irish” company.
It still is Irish, of course, in many ways: it will be managed from its existing headquarters in Dublin; its chief executive, Stephen Kavanagh, remains in situ; and the aircraft livery won’t suddenly be changed.
But IAG, headed by Willie Walsh and which also owns British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, will call the real shots.
The great hope is that IAG achieves its aims, significantly growing Aer Lingus over time and cementing Dublin’s position as a major secondary international hub.
And if you ever really felt nostalgic about Aer Lingus, just remember this: As a State-owned airline, with a virtual monopoly on air traffic to the United States, the UK and Europe in its heyday, the airline’s legendary largesse was paid for decades by sky-high fares it squeezed from taxpayers.
Luckily, all that has changed. And hopefully the IAG takeover will bring a new era of growth for Aer Lingus. Let’s see what’s it’s like nine years from now.
Independent.ie