British Airways has celebrated 40 of its Ghanaian travel trade partners for their outstanding performance in 2018 during an event at the Marriot International Hotel, Airport City, Accra. SatGuru Travel and Tours Ltd led with the most awards on the day, receiving honours as the overall Highest Selling Travel Agent and also the agent with the highest point-to-point volumes during year 2018.
Stellar Travel and Tours Ltd received the award for the highest North Atlantic sales, while Grandeur Consult was praised as the Most Promising Agent, 2018. Westside Travel and Tours was also awarded for being the Most Professional Agent, and Diplomat Escort Travel Ltd was the Most Improved Agent for the year, 2018.
Paolo De Renzis, British Airways Commercial Manager for Europe and Africa commended the agents for the successful year for British Airways in Ghana. “This year is a special year for British Airways, as we celebrate 100 years of operation, and our ongoing £6.5 billion investment is being channelled into upgrading aircrafts and our products and service for the best customer experience.’’
There have been significant changes to on board products and services, including a brand-new Club World suite which will be outdoored on the airline’s new Airbus A350 airctaft and Boeing 777 aircraft later this year. In the World Traveller (Economy Class) cabin, British Airways has introduced new amenity kits, quilts and pillows for added comfort and a touch of luxury. New routes to Charleston, Pittsburgh, Osaka, Kos and Corsica, Ljubljana, Montpellier, among others have also been launched as part of the ongoing investment.
British Airways also used the opportunity to explain the ‘OnBusiness’ loyalty programme to the travel agents. OnBusiness is a loyalty scheme for small and medium-scale businesses that allows member companies to earn points from corporate travel, which can later be redeemed for free or discounted flights and other services.
Kola Olayinka, British Airways’ Regional Commercial Manager for West Africa said that typically, large companies with large travel budgets tend to enjoy more from the airlines and their travel partners, however British Airways took into consideration ways that they could also support the smaller companies, especially those with at least two staff of the company travelling regularly. “We encourage you to introduce your clients to the OnBusiness programme, as you will still be able to manage their travel and they will greatly appreciate the extra value it brings. Best of all, the individual passenger can still collect their Avios if they are registered with the British Airways Executive Club, while the company also receives points in its OnBusiness account.
