Top 8 British Airways Competitors & Alternatives in 2024

The top British Airways Competitors are Easyjet, Jet2, Virgin Atlantic, Thomson Airways, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. The largest international airline of UK, British Airways is the world’s leading premium airlines. Established in the year 1974, their main area of business is in London having their presence in many places across London city. The airways fly to about 170 destinations across the globe. This airline company has its own engineering brand that maintains its aircraft fleet. British Airways serves over 170 destinations in 70 countries, including eight domestic and 27 in the United States

British Airlines provides technology-oriented services as well. It has developed an online service system and focuses on migrating from paper to e-tickets owing to the increasing use of the internet.

In 2022, British Airways generated around 11 billion British pounds in revenue. Created in 1974, British Airways is a flagship airline in the United Kingdom, and the second largest airline in the United Kingdom. In 2022, the airline carried around 33 million passengers .

Through this article, let us discuss the British Airways competitors.

Top British Airways competitors

1) Easyjet

• Product Type: Airline services.
• Industry: Aviation.
• Founded: 1995, in Luton, England.
• Founders: Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
• Headquarters: Luton, England.
• Area Served:  Worldwide
• Current CEO: Johan Lundgren
• Revenue: $7,389 million (2022)
  
• Market cap: $3.84B (September 15, 2023)
• Number of employees: 14,443 (2022)

Easy Jet Airline Company Limited also called as Easyjet is a well-known airline of British and a low-cost carrier. It is headquartered at London Luton Airport. It has its operations to international and domestic destinations providing services to about 820 routes in about 30 countries.

Established in the year 1995, Easyjet was listed in the London Stock Exchange during the year November 2000. During the year 1998, Easyjet purchased about 40% stake in Swiss Charter airline. The airline was later renamed easy jet Switzerland and its franchises services commenced during the year 1999.

Easyjet Annual Gross Profit in 2022 was $3,553 (Millions of US $). Easyjet Annual Net Income in 2022 was $-216 (Millions of US $). Easyjet Annual Total Assets (Millions of US $) in 2022 $13,389 million.

The main advantage of this airline is the pricing structure. It has an average fare and almost about 50% lower than other major carriers. Over the years, Easyjet has improved its brand perception and has great brand awareness especially in the UK. It offers reliable and on-time travel service with many value-added features which includes online booking and travel services. It is adding more new modern planes to ensure safety. Due to their efficient and customer friendly service, Easyjet is considered as one of the top British Airways competitors.

2) Jet2

• Product Type:  Airline services.
• Industry: Aviation.
• Founded: 1993, in Leeds, England.
• Founders: Stephen Hill and Philip Meeson.
• Headquarters: Leeds, England.
• Area Served:  Worldwide
• Current CEO: Steve Heapy
• Revenue: £5,003.5 million (2023)
• Market cap: $2.97 Billion (September 2023)

Jet2 is a low-cost airline headquartered in Leeds Bradford Airport, England. Jet2 is the UK’s third largest airline, flying from 11 UK airports to more than 65 destinations across Europe, the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. This company is a subsidiary of Dart Group which is a popular aviation service and distribution group.

This airline began its airline operations during the year 1983 with the name Channel Express. Over the years Channel Express established Jet2.com brand from the Leeds Bradford International Airport. It has served 16.2 million customers in 2022/23.

Jet2 Net income in 2022 was £290.8 million while its Operating income was £394.0 million.

Jet2.com is an award-winning airline that flies to holiday destinations in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and European leisure cities. The main strength of this airline company is the low cost it provides. The Jet2 tickets are available for booking across travel agents, online or by telephone. It has varied services and offers package holidays with jet2 flights and travel accommodation. It has been awarded as “Best Short Haul Airline” at the Globe Travel award. Due to the low-cost flights and customer support, Jet2 is considered as one of the top British Airways competitors.

