THE British carrier,British Airways(BA), has  launched  ‘Hot  Winter Sale’ discounts to UK, US, Europe, Canada to make travel more affordable to the areas.

The Hot Winter Sale fares are available for flights from Lagos or Abuja to the UK, US, Canada and a number of popular European destinations.

 The offer comes on the heels of its pre-Christmas special which included discounts of up to 20% in the business class cabin.

Speaking on the offer, BA’s Country Commercial Manager for Nigeria, Mr Kola Olayinka, said prices to London, UK domestic destinations and Europe from Abuja started from US$299 in World Traveller or US$799 in World Traveller Plus.

 The same fares from Lagos are $349 in World Traveller and  $849 in World Traveller Plus. In Europe, the offer extends to destinations in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

He said the selling period for the offer commenced on January 18 and ends on February 14, 2012, with the outbound travel fixed for between January 18 to June 14, 2012, and return at any time within the next 12 months. He advised customers willing to take advantage of the offer to make sure he books on or before February 14, 2012.

Fares to the United States and Canada start from $444 in World Traveller  and from $910 in World Traveller Plus. Destinations include New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Calgary and Vancouver. The offer allows for one free stopover, and thereafter, unlimited stopovers at a fee of $100.

Meanwhile, the British carrier’s  very latest seats and cabins have taken to the skies  following the first complete refit of  one of the airline’s Boeing 777-200s.

The aircraft was the first of 18 to be fitted with British Airways’  recently launched First cabin, new World Traveller and World Traveller Plus  cabins and the airline’s latest Thales inflight entertainment system.

The multi-million pound refurbishment gives the 18 Boeing 777-200s the same contemporary interiors as British Airways six brand new Boeing 777-300ERs.

Frank van der Post, British Airways’ managing director, brands and customer  experience, said: “This exciting and ambitious refit now brings our 777s right up to date, with new interiors and the very latest inflight  entertainment system.

“We have had fantastic customer reaction to our new fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs, which originally showcased our new cabins, and we know those who travel on these 18 aircraft will be equally impressed with our investment.

“Customers will be able to enjoy the very best travel experience British Airways has to offer, with more comfortable seats and brighter, more contemporary cabins.”

Over the next five years, British Airways will be investing more than £5bn in new aircraft, smarter cabins, elegant lounges, and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground.

It takes British Airways’ Cardiff-based engineers, at the airline’s Welsh maintenance base, approximately a month, or 5,700 man hours, to carefully remove a 777’s old seats and interiors and replace them with the airline’s very latest cabins.

Each aircraft will also have a staggering 13 kilometres of wiring removed and new fibre optic cables installed to power the new inflight entertainment system.

New widescreens will be fitted in Club World and customers flying on these refitted Boeing 777-200s will also be able to experience the airline’s sophisticated new First cabin.

New seats and cabins in World Traveller Plus and World Traveller feature the latest cushioning technology and in-seat power sockets.