Marketing: Marketing Fundamentals - Assignment Example

British Airways (BA) presently positions itself as the largest airline of the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe, with more flights from Europe across the Atlantic than any other operator. It has its main hubs at London Heathrow and London Gatwick, with wide-reaching European and domestic short-haul networks, including smaller hubs at other UK airports including Manchester, from which some longer-haul flights are also operated (Wikipedia, 2006) (Paraphrasing made).BA is known to hold a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type an Operating License; hence, it is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.

It started about after the First World War, according to Wikipedia (2006). The worlds first daily international scheduled air service, between London and Paris was actually launched by BA’s forerunner company, on 25 August 1919, the Aircraft Transport and Travel (AT&T). It was also on 31 March 1924, that Britains four fledgling airlines - Instone, Handley Page, Daimler Airways (a successor to AT&T) and British Air Marine Navigation - merged to form Imperial Airways, which developed its Empire routes to Australia and Africa.

(Wikipedia, 2006) (Paraphrasing made)Wikipedia (2006) told that meanwhile a number of smaller UK air transport companies had started flights and these merged in 1935 to form the original privately owned British Airways Ltd. Further, it said that following a government review Imperial Airways and British Airways were nationalized in 1939 to form the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).