British Airways is the latest airline to announce a big fall in profits, with CEO Willie Walsh describing the current market as “the worst trading environment the industry has ever faced”
BA profits fall, but iPhone app gains traction
British Airways is the latest airline to announce a big fall in profits, with CEO Willie Walsh describing the current market as “the worst trading environment the industry has ever faced.”
Headline figures issued this morning (Friday) reveal a pretax profit of £37m in the three months to end-June, an 87% drop on Q1 07’s restated results.
The interim management statement refers to its recently launched application for the new Apple iPhone 3G, suggesting that this initiative is seen by top brass as a key part of its strategy of upgrading the consumer experience.
The application, which BA claims is an industry first, lets customers access real-time arrival and departure information, view the BA timetable and book flights.
“Since launch, the number of times users have accessed ba.com, through the iPhone, has on average doubled from 10,000 to 20,000 times a day,” the statement said.
