The IT departments atBritish Airwaysand Iberia have some hard work ahead
of them after the two airlines announced they are to merge.
The lack of standardisation between most airline IT systems is
likely to make the job a tough one. BA has been in
merger talks with both Quantas and Iberia airlines for months
and although it is too early to say how integrated the two
companies' systems will become, it is likely some of them will need
to be interoperable.
Robert Morgan, a consultant at Hamilton Bailey, said there are
very few common systems in the airline industry.
"It will be a huge task for any airlines to merge systems. This
is because many have developed them in their own way," he said.
The proposed merger will see both companies retain their brands
and create a new holding company, TopCo.
The new airline group will have 419 aircraft and fly to 205
destinations. In 2008, British Airways and Iberia carried 62
million passengers and, in their last financial years, their joint
revenues were approximately €15bn. The merger is expected to be
completed in late 2010.
British Airways said consumers will be offered better flight
frequencies, more destinations and connections and more competitive
prices.