BA - The Club - Beyond the covers: 50 years of High Life

The pilot issue takes flight

The year is 1973. We are one year off becoming British Airways, when the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA) will merge. Editor of weekly satirical publication Punch, William Davis, is drafted in to recreate Punch for the airline. But Davis persuades the powers that be to let him devise a magazine from scratch with its own unique voice. Thus, High Life is born.

The royal exclusive

It’s August 1987 and, along with the rest of the world, High Life is completely enamoured with Princess Diana, who also appears on the July 1982 and July 1983 covers. In the 1980s, Champagne on board comes in at £2 a glass (it was 60p when the first magazine came out in 1973). Just one year prior, the largest single aircraft order ever placed is made by British Airways for 16 Boeing 747s, plus 12 on option. More planes, more magazines.

Cool Britannia rules the waves

The 1990s is a rock’n’roll time for High Life. David Bowie storms the cover in March 1997 and the Rolling Stones front the magazine in February 1999 as writer Nigel Williamson joins them halfway through their world tour. This issue coincides with the oneworld® alliance, which becomes effective on 1 February. The 1990s also see us create the world’s first business class bed, meaning travellers could recline as they read.

Big screen stars

All manner of movie royalty get in on the High Life action during the early 2000s. Everyone from Meryl Streep to Anthony Hopkins find themselves on the cover. In October 2007, English actor Michelin Palin guest edits the whole magazine. The year also marks the start of exciting developments in the in-flight entertainment industry, as 1080p HD-quality video makes its way to seatback screens.

Vintage throwbacks

April 2013 is High Life’s ruby anniversary, and the cover stars a killer combination of model-of-the-moment Daisy Lowe, celebrity photographer Rankin and the 1973 BAE uniform, as designed by Hardy Amies. You can see more of Amies’ designs online here. Passengers enjoying this copy of High Life on board in 2013 are also kicking back with a newly launched new tea blend – adapted for life at 35,000 feet by Twinings exclusively for British Airways.

A centenary celebration

In August 2019 we celebrate our 100th anniversary, which means a special edition of High Life is available on board all flights. The issue has a split-run of 12 covers pulled from our Heritage Centre located at our HQ, Waterside, adjacent to London Heathrow. These highlight 12 key moments from the airline’s history, starting with the first commercial flight in 1919 all the way to a celebration of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner via the BOAC Super VC10, Concorde and more.

Half a century of inspiration

The cover of the anniversary March/April 2023 issue of High Life – which, since the pandemic, has gone digital, with a print version available in the Heathrow lounges – shows off all the famous faces who have graced the title in the last half a century. Inside, a ‘future 50’ crowns the travel tastemakers to look out for. Didn’t manage to get your copy? Don’t worry – The Club has ten to give away. Simply head to the bottom of this article to enter our prize draw.