3) Virgin Atlantic

• Product Type: Airline services.
• Industry: Aviation.
• Founded: 1984, in London, England.
• Founders: Richard Branson and Niky Gysin.
• Headquarters: London Heathrow Airport, Hillingdon, Greater London, UK.
• Area Served:  Worldwide
• Current CEO: Shai Weiss
• Revenue: £2.9 billion (2022)

Also regarded as top British Airways competitors, Virgin Atlantic is a British airline company is headquartered in Crawley, United Kingdom. This company was founded by the top businessman Richard Branson.

Virgin Atlantic is maintained by Virgin Group & Singapore Airlines. The airline has always dedicated to creating modifications in their services while also focusing on efficiency and effectiveness. This airline is the seventh largest in the world’s carrier. The airline joined the SkyTeam airline alliance on 2 March 2023.

Virgin Atlantic Cargo operated 1,117 cargo dedicated sectors and delivered revenue of £377m.

Virgin Atlantic is considered as an industry innovator which is responsible for setting up innovations in the airline industry. This airline is focused on quality and they meticulously following Total Quality Management in their process.

The airline provided by Virgin Atlantic has three main segments like the economy, premium, and luxury. Due to their customer satisfaction and focus on quality, Virgin Atlantic is considered as one of the top British Airways competitors.

4) Thomson Airways

• Product Type: Airline services.
• Industry: Aviation.
• Founded: 1962, in Luton, England.
• Founders: Thomson Holidays.
• Headquarters: Luton, England.
• Area Served: Worldwide
• Current CEO: Christian Clerc
• Revenue: 1.9 billion British pounds (2022)
• Market cap: $3.05 Billion (September 2023)

Thomson Airways is the world largest charter airline and currently known by the name TUI airways. It provides flights from Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom to various destinations like Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

The airline was established after a merger of the travel division of TUI AG and First choice Holidays plc. It also focuses on tourism and vacation package and target customers who are looking for customized holidays. It has a strong brand image and is considered one of the world’s best leisure airlines. This company offers pay and forget tourist package and provides their best service for tourism packages across the world.

It serves more than 180 popular travel destinations throughout the world thanks to its 150 aircraft, many of which are among the youngest and greenest aircraft on the market. TUI has  fleet of 60 planes that fly from 24 airports across the UK.

This airline company has a tagline ‘don’t just travel, travel with a smile’. Due to their focus on tourism and travel, Thomson Airways is considered as one of the top British Airways competitors.

5) Delta Airlines

• Product Type: Airline services.
• Industry: Aviation.
• Founded: 1925, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
• Founders: Huff Daland Dusters.
• Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
• Area Served:  Worldwide.
• Current CEO: Ed Bastian
• Revenue: $15.578B (June 30, 2023)
• Market cap: $25.31B (September 15, 2023)
• Number of employees: 95,000 (2022)

Delta Airlines is a popular airline service of United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. More than 90,000 Delta people lead the way in delivering a world-class customer experience on over 4,000 daily flights to more than 280 destinations on six continents, connecting people to places and to each other. Established in the year 1924, Delta Airlines is one of the oldest airlines in the USA. It is ranked first by revenue for commercially owned airline companies as well as in brand value, and 113th on the Fortune 500.

This airline company is known for their strong values of integrity, honesty, respect, and also a commitment to the environment and society. The main strength of this airline is the customer engagement. The level of customer engagement provided is high which helps them to retain the customers. Frequent fliers receive a huge discount and also automatically upgrade to the higher class.

Delta Air Lines net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $1.827B. Delta Air Lines gross profit for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $5.976B. Delta Air Lines operating income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $2.491B. Delta Air Lines total assets for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 were $73.497B.

Delta is America’s most-awarded airline thanks to the dedication, passion and professionalism of its people. It has been recognized by Cirium for operational excellence, as the top U.S. airline by the Wall Street Journal, among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, the World’s Most Admired Airline according to Fortune, as one of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work, and a top employer for diversity, veterans and best workplaces for women by Forbes.

The main target audience of this airline company is the business travelers. Due to their strong operational strategy and multiple hubs across, Delta Airlines is considered as one of the top British Airways competitors.

