NDC is a travel industry-supported programme launched by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to improve communications between airlines and travel agents. NDC facilitates access to a richer and more complete inventory from the airlines, as well as access to the wider range of services they offer, than was possible through legacy systems.

The latest changes will drive the airline closer to achieving IATA’s goal of 20 per cent of indirect bookings through NDC APIs by the end of 2020. British Airways has already exceeded this target in the UK.

From the end of March, travel agents connected to NDC will benefit from enhancements to complex servicing capability, which will allow them to accept or search between different flight options, without the need to contact a call centre.

British Airways’ NDC platform will now include full servicing prior to ticketing for agents who offer their customers a delay between booking and ticketing. This will give agents the ability to change dates and times for held bookings. This follows the launch of a new 24/7 NDC Service Escalation Process which complements existing support structures already in place.

The airline is also expanding its Long Haul Additional Price Points across more routes and introducing extra price points on Short Haul. The lowest three Short Haul Basic inventories will now only be available through NDC and direct channels for customers starting their journey from the UK.

British Airways’ Head of Distribution, Rogier van Enk said: “These enhancements demonstrate our commitment to delivering more choice and value to customers and trade partners. It’s just the beginning of our 2020 distribution strategy and we will continue to listen and collaborate with our agency partners as we expand our New Distribution Capability offering. If there is ever a time for trade partners to join us on this journey, it’s now.”

The additional price points and Short Haul Basic content will be available through any trade partner connected to British Airways’ New Distribution Capability (NDC) APIs and through the airlines’ direct channels.

The airline will be increasing its services from Heathrow to Miami, Seattle and Cape Town, offering those customers who want to travel during the busy spring period more flexibility.

Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances, said; “We know that these destinations in the US and Africa are highly sought after, particularly during Spring, so we are pleased to be able to offer more flights to these destinations for our customers who are looking to get away.”

British Airways recently announced that it would be increasing services next winter from Gatwick to Cape Town, St Lucia and Cancun. The airline will also be launching six new European routes starting from July from Heathrow to Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro and Turkey.

As always, members of the British Airways Executive Club can earn Avios on their British Airways booking.  Avios can be spent on Reward flights, upgrades, hotels, car rental and cutting the cost of a flight. When using Avios part payment, customers can pick from a range of savings by destination and cabin and they still collect Avios and Tier Points on their bookings.

Customers will be able to book from 13 February when the new agreement takes effect and codeshare flights will operate from 20 February, prior to the Moroccan airline’s joining of the oneworld alliance on 1 April 2020.

British Airways’ first African codeshare will give its customers more choice of services between Heathrow and Marrakesh. As well as daily access to Royal Air Maroc’s hub in Casablanca, which is not currently served directly by British Airways.

Casablanca also serves as the perfect hub for connections onto other Royal Air Maroc destinations, including Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, Freetown in Sierra Leone and Agadir in Morocco. 

Chris Fordyce, British Airways’ Head of Alliances, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Morocco’s flagship airline, Royal Air Maroc to create our first African codeshare agreement.

“Not only will this codeshare agreement give our customers the choice of more flights to Africa’s biggest tourist destination, Morocco, it will connect our extensive global network to new destinations in Africa.”

Hamid Addou, Royal Air Maroc’s CEO adds: “This new Code-share with a prestigious company, British Airways, confirms Royal Air Maroc’s major role as a key player connecting Africa to the rest of the world. We are very pleased with this cooperation which will foster our traffic development and ease the access to both our companies’ networks on both ends. Thanks to this code-sharing agreement, Royal Air Maroc offers its passengers access to additional destinations across Great Britain and a better customer journey, through optimized connections and end-to-end check-in operations, with international assistance at airports served by the two companies.”

Both Royal Air Maroc and British Airways’ customers will be able to earn loyalty points when flying on either carrier.  As always, members of the British Airways Executive Club can earn Avios on their British Airways booking including eligible codeshare flights.  Avios can be spent on Reward flights, upgrades, hotels, car rental and cutting the cost of a flight. When using Avios part payment, customers can pick from a range of savings by destination and cabin and they still collect Avios points on their bookings.

