British Airways Named Consumer Superbrand of the Year

British Airways has been named the winning Consumer Superbrand of 2014, securing the top position against 1,500 other brands vying for the prestigious title. It’s the first time an airline or travel brand of any kind has topped the poll.

The UK’s Consumer Superbrands are chosen by the British public in a national survey of 3,000 adults. The annual survey, which has
been identifying the UK’s leading brands since 1995, was managed by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA).

Frank van der Post, British Airways’ managing director brands and customer experience, said: “We are thrilled to be named the Consumer Superbrand of the year. The greatest accolade is that the hard work of our teams has been recognised by the public to receive this coveted award.

“We are very proud of what we have achieved in recent years - from our role in the London 2012 Games and our investment in new aircraft and cabins, to our ‘To Fly. To Serve.’ campaign. We will not take this award for granted, but will continue to build on our success.”

The airline’s recent achievements include: introducing new aircraft to the fleet, including the superjumbo A380, and 787 Dreamliner – the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world; the first to introduce iPads to its senior cabin crew thus allowing them to tap into customer preference; extending in-flight entertainment until landing, and trialling digital bag tags

The airline also received Sports Industry Awards and a PRCA award for its role in the London 2012 Games. This included delivering the Olympic Flame into the country, launching the ‘Home Advantage’ campaign, hosting 700,000 people at ‘Park Live’ at the Olympic Park, and a fly-past over The Mall at the end of the Games to thank the fans and athletes. The airline was also named ‘Best Airline Worldwide’ and ‘Best short-haul carrier’ in the Business Traveller Awards 2012, and has raised £6.5 million for Comic Relief through its Flying Start partnership

Stephen Cheliotis, Chief Executive of The Centre for Brands Analysis and Chairman of the Superbrands Council said: “It’s great to see British Airways soar into first place; it has always performed well in the survey but over the last two years its reputation has climbed to new heights, partly through the cementing of its successful ‘To Fly. To Serve.’ positioning and the residual goodwill from its effective 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games association.”