Here’s how my advice to BA shapes up some 25 years on

In his recommendations for the airline’s path into the 21st century, Simon Calder got lots right and missed a fair bit)

- Simon Calder

In May 2000, I offered some well-intentioned advice to the new BA boss. “How to turn around an Ayling airline,” read the headline in Conde Nast Traveller. The article I wrote 25 years ago this month comprised recommendations to British Airways for life after its chief executive, Bob Ayling, departed.

Did BA follow my advice?

Ditch Concorde

“Flying a very old, noisy and thirsty plane only half-full of passengers is bad business,” I wrote. “Environmental concerns over pollution and noise could force Concorde off the Heathrow-New York route anyway.”

Tragically, two months later, an Air France supersonic jet crashed shortly after taking off from Paris CDG and the British Airways Concorde fleet was grounded while the investigation took place. In November 2001 BA resumed supersonic flights, but these ended less than two years later.

Hive off Gatwick

I recommended a “new, cohesive, low-frills airline” called BA Gatwick. For shorthaul services, that is what British Airways Euroflyer has become. BA’s longhaul links from Gatwick, too, squeeze more passengers in than from Heathrow.

“Reduce the fares on the new airline to 80 per cent of the corresponding Heathrow prices, reflecting the lower costs (and appeal) of Gatwick,” I added. That is largely reflected in fares to destinations served by BA from both Heathrow and Gatwick.

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