BA to offer more holiday packages

British Airways (BA) is upbeat about its offer for more leisure destinations and packages of British Airways Holidays.

Its optimism comes from a significant increase in the number of flights from London (Heathrow Airport) to Indian cities.

The airline has 61 properties networked under the 'Prestige Collection' and a few under the premium properties in the Indian subcontinent.

With leisure travel into India on the rise, we expect to get a major share of this segment with significant increase of flights to five Indian cities, said Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways at a media luncheon meet on Tuesday.

"Leisure to business travel from and to India still at a 60:40 ratio, operations from five Indian cities is likely to bring in more properties and more travel circuits under the British Airways Holidays fold," he added.

The business travel too between the countries is also on the rise due to the growth of the information technology sector. This is not likely to alter the ratio. But both will grow substantially, said Martin George, commercial director, British Airways.

British Airways has 35 flights from India on its winter schedule and is expected to touch 42 by the summer schedule of 2006. The airline is to bring in cities of Kochi and Hyderabad into its fold.

"This is likely to give us opportunity to offer travel leisure packages to and from south India," said Martin George.

British Airways is set to invest pound 100 million in a major overhaul of its long-haul business class. The enhanced changes are to be introduced from mid-2006.

"This huge investment is being made after five years and will build on the success of our existing Club World flat bed and also set standards for business traveller," said Willie Walsh.

The airline will revamp all aspects of its journey - both on the ground and in the air - and will also make a major investment in its in-flight entertainment system in all four cabins, to be introduced from summer 2006, he added.

British Airways is banking on the growth fuelled by a surge in travellers increasingly opting for e-ticketing. "For example, on a global basis, 90 per cent of our tickets are sold online, while it stands at 70 per cent in India. We are targetting 100 per cent globally by 2007 and we are looking towards IATA to come out with guidelines to enable e-ticketing," said Willie Walsh.