A Very British Airline - Season 1

First aired: 6/2/2014 3 episodes

Episodes

1. Episode 1

Aired: 6/2/2014

British Airways is one of the UK's most visible brands, selling Britishness as a mark of quality. But in the last decade, the business has faced financial crisis and today more people fly Easyjet than BA. As the airline reaches a turning point, the BBC's cameras have been allowed unique access to its inner world, from top level decisions to the daily challenges of a global operation. This episode explores how the airline tries to persuade people to spend more to fly, revealing the world found behind the 'millionaire's door' at Heathrow Terminal 5 - a lounge, restaurant, spa and champagne bar reserved for those select few who are happy to part with small fortunes to fly in the airline's first class. Also this episode, a look at how the airline is playing catch-up with some of its rivals as it brings its first A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, into service. Plus, the programme follows 18 anxious new recruits on their journey to become cabin crew with British Airways. With exacting standards of dress, behaviour and knowledge, not all of them will make it through the six-week training course designed to uncover who is - and who is not - BA.

2. Episode 2

Aired: 6/9/2014

For many years London to New York has been the most glamorous and profitable route in BA's long-haul network. This was the route made famous by Concorde, and even today BA's JFK terminal caters for more of the rich and famous than anywhere else. This looks at the heart of BA's New York operations to discover what it takes to keep the 28 flights a day running smoothly on this all-important route, even as the worst winter on record causes cancellations and delays. At the other extreme, BA is opening a new route to the Chinese city of Chengdu. China is a key new market, but BA is well behind its rivals and having to learn fast how to cope with the unique challenges of operating in mainland China. Back at Heathrow, the cabin crew trainees reach the moment of truth. Will they all make it through the course or will some of them learn the hard way that they aren't quite what BA considers the right stuff?

3. Episode 3

Aired: 6/16/2014

In this final episode we're in the company's main control room with operations manager, and rugby enthusiast, Kevin McKenzie. He reveals how the airline manages the challenges of operating out of the world's most congested airport, and deals with the knock-on effects of some passengers actions - from panic attacks before take-off to suspicious items discovered in luggage. We follow the training of the airline's first intake of cadet pilots since the downturn in air travel after 9/11- each cadet has to pay £84,000 for the 18-month course, so failure would be expensive. And through some of the company's 40,000 staff, including ex-Harrods manager David Page, we explore what makes BA such a Very British Airline.