Whether BA can remodel itself sufficiently to take advantage is, of course, an entirely different question.
But despite some advice to the contrary, BA can't possibly compete head-on for the same market as the no-frills carriers.
The suggestion is that if BA can't compete over the short-haul routes, it should leave them entirely to the no-frills carriers, which would then absorb the extra "slots" - takeoff and landing times - for their own services.
On BA you can be staring at the person next to you, which is quiet a difference.
It would be almost twice that of Boeing ( BA), whose products you can fly.
Finally, having started with a clean sheet, Emirates has a flat management structure and the kind of flexible, highly productive workforce that carriers such as strike-torn BA and high-cost Lufthansa can only dream of.
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But according to the merger memorandum signed in November, Iberia can call off the wedding if BA cannot reach a satisfactory agreement with the trustees of its two pension funds.
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"We do believe that all the environment issues linked to potential expansion at Heathrow can be overcome and that EU regulations on airports can be met, " the BA spokesman said.
Bob Atkinson of travel website travelsupermarket.com said the one million passengers booked to travel with BA over Christmas and the new year "can now breathe a sigh of relief and carry on with their travel plans".
"Newcastle United can confirm that Chelsea Football Club has made an official offer for Demba Ba which has triggered the release clause in the player's contract, " the club's website reported.
But although they have the potential to be useful marketing tools, such networks can also be a source of damaging publicity, as British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic have discovered to their cost.
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Both BA and KLM, after all, had direct experience of what flying through volcanic ash can do to a high-bypass turbofan jet engine.
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