While the UK's British Airways copes with the passenger backlash over the way it handled the forthcoming pilots' strike and the hundreds of extra flights it cancelled unnecessarily, it's also celebrating its 100th birthday.
To celebrate the milestone, for the passengers whose flights are not cancelled, the airline has created a dedicated channel onboard to highlight the very best of inflight entertainment from over the years.
Imaginatively, BA100, is what they've called the new channel and it includes, The Lost World, the very first film ever shown on an Imperial Airways flights in 1925. Customers will be able to enjoy best of British favourites including Billy Elliott, romantic comedies Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill and award-winning movies including Shakespeare In Love. The television selection includes iconic episodes from Blue Planet to Ab Fab, as well as Downton Abbey.
In audio, 100-minute centenary mixes have been specially created by leading DJs including Groove Armada, Paul Oakenfold and Deadmau5.
The channel will be featured onboard throughout August, September and October.
Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “We know that for many of our customers, being able to settle down and enjoy the inflight entertainment is one of the best bits of travelling so we’re serving up some of the best of film, television and audio throughout the ages to help our customers celebrate our centenary.”
Customers who fly with British Airways on long-haul flights have free access to over 1,000 hours of films, top TV shows and audio programmes via their personal seatback screen. The content is updated regularly, with categories often added for major holidays or key calendar events.
These changes to British Airways’ in-flight entertainment system are just one of a number of ways that the airline is improving experiences for its long-haul customers. This year it was announced World Traveller customers will receive a renewed food offering on board including, on longer flights, a full second meal, while in Club World new dining and White Company bedding is being rolled out across the network. These changes come as part of the airline’s £6.5 billion investment for customers over the next five years.
The Celebrate BA100 category is available on the majority of the airline’s inflight entertainment systems (approximately two-thirds of the long-haul fleet inflight entertainment systems). Other systems will have a subset of the content.
Films include:
The Lost world
Billy Elliot
Elizabeth
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The Italian Job (1969)
Notting Hill
Sense and Sensibility
Shakespeare in Love
Bridget Jones’ Baby
Darkest House
Dunkirk
The Full Monty
Kingsman: The Secret Service
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The History Boys
Television includes:
Blue Planet II
Absolutely Fabulous
Grayson Perry Rites of Passage
Stars of the Silver Screen
7 Up And Me
63 and Up
Who Do You Think You Are
Blackadder
Only Fools and Horses
Friends
Downton Abbey
Meghan and Harry
Killing Eve
Doctor Who
Top Gear
Great British Bake Off
Audio:
BA Centenary exclusive 100 minute mixes from leading DJs
Groove Armada
Lee Burridge
Andy Eastough
Paul Oakenfold
Goldie Rocks
Le Visiteur
Toolroom/Mark Knight
Defected/Sam Divine
Deadmau5
DJ Kryder
MDE
Ashley Beedle
(Pictures British Airways)
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