British Airways has announced a spring special offer for its new “World Traveller Plus” class of seats on its Bermuda to London flights.

The seats, which are one notch above the standard class, but not quite as expensive as business class, will go on sale for $899 for travel before April 4.

“We are delighted to offer more local residents the chance to try World Traveller Plus,” said Philip Troake, district manager of British Airways. “This radical new class of travel for economy passengers is proving increasingly popular since it began on this route just a few months ago.”

The new class is said to be aimed at the cost-conscious business traveller as well as the “discerning leisure traveller” with more space and privacy provided than in the normal economy class. The seats are wider and there is an extra seven inches of legroom and a steeper recline for the seat. The flights are restricted to travelling over a Sunday night and a maximum stay of twelve months and only applies to new bookings.

Global Crossing net income soars

(Bloomberg) - Bermuda-based Global Crossing Ltd., the fibre-optic network operator that emerged from bankruptcy in December, said fourth-quarter net income surged to $24.9 billion because of reorganisation-related gains and said sales will fall this year. Net income rose from $768 million because of one-time gains of almost $25 billion from the bankruptcy reorganisation, according to a statement. The company, which didn't give per- share results, said sales fell 6 percent to $719 million.

Global Crossing, which operates a fibre-optic network spanning 100,000 miles, filed for creditor protection in 2002 after disappointing demand for phone and data services left it unable to repay $12 billion of debt. The company, virtually debt- free now, is seeking to compete with rivals such as Level 3 Communications Inc. amid a continued slump in prices and demand.

BCB director dies

The Bermuda Commercial Bank Ltd. advised the Bermuda Stock Exchange that Stephen Curtis, who was appointed as a Director of Bermuda Commercial Bank Ltd. on December 10, 2003, died on March 3, 2004.