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Airline Reference

British Airways (BA)

UK flag carrier based in United Kingdom, and is a member of oneworld.

IATA CodeBA
ICAO CodeBAW
CallsignSPEEDBIRD
Operating StatusActive (per OpenFlights airline registry)
CountryUnited Kingdom
CategoryUK flag carrier
Airline Allianceoneworld

How BA Appears in a GDS PNR

When you see a segment line like this in a PNR, the airline code identifies British Airways:

2  BA 587 Y 15JUL 2*JFKLHR HK1  800A  2000P

The two-letter code BA at the start of the segment line is British Airways's IATA code — every flight segment operated by British Airways in a GDS PNR (Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, or Worldspan) begins with this code, followed by the flight number.

About British Airways

British Airways is a uk flag carrier, based in United Kingdom, and is a member of oneworld. Its ICAO code, BAW, is used for air traffic control and flight planning, while its radio callsign is “SPEEDBIRD”.

Pricing a British Airways Fare Across GDS Systems

Once a BA segment is sold, the fare quote and ticketing entry differ by system. The starting point in each is:

Amadeus:  FXP
Sabre:    WPNCB
Galileo:  FXP

Each of these prices the itinerary using the lowest applicable fare for the BA segment(s) in the PNR — the exact fare basis and rules still need to be checked against British Airways's current fare filing, since GDS pricing reflects what's filed, not a fixed rate.

What oneworld Membership Means for Booking

As a oneworld member, British Airways participates in the alliance's interline agreements — member airlines typically coordinate on interline ticketing and reciprocal status benefits. In practice, this means a client's itinerary can often mix British Airways with other oneworld carriers on one ticket, which matters when pricing multi-carrier routings or handling irregular operations (delays, misconnections) that involve more than one airline.

Booking Classes

Like most airlines, British Airways's fare classes follow the standard GDS booking-class letter system. See our complete booking class guide for what each letter (F, J, Y, and so on) typically means.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is British Airways's IATA code?

British Airways's IATA code is BA. This two-letter code appears at the start of every flight segment operated by British Airways in a GDS PNR.

What is British Airways's ICAO code?

British Airways's ICAO code is BAW. The ICAO code is a separate, usually three-letter identifier used mainly in air traffic control and flight planning, distinct from the IATA code travel agents see in a PNR.

How do I convert a British Airways PNR to an itinerary?

Paste the raw PNR text into PNRGenius and it will automatically detect British Airways's segments (marked with the BA code) and build a clean, client-ready itinerary in seconds.

What alliance is British Airways part of?

British Airways is a member of oneworld.

Can British Airways be combined with other airlines on one ticket?

Yes — as a oneworld member, British Airways generally allows interline and codeshare itineraries with other oneworld carriers to be ticketed together, though the specific fare rules still depend on the fare basis used.

Convert a British Airways PNR to a Clean Itinerary

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