lowfaresbuster
14th Oct 2003, 18:46
From Scotsman.com
WILLIAM LYONS
BRITISH Airways has bolstered its presence at Heathrow, buying two pairs of take-off and landing slots from US carrier United Airlines in a deal believed to be worth £12 million.
The transaction, completed after an auction among airlines, will boost the number of slots BA has at Heathrow to 41 per cent of the total.
BA also said its Concorde fleet has been profitable since it announced the retirement of the supersonic jets in April and that it is testing an initiative aimed at giving business travellers more sleep on transatlantic flights by feeding them beforehand and making cabins as quiet as possible.
UA was disposing of the Heathrow slots as part of its continuing efforts to rationalise its operations, as it struggles to emerge from nearly 12 months in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Yesterday BA officials were at pains to stress that the airline would still have a lower percentage of slots at its "home hub" compared with national carriers at other airports. Air France and KLM both operate more than 50 per cent of slots in Paris and Amsterdam.
But BA believes the sale is significant because the slots are on a popular route, involve early morning arrivals and have been bought from a major competitor. It acquired the slots in what is believed to be the first internet auction for landing slots.
During the past 18 months BA has completed at least five other more limited slot exchanges at Heathrow, including deals with Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, Lithuanian Airlines, Avianca of Colombia and Adria Airways of Slovenia, which together yielded four daily slot pairs and six weekly pairs.
The "sleeper service" being tested between Heathrow and New York will give business travellers the chance to have up to six hours uninterrupted sleep.
David Noyes, BA’s executive vice-president in North America, said there was growing demand to maximise the use of business travellers’ time.
Noyes said: "The whole point is that we are giving people the ability to sleep properly, especially those travelling between North America and Europe," he told a business briefing in New York. We have not quite got to the point where people can get on board in their pyjamas, but that is the principle."
http://www.business.scotsman.com/ebusiness.cfm?id=1131252003
WILLIAM LYONS
BRITISH Airways has bolstered its presence at Heathrow, buying two pairs of take-off and landing slots from US carrier United Airlines in a deal believed to be worth £12 million.
The transaction, completed after an auction among airlines, will boost the number of slots BA has at Heathrow to 41 per cent of the total.
BA also said its Concorde fleet has been profitable since it announced the retirement of the supersonic jets in April and that it is testing an initiative aimed at giving business travellers more sleep on transatlantic flights by feeding them beforehand and making cabins as quiet as possible.
UA was disposing of the Heathrow slots as part of its continuing efforts to rationalise its operations, as it struggles to emerge from nearly 12 months in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Yesterday BA officials were at pains to stress that the airline would still have a lower percentage of slots at its "home hub" compared with national carriers at other airports. Air France and KLM both operate more than 50 per cent of slots in Paris and Amsterdam.
But BA believes the sale is significant because the slots are on a popular route, involve early morning arrivals and have been bought from a major competitor. It acquired the slots in what is believed to be the first internet auction for landing slots.
During the past 18 months BA has completed at least five other more limited slot exchanges at Heathrow, including deals with Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, Lithuanian Airlines, Avianca of Colombia and Adria Airways of Slovenia, which together yielded four daily slot pairs and six weekly pairs.
The "sleeper service" being tested between Heathrow and New York will give business travellers the chance to have up to six hours uninterrupted sleep.
David Noyes, BA’s executive vice-president in North America, said there was growing demand to maximise the use of business travellers’ time.
Noyes said: "The whole point is that we are giving people the ability to sleep properly, especially those travelling between North America and Europe," he told a business briefing in New York. We have not quite got to the point where people can get on board in their pyjamas, but that is the principle."
http://www.business.scotsman.com/ebusiness.cfm?id=1131252003