British Airways’ customers will be eligible for access to Royal Air Maroc’s airport lounges when flying in premium cabins of Royal Air Maroc’s, bearing British Airways code and the same will apply to Royal Air Maroc’s customers flying in a premium cabin of British Airways codeshare flights at British Airways airport lounges.

The fresh white headrest covers, a new look bright blue cushion with a classic herringbone design and a new blanket in a super-soft fleece material will help customers to settle in and get comfy. 

The items are available on all long-haul flights to and from Heathrow and will launch on all long-haul flights to and from Gatwick on 1 March, 2020. 

Blankets that are being replaced will be donated to charities and projects in the UK and overseas.

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Customer experience, said: “We want our customers to be able to sit back and really relax on board, making the most of the comfortable new soft furnishings, the in-flight films and programmes and the four-course World Traveller menu.  Our aim is to deliver them to their destination feeling refreshed and feeling their trip is off to a great start. ”

These additional changes to the World Traveller offer follow a long list of other recent investments for customers including  73 new aircraft, the refurbishment of the airline’s long-haul fleet with new cabins so they look and feel new, redesigned lounges, new dining across all cabins, new bedding and amenity kits for First, Club World and World Traveller Plus, the best quality onboard WiFi to every aircraft and providing access to power at every aircraft seat. The airline recently introduced its Club Suite, a new business class seat with direct aisle access on its A350 aircraft, which will be rolled out across the British Airways’ long-haul fleet.

Due to be completed in Spring 2020, customers travelling through Chicago in the First or Club lounges will receive a personal and more interactive welcome in new look reception areas. The lounge will have a lighter and more relaxing atmosphere for customers with new décor, flooring and furnishings. There will be more charging ports, built into new marble tables, as well as specially crafted chairs to help customers to relax. In terms of dining, there will be redesigned serving stations which will continue to offer customers a wide range of local and international cuisines.

British Airways is also refreshing its lounge in Edinburgh. As in Chicago, customers will enjoy a fresh, brighter look, with new furniture and carpeting, as well as a more interactive welcome experience. There will also be enhanced levels of comfort with bespoke armchairs while reconfigured working and dining areas will give customers more room to work or eat.

The Edinburgh lounge serves customers travelling in Club Europe on one of the up-to-20 flights to London each day, from which all carbon emissions are offset by the airline as part of its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The lounge is also open to those connecting on to a Club World or First flight, or those with Silver or higher Executive Club status. Changes will be complete by the end of Spring 2020.

Finally, by early Spring customers using the airline’s lounge in Berlin will see new furnishings, carpet and décor, with up to 10 daily flights between the two capital cities.

Photos of previous lounge refreshes, which give a feel of the changes being made, are attached to this release.

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “Lounges are incredibly important to our customers travelling in our Club and First cabins, or to those with Executive Club status, and they are rightly a focus of our £6.5bn customer investment. We’ve recently refurbished nine lounges across the network, and we’re looking forward to refurbishing more in 2020.”

As part of its 2020 lounge upgrade activity the airline will also be refreshing a number of its lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5 as well as redesigning and relaunching the Elemis Spa at JFK. More details on this will follow in due course.

Other investments (please see details in notes to editors for lounge activity) across the airline include the installation of the best quality Wi-Fi and power in every aircraft seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft.  Last year the airline introduced its Club Suite, a new business class seat with direct aisle access.

The airline’s innovators predict that non-essential cabin parts will be first on the list to be generated, including pieces of tray tables, entertainment systems and toilets. While these components do not impact the safe operation of the flight, they can reduce the number of seats or toilets available for customers and cause delays as engineers wait for the parts to be flown to wherever the aircraft is.

Ricardo Vidal, Head of Innovation at British Airways, says this area of technology has never been more important to ensure sustainability and a seamless travel experience:  “We work with start-ups and innovation partners from around the world to explore and implement the very latest technologies, from artificial intelligence to speed up turnaround times to biometrics, helping us to deliver a seamless airport experience for customers. 3D printing is yet another advancement that will keep us at the forefront of airline innovation.”

