British Airways may offer all-premium flights between the US and continental Europe to tap the growing demand from affluent business passengers crossing the Atlantic, according to media reports. (5/21/2007)
“The details are yet to be decided, but we will provide a premium product to the EU - US business market, operating on a point to point basis,” BA spokesman Tony Cane said, as per a Bloomberg report. The service will probably consist of business class and premium economy seats, Cane said. “It’s unlikely to be a single class product.”
“We intend to use open skies to reinforce our premium long-haul services, which are the most profitable part of the business,” Cane reportedly said.
In another development, the airline reported a loss of US$140 million in the fourth quarter, a downbeat ending to a year in which profits fell 5.6 percent. The results included provision of US$692 million to settle fines and claims from investigations into long-haul passenger and cargo fuel surcharges.
The fourth-quarter result compared to a profit of 88 million pounds in the same period a year earlier. Fourth quarter revenue was down 5.9 percent at 1.9 billion pounds (euro2.8 billion; US$ US$3.8 billion).
