British Airways (BA) today won its case in the Court of Appeals against its pension scheme trustees, and will not have to pay out £12m in discretionary benefits to the scheme's members. The case regarded a 0.2 per cent increase to discretionary member benefits that trustees of BA's Airways Pension Scheme (APS) granted in 2013/14. Trustees increased the benefits package when it switched public sector pension increases from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The 0.2 per cent rise represented half the difference between RPI and CPI, and cost BA £12m. BA challenged the validity of the introduction of the new power in May 2017 but its case was dismissed by the High Court, after the judge ruled the amendment was not an abuse of power. Judges voted two to one in favour of BA's argument that the scheme's trustees acted improperly when they gave themselves the power to grant the increase. A BA spokesperson said: "We are pleased with the decision, which … [Read more...] about British Airways wins landmark ruling over pension trustee powers
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British Airways’ owner launches budget short-haul flights in Europe
British Airways' parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) is upping the stakes in the world of budget travel as it reveals airline LEVEL will be expanding into short-haul. Up until now the airline has operated across long-haul routes, but come the summer it will be opening a base in Vienna, with flights set to take off on Tuesday 17th July just in time for the holidays. LEVEL will offer four Airbus A321 flying from Vienna to 14 European destinations including Palma, Majorca and London Gatwick. It will then launch further routes to Barcelona, Malaga, Venice, Olbia, Ibiza, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Milan Malpensa, Dubrovnik, Larnaca, Alicante, Valencia and Bilbao. Fares are expected to start from €24.99 (approx £22.09) and can be bought at flylevel.com . Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive, said: "We are launching this new shorthaul subsidiary to provide Austrian consumers with more flight choices across Europe. "These flights will be branded as LEVEL to build upon … [Read more...] about British Airways’ owner launches budget short-haul flights in Europe
British Airways’ new safety video stars loads of famous Brits and it’s brilliant
Everybody knows that if you want a film to be successful, you're going to need a stellar cast. Well, British Airways has gone all out for its hilarious new safety video, enlisting the help of plenty of British celebrities. Sir Michael Caine, Asim Chaudhry, Olivia Colman, Jourdan Dunn, Naomie Harris, Joanna Lumley and David Walliams have come together for the tongue-in-cheek project, which sees the seven stars 'auditioning' for the safety message (while actually highlighting the important procedures in the process). Comedian Asim Chaudhry is on hand to direct their every move - and it makes for a pretty funny clip. As well as serving as the in-flight safety video, the venture also aims to promote Flying Start, the charity partnership between British Airways and Comic Relief. The charity launched in 2010 and has since supported over half a million children across the UK, as well as some of the world's poorest communities. It's the second star-studded in-flight video to come from … [Read more...] about British Airways’ new safety video stars loads of famous Brits and it’s brilliant
British Airways owner IAG launches new European budget airline called Level with super low fares
A PRICE war could break out on flights between London and Vienna after British Airways' parent company launched a new budget airline. IAG announced that a new Austrian subsidiary named Level will launch in less than three weeks. Flights between London Gatwick and Vienna are available from just £22 one-way from July 17. Level will serve a total of 14 short-haul destinations from Vienna, including Barcelona, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Milan Malpensa and Dubrovnik. IAG first launched Level as a long-haul no-frills airline in the spring of 2017, with flights from Barcelona to LA, San Francisco, Buenos Aires and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. While fares are rock-bottom, passengers have to pay to put a bag in the hold, get food and drink on the plane and to choose their own seat. The new short haul flights will be in competition with the Austrian airline Laudamotion, which has a base in Vienna and operates flights between the Austrian capital and London Stansted. It was … [Read more...] about British Airways owner IAG launches new European budget airline called Level with super low fares
British Airways owner IAG expands low-cost airline Level to Austria with new Vienna base and flights to London, Paris and Majorca
British Airways owner IAG has announced its latest expansion plans, launching a new budget Austrian subsidiary that will branded as its low-cost carrier Level. Flights will start from Vienna on 17 July 2018, with around 200 new jobs being created at the new base initially. Four Airbus aircraft will be stationed in Vienna and the new subsidiary will fly to 14 European destinations, with the first flights to Palma, Majorca and London Gatwick. Lead-in fares start at €24.99. Read more: British Airways-owner IAG in the spotlight over excessive exec pay Over the following four weeks from the launch date, Willie Walsh, IAG's chief executive, said We are launching this new short-haul subsidiary to provide Austrian consumers with more flight choices across Europe. These flights will be branded as Level to build upon the huge success of our new long haul low-cost operation. We will serve the Austrian market with low-cost, reliable flights and will initially create around 200 new jobs at … [Read more...] about British Airways owner IAG expands low-cost airline Level to Austria with new Vienna base and flights to London, Paris and Majorca