SUNDAY 25 AUGUST 2019UP IN THE AIR
As British Airways turns 100, Simon Calder picks out seven key things
that make the UK national carrier stand out
British Airways is celebrating a century of flight (British Airways)
The maiden flight of one of BA’s predecessor airlines took off 100 years ago. From its evolving logo to the
evocative “Flower Duet”, the airline has had many defining moments – here are seven of them.
Speedbird logo (1932)
Every British Airways pilot uses the callsign “Speedbird” to identify his or her specific flight – starting with
Speedbird One for the London City-New York JFK link. Some travellers believe it is a reference to
Concorde, the supersonic jet that BA operated from 1976 to 2003. In fact, the term originated in 1932 to
describe not an aircraft but an emblem.
Theyre Lee-Elliott, a graphic designer, was in his twenties when he devised the logo for use on promotional
posters for Imperial Airways. The polygon was instantly inspirational, signalling the optimism and