Ba | Digital Crosstalk

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Brian and team, who work for a digital marketing agency run this Digital Crosstalk blog.
Occasionally we might blog about companies and people we work with but for the most part we'll simply be blogging about stories and events which we find interesting.

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23rd
NOV

Could BA re-examine Qantas merger?

Posted by Brian | Filed under air, hotels

: Image by caribb via Flickr

The proposed merger between aviation heavyweights British Airways and Iberia has served to reignite the possibility of a tie-up with Australian carrier Qantas.

Willie Walsh, chief executive for British Way suggested in a Financial Times interview that the possibility of a tie-up with Qantas could be looked at again with a view to creating a merger similar to the BA-Iberia one.

Plans for a merger between BA and Qantas were quashed last year when take-over talks failed but the BA-Iberia merger, where both airlines retain their brand identities and home-bases could serve as a template on which any such future, similar mergers could be built.

“You could look again there” regarding an alliance with Qantas, Willie Walsh told the FT.

But with strong political opposition in Australia towards a BA/Qantas merger there are no plans to set the merger in stone but it could certainly be something that may well be discussed in the future.

Tags: ba, british airways, iberia, merger, qantas, willie walsh

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16th
JUL

2nd Ashes Test score could see cheap flights to Australia

Posted by Brian | Filed under air

: Image via Wikipedia

An article in the Telegraph claims that England’s performance in the upcoming second Ashes test will set a limited availability reduced fare for flights to Australia by both British Airways and Qantas after the airlines announced a special Ashes-related promotion. Depending on the outcome, holidaymakers looking to jet off Down Under could enjoy record savings.

The fare price will be set according to Australia’s first innings score in the second npower Ashes Test at Lord’s cricket ground, while the number of seats available at the special rate will be determined by England’s reply in their respective innings, although the minimum return fare will be £125. The seats will also only be available between certain travel periods and only in economy class cabins.

As an illustration, if Australia are bowled out for 280 runs, and England score 350 runs then there will be 350 seats available at £280. With a typical fair weighing in at around £700, cricket fans – English cricket fans, at least – will be hoping Flintoff and co. can net them a bargain flight by limiting the Aussies to a low number of runs, although bookers will have to be quick if they want to take advantage of the offer.

The limited availability seats will be made available from July 21st, but the last time BA offered a similar offer – for the final test of the 2005 Ashes – the seats sold out within 30 minutes!

Tags: australia, ba, cricket, flights, qantas, travel

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23rd
JUN

British Airways launch Value Calculator to Illustrate differences in Air Fare Charges

Posted by Brian | Filed under air

Image via Wikipedia

Need to know how much your flight is likely to cost you, or how much value you can get for your cash? Well, British Airways have launched a tool to let you do just that – the BA Value Calculator – and in so doing have thrown down the gauntlet to no-frills budget airlines Easyjet and Ryanair.

There’s no secret in the fact that budget airlines, like Ryanair and Easyjet apply additional charges to the price of your airfare, such as for taking hold luggage, check-in facilities and priority boarding which often masks the true cost of your air travel so before you next book a flight, see just how much money your flight really costs when you add up all the charges for extras you might need to pay.

“It’s been well documented that some of the no-frills carriers charge for a range of ‘extras’ that we consider to be part of our core service, from checking in a bag to food and drinks on board…. we’re just making these transparent for customers,” said Richard Tams, BA UK and Ireland sales chief.

“On a round trip, customers can be paying up to £375 on Ryanair and £79 on easyJet for these extras in addition to their fare.”

You can view the calculator on the British Airways website