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BA to close high street shops
The growth of online bookings has been blamed by British Airways for its decision to close all 17 high street Travel Shops and Belfast call centre in a move that will affect 400 jobs.
The carrier said its shops are expected to make “ever increasing losses” over the next few years and will close by the end of August.
Its call centres meanwhile have seen call volumes fall by 60% since 2001.
Consultations will begin shortly with trade unions over the closures. BA said it will offer support to staff in finding alternative roles in BA or with other companies.
Commercial director Martin George said: “It is clear that increasing numbers of our customers want to book and organise their travel plans with British Airways via the Internet.
“This is an industry-wide trend and we have to ensure that our business reflects this.
“Our high street shop business is forcast to make ever increasing losses in the years ahead despite continued efforts to reduce costs and improve revenue
“We are therefore proposing to close all 17 shops by the end of August.”
The closures will also include its Heathrow-based Worldlink business agency and back office support areas.
George said a previous shake-up of its call centre operations still left the carrier over-staffed.
“Our call centres have seen the number of telephone calls fall by more than 60% since 2001, from 15 million to six million, and we have reduced our headcount in this area from 2200 to 800.
“Despite closing our call centres in Glasgow and London in 2004, we still have too much property for the size of the operation.”
George insisted it was “not about moving calls abroad” but making better use of its call centres in Manchester and Newcastle.
“The announcement today is not an easy one and not one which we have taken lightly,” he said.
“This decision is not a reflection on the professionalism and effort of our staff in these areas. It is about ensuring that we respond to changes in the marketplace.”
Report by Steve Jones
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