Misplaced Pages

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120-716: Virgin Atlantic , a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited , is a British airline with its head office in Crawley , West Sussex , England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways , and was originally planned by its co-founders Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary to fly between London and the Falkland Islands . Soon after changing

240-478: A civil rights dispute when a Christian employee was forbidden to wear a necklace bearing the cross , a religious symbol. BA's practice of forbidding such symbols has been publicly questioned by British politicians such as the former Home Secretary John Reid and the former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw . Relations have been turbulent between BA and Unite. In 2007, cabin crew threatened strike action over salary changes to be imposed by BA management. The strike

360-708: A holding company registered in Madrid , Spain. IAG is the world's third-largest airline group in terms of annual revenue and the second-largest in Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the FTSE 100 Index . British Airways is the first passenger airline to have generated more than US$ 1 billion on a single air route in a year (from 1 April 2017, to 31 March 2018, on the New York-JFK – London-Heathrow route). BA

480-420: A DBA must be registered with a local or state government, or both, depending on the jurisdiction. For example, California, Texas and Virginia require a DBA to be registered with each county (or independent city in the case of Virginia) where the owner does business. Maryland and Colorado have DBAs registered with a state agency. Virginia also requires corporations and LLCs to file a copy of their registration with

600-467: A DBA statement, though names including the first and last name of the owner may be accepted. This also reduces the possibility of two local businesses operating under the same name, although some jurisdictions do not provide exclusivity for a name, or may allow more than one party to register the same name. Note, though, that this is not a substitute for filing a trademark application. A DBA filing carries no legal weight in establishing trademark rights. In

720-557: A Union Flag design on the winglets of its aircraft and changed the red dress on the Scarlet Lady on the nose of aircraft to the union flag with the tag line "Britain's Flag Carrier ". This was a tongue-in-cheek challenge to BA's traditional role as the UK's flag carrier. In June 2006, US and UK competition authorities investigated alleged price fixing between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways over passenger fuel surcharges. In August 2007, BA

840-441: A badge indicating their preferred pronoun of address. The new uniforms are for crew, pilots and ground staff. At the same time, the company is making changes to its ticketing systems to allow those holding passports which indicate gender-neutrality to be entered as “U” or “X”, as well as offering a new title of address, “Mx”, on their reservations. At this time, not all countries offer this option on passports; those that do include

960-418: A brand new ad campaign, titled "A British Original" produced by London-based Uncommon Creative Studio. This was to be another record-breaking campaign for its use of 500 unique executions along with a series of 32 short films, coinciding with the launch of Ozwald Boateng's new collection of uniform. British Airways purchased the internet domain ba.com in 2002 from previous owner Bell Atlantic , 'BA' being

1080-519: A choice to wear trousers rather than a skirt. In September 2019, it was announced Virgin Atlantic had outlined plans to expand. A key part of these plans would have been acquiring Flybe , with a plan to rebrand it as "Virgin Connect" from early 2020; however, the plans fell through when Flybe filed for administration and ceased operations in March 2020. In December 2019, Branson announced that he would be scrapping

1200-589: A continuation of the flight to Bahrain. Following the Air France Concorde crash in Paris and a slump in air travel following the 11 September attacks in New York in 2001, it was decided to cease Concorde operations in 2003 after 27 years of service. The final commercial Concorde flight was BA002 from New York-JFK to London-Heathrow on 24 October 2003. In 1981 the airline was instructed to prepare for privatisation by

1320-410: A cost savings of £750m and the establishment of a budget airline, Go , in 1998. The next year, however, British Airways reported an 84% drop in profits in its first quarter alone, its worst in seven years. In March 2000, Ayling was removed from his position and British Airways announced Rod Eddington as his successor. That year, British Airways and KLM conducted talks on a potential merger, reaching

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1440-764: A decision in July to file an official merger plan with the European Commission. The plan fell through in September 2000. British Asia Airways ceased operations in 2001 after BA suspended flights to Taipei. Go was sold to its management and the private equity firm 3i in June 2001. Eddington would make further workforce cuts due to reduced demand following 11 September attacks in 2001, and BA sold its stake in Qantas in September 2004. In 2005 Willie Walsh , managing director of Aer Lingus and

1560-775: A domestic service on 31 March 2013, under the Little Red brand, operating a total of 12 daily services from London to Aberdeen (three), Edinburgh (six), and Manchester (three). The airline wet-leased four Airbus Airbus A320-200s from Aer Lingus , operating with Virgin Atlantic livery, under a three-year contract. In September 2014, it was reported that Virgin Atlantic was considering closing its domestic brand after suffering heavy losses, with Civil Aviation Authority figures confirming an average seat occupancy level of just 37.6% in 2013. The 12 daily pairs of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow cannot be sold to be used for long-haul routes. On 6 October 2014, Virgin Atlantic confirmed that

1680-408: A dramatic increase in travel, and the company now faced a worker shortage, forcing it to cancel more than 1,500 flights. During February 2023, The international airlines group, the owners of British Airways announced that the group has returned to making an annual profit of €1.3 billion for the first time since the pandemic, following a €2.8 billion loss in 2021. The company warned that due to

1800-525: A former pilot, became the chief executive officer of British Airways. BA unveiled its new subsidiary OpenSkies in January 2008, taking advantage of the liberalisation of transatlantic traffic rights between Europe and the United States. OpenSkies flies non-stop from Paris to New York's JFK and Newark airports. In July 2008, British Airways announced a merger plan with Iberia , another flag carrier airline in

