bmi offers even more for business travellers

bmi has strengthened its position as Britain's business airline with the announcement of a series of initiatives and route launches to further enhance business travel to and from the UK.

bmi announced the introduction of a second daily service to Tel Aviv from 30 March 2009 following high demand for the first daily service which launched last year. In addition, bmi will start flights to the Ukrainian capital Kiev in March and offers improved schedules and frequency to Riyadh. Service additions include a complimentary Chauffeur Drive option for Business Class customers providing a smooth journey to and from the airport and the launch of total paperless boarding and mobile check-in, the first British airline to offer this innovative service ensuring hassle-free travel. With no fuel surcharges on UK and European routes and the UK’s most generous loyalty programme; business travellers really can see the difference when flying with bmi.

Daily double for Tel Aviv route
bmi has announced that it will double services between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv, with twice daily services on A321 aircraft from 30 March 2009 and A330 aircraft from 3 May 2009, following high demand for its first service. The additional daily flight will see bmi offer the first and last flight of the day from Tel Aviv to London Heathrow, offering greater flexibility for business and leisure travellers and providing more convenient connections at both London Heathrow and Tel Aviv.

New route to Kiev
From 29 March 2009, bmi will operate a five times a week service to the Ukrainian capital Kiev as part of bmi's summer timetable. Business customers can experience a market-leading Business Class service on the route, with comfortable leather seats and 50" seat pitch, 16 inches greater than competitors.

Increased service to Riyadh
bmi recently doubled its services to Riyadh to operate a six times weekly service. Connecting to even more destinations across the Middle East, bmi flights to Riyadh now go onwards to Dammam on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and onwards to Jeddah on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. bmi flights to Saudi Arabia are operated on an Airbus A330 with a two cabin service with 42 fully-flat beds in Business Class and 156 Economy seats. Business Class customers can enjoy the extra benefits of the onboard chef, thirty minute check-in and complimentary Chauffeur Drive at both ends of the route (on selected fares only).

Introduction of A330 for Cairo and Tel Aviv routes
This spring sees the introduction of Airbus A330 wide-bodied aircraft on the Heathrow to Cairo and Tel Aviv routes which will considerably enhance bmi's Business Class offering with fully flat beds in Business Class. Customers will also be able to take advantage of bmi's Premium Economy product, which provides business class-style seats with 49 inches of seat pitch in a separate cabin and a dedicated inflight team at highly competitive fares.

First British airline to offer total paperless boarding and mobile check-in
Innovative paperless boarding and mobile check in on all domestic flights out of London Heathrow (LHR) is now available for all customers, following successful trials of the service in 2008. bmi is the first British airline to offer this service which enables customers to check in online or by mobile up to 24 hours in advance, choose their seat and have their boarding pass delivered electronically to their mobile phone or PDA as an MMS, avoiding check in queues and saving valuable travel time. To access mobile check-in, customers simply need to access www.flybmi.com from their mobile device.

Launch of Chauffeur Drive for Business Class Customers
This month also sees the launch of the bmi Chauffeur Drive service for those travelling in Business Class, complimentary on selected fare types, on flights to Moscow and Saudi Arabia at both ends of the route, allowing Business Class customers to extend the bmi service beyond the flight for more convenient and hassle-free travel. This Chauffeur Drive service will also be rolled-out for Business Class customers, complimentary on selected fares and as an additional cost option on other fares on Tel Aviv, Cairo, Beirut, Amman and Kiev routes later in the spring.

In December 2008, bmi became the first British airline to trial the OnAir service offering customers access to text messages and email and was the first airline to abolish fuel surcharges on all flights to UK and European destinations.

Peter Spencer, Managing Director of bmi commented: "In the tough business climate that we are operating in, we recognise the importance of both value for money and time for our customers. With this in mind, we strive to offer increased flexibility and convenience with initiatives such as our innovative total paperless boarding, now available on all domestic routes from London Heathrow as well as 30 minute check in and complimentary Chauffeur Drive for Business Class customers. These initiatives help us to deliver a full service package offering significant benefits, and reinforce our commitment to providing the best possible service for business travel."