There's a brand new lounge at New York's JFK, British Airways takes the travel category top spot in the 2019 Superbrands survey, plus five budding startups put their business ideas to the test at 30,000ft 

Take to the skies this June
Craving a mountain-backed escape with heaps of culture? Luckily for you, Split – Croatia’s scintillating seaside city – and the Pakistani capital of Islamabad (pictured below) are the hottest destinations to join the British Airways route network this month. As of 2 June, customers wishing to fly to Split can book on one of three services a week from London City, while those heading to Islamabad can choose from three flights per week from Heathrow. Fast-forward to July and two new seasonal routes will whisk customers to Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, twice-weekly, and Montpellier, four-times-weekly, both from Heathrow. To learn more about new routes, click here

British Airways: Superbrand 
British Airways has been recognised as the top British brand in both the consumer and business Superbrands surveys for 2019. Of the 1,500 UK and international brands to be included, British Airways ranked fourth place in the Business Index, and fifth in the Consumer Index. The airline also took the top spot in the Travel - Airlines category, beating 18 of its competitors across the globe. Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and Chief Executive, says, “It’s our centenary year and we couldn’t be more proud to be flying the flag for Britain. We’re thrilled to be featured as one of the top five Superbrands alongside some incredible global organisations.” To find out more, click here

The British Airways anthem
To mark the centenary celebrations, the British Airways very own orchestra has released a new composition of the Flower Duet from Delibes’ famous opera, Lakmé. Composed by one of the airline’s engineers – and musician – Lyndon Ooi, the piece is made up of 10 variations representing 10 significant milestones in BA’s history. The music will be familiar to regular customers, having featured in past advertisements and even played in the cabin during boarding. To watch the British Airways orchestra, including Ooi and 30 of his colleagues, in action, see below or click here

New lounge unveiled at New York’s JFK
Luxury has landed at JFK airport (pictured above) with the unveiling of the new British Airways Club lounge. As part of the airline’s £50 million investment, hundreds of BA customers passing through JFK’s Terminal 7 every day will be able to enjoy a more comfortable, curated experience now spread across 22,000 square feet of carefully designed space. Customers can enjoy a Broadway Copper Cup cocktail (made with Copper Dog whisky) at the granite topped Quiach Bar, created in partnership with Craigellachie Hotel, Scotland. There’s also a state-of-the-art entertainment room, BrewDog craft beer room and re-opened Elemis Spa. To take a virtual reality look around the new lounge, click here

A sparkling union
British Airways has partnered with Hattingley Valley, an English Sparkling Wine company, to produce a centenary edition bottle of award-winning ESP (pictured above), available in all First cabins, as well as in the Concorde Room at T5, from July. To celebrate the partnership, Hattingley Valley will be showcasing the centenary edition at Taste of London from 19-23 June, held at Regent's Park. To taste the new product and other Hattingley wines, make sure to visit their stand. To access your exclusive Members discount on Taste of London tickets, click here. 

For the very latest British Airways news, click here

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This article has been tagged BA, Travel Tips