New York (AirGuideBusiness - Company Watch) Apr 26, 2009
British Airways is unlikely to experience a rebound in passenger traffic until 2011 as recession drags on, chief executive Willie Walsh told a German magazine. "I don't see a sign of improvement in the economic environment. It will get worse before it gets better," Walsh was quoted as saying by WirtschaftsWoche in an interview due to be published on Monday. BA's projections did not include a recovery before 2010, Walsh said. Most airlines had almost depleted their financial reserves due to the high price of jet LED Downlight K1033 - 12x1W fuel in the past, he was quoted as saying. Apr 26, 2009
Alistair Darling, BritainOs Chancellor of the Exchequer, should cancel planned tax increases of up to 112 percent on flights from the U.K., according to Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways. Speaking on the eve of the British budget, Walsh condemned the proposals, which could add [pounds sterling]280 to the cost of a family holiday to the Caribbean or [pounds sterling]360 to Australia. He said the increases in Air Passenger Duty would penalize working families, harm economic recovery and put the U.K. at a competitive disadvantage. . Apr 24, 2009
British Airways and Avis car rental have signed a five year exclusive partnership deal. The global agreement allows all British Air's customers to benefit from rental deals with Avis, not just the airline's Executive Club members. BA and Avis said customers will benefit from cost saving promotions, an Avis Preferred membership programme. For booking with Avis BA's Executive Club will continue to receive additional flyer mile rewards unavailable to non-members. BA said customers can rent cars using all its booking channels, including its main website.
Apr 24, 2009
British Airways is to dismantle the Boeing 777-200ER substantially damaged in last year's approach crash at London Heathrow. The aircraft, G-YMMM, has been kept intact during preliminary investigations by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Apr 24, 2009
British Airways and Spain's Iberia is delaying and could even ground the carriers' plans to merge due to the global financial uncertainty, sources close to the deal and analysts have said. Analysts say that volatile markets have made it almost impossible to value the two airlines, both are more focused on fighting the worst sector downturn in a generation, and a power struggle for control of Iberia's biggest shareholder has put the deal in jeopardy. The Spanish airline said on Thursday it was unlikely to make a profit this year and would propose scrapping its 2008 dividend in the light of weak demand from Spaniards, sliding business traffic and general price pressure. An official at Spain's UGT union said on Thursday the Spanish flag carrier made a EUR100 million euro operating loss in the first two months of 2009. Apr 24, 2009
LV BraceletFriday's edition of Spain's La Vanguardia newspaper cited sources close to Iberia as saying business was so uncertain at the moment that it made it practically impossible to move merger talks forward. A Spanish source familiar with the matter said that if a deal was done, it was unlikely to be struck before Spaniards returned from their summer breaks in September. "We are hearing that the merger could be delayed until after the summer," he said. A spokesman for Iberia said only that "merger talks are ongoing". Apr 24, 2009
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