Alliance: Oneworld
Frequent Flyer Programme: Executive Club
Fleet:234
Founded: 1974
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Major Hub Airports: London Gatwick AirportLondon Heathrow Airport
Number of Destinations: 150 destinations
Major Destinations: AfricaBeijingCanadaCaribbeanChicagoMumbaiEuropeNew YorkHong KongDelhiSydneyLos AngelesMexicoMiddle EastBuenos AiresTokyoRio de Janeiro San Francisco ShanghaiSingaporeBangkok
Brief Summary / Interesting Facts/ Interesting Destinations: British Airways can trace its origins back to the birth of civil aviation as one of its founding companies, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, was responsible for launching the world's first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris, back in 1919. The British Airways Group as we know it today was established in September 1974 through nationalisation by the Government of the time, formed from two existing large London based airlines, BOAC and BEA, and two smaller regional airlines, Cambrian Airways and Northeast Airlines. British Airways is parent company to subsidiaries such as BA CityFlyer and franchises such as Comair. In 1976 British Airways, in a joint venture with Air France, inaugurated the world's first supersonic passenger service with a daily service between London Heathrow Airport and New York's John F Kennedy Airport. British Airways has been rated as a 4 star airline by Skytrax and was awarded both Best Airline - Transatlantic and Best Cabin Staff - Western Europe by Skytrax in 2009. The British Airways fleet of aircraft are fitted out with up to 4 classes, depending on the route. These include economy, world traveller plus, business and first class.