BA ejects first class from flights

Published on Saturday 23 May 2009 18:58

IT'S news that will bring the international jet set down to earth with a bump; British Airways is ejecting first class.

For decades it was the only way for business moguls, rock stars and the glitterati to travel.

But now the bite of the recession has forced the UK's most prestigious airline to slash its premium facilities.

BA has removed first class accommodation from its new long-haul planes and is reviewing seating plans for other new aircraft.

During the post-millennium boom well-heeled travellers clamoured for access to designer cabins, free pyjamas and slippers, Michelin-class dining and some of the world's finest wines on tap.

However, the credit crunch has seen demand for airline opulence nosedive.

BA's chief executive confirmed the high life was being stripped back and reviewed.

Willie Walsh said: "The long-haul aircraft that we take delivery of this year will not have any first class cabins in them.

"Longer term we will review the configuration of all new aircraft."

The airline also confirmed that its new service from Heathrow to Las Vegas, a key destination for high rollers, would have no first class option when it is launched later this year.

Walsh claimed that the cost of ripping out seats in the existing fleet meant that first class would remain for now in older planes.

As well as parachuting first class the airline has also slashed the price of business-class seats by up to 40 per cent in a bid to halt the free-fall in bookings.

The move comes after BA's first and business-class traffic slumped by nearly 18 per cent in April, hot on the heels of a 13 per cent fall in the previous month.

North Atlantic routes, BA's main source of profits, have been badly hit by the crisis in the banking sector.

The company's rivals have fared equally badly, with executive travel slumping by nearly 20 per cent across the industry since the start of the year.

It ends a British business jet boom that saw flight numbers grow by around 14 per cent annually to 150,000 trips every year.

The crisis in the non-budget flight sector has led Walsh to confirm that he will work for no pay in July and urged members of BA's 40,000 staff to take unpaid leave or work part-time until conditions recover.

BA recently announced a pre-tax loss of 401 million compared with a profit of 922m, the previous year.