3D printing is an essential step towards the sustainable future of aviation, as the printers can produce parts that, while as strong and durable as traditional components, weigh up to 55 per cent less. Every kilogram removed saves up to 25 tons of CO2 emissions during the lifespan of an aircraft.

Watch a time-lapse of a model of the airline’s A350 being printed:

British Airways’ exploration of 3D printing follows the airline’s BA2119: Flight of the Future programme in celebration of it’s centenary. It’s research into the future of the customer experience suggested that within the next decade, biological scanners gathering travellers’ physiological and nutritional needs could suggest food and drink to meet individual requirements and print these on board the aircraft. In addition, the research predicts that jet lag could become be a thing of the past, with 3D printers producing personalised health supplements.

British Airways’ top ten predictions for how 3D printing could be used by airline’s in the future:

1.  Cutlery

2.  Products for amenity kits, such as toothbrushes or combs

3.  Tray tables

4.  Aircraft windows

5.  Inflight entertainment screens

6.  Seats

7.  Baggage containers

8.  Circuit boards for electrical components

9.  Flight deck switches

10. Aircraft shells

All staff worldwide are now being further empowered to use their skills and initiative to do the right thing for any customer at that moment. The worldwide roll out is a direct result of the successful start of the programme at Heathrow – earlier this year British Airways won the title of Best Airline Staff in Europe at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards. 

Sumer Adlakha, British Airways’ Customer Service Manager in Delhi, Mumbai & Maldives said:  

“The new approach has been welcomed by the whole of our airport team and our customers. It gives us the ability to own and resolve a problem without having to ask customers to call or email our Customer Relations team which is time-consuming for them. They’ve told us they love that our agents are using their own knowledge and skills to resolve issues and particularly enjoy the personal touch we are able to give in each situation.” 

Tom Stevens, British Airways’ Head of Airport Operations said: 

“We’ve seen a fantastic response to the First Contact Resolution programme at Heathrow, which is about going back to basics and emphasising the age-old concept of ‘treating others as you would want to be treated’.  The roll out worldwide will provide consistency for our customers, giving everyone the unique and personal attention that they deserve, wherever they are in the world.” 

The roll out of First Contact Resolution is a part of British Airways’ £6.5 billion investment in customer experience over five years. This includes taking delivery of 73 new aircraft including A350 and 787s, refurbishing long-haul aircraft with new cabins, introducing new, redesigned lounges, new dining across all cabins, new bedding and amenity kits for First, Club World and World Traveller Plus, best quality onboard WiFi for every aircraft and access to power at every aircraft seat. The airline recently introduced its Club Suite, a new business class seat with direct-aisle access on its A350 aircraft, which is being rolled out across the British Airways’ long-haul fleet. 

The lounge, situated on the first floor in international departures, has undergone a significant refurbishment, with the 880m² floor space having been converted into one spacious lounge, with a dedicated boutique dining area for First customers.

The meticulously curated lounge follows a new design concept, which debuted in 2018 and incorporates local design features with the best of British. In this case the British and South African elements blend to deliver a luxurious and contemporary look and feel with warm, welcoming African notes.

The new design means the lounge can comfortably host 247 customers. It offers a modern, lobby bar area for socialising, a brasserie dining area and office space with ample work stations and power outlets. A peaceful, separate area with a mix of elegant armchairs and banquette seating and selection of complementary magazines and newspapers is available for customers who want to relax and recharge ahead of their journey.

Zoned areas enable guests to select their preferred area depending on their mood and requirements. The lighting is specifically tailored for each zone and adjusted to be appropriate for the time of day.

The lobby bar, with its signature lighting, offers an extensive display of spirts, beers and soft drinks and a selection of fine South African wines.

Catering in the onsite kitchen is provided by Food Directions, the same caterer that serves the award-winning SLOW lounges, that are so popular with customers flying on franchise partner British Airways operated by Comair’s domestic and regional services. 

The menu includes hot and cold options including fresh seasonal salads, mezze, local charcuterie and Indezi River cheeses as well as traditional comfort-food favourites such as Cape Malay curry.

The newly introduced First Boutique Dining pairs a pre-flight al-la-carte menu, designed by the in-house chef, with an extensive wine list featuring selections from some of South leading estates.