1920-651: A joint venture with Air France-KLM , but in December 2019, it was announced that the joint venture would not include a stake in the company. On 5 May 2020, it was announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the airline would lay off 3,000 staff, reduce the fleet size to 35 by the summer of 2022, retire the Boeing 747-400s and would not resume operations from Gatwick following the pandemic. Virgin Atlantic filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York on 4 August 2020 as part of

2040-645: A mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft and operates to destinations in North America, the Caribbean , Africa, the Middle East and Asia from its main hub at London–Heathrow and its secondary hub at Manchester . The airline also operates seasonal services from Edinburgh . Virgin Atlantic aircraft consist of three cabins: Economy, Premium (formerly Premium economy ) and Upper Class (business). In July 2017, Virgin Atlantic announced its intention to form

2160-534: A pack of Love Hearts at the end of every flight. British Midland International provided domestic and European feeder traffic into Heathrow Airport in partnership with Virgin until it was purchased by British Airways' parent company International Airlines Group in 2011. The Lufthansa -owned airline had faced heavy annual losses of more than £100 million. Under the terms of the takeover, IAG had to relinquish some former BMI domestic slots at Heathrow. Virgin Atlantic purchased enough slots in 2012 to enable it to launch

2280-451: A party in London during which he proposed a business partnership. After protracted and testy negotiations, Fields agreed to a reduced stake of 25% in the airline (which was renamed Virgin Atlantic ) and became its first chairman. Following disagreements over operations, Fields agreed to be bought out for an initial sum of £1 million with further payment on Virgin Atlantic's first dividend. As

2400-401: A pay offer. Strike action continued throughout 2017 in numerous discontinuous periods, resulting in one of the longest running disputes in aviation history. On 31 October 2017, after 85 days of discontinuous industrial action, Mixed Fleet accepted a new pay deal from BA which ended the dispute. British Airways serves over 170 destinations in 70 countries, including eight domestic and 27 in

2520-399: A publicity stunt. Branson sued British Airways for libel, using the services of George Carman QC . BA settled out of court when its lawyers discovered the lengths to which the company had gone in trying to kill off Virgin Atlantic. British Airways had to pay a legal bill of up to £3 million, damages to Branson of £500,000, and a further £110,000 to his airline. Branson reportedly donated

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2640-684: A result of a High Court action, this additional payment was received shortly before Fields' death in 1997. On 22 June 1984, Virgin Atlantic operated its inaugural scheduled service, flown between Gatwick and Newark using a leased Boeing 747-200 (registration G-VIRG ), christened Maiden Voyager , which had been formerly operated by Aerolíneas Argentinas . From the onset, its activities were augmented by leveraging existing Virgin Group resources, such as tickets being sold at Virgin Megastores record shops. Part of Richard Branson's declared approach to business

2760-478: A service between Luton and Dublin using secondhand Vickers Viscount turboprop aircraft, but this route was withdrawn around 1990. The airline also operated a Viscount service between Maastricht and London Luton Airport in 1989. During 1988, Club Air operated two Boeing 727 jet aircraft on behalf of Virgin Atlantic; these served the Luton-to-Dublin route until about 1990. In 1991, Virgin Atlantic

2880-621: A state company, BA was privatised in February 1987 as part of a wider privatisation plan by the Conservative government . The carrier expanded with the acquisition of British Caledonian in 1987, Dan-Air in 1992, and British Midland International in 2012. It is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance, along with American Airlines , the now-defunct Canadian Airlines , Cathay Pacific , and Qantas . The alliance has since grown to become

3000-545: A successor. Reportedly, Fields had formed a concept for an airline that would operate between London and the Falkland Islands during June 1982, when the Falklands War had just finished. Seeking out expertise in the field, Fields made contact with Hellary, who had already been considering options for establishing a regular commercial service to the Falklands. In turn, Hellary was in contact with several out-of-work colleagues from

3120-563: A takeover bid for Flybe . The deal would see the consortium combine Flybe and Stobart Air with Virgin Atlantic to create an integrated carrier operating under the Virgin Atlantic brand. Flybe and Stobart Air would however retain their own Air Operator Certificates . On 15 January 2019, Connect Airways announced an increased offer, which Flybe's board accepted. On 21 February 2019, the Flybe Group confirmed that its operating assets, including

3240-579: A three-class cabin configuration: Economy , Premium (formerly Premium Economy ), and Upper Class - the business class product. Premium has a separate check-in area, priority boarding and a wider seat with more legroom. Upper Class features a seat that converts into a fully flat bed and access to a private check in area (called the Upper Class Wing at London Heathrow). Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to offer personal entertainment for all passengers in all classes. The airline's frequent-flyer program

3360-552: A three-day inquiry was conducted, which chose to reject the application following objections from British Airways , British Caledonian and BAA . Hellary and Fields then applied for a licence between Gatwick and Newark , New Jersey , using a 380-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-10 . However, faced with the prospect of direct competition from rival operator PEOPLExpress , a post- deregulation "no frills" discount airline based at Newark, they decided to secure more funding before proceeding. Fields met British entrepreneur Richard Branson at

3480-455: A transatlantic joint venture. Regulatory approval from the United States and European Union was granted on 20 June 2013, and the purchase was completed on 24 June. In December 2012, International Airlines Group CEO, Willie Walsh, suggested that the loss-making company would be history within five years. "I can't see Delta wanting to operate the Virgin brand because if they do what does that say about

3600-498: A £1.2 billion private refinancing package. The airline joined the SkyTeam airline alliance in March 2023. Virgin Atlantic has its origins in a joint endeavour by Randolph Fields , an American-born lawyer, and Alan Hellary , a former chief pilot for British private airline Laker Airways . Following the collapse of Laker Airways in 1982, Fields and Hellary decided to establish a new company, initially named British Atlantic Airways , as

