Sean Doyle, British Airways chief executive, said new technology would allow cabin crew to inform passengers mid-flight if their bag did not make a connection. They would be told where their luggage was and when it would be delivered.
Addressing the 2023 Airlines conference in London on Monday (20 November), Doyle said: “We have trialled this with 100 in-flight managers and they are thrilled with it.”
Doyle said the airline was currently operating at 92% of 2019 levels after removing 36 Boeing 747s from its fleet during the pandemic, but added: “That capacity is very full.”
Leisure demand is driving travel’s resurgence, Doyle reiterated. “It has been ahead of 2019 levels,” he said, but admitted: “Business travel is lagging.”
The latter, he said, has been affected by the new post-pandemic culture of video meetings, but Doyle said there was no replacement for face-to-face interactions: “We have an expression in Ireland – if you want to buy the land, you have to walk the farm.”
Doyle said 60% of BA’s Heathrow-based long-haul aircraft now had the new Club World cabin, while WiFi is now across “most of the network”.
He added the carrier was working on accessibility issues. “We have made a lot progress this year with our airport mobility providers,” said Doyle. One initiative he highlighted was a trial of wheelchairs that turn into aircraft seating once secured onboard.
Doyle also called for more investment into sustainable aviation fuels via a price support mechanism for new infrastructure.
“We’re struggling to get plants built, so maybe look at what other governments are doing,” he said. He also called for Air Passenger Duty to be waived for transferring passengers, which comprise 40-50% of BA’s sales.
“We need to ensure we don’t make our industry uncompetitive by stealth,” he said.
