What’s new from British Airways
High Life checks in on some key charity partnerships and shows you how to get involved. Plus, don’t let Mother’s Day take you by surprise – with help from High Life Shop
03/02/2025
Charity Flying Start’s latest charity milestones
Flying Start has turned a glorious 15 years old. And that’s not all the good news. In this time, the global charity partnership between British Airways and Comic Relief has managed to raise more than £30m, helping young people in the UK and further afield get the best possible start.
Thanks to generous donations from British Airways’ customers and colleagues alike, this incredible amount (that the airline is immensely proud of) will go directly towards supporting worthy causes and projects in the UK and around the world. New parents in Britain, children in India facing health challenges and mothers in South Africa determined to protect their babies from HIV are just some of the one million people who have been supported by Flying Start.
Look out for more charity milestones on the horizon as Red Nose Day fast approaches on 21 March. Get ready to feel good, give big and do something funny for money. And thank you, from everyone at British Airways, for your continued acts of kindness to strangers.
Improving inclusion and accessibility for all
As part of British Airways’ ambition to become more accessible and inclusive, the airline has partnered with the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled People (QEF) – a British charity with more than 90 years of experience in supporting thousands of disabled people to achieve their potential and independence.
With this partnership in action, customers with a disability, or those who have acquired an injury and would like to gain confidence and knowledge in air travel, can book an assessment with QEF’s Tryb4uFly service. A phone discussion can talk through possible challenges in your planned journey. And an additional assessment with an occupational therapist can also be paid for in order to explore suitable equipment options and a selection of seat support devices approved for use in the airline’s cabins.
British Airways and QEF continue to offer training events for travel professionals and occupational therapists to increase awareness of how airlines and airports can support customers with access needs, covering all things related to air travel accessibility, from booking to the airport experience, as well as on-board support. Knowledge sharing is critical to empower everyone to enjoy the wonders of flying.
And the benefits don’t stop there. This new partnership extends to the airline’s BA Better World Community Fund, so you can support QEF to empower disabled children and adults via endeavours such as its Care and Rehabilitation Centre, which helps people to rebuild core skills after a stroke, brain injury or neurological illness.
Spoil them this Mother’s Day with High Life Shop
It’s coming round quick, but don’t worry, as High Life Shop has the perfect selection of gifts – available to buy using Avios or cash – so you can ace Mother’s Day on 30 March.
If you’re shopping for a fragrance enthusiast, you’ll want the Jo Malone London Cologne Collection, with nine travel-sized bottles in a range of best-selling scents. Equally pampering is the Molton Brown Body Care Collection, home to three mini bath and shower gels (ranging from spicy to citrussy) that will do the trick nicely. Combine both scent and shower needs with the travel sized Lancôme La vie est belle gift set, which has both an eau de parfum and body lotion in a perfect concoction of jasmine, orange blossom, patchouli and vanilla.
Buying for a mum with a sweet tooth? Then it’s over to Hotel Chocolat’s Velvetised Chocolate Cream, a satisfyingly rich drink with delicate cocoa notes and a whisper of vodka. It goes perfectly with its Everything Box, a selection of its most iconic chocolates. You could also check out the novel Gin In A Tin – with smooth notes of black pepper, sweet orange and juniper – which comes in, you guessed it, a perfectly travel-sized tin.
Of course, you also can’t go wrong with a set of pearls. Almost guaranteed to please, the Kyoto Pearl stacking bracelet set features freshwater pearls with a beautiful, one-size-fits-all design.
