Interesting news from the British Airways / IAG Capital Markets Day
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Yesterday was the annual International Airlines Group Capital Markets Day, where IAG gives a public presentation for its bondholders on the performance of BA, Iberia, Vueling and now Aer Lingus.
The slides are made available to all.
On the off-chance that you have something better to do on a Saturday than read 117 slides, here are a few key points:
Keith Williams is to retire as CEO of British Airways next year. He will be replaced by Alex Cruz, who is currently CEO of Vueling, IAG’s Barcelona-based low cost carrier.
The contribution of Avios to cost savings and profit improvement was €20m over budget, partially due to “improved access to capacity”
Total IAG fleet to grow from 483 aircraft today to 578 by 2020
15%-25% of savings from falling fuel prices are expected to be ‘retained’, the remainder will pass through into lower fares
“Every 5 minutes over 6 IAG aircraft depart and AGL issues over 1 million Avios”
“Greater connectivity and choice prompts more IAG relevance across the UK regions – 50% of UK [Avios] collectors now come from the regions”
Total Avios membership of 7 million, of which 5.4 million are in the UK and mainland Europe
“Investor seminar in January to explain [Avios] business fundamentals, future targets and Group accounting” (I look forward to a HFP reader forwarding me the slides from this ….)
Short-haul A320 design (excluding the seats) to be harmonised to allow aircraft to be swapped between BA, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus with no need for additional crew training
Seat configuration of the new A350 aircraft still a secret – see page 77
Wi-fi on 90% of long-haul aircraft by 2019. Wi-fi to be added to short-haul aircraft starting in 2017, no timetable for speed of roll-out.
British Airways short-haul has “returned to profitability” (although this is always a debatable point because no-one knows how BA does – or should – allocate a £2,000 Amsterdam – Heathrow – New York and back fare between short-haul and long-haul)
Short-haul punctuality out of London is better than Ryanair or easyJet
Club World to lose 10% of seats on the Gatwick Boeing 777-200 fleet
First Class to be removed entirely from the Heathrow Boeing 777-200ER fleet
Boeing 787-9 likely to be used to open up new markets in Latin America
The nine ex-Virgin Little Red slots at Heathrow have returned to BA
11 Boeing 787-9 to be delivered in 2016 along with the two A380’s (takes BA to 12 in total)
Johannesburg under serious consideration as a new Iberia long-haul destination
Vueling increasing legroom in rows 1-4 for business class passengers and adding cabin dividers
More, lots more, in the slides if you want it.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review
You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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