3720-521: A £100 million loan. In September 2022, Virgin Atlantic announced the introduction of two new sets of uniforms, designed by Vivienne Westwood , as well as a new policy to embrace the concept of gender neutrality . She worked closely with Richard Branson to design a uniform comprises a bright red skirt suit and high-heeled shoes , and the other a burgundy -coloured trouser suit with a grey waistcoat , red tie and flat black shoes. Staff will be allowed to choose either uniform, and may also choose to wear

Virgin Atlantic - Misplaced Pages Continue

3840-488: Is a base for reservations, sales, baggage claims and tracing, 'live chat' web support and a customer relations department. International offices are located at Atlanta , Barbados, Greater Delhi, Johannesburg, Lagos and Shanghai. Virgin Group sold a 49% stake in the airline to Singapore Airlines in 1999 for £600 million. On 14 May 2008, Singapore Airlines formally announced an invitation for offers for its Virgin Atlantic stake, and publicly acknowledged that its stake in

3960-610: Is called a razón social . British Airways British Airways plc ( BA ) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom . It is headquartered in London , England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport . The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers carried, behind easyJet . In January 2011 BA merged with Iberia , creating the International Airlines Group (IAG),

4080-892: Is styled 'the Flying Club'. Virgin Atlantic operate five airport lounges branded as 'Clubhouses' at London Heathrow , John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., San Francisco International Airport and O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. It also operates a 'Revivals' arrival lounge in London Heathrow. They are accessible for passengers travelling in Upper Class and Flying Club Gold tier members. Where applicable, Upper Class passengers are also welcome to use Delta Sky Clubs prior to departure. Virgin Atlantic gives passengers

4200-489: Is to either succeed within the first year or exit the market; this ethos includes a one-year limit being expressed upon everything associated with starting up operations. Virgin Atlantic became profitable within the first 12 months, aided by sister company Virgin Records ' ability to finance the lease of a secondhand Boeing 747. The firm had timed its operations to take advantage of a full summer, from June to September, which

4320-424: Is too similar to a name that is already registered. Using one or more fictitious business names does not create additional separate legal entities. The distinction between a registered legal name and a fictitious business name, or trade name, is important because fictitious business names do not always identify the entity that is legally responsible . Legal agreements (such as contracts ) are normally made using

4440-481: Is used, among others, such as assumed business name or fictitious business name . In Canada , " operating as " (abbreviated to o/a ) and " trading as " are used, although " doing business as " is also sometimes used. A company typically uses a trade name to conduct business using a simpler name rather than using their formal and often lengthier name. Trade names are also used when a preferred name cannot be registered, often because it may already be registered or

4560-540: The 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict . Over its history, BA has had many subsidiaries. In addition to the below, British Airways also owned Airways Aero Association, the operator of the British Airways flying club based at Wycombe Air Park in High Wycombe , until it was sold to Surinder Arora in 2007. British Airways obtained a 15% stake in UK regional airline Flybe from the sale of BA Connect in March 2007. It sold

4680-632: The 777 and 787 . In October 2020, British Airways retired its fleet of 747-400 aircraft. It was one of the largest operators of the 747, having previously operated the -100, -200, and -400 aircraft from 1974 (1969 with BOAC ). The airline has its own engineering branch to maintain its aircraft fleet, this includes line maintenance at over 70 airports around the world. Amongst the company's various hangar facilities are its two major maintenance centres at Glasgow and Cardiff Airports . The musical theme predominantly used on British Airways advertising has been " The Flower Duet " by Léo Delibes . This

4800-500: The Conservative Thatcher government. Sir John King , later Lord King, was appointed chairman, charged with bringing the airline back into profitability. While many other large airlines struggled, King was credited with transforming British Airways into one of the most profitable air carriers in the world. The flag carrier was privatised and was floated on the London Stock Exchange in February 1987. British Airways effected

4920-403: The United Kingdom , there is no filing requirement for a "business name", defined as "any name under which someone carries on business" that, for a company or limited liability partnership, "is not its registered name", but there are requirements for disclosure of the owner's true name and some restrictions on the use of certain names. A minority of U.S. states, including Washington , still use

Virgin Atlantic - Misplaced Pages Continue

5040-478: The supersonic Concorde airliner, and the world's first supersonic passenger service flew on 21 January 1976 from Heathrow Airport to Bahrain International Airport . Services to the U.S. began on 24 May 1976 with a flight to Washington Dulles airport, and flights to New York JFK airport followed on 22 September 1977. Service to Singapore was established in co-operation with Singapore Airlines as

5160-536: The 12,000 job cuts and pay cuts. On 12 October 2020, it was announced that Sean Doyle , CEO of Aer Lingus (also part of the IAG airline group) would succeed Álex Cruz as CEO. The key trends for the British Airways PLC Group are shown below. On the merger with Iberia, the accounting reference date was changed from 31 March to 31 December; figures below are therefore for the years to 31 March up to 2010, for

5280-594: The British Airways Board unified its branding, effectively establishing British Airways as an airline on 31 March 1974. Following two years of fierce competition with British Caledonian , the second-largest airline in the United Kingdom at the time, the Government changed its aviation policy in 1976 so that the two carriers would no longer compete on long-haul routes. British Airways and Air France operated

5400-739: The CAA's decision, which the government had endorsed, "a confiscation of his company's property". In the year to October 1993, Virgin Atlantic declared a loss of £9.3 million. The decision to abolish the London TDRs and to let Virgin Atlantic operate at Heathrow, in competition with British Airways, became the trigger for BA's so-called "dirty tricks" campaign against the company. During 1993, BA's public relations director, David Burnside , published an article in BA News , British Airways' internal magazine, which argued that Branson's protests against British Airways were