6) United Airlines

• Product Type: Airline services.
• Industry: Aviation.
• Founded: 1926, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
• Founders: United Aircraft and Transport Corporation.
• Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, USA.
• Area Served:  Worldwide.
• Current CEO: Scott Kirby.
• Revenue: $14.178B (June 30, 2023)
• Market cap: $14.9B (September 14, 2023)
• Number of employees: 92,795 (2022)

A popular airline company of the United States, United Airlines is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and established in the year 1934. Considering the revenue, United Airlines is the third largest airline which operates covers large domestic and international route network. It has a wide presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Flying with United gives you the opportunity to choose from 4,500 daily flights to more than 300 cities across five continents. They serve an extensive network in the U.S., with more than 200 domestic destinations. This airline is more customer and flyer friendly. It provides three segments like the business, luxury, and leisure to their travelers.

United Airlines Holdings Inc net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $1.075B. United Airlines Holdings Inc gross profit for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $10.073B. United Airlines Holdings Inc operating income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $1.517B.

It has a great operation network and a strong brand name and recognition. Due to their great customer experience with in-flight entertainment, United Airlines is considered as one of the top British Airways competitors.

7) American Airlines

• Product Type: Airline services.
• Industry: Aviation.
• Founded: April 15, 1926, in Dallas, Texas, USA.
• Founders: 88 investors, including E.L. Cord and C.R. Smith.
• Headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
• Area Served:  Worldwide.
• Current CEO: Robert Isom
• Revenue: $14.055B (June 30, 2023)
• Market cap: $8.66B (September 14, 2023)
• Number of employees: 129,700 (2022)

Also a top British Airways competitor, American Airlines is a popular United States airline which is headquartered in Texas. It is considered one of the largest airlines with respect to revenue, fleet size, passenger carried, and a number of destinations served.

It serves international and domestic places and has carried about 6,700 flights per day serving 350 destinations in about 50 countries. The main strength of this airline is the flyer program. The members earn credits that can be redeemed for a free air travel with American airlines. The company has been associated with many international alliances.  It has a wide range of operational network and is the largest scheduled passenger airline in the world.

American Airlines Group net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $1.338B. American Airlines Group gross profit for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $4.630B. American Airlines Group operating income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $2.163B.

This airline provides great onboard entertainment which is a main attraction to the customers. Due to its customer focus and a great market share value, American Airlines is considered as one of the top British Airways competitors.

8) Southwest Airlines

• Product Type: Airline services.
• Industry: Aviation.
• Founded: March 15, 1967, in Dallas, Texas, USA.
• Founders: Rollin King and Herb Kelleher.
• Headquarters: Dallas, Texas, USA.
• Area Served:  Worldwide
• Current CEO:  Bob Jordan.
• Revenue: $7.037B (June 30, 2023)
• Market cap: $17.24B (September 14, 2023)
• Number of employees: 66,656 (2022)

The world’s largest low-cost carrier airlines, Southwest Airlines are headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Established in the year 1967, it had its earlier name as Air Southwest Co., which later changed to Southwest Airlines. This airline is popular for its point-to-point service, low price ticket, and low turnaround time.

As it provides point to point service, customers prefer this as it saves a lot of time. By this, this airline company also achieves better asset utilization. This airline has a solid network of the fleet in the US. It owns the largest Boeing aircraft fleets in the world. It provides flights which are low priced in the United States. It also has a low turnaround time which is about 25 minutes. As of December 2022, Southwest Airlines operates 771 aircraft. Southwest is currently the largest worldwide operator of Boeing 737 aircraft.

Southwest Airlines net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $0.683B. Southwest Airlines gross profit for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $2.118B.Southwest Airlines operating income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $0.795B. Southwest Airlines total assets for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 were $36.519B.

This saves a lot of time for the aircraft, thereby utilizing the aircraft for more flights per day. Due to their excellent service, Southwest Airlines is considered one of the top British Airways competitors.

Conclusion

The airline companies are moving at a very fast pace to achieve their business goals and objectives. British Airways makes use of the latest technology for providing various solutions to achieve better performance for their services.

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