Azerbaijan, Baku, April 1 / Trend /
Azerbaijan is an extremely important market for British Airways, and the airline's priority is to showcase its exceptional customer service and world-class product offering, Paolo De Renzis, Area Commercial Manager for Middle East & Central Asia at British Airways said in an interview with Trend.
"Our strategy revolves heavily around customer feedback and listening to what our passengers want - which allows us to tailor our service according to the local demands and ensures that we are responding to our customers' needs," Renzis said.
Renzis stressed that following the successful integration of bmi into British Airways, the company refurbished and upgraded all of the A321 aircraft serving the Azeri market.
"With the refurbishment now complete, customers from Azerbaijan can enjoy even greater comfort and an improved flight experience," he said.
The refurbishment, according to Renzis, will provide all Club World (business class) and World Traveller (economy class) customers with the latest on-demand in-flight entertainment technology and new seating for enhanced comfort.
"World Traveller customers will be able to enjoy eco-friendly e-leather seats with comfort-enhancing cushion foams, four-way adjustable headrests and an on-demand, touch-screen entertainment system. In turn, Club World passengers will benefit from greater personal space with 78'' lie-flat beds, a power socket which can accommodate either a European or US plug, and a massage option," he said.
Renzis stressed that in addition to a wide range of video content, the in-flight entertainment system will also provide information on destinations, shopping, airports and the airline's fleet. "A range of interactive games and a special kids' section will be available, complete with a parental lock option to allow customers travelling with children to limit the content that can be viewed," he said.
Talking about the global plans of the airline, Renzis said that as part of ongoing commitment to the customers British Airways is investing over £5billion in new aircraft, smarter cabins, elegant lounges, and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground.
"We are now two years into this five year investment project and we are already starting to see many changes take effect. In addition to the refurbishment of the A321 aircraft that serve our Baku route already mentioned, we are also investing £100 million in our new First cabins alone. As innovators in the airline industry we set the benchmarks for flat beds in First and business class cabins, and with the rollout of our new First cabins now over 90% complete, customers from Azerbaijan flying to onward destinations from London Heathrow have already started to experience the new cabin on a more regular basis," Renzis said.
In addition to this £5billion investment, according to Renzis, British Airways has also recently completed a £300million embodiment programme of Club World (business class) across our fleet in order to enhance the overall customer experience.
"We are also enhancing customer service through technology, and recently issued specially equipped iPads to 2,000 senior cabin crew across the entire British Airways long and shorthaul fleet. This enables the crew to have access to passenger information at the swipe of an iPad, providing real-time insight into our customers' preferences across a whole range of areas, from special meal requests to onward travel plans, enabling us to deliver a truly bespoke service," Renzis said.
"Furthermore, we review our route network on an ongoing basis, and 2013 also holds many developments for our global network. Our new flights to Seoul in Korea are already underway, while new flights from London Heathrow to a range of destinations, from Ibiza to Chengdu in China have already been announced. In order to support and continue to grow our global network, we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of nine new long-haul aircraft in 2013," he said.
Now is an incredibly exciting time for British Airways, with our ongoing investments, new aircraft, and network expansion paving the way for an even stronger global presence, Renzis added.
