British Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

British Airlines - Essay Example Moreover, the board was to take control of other smaller regional airlines such as Cambrian Airways, from  Cardiff, and  Northeast Airlines, to be based at  Newcastle upon Tyne.  Later on in 1974, all the four airlines were merged to form one major airline known as British Airways (British Airways 1998; British Airways 2006a, British Airways 2006b). British Airways remained to be a parasternal until 1987 when the company was privatized by the conservative government through the sale of its shares to members of the public. The national airline later on expanded by the acquisition of British Caledonian  in 1987 and  Dan-Air, and Gatwick-based carrier, in 1992 (British Airways 1995a; British Airways 2004; Anonymous 2002; Anonymous 2011; Bannan 2007). Since its formation in 1971, the company has long been one of the largest customers of Boeing aircrafts, which are manufactured in the United States. However, beginning August 1998, the company transformed and began purchasing aircrafts from Airbus, which are manufactured in the larger European countries (British Airways 2010a; 2010b; British Airways 2010c). Their first order involved the purchase of 59 Airbus A320 family aircrafts in the same year. Later on in 2007, the aircraft bought twelve more Airbus A380s (Benady 2008; British Airways 2000a; British Airways 2004a). However, in the same year, it purchased an additional 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliner to replace its old fleet. A vital part of the British airlines planes is the 52 Boeing 747-400 which it uses both for its domestic and regional flights. This makes it the largest operator in its category in the world (British Airways 2004b; British Airways 2004c; British Airways 2003). In order for British Airways to achieve such a huge milestone, it has developed various marketing strategies that are in line with the various marketing theories. One of the major marketing tools that it uses is the SWOT