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “We’re delighted to present the next step in our significant customer investment with the re-opening of the Johannesburg lounge.

Every detail has been carefully designed and we’ve created a space to meet our customers’ needs – whether they want to relax with a hot meal, work in peace or enjoy a drink at the lobby bar, the lounge will get their travels off to the best start.”

British Airways has this year completed the renovation of its First and Club lounges in New York’s JFK Terminal 7, along with improvements to the customer experience at check-in, which are currently underway. A brand-new contemporary lounge has also been unveiled in San Francisco, with sweeping views of the runways. Further investment is planned with a new British Airways lounge in Geneva, set to open later this year.

The new OR Tambo lounge opens as the airline is investing £6.5 billion for its customers over five years, including the installation of the best-quality Wi-Fi and power in every aircraft seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft. This year the airline has also introduced its Club Suite, a new business class seat with direct aisle access.

The new phones will be loaded with a selection of apps to help crew offer customers instant additional assistance during their journey. 

They will also have access to a range of customer information at their fingertips, including previous flights and meal preferences, enabling them to personalise every interaction. 

The investment is part of British Airways’ continued commitment to ensure customers receive the best customer service at every stage of their journey.

Bradley Smith, 27, one of the first cabin crew to receive a brand-new iPhone XRs says the phones are enabling a step-change in customer service: “Recently, when a customer realised that he had forgotten to order a special meal, he was really impressed when I quickly took out the phone, logged onto ba.com and ordered a meal for his return journey – all within a matter of minutes in the middle of the flight.

“It felt so rewarding to be able to immediately resolve the situation for the customer. All my crew reference guides are also loaded onto the phone, so everything I need is in my pocket throughout each flight; it really has made a huge difference already.”

Karen Slinger, British Airways’ Head of Inflight Customer Experience, said: “Our customers spend up to 14 hours with our cabin crew on a single flight and we know from the recent success at the Skytrax Awards that the care provided by our people has a huge impact on the overall customer experience and is what sets us apart from other airlines. This investment is about further empowering our crew and providing them with everything they need to deliver the very best service to our customers while in the air.” 

The rollout of these devices is the latest initiative to enhance customer service at British Airways. Earlier this year, the airline launched Help Me; a brand-new section of ba.com to help customers make changes to their bookings and find out more about their consumer rights if their journey doesn’t go to plan. The airline also announced a multi-million-pound investment in training for its staff based at Heathrow, with every agent now trained to help customers with a range of different queries and personally reach out to them at the airport using iPads loaded with a host of specialist apps.

British Airways is investing £6.5 billion to improve its customer experience over the next five years, including the installation of high-speed, industry-leading WiFi across the fleet, which will help cabin crew access the latest information for customers on their devices whilst in flight. The airline will also take delivery of 73 new aircraft, including 18 A350s, with four of the new aircraft joining the fleet before the end of the year.

Hyper-personalisation, immersive virtual realities, 3D printed health solutions, modular aircraft connected to city infrastructure, hypersonic flying and the rise of super-slow ”flight cruises”, are all part of the future of air travel according to a major global travel report published today by British Airways.

The BA 2119: Flight of the Future Report was commissioned by the airline to mark its centenary year, in collaboration with the leading data-led trends agency Foresight Factory. The report is one of the largest global consumer travel studies of its kind – surveying 13,000 consumers across ten countries – and consultations with leading sector experts and futurologists to offers a picture of what flying will look like in 20, 40, 60 and even 100 years into the future.

Key findings and possible outcomes include:

The report found that consumers want far greater personalisation from their flying experience. Overall 46% of people want a dedicated communal space for socialising, however this was far more popular with those in emerging markets (Brazil 47%), India 69%, China 55% and South Africa 47%) than with passengers in the UK (30%), Germany (22%) and Japan (20%) who preferred a more private experience. 

In the future, greater personalisation could be delivered through aircraft seats that use biological scanners to gather travellers’ physiological and nutritional needs. This data will suggest food and drink to meet individual requirements, which can be 3D-printed on board the aircraft

Acclimatisation to the destination, be that combating jet lag or pre-travel care will be a thing of the past, with 3D printers also used to print personalised health supplements.

