British Airways set to charge for seat reservations
In a move which many believe had been on the way for some time, British Airways has announced plans to charge customers up to £60 to reserve a seat. It is no secret that British Airways has been struggling with regards to the price of oil, reduced business levels and increased costs. Over the last few months we have seen a number of job cuts, staff encouraged to give "free time" to the business and even the chief executive refusing to take his salary for a month. So what next for British Airways?
While the £60 reservation fee has obviously caught the headlines today it will be only one of a number of cost-cutting exercises which will be implemented in the short to medium term. The company desperately needs to shore up its balance sheet which has been decimated over the last two years, which had seen the company literally on the brink of serious financial trouble. Initially there were concerns that the company was overplaying the financial situation on the downside to gain concessions from the unions, but in hindsight it does look as though the company was literally on the brink just a few months ago.
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