*Pedant Alert*
From thefreedictionary.com:
ped·i·gree
a. A line of ancestors; a lineage. (my bold)
b. A list of ancestors; a family tree.
And (with thanks to PAXboy, from whom I have shamelessly copied this BA history)...
- BOAC commercial
- BOAC + BEA merged
- British Airways nationalised
- British (branded)
- British Airways de-nationalised
- BA plc
*Pedant Alert off*