Biggest Customer Investment in Airline History--pound 600m--USD$970m--Investment Includes New 'World Traveller Plus' Cabin and 'Lounge in the Sky'.Business Editors/Aviation Writers NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2000 British Airways British Airways in full British Airways PLC International passenger airline based in London. In 1936 British Airways Ltd. was founded through the merger of three smaller airlines. today presented (pound)600m (USD USD In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the U.S. Dollar. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. $970m) worth of new products that will be introduced over the next two years. The investment is the biggest of its kind in airline history. It has been made possible by an internal efficiency and restructuring program which the airline embarked upon in 1996 and will be entirely funded out of existing budgets. Today's announcement is the result of extensive market research and work with leading product design experts. It builds on the airline's strategy announced last year to focus on the most profitable segments of the market. For the airline's customers, it will redefine travel for the 21st Century with the airline's entire product portfolio being upgraded. These new ground-breaking products, which will set benchmarks for comfort and design, include: a new cabin, World Traveller Plus, offering more space and facilities than other economy products, as well as a doubled hand baggage hand baggage n → Handgepäck nt hand baggage n → bagaglio a mano allowance; making British Airways the first major airline to offer four distinct cabins--a 'Lounge in the Sky' featuring the world's first fully flat bed for business class travelers who need to work and sleep in private on longhaul trips--a totally refurbished Concorde--revamped First cabins--rollout of the new Club Europe--upgrades to airport terminals, check-in and lounges, including a completely new terminal at New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of JFK. Bob Ayling, British Airways Chief Executive, said: &uot;On service, we said we'd deliver and we have. We asked thousands of our customers what we do well and where we need to improve. They want us to be the best in the world. So do we. The (pound)600 million (USD$970m) investment we are making will ensure that we are. The quality of service and choice that we will be able to offer is the product of our restructuring and all the immensely hard work that has been put in over the last three years by everyone who works for British Airways. It has been tough getting there but we have done it.&uot; Notes to editors: 1. World Traveller Plus features a dedicated cabin, new wider seats offering significantly more legroom leg·room n. Room in which to stretch the legs while seated. legroom Noun space to move one's legs comfortably, as in a car legroom n → , in-seat PC power and telephone, doubled hand baggage allowance and an enhanced service Enhanced service is service offered over commercial carrier transmission facilities used in interstate communications, that employs computer processing applications that act on the format, content, code, protocol, or similar aspects of the subscriber's transmitted information; at an affordable premium for the cost-conscious traveler. 2. A 'lounge in the sky' offering an armchair-style seat with footstool that converts to a completely flat six foot long bed for business travelers in Club World. It will also have larger personal video screens offering multi-channel entertainment, in-seat power for laptop computers and telephones, doubled hand baggage allowance baggage allowance bag n → franchise f de bagages baggage allowance baggage n → Freigepäck nt baggage allowance n and more flexible catering to allow customers to relax, sleep or work. 3. The totally refurbished Concorde will have new seats and new bathrooms. It also has new interiors designed by Conran Partners, led by Sir Terence Conran Sir Terence Orby Conran (born October 4 1931) is an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer. Early life and education Conran was born in Kingston upon Thames, the son of Christina Mabel (Halstead) and South African-born Gerard Rupert Conran, a businessman who and London-based design agency Factory. 4. The revamped First cabin takes first class travel to even greater heights. It was created by leading British interior designer Kelly Hoppen and features a burr walnut wood effect, Connolly leather, a colour palette of blue, deep red and beige using different textured fabrics like cashmere cashmere Animal-hair fibre forming the downy undercoat of the Kashmir goat. The fibre became known for its use in beautiful shawls and other handmade items produced in Kashmir, India. The fibres have diameters finer than those of the best wools. and chenille che·nille n. 1. A soft tufted cord of silk, cotton, or worsted used in embroidery or for fringing. 2. Fabric made of this cord, commonly used for bedspreads or rugs. and in-seat power for laptops and telephones. 5. The new Club Europe features new leather seats, increased space for hand baggage and an improved flight schedule. This includes a record number of early departures from Heathrow (returning in the same day) to the top 26 European destinations. 6. The investment also includes a (pound)150 million (USD$242.5m) World Traveller economy upgrade on the longhaul fleet. This includes new seats, seatback seat·back also seat back n. The back of a chair or other type of seating. video throughout the cabin and new interiors. A focus on family travelers includes initiatives like 'feed families first' and a treasure chest of in-flight toys from top store Hamleys. Photographs are available on www.newscast.co.uk (UK and overseas). |
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