Planned capacity cuts on ex-UK routes will take some time for British Airways to implement, according to the carrier’s head of leisure sales UK and Ireland Tricia Warwick.
BA’s long-term plans to reduce capacity by 12% over the next three years will be introduced when the carrier can introduce changes such as switching to smaller aircraft, she said. “We are actually increasing capacity on North America routes by four percentage points from next April.”
She said BA and rival airlines switching capacity from the Far East to North America routes in last two years had taken its toll. “A fare of £125 return across the Atlantic is fantastic value but not sustainable.”
Since summer 1997 BA has increased capacity on North America routes by 12%, United Airlines by 45% and Continental Airlines increased by 36%, Virgin by 16% and American Airlines by 24%, she added.