I am always reminded of Emirates' ads for mid- and senior-level management and guess what the first thing is that they mention candidates must have? A degree. This is the same for most good jobs, but also for trainee management programmes (e.g. with BA or Thomson) or many entry-level positions (e.g. Virgin's various analyst positions). Without a degree - normally at least a 2.1 - you wouldn't even get a look-in. There is probably a gap between what is needed/desired for commercial-type roles and operations.
While I highly recommend an undergraduate - and nowadays also a postgraduate course due to greater competition at the undergraduate level - what subject you do matters less than what you achieve and what you do around your degree(s). Regarding the latter, I worked part-time in a good role for a well-known international firm (for the area) and wrote for magazines, attended industry events (you can often negotiate free entry), got to know people, etc. Think about it from this perspective: a degree is a means of helping to getting an interview. The rest is up to you.
My recommendation is to choose the subject(s) that you most enjoy and will be naturally motivated for - there's no point going and not doing well - but also the best university possible reputation-wise, given whatever grades you already have, for the subject(s).
Last edited by G-JNHP; 23rd Feb 2013 at 09:06.