AI-powered personalisation will enable passengers to bring cloud-based work and entertainment profiles to their seats, while holographic flight attendants will field basic questions and requests, freeing up cabin crew to offer more value-added interactions.  

Overwhelmingly, consumers say that the future will see the end of airline “classes”, and the rise of bespoke packages where consumers pay for a customisable experience, based on options for space and entertainment. 

Consumer demand for ultra-convenience and personal autonomy also emerge as key trends of the study, with passengers especially keen on speeding up their whole travel experience while still on board the plane. For example, 73% of passengers want inflight technology that allows them to self-complete immigration and visa control while they are still in the air. 63% of consumers would like an in-flight concierge to organise a hotel for them when they land, and a further 56% would like to book a taxi from the air to pick them up when they arrive. 

This could lead to an integrated hyperloop-style transit system, which will transport travellers in modules directly to assigned compartments within the craft, configured to their requirements. As the module passes through the hyperloop tunnel, processes such as check-in, VISA check and preferences around food, drink and entertainment choices are automatically carried out.

The environment is a key consideration for travellers with 43% of people prepared to pay more if the flight was more environmentally friendly. These concerns trump the need for speed, with 45% saying they would opt for the slowest available flight if it was the greener option. 

To deliver on these consumer demands, experts predict we will see planes powered by electricity and alternative fuels, with the ability to recharge in the air using aerial recharging stations, enabling them to travel much longer distances more sustainably. 

Although the emergence of next generation supersonic jets will dramatically cut travel time – with the average flight from New York to London falling from seven hours to three – the report predicts that within 50 years we will see a trend for slow, experiential flights as consumers seek a leisurely start to their holidays. 

These flights could take the form of “Air cruises”, which will see travellers fly slowly over areas of special interest, such as the Pyramids, while interactive VR guides give passengers an immersive running commentary. Other options available to passengers travelling on an air cruises include on-board yoga, meditation or art classes. 

British Airways’ Chairman and Chief Executive Alex Cruz said: “The findings of the BA 2119:  Flight of the Future Report not only offer us unprecedented insight into how consumers across the world feel about flying now, but what they will expect from us, as airlines, in the future. In the last ten years alone, the airline industry and flight experience has changed in so many significant ways, including improved fuel efficiency, noise reduction, in cabin design and luxury. It is therefore not hard to see how, at this rate of progress, these seemingly unreal predictions will come true.

“This is a really exciting way to mark our centenary, which has seen us remember the past, celebrate the present and predict the future in collaboration with fantastic partners from across industry and academia.”

The concepts in the BA 2119: Flight of the Future Report have been brought to life by post-graduate students at the Royal College of Art in a special exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London which runs throughout August.  The exhibition also includes a one-of-a kind, full motion, virtual reality experience, Fly. Built by award winning VR creators and an Oscar-winning practical effects team, Fly enables visitors to become a time-travelling pilot, from the earliest imaginings of Leonard da Vinci and his ornithopter, to the Wright Brothers’ success on Kitty Hawk, to that first inaugural passenger flight to Paris. Users will experience Concorde, the brand new A350 and the imagined flight of future.

The report was discussed today at a panel event with leaders from across the industry, including British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, Alex Cruz, Alison Fitzgerald, Chief Operating Officer, London City Airport; Anab Jain, Director & Co-founder, Superflux (futurists); Dupsy Abiola, Head of Global Innovation, IAG and Ian Scoley, Vice President, Safran Cabin Innovation & Design Studio, California.

Josh McBain, Consultancy Director at Foresight Factory, said: “Aviation is a sector that is continually at the forefront of innovation, striving to develop technology to make flying faster, safer and greener than ever before. 

“The insights we gathered for this report from eight countries and over 13,000 people give the clearest picture we have ever had of what customers expect from their future flying experience and the work we have done with futurologists and aviation experts paint an exciting picture. From air cruises offering in-flight yoga, to solar powered planes and floating re-fuelling stations, the next 100 years of flying will push the boundaries of technology and change the flying experience as we know it beyond recognition. To partner with British Airways – a company that has always been at the vanguard of aviation technology – has been fascinating and we wish them a very happy 100th birthday.”