Record Mid East online sales for British Airways

The carrier's online sales for the first half of 2007 - which have surged to the highest levels on record this summer - have brought the regional ratio in line with the more established markets of Europe and North America.

"Our leisure travel customers are at the core of our online service innovations," said Paul Starrs, British Airways' Regional Manager Middle East. "With freedom and flexibility to choose holiday destinations and packages through ba.com these travellers prefer to book online to save on time and money. It is no surprise then that our loyal customers are increasingly logging direct on to the website to arrange their travel itineraries and manage every aspect of their journeys.

"The Middle East's online sales and general usage figures are doubling every quarter and are now reaching levels we associate more predominantly with our European and North American markets.

"This summer especially we've been taken aback by the soar in online sales, with April - June setting a new all-time record quarter for online payment, online check-in and BA Holidays enquiries in the GCC."

Ba.com is now the key interface between British Airways and its leisure travel customers, and Starrs continued: "ba.com is a huge driver for the airline and a vital tool which enhances the way we interact with our passengers. The web is the future, and maturing and evolving ba.com is a necessity, especially in increasingly tech-savvy nations such as those in the GCC."

British Airways has invested significant resources in making the passenger travel process much easier by embracing the benefits of technology and automating the many processes involved in planning, booking, flying and interfacing with the airline.

The new and updated travel procedures empower the consumer to have more control, use their time more effectively, and receive up to date guidance, help and reassurance, giving them a better overall travel experience.

An increasing number of customers around the world choose to buy tickets online and British Airways aims to enhance the customer experience of using ba.com and its associated technology at every opportunity.

British Airways operates daily services to Heathrow from Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Muscat, and Abu Dhabi, and twice daily services from Dubai.