British Airways is stepping up its winter service between Bermuda and the UK to a five-days a week schedule. The airline has announced a 25 percent increase in the number of seats available on the route, which comes in the wake of its now daily service during the summer months which began at the end of March.

?This increased winter schedule, which is a commitment of more than 2,200 seats a week between Bermuda and London, underscores the importance of the route for British Airways,? said Robin Hayes, BA executive vice president for the Americas.

He was visiting the Island to offer his congratulations district manager Philip Troake, who retires from the company this Friday after 41 years service. The expanded winter schedule is the largest since the dedicated route started 16 years ago, and will offer all four classes of service onboard a Boeing 777 aircraft.

Speaking to , Mr. Hayes said servicing and enhancing the Bermuda market was a key commitment for the company. ?Bermuda is a market that we have wanted to grow but it has had to be done rationally. We have been trying to grow Bermuda in small, incremental steps,? he explained.

And he said the company was playing its part in the bigger scheme of things to promote Bermuda to potential visitors from the UK and other parts of Europe.

?We can make sure we have the right amount of seats and aircraft and sell Bermuda as a destination, and the (Bermuda) Tourist Board and Government have their part to play. People around the world have more disposable income and the world is getting more competitive in terms of leisure time and there are a lot of destinations competing with one another. Bermuda needs to stay focused in that. We remain good partners with the tourism board.?

The success of BA?s daily flights launched this year is still being assessed and no decision has yet been made about whether the all-week service will be retained in coming years.

The switch to the five-day winter schedule will start on October 29 when flights will be available on every day except Mondays and Fridays.

For Bermuda the biggest issues have been the cost of trans-Atlantic flights and why there is no rival operators on the route to introduce an element of price competition. Mr. Hayes said routes had to remain profitable, but BA has run a number of seat sales and he said the price of flights for those departing from the Island was competitive, although he agreed there had been criticism of the cost for customers buying flights that originate in the UK.

Inroads have been made with an all-inclusive offer in January for UK passengers to take a return flight to Bermuda for ?399 ($727). ?As we identify new opportunities we will run those types of offers,? said Mr. Hayes.

As for competition on the route, he added: ?There is competition to Bermuda because you can fly to New York and then onwards to Bermuda and some people do that. We welcome competition, but you have to consider how many airlines can a small destination sustain.?

The bumping up of ticket prices because of higher fuel surcharges has been in the news lately with BA being named as one of the companies being investigated over alleged cartel activity regarding ticket pricing and fuel surcharges.

Mr. Hayes said the surcharge only recoup ?a fraction of the price increase in fuel? and the company tried to lessen the impact on customers by using other methods such as hedging in the world fuel markets. The decision to close the British Airways travel office on Front Street at the end of last year was a difficult one for the company.

?The staff in that office offered service beyond what was available by any other airline. But with the onset of the Internet and our own site at ba.com it has meant that customers have a way of buying their tickets from home or at their place of work over the Internet and printing out their boarding cards to save time checking in.

?That is the way the world is moving. We took the difficult decision to close the central office but we are keeping a full staff at the airport which we believe will continue to meet the needs of customers.?

And paying tribute to Mr. Troake as he prepares to move on after 41 years service, Mr. Hayes said he had been instrumental in getting the airline?s chiefs to agree to increase the number of flights to the Island until he achieved his ultimate goal of a daily service this year.

Mr. Hayes added: ?Philip has been a magnificent member of the BA family. He has advanced so much over the years. In many ways he has been a thorn in the side of colleagues in the UK (arguing for more flights to Bermuda). He has done a magnificent job and is very well respected and has left behind a great team to continue that work.?