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BA praises agents’ support as profits drop

BRITISH Airways has made moves to reassure the trade
as third-quarter results revealed falling profits.

The carrier promised more promotions to spur sales and
praised travel agents for supporting its recent children-go-free and Executive
Club offers.

UK and Ireland general manager of marketing Jayne
O’Brien said: “I’ve got the message from the trade that it wants measures from
us to help kick-start the market. We are planning a series of promotions
building up to Christmas but that’s all the detail I can give. I can’t emphasis
it enough, we need to work with the trade.”

BA reported a profit of just £5 million for the
quarter ending September 30, down from £200 million for the same period last
year. Performance was battered by the downturn in the US economy, the effects
of foot and mouth and September’s US attacks, all of which have left BA losing
around £2 million a day.

But chief executive Rod Eddington insisted there was
no chance of the airline going bust: “We have £3.4 billion of liquidity. We’re
in this for the long term and if we’re sensible we will come out of it in
better shape than we went in.”

Eddington also sounded the future for BA employees –
announcing a new company-wide strategy called ‘the future size and shape
project’.

O’Brien explained: “Until we all know how future
demand shapes up, we will continue to review the business to ensure we have the
most efficient workforce and organisation possible.”

Meanwhile, tour operators who
used to charter Concorde regularly are to be invited aboard the supersonic
aircraft’s first flight to Barbados since the fleet was grounded a year ago.

 

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