British Airways is “confident and buoyant” about the prospects of the upcoming summer season in Cape Town, but wants the city’s tourism authorities to organise more events to even out low season troughs.
BA on October 28 upped its service on the route from daily to twice daily for the season (both operating overnight), adding 2 400 seats per week. 

Ian Petrie, BA’s Regional Commercial Manager for Africa, says the airline remains “bullish” about Cape Town, both inbound and outbound. He says the city rates amongst BA’s top 10 routes worldwide. He believes Cape Town is resistant enough to absorb tough economic conditions in source markets. A weaker rand is expected to make it even more attractive, while this will also assist South African exports. For this reason, BA has put its largest aircraft (B747-400) on the route equipped with a new R1,3bn (£100m) first class cabin.
Petrie says BA is seeing some results from winter tourism campaigns, but wants  seasonal demand to be “a little less like a rollercoaster, with the off-peak winter season crammed full of gourmet and wine tours, conventions, festivals, sports fixtures, concerts and other attractions to bring people here”.
After SAA in August axed its Cape Town/London flight, BA is now the only airline serving the route year-round. Petrie says the airlines believes a year-round schedule is more sustainable because it is good for the Cape Town market; demonstrates BA’s commitment to the destinations and installs local confidence in the brand; assists local tourism authorities in growing off season demand; and facilitates year-round access to London.
Meanwhile, BA expects delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in May followed by its first A380 in July as part of a five-year,  R69bn (£5bn) investment programme in new aircraft, products and services. It has already taken delivery of six long-range Boeing 777-300ERs fitted with new World Traveller and World Traveller Plus cabins and a new in-flight entertainment system. The rollout of the new First cabin, already available on SA routes, is nearing completion.
Some 2 000 senior cabin attendants have been issued with iPads, enabling them to access customers’ preferences, onward flights and any service-related issues instantly.