5520-657: The Delta brand? I just don't see that the guy [Branson] has anything that stands out in terms of what he has achieved in the industry." In July 2017, Virgin Group agreed to sell a 31% stake in the airline to Air France-KLM for £220 million, leaving it with a 20% holding. The deal fell through in late 2019. The key trends for Virgin Atlantic are shown below (from 2014 onwards, figures are for year ending December; earlier figures are for year ending February, and exclude Virgin Nigeria operations 2005–2008): Virgin Atlantic aircraft operate with

5640-521: The Flag", and "To Fly, To Serve". BA had an account for 23 years with Saatchi & Saatchi , an agency that created many of their most famous advertisements, including "The World's Biggest Offer" and the influential "Face" campaign. Saatchi & Saatchi later imitated this advert for Silverjet , a rival of BA, after BA discontinued their business activities. Since 2007, BA used Bartle Bogle Hegarty as its advertising agency. In October 2022, BA launched

5760-512: The Iranian route is "not commercially viable". As a result, BA decided to stop its services in Iran, effective 22 September 2018. In 2018, British Airways partnered with British tailor and designer Ozwald Boateng to redesign the company's historic uniforms, in honour of its approaching centenary , creating a new look for BA, while adhering to its traditional style. The new collection "A British Original"

5880-760: The Little Red service would cease; flights to Manchester ended on 28 March 2015 and flights to Edinburgh and Aberdeen ended on 26 September 2015. On 13 April 2015, Virgin Atlantic incorporated a new subsidiary – Virgin Atlantic International Limited. In November 2015, the subsidiary obtained its own Air Operators Certificate and Operating Licence, and commenced operations with two former Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited operated Airbus A330-300 aircraft taking over routes previously operated by Virgin Atlantic Limited between London Gatwick and Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, Grenada and Tobago. These flights are operated on behalf of Virgin Atlantic. Upon incorporation as an AOC holder,

6000-543: The Olympics minister Hugh Robertson and the London Mayor Boris Johnson , along with the footballer David Beckham . On 27 May 2017, British Airways suffered a computer power failure. All flights were cancelled and thousands of passengers were affected. By the following day, the company had not succeeded in reestablishing the normal function of its computer systems. When asked by reporters for more information on

6120-665: The Oneworld alliance, wherein each airline would retain its original brand. The agreement was confirmed in April 2010, and in July the European Commission and U.S. Department of Transportation permitted the merger and began to co-ordinate transatlantic routes with American Airlines. On 6 October 2010 the alliance between British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia formally began operations. The alliance generates an estimated £230 million in annual cost-saving for BA, in addition to

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6240-472: The Treasury blocked the proposal. Consequently, it was only following the recommendations of the 1969 Edwards Report that a new British Airways Board, managing both BEA and BOAC, and the two regional British airlines Cambrian Airways based at Cardiff, and Northeast Airlines based at Newcastle upon Tyne, was constituted on 1 April 1972. Although each airline's branding was maintained initially, two years later

6360-418: The U.S., trademark rights are acquired by use in commerce, but there can be substantial benefits to filing a trademark application. Sole proprietors are the most common users of DBAs. Sole proprietors are individual business owners who run their businesses themselves. Since most people in these circumstances use a business name other than their own name, it is often necessary for them to get DBAs. Generally,

6480-453: The UK and India and Pakistan. On 27 September 2022, Virgin Atlantic announced that the airline would join SkyTeam airline alliance in early 2023. It was first time that a British airline joined an airline alliance since British Midland International joined Star Alliance in 2002 and British Airways of Oneworld in 1999. In February 2023, the airline stated that it would officially be a part of SkyTeam on March 2, 2023. In November 2023,

6600-413: The UK and an imminent end to operations at Gatwick Airport . On June 7, Virgin Atlantic commenced cargo-only flights between Brussels Airport and London Heathrow, feeding the high demand for European cargo into its network via LHR. As of 2022 the flights still continue on a daily basis, using all aircraft types within the fleet. On 4 August, Virgin Atlantic filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors in

6720-489: The UK government, and the Secretary of State for Transport , granted permission. The Civil Aviation Authority also transferred two pairs of unused landing slots that British Airways held at Tokyo's Narita Airport to Virgin Atlantic, allowing it to increase frequency between Heathrow and Tokyo from four to six weekly round trips, making it easier to compete against British Airways. The then-chairman of BA, Lord King , called

6840-519: The US as part of a recapitalisation and debt restructuring plan. On August 25, 2020, creditors approved the £1.2bn (€1.3bn) rescue package and debt restructuring. On September 4, 2020, Virgin Atlantic announced a second round of job cuts, totalling 1,150 across all departments. Since the start of 2020, the company halved its workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief executive Shai Weiss said that "further reducing

6960-544: The Union ), while other branches of Unite the Union and the GMB Union represent other employees. Bob Ayling's management faced strike action by cabin crew over a £1 billion cost-cutting drive to return BA to profitability in 1997; this was the last time BA cabin crew would strike until 2009, although staff morale has reportedly been unstable since that incident. In an effort to increase interaction between management, employees, and

7080-484: The United States, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Ireland, and Iceland. Virgin Atlantic has codeshare agreements with the following airlines: Trade name In a number of countries, the phrase " trading as " (abbreviated to t/a ) is used to designate a trade name. In the United States , the phrase " doing business as " (abbreviated to DBA , dba , d.b.a. , or d/b/a )

7200-482: The United States. British Airways co-founded the airline alliance Oneworld in 1999 with airlines American Airlines , Cathay Pacific and Qantas . British Airways has codeshares with the following airlines: As of January 2024 , the British Airways operates a fleet of 253 aircraft with 47 orders. BA operates a mix of Airbus narrow and wide-body aircraft, and Boeing wide-body aircraft, specifically

