Strikes, IT failures, customer unrest: can BA pull out of this nosedive?

The carrier is trading on past glories with glitzy ads that fail to reflect years of cost-cutting. But the firm insists it is investing for change

The recent TV advert celebrating British Airways’ 100th anniversary was framed as a love letter to Britain, narrated by national treasures such as artist Grayson Perry, astronaut Helen Sharman and a phalanx of sporting stars.

“We love you, Britain,” gushes Oscar-winner Olivia Colman.

The problem for BA is that neither Britain, nor the rest of the world, appears to love it back. The past few years have been punctuated by a series of lingering headaches – a mixture of bungling and sheer bad luck....