British Airways - Solo send off

British Airways pride itself on its British Heritage. So when British novelist William Boyd launched his new James Bond novel ‘Solo’ publishers HarperCollins teamed with BA to give the book a ‘Best of British’ send off. The first seven copies of ‘Solo’ were numbered 001 to 007 and signed in London’s luxury hotel The Dorchester before being transported in a vintage Jensen sportscar motorcade to Heathrow Airport to be flown off to destinations around the world with partner BA.

The setting of the launch mirrored the opening of the new book , where Bond, a veteran agent at 45, celebrates his birthday with an evening of gambling, drinking and fine dining at The Dorchester. The seven copies of the book were placed in perspex briefcases and given the ‘Bond’ treatment by being escorted by British Airways stewardesses to the airport, where they were handed over to BA captains and stored securely in flight-decks before making their way to VIPs in Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Zurich, Los Angeles, Delhi, Cape Town and Sydney.

British Airways connection to James Bond has been checkered. Originally in the Bond films, British Airways was the airline of choice of fictional character James Bond. However, Virgin Atlantic took the mantle from BA when they appeared in Casino Royale in 2006. This reconnection to the franchise is a tactical move, trying to align itself with the long-lasting heritage between the two brands.