7320-480: The acquisition of Brymon Airways in May, formed British Airways Citiexpress (later BA Connect ). In September 1998, British Airways, along with American Airlines , Cathay Pacific , Qantas, and Canadian Airlines , formed the Oneworld airline alliance . Oneworld began operations on 1 February 1999, and is the third-largest airline alliance in the world, behind SkyTeam and Star Alliance. Bob Ayling's leadership led to

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7440-449: The aforementioned deal with Delta to survive, after losses of £233 million between 2010 and 2013. In the same month, the airline announced it would cut 500 jobs to establish a more efficient management structure. In July 2017, Air France-KLM nearly acquired a 31% stake in Virgin Atlantic for £220 million. This deal however never went through. In 2019, Virgin Atlantic began to allow its female flight attendants to not wear makeup and have

7560-409: The airline and the website, had indeed been transferred to Connect Airways, despite a last-minute rival bid. However, despite the investment of £135 million from Connect Airways into Flybe, the airline filed for administration and ceased operations with immediate effect in March 2020, following reduced demand that Virgin Atlantic attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK government failing to grant

7680-540: The airline for over 20 years. This was despite CEO Shai Weis taking the biggest bonus of any airline CEO in Europe. Virgin Atlantic's head office, known as The VHQ , is located on a business park in Crawley , England, near Gatwick Airport and also houses the corporate offices of Virgin Holidays . The company operates several offices and call centres around the United Kingdom, including a large office in Swansea , Wales , which

7800-450: The airline had "underperformed". In November 2010, it was reported that Virgin Atlantic had appointed Deutsche Bank to begin a strategic review of options for the airline following the tie-up between British Airways and American Airlines. By February 2011, it was confirmed that SkyTeam members Air France–KLM and Delta Air Lines had appointed Goldman Sachs to advise them on a joint potential approach for Virgin Atlantic. Etihad Airways

7920-528: The airline was agreed the next month, and the sale was completed for £172.5 million on 30 March 2012. The airline established a new subsidiary based at London City Airport operating Airbus A318s . British Airways was the official airline partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games . On 18 May 2012 it flew the Olympic flame from Athens International Airport to RNAS Culdrose while carrying various dignitaries, including Lord Sebastian Coe , Princess Anne ,

8040-458: The airline. The airline used a cartoon safety video from circa 2005 until 2017. Beginning on 1 September 2017 the airline introduced the new Comic Relief live action safety video hosted by Chabuddy G , with appearances by British celebrities Gillian Anderson , Rowan Atkinson , Jim Broadbent , Rob Brydon , Warwick Davis , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Ian McKellen , Thandie Newton , and Gordon Ramsay . A "sequel" video, also hosted by Chabuddy G,

8160-496: The airlines announced plans to resume its flights to Dubai after four years of ceasing operations in the emirate. Also in November 2023, the airline announced plans to operate a flight on November 28 between London Heathrow and New York City using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel . The flight will be operated on the airlines' Boeing 787-9 . The flight was successful and made it to New York from London on November 28, 2023. Because it

8280-407: The business. Numbered companies will very often operate as something other than their legal name, which is unrecognizable to the public. In Chile , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Ireland , businesses are legally required to register business names where these differ from

8400-467: The city. As a result of the case BA management apologised "unreservedly", and the company agreed to pay £110,000 in damages to Virgin, £500,000 to Branson personally and £3 million legal costs. Lord King stepped down as chairman in 1993 and was replaced by his deputy, Colin Marshall, while Bob Ayling took over as CEO. Virgin filed a separate action in the U.S. that same year regarding BA's domination of

8520-520: The collapse of Laker Airways; as such, the pair decided to refine their ambitions. However, it was soon determined that the short runway at Port Stanley Airport , and the time it would take to improve it, would render a route to the Falklands commercially unviable; thus, the idea of such a service was dropped. In its place, Hellary and Fields commenced efforts to secure a licence to operate a route between Gatwick Airport , London and John F. Kennedy International Airport , New York City . During May 1983,

8640-640: The combined International Airlines Group; Iberia's other shareholders received the remaining 45%. As a part of the merger, British Airways ceased trading independently on the London Stock Exchange after 23 years as a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . In September 2010 Willie Walsh, now CEO of IAG, announced that the group was considering acquiring other airlines and had drawn up a shortlist of twelve possible acquisitions. In November 2011 IAG announced an agreement in principle to purchase British Midland International from Lufthansa . A contract to purchase

8760-438: The company owns 52% of the slots as of 2019. In August 2014, Willie Walsh advised the airline would continue to use flight paths over Iraq despite the hostilities there. A few days earlier Qantas announced it would avoid Iraqi airspace, while other airlines did likewise. The issue arose following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, and a temporary suspension of flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport during

8880-462: The company set out plans to make up to 12,000 staff redundant because of the global collapse of air traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that it may not reopen its operations at Gatwick airport. They reopened at Gatwick in March 2022. In July 2020, British Airways announced the immediate retirement of its entire 747-400 fleet, having originally intended to phase out the remaining 747s in 2024. The airline stated that its decision to bring forward

9000-631: The company was also reported to be considering axing its new Little Red domestic airline after suffering heavy losses. On 6 October 2014, Virgin Atlantic confirmed that Little Red services between London and Manchester would end in March 2015, and that the Scottish routes would be terminated in September 2015. Passengers used the routes from point to point as opposed to using it as a connection for longer haul Virgin Atlantic flights. The former BMI routes continued with rival airline British Airways. In June 2015, Richard Branson stated that Virgin Atlantic had needed

