British European Airways - what kind of airline was it?
What was BEA?
An initial reflection is that it was:
An airline that is still seen and remembered very differently by different people.
A democratic airline, serving the ordinary passenger – rather than the richer global travellers who patronised BOAC (and yet it was also an airline that pursued the wealthy through its ‘Silver Wing’ services).
An airline with a more modern, funkier image than staid and conservative BOAC.
A steadfast, if not always enthusiastic, supporter of the UK’s domestic aircraft industry (although its particular specifications sometimes led to the design of aircraft that were less well suited to the needs of the global market – eg Trident).
A successful airline which often made a profit, even while sustaining a ‘public service obligation’ running loss-making services to the Scottish Highlands and Islands and the Channel Islands.
An airline that was sometimes forward looking – an early adopter of turboprops, of short-haul jets, and even of helicopters, and a pioneer in blind landing and Autoland.
There are questions about personnel management, industrial relations, and an accident rate that, with the benefit of 20:20 hindsight seems high (but was it, on a per thousand flying hours/sectors basis?).
Your thoughts???