By Rehab Saad , British Airways (BA) area commercial manager for central and eastern Europe, has stated the points of strength of the company and its future plans. Egypt, Rousham tells Rehab Saad, is a strong tourist destination and an important market for BA. For that reason the company has launched three flights to Alexandria through British Airways' franchise partner BMED and two flights to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada by franchise partner GB Airways, in addition to its daily flight between Cairo and London. "We are currently looking for other destinations within Egypt," Rousham said. He added that according to statistics, about one million Britons visited Egypt last year. "It was a great year. However, I know that sometimes there can be occasional blitzes that can be caused by world events or local events in terms of terrorism, but the market recovers incredibly quickly. And I think that's a common spade in terms of things that happen in the world. People tend to get over their memory the much shorter their memories are." Rousham said BA had been looking at the big structural changes in the company and, "getting ready for our big move to Terminal Five, which is the big operation at Heathrow. We've been looking to make sure that we have moved for the best possible network and the strongest possible customer base to work with," he said. BA will move into Terminal Five in March 2008. The move will transform the flying experience for the 30 million BA passengers who pass through Heathrow Airport each year. The whole experience will be faster, smoother and simpler. The move to a state-of-the-art terminal will also enable the airline to deliver better customer service using new and innovative technology. Terminal Five will comprise a main building with two satellite buildings linked by an underground transit train. Built on five levels, it will include separate check-in concourses, a public transport interchange, a lower level arrivals concourse and extensive landside and airside retail malls. Terminal Five is one of Europe's largest current construction projects. The site covers 260 hectares, just under a quarter of the size of the current Heathrow campus. It is as large as London's Hyde Park and five times the size of Terminal Four. Terminal Five will not only smooth connections but will also significantly reduce connecting times from 75 to 45 minutes. "Terminal Five is a state-of-the-art, modern facility, customer-friendly, containing top services in terms of modern technology," Rousham said, adding that in Terminal Five, the green traffic lights will be on all the time for all checks whether immigration or packing. "We are looking for a steady flow." Rousham believes that Terminal Five is a big competitive component for BA. "Operationally, Terminal Five will be a brilliant airport, the best in the world. You find, on the other hand, some of the airports like Frankfurt and Charles De Gaulle are congested to the level that they are suffering a little bit more. "Heathrow, in the last few years, suffered a lot because it was an airport built and developed for half the number of passengers already going through it. Terminal Five will ease the congestion. Certainly, we will take our passengers away from the hassle of the rest of the airport." The other element in the equation, according to Rousham, is Club World, the next generation of business class flat beds. Club World includes more comfortable six-feet-long fully flat beds that are 25 per cent wider. A new 'z' bed position extends to six feet six inches and allows the body to assume a position similar to that in zero gravity. It is ideal for watching movies. Besides electronically operated privacy screens, there is a laptop locker where customers can stow electronic items, a small bag and shoes, an enhanced in-flight entertainment system that allows customers to pause, stop, fast forward or rewind up to 100 films and TV programmes, and games on larger 10-inch digital screens. "About 50 per cent of the new Club World is embodied now," Rousham said. "We are moving towards a position where when we start Terminal Five we'll be a couple of months away from completion. Full embodiment will take 20 months in total."
