British Airways plc (LSE: BAY) is the national airline and flag carrier of the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. Its main hubs are London Heathrow and London Gatwick. British Airways holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, and is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. British Airways is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

British Airways has been plagued by difficulties in recent years. The Association of European Airlines reports that BA is the worst airline for lost and delayed baggage, losing over twice as many bags as the average. They are also the worst airline for punctuality of short/medium haul flight departures and arrivals and ranked 17th out of 21 airlines for long haul delays. Many of BA's problems stem from being based at London Heathrow airport which has become crowded and subject to delays. In 2007 Heathrow was voted the world's least favourite alongside Chicago O'Hare in a TripAdvisor survey. The opening of their new terminal, Heathrow Terminal 5 was heavily criticised by politicians, unions, airlines and passengers as an operational disaster.