9120-472: The company's initialism and its IATA Airline code. British Airways is the official airline of the Wimbledon Championship tennis tournament , and was the official airline and tier one partner of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics . BA was also the official airline of England's bid to host the 2018 Football World Cup . High Life , founded in 1973, is the official in-flight magazine of

9240-522: The county or city to be registered with the State Corporation Commission. DBA statements are often used in conjunction with a franchise . The franchisee will have a legal name under which it may sue and be sued, but will conduct business under the franchiser's brand name (which the public would recognize). A typical real-world example can be found in a well-known pricing mistake case, Donovan v. RRL Corp. , 26 Cal. 4th 261 (2001), where

9360-465: The date was in part due to the downturn in air travel following the COVID-19 pandemic and to focus on incorporating more modern and fuel-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 . At the same time, British Airways also announced its intention to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. On 28 July 2020, the company's cabin crew union issued an "industrial action" warning in order to prevent

9480-560: The first time. British Airways holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, it is permitted to carry passengers, cargo, and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. The airlines' head office, Waterside , stands in Harmondsworth , a village that is near Heathrow Airport. Waterside was completed in June 1998 to replace British Airways' previous head office, Speedbird House, located in Technical Block C on

9600-418: The four-way merger between BOAC, BEA, Cambrian, and Northeast were temporarily given the text logo "British airways" but retained the original airline's livery. With its formation in 1974, British Airways' aeroplanes were given a new white, blue, and red colour scheme with a cropped Union Jack painted on their tail fins, designed by Negus & Negus. In 1984, a new livery designed by Landor Associates updated

9720-419: The grounds of Heathrow. British Airways' main base is at Heathrow Airport, but it also has a major presence at Gatwick Airport. It also has a base at London City Airport, where its subsidiary BA CityFlyer is the largest operator. BA had previously operated a significant hub at Manchester Airport . Manchester to New York (JFK) services were withdrawn; later all international services outside London ceased when

9840-434: The immunity it had earlier negotiated with the regulators. In April 2010, a tip-off from Cathay Pacific led to an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) investigation of alleged price-fixing between Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific on flights to Hong Kong between 2002 and 2006. Cathay Pacific received immunity from prosecution for reporting the alleged offence. A maximum fine, if found guilty, was 10% of turnover, which, based on

9960-402: The law is to protect the public from fraud, by compelling the business owner to first file or register his fictitious business name with the county clerk, and then making a further public record of it by publishing it in a newspaper. Several other states, such as Illinois , require print notices as well. In Uruguay , a trade name is known as a nombre fantasía , and the legal name of business

10080-399: The legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Brazil , a trade name is known as a nome fantasia ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called razão social (social name). In some Canadian jurisdictions , such as Ontario , when a businessperson writes a trade name on a contract, invoice, or cheque, they must also add the legal name of

10200-456: The majority of Virgin Atlantic's landing slots at London Heathrow Airport were transferred to Virgin Atlantic International Limited, allowing Virgin Atlantic to access the value of the carriers' slots by ' mortgaging ' them through open investment from capital markets. On 11 January 2019, Virgin Atlantic formed the Connect Airways consortium with Stobart Aviation and Cyrus Capital, to make

10320-923: The name to Virgin Atlantic Airways, Fields sold his shares in the company to Richard Branson in return for unlimited free travel. The maiden flight from London–Gatwick to Newark took place on 22 June 1984. The airline along with Virgin Holidays is controlled by a holding company, Virgin Atlantic Limited, which is 51% owned by the Virgin Group and 49% by Delta Air Lines . It is administratively separate from other Virgin-branded airlines. Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited both hold Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licences ( AOC numbers 534 and 2435 respectively), both of which permit these airlines, operating as Virgin Atlantic Airways, to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. Virgin Atlantic uses

10440-461: The named defendant, RRL Corporation, was a Lexus car dealership doing business as " Lexus of Westminster ", but remaining a separate legal entity from Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. . In California , filing a DBA statement also requires that a notice of the fictitious name be published in local newspapers for some set period of time to inform the public of the owner's intent to operate under an assumed name . The intention of

10560-406: The nine months to 31 December 2010, and for the years to 31 December thereafter: In 2020, due to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, British Airways had to reduce its 42,000-strong workforce by 12,000 jobs. According to the estimate by IAG, a parent company, it will take the air travel industry several years to return to previous performance and profitability levels. However, 2022 saw

10680-550: The number of people we employ is heartbreaking but essential." As of February 2022, during Russia 's invasion of Ukraine , Virgin Atlantic, along with the other UK carriers, observed a ban from travelling in Russian airspace that was a retaliatory measure for the UK's ban on Russia's main carrier , Aeroflot and all other Russian private jets and carriers from using UK airspace. Virgin Atlantic said that avoiding Russia would add between 15 minutes and an hour to flight journeys between

10800-505: The ongoing problems, British Airways stated "The root cause was a power supply issue which our affected our IT systems - we continue to investigate this" and declined to comment further. Willie Walsh later attributed the crash to an electrical engineer disconnecting the UPS and said there would be an independent investigation. Amidst the decline in the value of Iranian currency due to the reintroduction of U.S. sanctions on Iran, BA announced that

10920-453: The proceeds from the case to Virgin Atlantic staff. During the late 1990s, Virgin Atlantic jets were painted with "No Way BA/AA" as a declaration of its opposition to the attempted merger between British Airways and American Airlines . In 1997, following British Airways' announcement that it was to remove the Union Flag from its tailfins in favour of world images , Virgin Atlantic introduced

11040-403: The registered legal name of the business. If a corporation fails to consistently adhere to such important legal formalities like using its registered legal name in contracts, it may be subject to piercing of the corporate veil . In English , trade names are generally treated as proper nouns . In Argentina , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and

