Is it not highly risky though, going after premium passengers in the home markets of the likes of KLM, Air France and Lufthansa? I imagine those airlines would start spitting poison. Just like many argue that BA is superior to Virgin purely on the basis that the former has a far more extensive route network (despite what many argue is the better business class product on the latter), many, except only direct passengers with deep pockets, would probably not consider making the switch. From AMS, KLM just has a much better route network than BA ever will. The JFK route has never been the sort of flagship route for KLM that it has been for BA anyway.

Maybe though if BA offers some status-match as incentive. Why would a Flying Blue Platinum member who has grown accustumed to the KLM product and programme, and probably has a corporate deal with KLM, suddently switch over to BA? Would all of you switch over to Singapore?