BA to scrap short haul premium class

06.02.10

Willie Walsh, BA's CEO, 'called time on European business-class travel', saying that the service will not survive the recession, the Times reports. With businesses cutting travel budgets, the extra expense of flying in slightly larger seats for 1 - 2 hour journeys has become unsustainable, especially with the extra air tax burden on the service in the UK, he said.

BA has seen a sharp fall in short-haul business-class passengers during the recession, as they either trade down to economy or fly with budget airlines instead. Mr Walsh said: ‘Short-haul premium will never recover. That part of the business has changed forever and we have to address it.’

BA is understood to be reviewing its short-haul operations, and its premium seats could be removed from planes operating out of Gatwick and other UK regional airports. However, the Times suggests that it may continue to offer premium seats in short-haul flights operating from Heathrow, to take advantage of business-class transfer traffic.

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