11160-429: The sale of a 31% stake in the airline to Air France-KLM and that Virgin Group would retain its 51% shareholding. In the same year, Virgin Atlantic stopped flying to Dubai, a major aviation and tourism hub owing to COVID and issues related to competition. In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic attracted criticism by asking employees to take eight weeks' unpaid leave. However, this

11280-519: The stake in 2014. BA also owned a 10% stake in InterCapital and Regional Rail (ICRR), the company that managed the operations of Eurostar (UK) Ltd from 1998 to 2010, when the management of Eurostar was restructured. Staff working for British Airways are represented by a number of trade unions, pilots are represented by British Air Line Pilots' Association , cabin crew by British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (a branch of Unite

11400-484: The subsidiary BA Connect was sold. Passengers wishing to travel internationally with BA either to or from regional UK destinations must now transfer in London. Heathrow Airport is dominated by British Airways, which owns 50% of the slots available at the airport as of 2019, growing from 40% in 2004. The majority of BA services operate from Terminal 5 , with the exception of some flights at Terminal 3 owing to insufficient capacity at Terminal 5. At London City Airport,

11520-444: The surge in demand for flying this could lead to more disruption. British Airways is the largest airline based in the United Kingdom in terms of fleet size, international flights, and international destinations and was, until 2008, the largest airline by passenger numbers. The airline carried 34.6 million passengers in 2008, but, rival carrier easyJet transported 44.5 million passengers that year, passing British Airways for

11640-454: The surname(s) of the sole trader or partners, or the legal name of a company. The Companies Registration Office publishes a searchable register of such business names. In Japan , the word yagō ( 屋号 ) is used. In Colonial Nigeria , certain tribes had members that used a variety of trading names to conduct business with the Europeans. Two examples were King Perekule VII of Bonny , who

11760-564: The takeover of the UK's "second" airline, British Caledonian, in July of that same year. The formation of Richard Branson 's Virgin Atlantic in 1984 created a competitor for BA. The intense rivalry between British Airways and Virgin Atlantic culminated in the former being sued for libel in 1993, arising from claims and counterclaims over a "dirty tricks" campaign against Virgin. This campaign included allegations of poaching Virgin Atlantic customers, tampering with private files belonging to Virgin, and undermining Virgin's financial reputation in

11880-469: The term trade name to refer to "doing business as" (DBA) names. In most U.S. states now, however, DBAs are officially referred to using other terms. Almost half of the states, including New York and Oregon , use the terms assumed business name or assumed name ; nearly as many, including Pennsylvania , use the term fictitious name . For consumer protection purposes, many U.S. jurisdictions require businesses operating with fictitious names to file

12000-533: The third-largest, after SkyTeam and Star Alliance . Proposals to establish a joint British airline, combining the assets of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA), were first raised in 1953 as a result of difficulties in attempts by BOAC and BEA to negotiate air rights through the British colony of Cyprus . Increasingly BOAC was protesting that BEA

12120-518: The trans-Atlantic routes, but it was thrown out in 1999. In 1992 British Airways expanded through the acquisition of the financially troubled Dan-Air , giving BA a much larger presence at Gatwick Airport . British Asia Airways , a subsidiary based in Taiwan, was formed in March 1993 to operate between London and Taipei . That same month BA purchased a 25% stake in the Australian airline Qantas and, with

12240-420: The unions, various conferences and workshops have taken place, often with thousands in attendance. In 2005, wildcat action was taken by union members over a decision by Gate Gourmet not to renew the contracts of 670 workers and replace them with agency staff; it is estimated that the strike cost British Airways £30 million and caused disruption to 100,000 passengers. In October 2006, BA became involved in

12360-719: The unions: the story was later withdrawn. A strike was announced for May 2010, British Airways again sought an injunction. Members of the Socialist Workers Party disrupted negotiations between BA management and Unite to prevent industrial action. Further disruption struck when Derek Simpson , a Unite co-leader, was discovered to have leaked details of confidential negotiations online via Twitter. Industrial action re-emerged in 2017, this time by BA's Mixed Fleet flight attendants, whom were employed on much less favorable pay and terms and conditions compared to previous cabin staff who joined prior to 2010. A ballot for industrial action

12480-576: The £2.5 billion in sales for the year to February 2009, would have been £250 million. At the time, the OFT stressed that it should not be assumed that the parties involved had broken the law. The OFT cleared both airlines in December 2012, concluding there were "no grounds for action". In May 2014, Virgin Atlantic ended flights to Sydney. In September 2014, Virgin Atlantic announced plans to scrap flights to Tokyo, Mumbai, Vancouver, and Cape Town, and to codeshare transatlantic flights with Delta Air Lines ;

12600-456: The £330 million which would be saved by the merger with Iberia. This merger was finalised on 21 January 2011, resulting in the establishment of International Airlines Group S.A. (IAG), the world's third-largest airline in terms of annual revenue and the second-largest airline group in Europe. Prior to merging, British Airways owned a 13.5% stake in Iberia, and thus received ownership of 55% of

12720-407: Was a test flight, there were no fare-paying passengers. On May 19 it was reported that approximately 200 ex cabin crew were suing Virgin Atlantic for unfair dismissal during the redundancy process following COVID-19 pandemic . It was reported that they protected over 350 new hires who has only completed approximately 1 weeks training out of 6 rather than keep experienced older staff who had been with

12840-405: Was also reported to be considering a deal, and Willie Walsh , chief executive of International Airlines Group , stated that they would be interested in the airline, but only for the lucrative take-off and landing slots it holds at Heathrow Airport. On 11 December 2012, Delta Air Lines confirmed the purchase of Singapore Airlines' 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic for £224 million, with plans to develop

