British Airlines never intended to become the low price brand. This airline once was once known for luxury and comfort in the air, but no more. This once premium brand logo is left scraping for customers looking for ever lower prices.

How did this happen? First, the British Airways logo stopped making a brand promise. Formerly, the company emphasized that they are the luxury option, offering a classier mode of travel for the more discerning. However, new changes will ensure that people who once might have chosen this airline based on service suddenly will not know what to expect. The company has began emphasizing the high value of their fares while slashing options and creature comforts. British Airlines has gradually done away with everything that set them apart from the competition. The comfortable first class sections are being made smaller in new airplanes, to allow more economy and business class fares. Meals are no longer served on any but the longest flights. Other cost-cutting measures have been taken as well. However, the cost of flying has not been lowered enough for the airline to be considered the budget option.

This underscores the importance of making a promise with your brand. Customers need to be assured that your company is offering something unique and different. British Airlines was once ‘the world’s favourite airline’, but this tagline is fading to the background as amenities are reduced almost by the day. However, British Airlines has not just ceased to be the luxury airline; they have made extra changes that will scare away the cost-oriented customer as well.

One of these changes is that the brand has added several hidden charges that may be poorly received by a customer who thought they were getting a good deal on their airline fare. First, customers must pay extra to reserve a specific seat. This may not be a lot of money, but it adds up when combined with other extras that they are being charged for, such as check-in charges and raising the price for additional baggage. Business class fares will not even be offered the warm hand towels that have become so iconic in this company. Families can no longer be assured of sitting near each other unless they pay the extra reservation cost.

With the company having lost hundreds of millions of pounds and counting, cost-cutting makes sense, However, this penny pinching is destroying the luxury brand. Not only that, the airline has failed to take measures that would give it a new brand. At the current time, they have given customers no reason to choose them over their competition, leaving the company at the mercy of price fluctuations and a fickle, brand oriented public. The company is entering the territory of budget travel, a crowded field with intense competition against carriers who have years or decades of experience doing the job for very little money.

The moral of this story is that you must carefully monitor all business decisions to be sure that they match your branding. As the old adage goes, actions speak louder than words. Making moves that go against your reputation will leave customers unsure of what to expect and more likely to turn to your competition, especially if that competition is offering a brand they can believe in.