BA hits the road to showcase flat bed and cabin innovations

Countrywide roadshow invites agents to view airline’s new £600 million product

BA hits the road to showcase flat bed and cabin innovations

Report by LOUISELONGMAN

BRITISH Airways is launching a nationwide roadshow today in a bid to give travel agents and corporate customers first-hand experience of the airline’s new £600 million product.

The BA Innovation Centre, known internally as The Truck, will arrive in Stockley Park near Heathrow, to showcase BA’s World Traveller Plus cabin, which will be introduced on Heathrow routes to New York JFK, and BA’s first fully flat bed in Club World.

Agents will also be able to view the airline’s new Club Europe for short-haul travel and the upgraded World Traveller economy seats, as well as new trays and sample menus.

The Innovation Centre will then move on to central London, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow before the end of the year.

From October 5, the focus will be on introducing business travel agents to the product and from December, BA will show the Innovation Centre to leisure agents.

The Truck will then be shipped to South Africa in January to promote BA’s services to Cape Town and Johannesburg.

BA general manager field sales Ian Heywood said: “When the 21st century seat configuration was launched in London, people were really impressed, so we thought we’d try to take it out on the road.

“It will not stop us from taking agents on fam trips, it will just be a new way of displaying the whole variety of brands,” he added.

Meanwhile, BA is increasing its service from Heathrow to New York JFK from six to seven flights per day in a bid to compensate passengers who are no longer able to travel on Concorde. From October 7 BA will offer an 8pm flight from Heathrow arriving in JFK at 10.40pm local time. The flight will then leave New York at 11pm, arriving in London at 11am the next day.

Heywood said: “The new frequency will carry on for as long as the Concorde fleet is grounded, but we are not saying the service will definitely stop completely.”

Heywood added that prior to its debut on October 29, BA has taken bookings for more than 300 seats on the new World Traveller Plus cabin.

BA began selling seats for the new cabin on September 7, and by the end of the year, it will feature on all Heathrow to JFK routes, as well as on direct routes to Hong Kong and San Francisco.

Take it easy: agents will be able to view the fully flat beds available in Club World