12960-726: Was before the UK Government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme , and employees were subsequently furloughed instead. Whilst furloughed, many staff volunteered with the NHS, answering 999 calls, and at NHS Trusts in London and the South East. On 27 March, it was reported that Virgin Atlantic was expected to seek a government bailout, which was on 1 April reportedly backed by Rolls-Royce , Airbus and Heathrow . In May 2020, Virgin Atlantic announced over 3,000 jobs losses in

13080-449: Was called off at the last minute, British Airways losing £80 million. In December 2009, a ballot for strike action over Christmas received a high level of support, action was blocked by a court injunction that deemed the ballot illegal. Negotiations failed to stop strike action in March, BA withdrew perks for strike participants. Allegations were made by The Guardian newspaper that BA had consulted outside firms methods to undermine

13200-460: Was created in 1974 after a British Airways Board was established by the British government to manage the two nationalised airline corporations, British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways , and two regional airlines, Cambrian Airways and Northeast Airlines . On 31 March 1974, all four companies were merged to form British Airways. However, it marked 2019 as its centenary based on predecessor companies. After almost 13 years as

13320-864: Was distributed to Mixed Fleet crew in November 2016 and resulted in an overwhelming yes majority for industrial action. Unite described Mixed Fleet crew as on "poverty pay", with many Mixed Fleet flight attendants sleeping in their cars in between shifts because they cannot afford the fuel to drive home, or operating while sick as they cannot afford to call in sick and lose their pay for the shift. Unite also blasted BA of removing staff travel concessions, bonus payments and other benefits to all cabin crew who undertook industrial action, as well as strike-breaking tactics such as wet-leasing aircraft from other airlines and offering financial incentives for cabin crew not to strike. The first dates of strikes during Christmas 2016 were cancelled due to pay negotiations. Industrial action by Mixed Fleet commenced in January 2017 after rejecting

13440-587: Was fined £271 million by the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the US ; Department of Justice . However, the Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic, Steve Ridgway, was forced to admit that the company had been a party to the agreement, had been aware of the price-fixing and had taken no steps whatsoever to stop the price-fixing. The company escaped a similar fine to that levied on British Airways only by virtue of

13560-525: Was first used in a 1984 advertisement directed by Tony Scott , in an arrangement by Howard Blake . It was reworked by Malcolm McLaren and Yanni for 1989's iconic "Face" advertisement , and subsequently appeared in many different arrangements between 1990 and 2010. The slogan 'the world's favourite airline', first used in 1983, was dropped in 2001 after Lufthansa overtook BA in terms of passenger numbers. Other advertising slogans have included "The World's Best Airline", "We'll Take More Care of You", "Fly

13680-662: Was given permission to operate from Heathrow following the abolition of the London Air Traffic Distribution Rules (TDRs), which had governed the distribution of traffic between Heathrow and Gatwick airports since 1978, primarily to bolster the profitability of Gatwick. Airlines without an international scheduled service from Heathrow prior to 1 April 1977 were obliged to operate from Gatwick. However, airlines that did not already operate at Heathrow were still able to begin domestic scheduled services there provided BAA, which then ran both Heathrow and Gatwick on behalf of

13800-545: Was known as Captain Pepple in trade matters, and King Jubo Jubogha of Opobo , who bore the pseudonym Captain Jaja . Both Pepple and Jaja would bequeath their trade names to their royal descendants as official surnames upon their deaths. In Singapore , there is no filing requirement for a "trading as" name, but there are requirements for disclosure of the underlying business or company's registered name and unique entity number. In

13920-412: Was launched in 2023. This design initiative also included English bone china manufactured by William Edwards and cutlery by Studio William for the company's first class service. In 2019, as part of the celebrations of a centenary of airline operations in the United Kingdom, British Airways announced that four aircraft would receive retro liveries. The first of these is a Boeing 747-400 (G-BYGC), which

14040-431: Was released in 2018, with Michael Caine , Olivia Colman , Jourdan Dunn , Naomie Harris , Joanna Lumley , and David Walliams . The two videos are part of Comic Relief's charity programme. On 17 April 2023, the airline launched a new safety video as a part of “A British Original” campaign, with Emma Raducanu , Robert Peston , Little Simz , and Steven Bartlett . The aeroplanes that British Airways inherited from

14160-446: Was repainted into the former BOAC livery, which it retained until its retirement. Two more Boeing 747-400s were repainted with former British Airways liveries. One wore the " Landor " livery until its retirement in 2020 (G-BNLY), the other (G-CIVB), wore the original "Union Jack" livery until its retirement in 2020 also. An Airbus A319 was repainted into British European Airways livery, which is still flying as G-EUPJ. On 28 April 2020,

14280-625: Was typically the most profitable period of the year. In November 1984 the airline launched a service between Gatwick Airport and Maastricht Aachen Airport in the Netherlands using a chartered BAC One-Eleven . In 1986 the airline added another Boeing 747 to its fleet and started a scheduled route from Gatwick to Miami . Additional aircraft were quickly acquired and new routes launched from Gatwick, such as to New York JFK in 1988, Tokyo Narita in 1989, Los Angeles in 1990, Boston in 1991, and Orlando in 1992. In 1987, Virgin Atlantic launched

14400-585: Was using its subsidiary Cyprus Airways to circumvent an agreement that BEA would not fly routes further east than Cyprus, particularly to the increasingly important oil regions in the Middle East . The chairman of BOAC, Miles Thomas, was in favour of a merger as a potential solution to this disagreement and had backing for the idea from the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, Rab Butler . However, opposition from

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