British Airways upgrades online booking, payment mode
Written by Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Friday, July 31, 2009 3:31:21 PM
BRITISH Airways (BA) Zambia has announced an upgrade to the airline’s online booking and payments system to cater for the domestic market. According to a statement, the new added features include allowing clients that make their flight bookings on-line to make payments at either Citibank or selected Finance Bank branches across the country.
Commenting on the new features, British Airways Zambia commercial manager, Chana Musakanya, stated that passengers needed to be in total control of their travel from start to finish.
“British Airways systems are being developed to allow just that…passengers know what they want and want to make those choices from their homes, offices or anywhere in the world. Be it seating, food, assistance or mileage redemption,” Musakanya stated.
The statement announced that the online booking system was able to alert a passenger of any information regarding their flight.
Musaskanya stated that Zambians should adopt a method of planning in advance for their travel in order for them to get best prices on their tickets.
“We are encouraging passengers to take advantage of what we can offer them. As long as a passenger has a booking with us with a reference number, the rest is really in their hands,” said Musakanya.
Labels: BRITISH AIRWAYS, CHANA MUSAKANYA
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British Airways asks staff to work for free
Written by Tom Bawden
Thursday, June 18, 2009 10:51:08 PM
British Airways has asked its 40,000 staff to work without pay for up to a month as the ailing airline seeks to cut costs. The group, which made a record £401 million loss in 2008 amid surging fuel prices and a collapse in premium-fare passengers, is seeking to reduce costs dramatically and has already offered staff unpaid leave or a reduction in hours.
Willie Walsh, BA’s chief executive, has now gone a step further by asking staff to volunteer for between one and four weeks of unpaid work in what he says is a “fight for survival.”
Mr Walsh, who said last week that he would work for free in July, has set a deadline of June 24 for employees to volunteer for unpaid work. He said that the salary deductions would be spread over three to six months wherever possible.
BA denied that those staff who volunteered for unpaid work would be given preference if the airline imposes a further round of redundancies.
The airline is currently negotiating pay deals and job reductions with its ground handling staff, pilots and cabin crew, who have been told that the airline needs to settle discussions by the end of the month. In total, BA is thought to be seeking as many as 4,000 job cuts, including 2,000 voluntary redundancies among the 14,000 cabin crew.
Last week it emerged that BA pays its cabin crew and pilots up to twice as much as rival airlines. The average salary for BA’s 14,000 cabin crew, including bonuses and allowances, is £29,900, compared with £14,400 at Virgin Atlantic and £20,200 at easyJet. BA’s pilots earn an average of £107,600, compared with £89,500 at Virgin and £71,400 at easyJet.
The request for volunteers to work for free was made in the company’s BA news magazine. In an article headlined Action Time, Mr Walsh wrote: “I am looking for every single part of the company to take part in some way. It really counts. We face a fight for survival. These are the toughest trading conditions we have ever seen and there simply are no green shoots.
“Our survival depends on everyone contributing to changes that permanently remove costs from every part of the business,” he added.
Labels: BRITISH AIRWAYS, LABOUR, WILLIE WALSH
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British Airways to promote Zambia’s tourist destinations
Written by Joan Chirwa
Saturday, February 14, 2009 4:20:11 AM
BRITISH Airways has embarked on a campaign to promote touristdestinations in and around Zambia. “This promotion includes a once a week radio programme on Radio Phoenix called Travel Secrets, that promotes local destinations in Zambia and offers listeners the opportunity to share their travel experiences,” stated British Airways country commercial manager Chana Musakanya in a press release.
“Travellers should be able to make their travel experience a memorable one, both locally and internationally. British Airways is therefore proud to play a role in promoting tourism in Zambia. We strive to work with local providers to offer our passengers invaluable Zambian experiences.”
And commenting on the Innovation in Travel award that British Airways received last week, Musakanya said airline was proud to receive such recognition as it showed the appreciation from passengers of the premiere services being offered.
“British Airways in Zambia has now introduced an upgrade offer from the World Traveller Plus to Club world until the end of March 2009 on one sector of the journey,” stated Musakanya.
And during its Travel Secrets radio programme, British Airways voted Tongabezi Lodge, located on the banks of the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls in Livingstone, as the Valentine’s destination this year.
Last year, the lodge was awarded the World Travel Award as Zambia's leading Safari Lodge.
Labels: BRITISH AIRWAYS, RADIO PHOENIX, TOURISM
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