British Airways can trace its origins back to 1919 and the early days of commercial aviation. Over the past 90 years, the airline industry has changed dramatically each decade through new developments and challenges. British Airways has used the musical theme "Flower Duet" in its advertising since 1989, though it has had several arrangements over time. The airline has faced challenges from budget carriers like EasyJet that have pressured its profits and forced it to overhaul its strategy. The CEO recently warned employees that British Airways faces potential bankruptcy if unions do not accept voluntary redundancies due to losses from the industry downturn.

1. By John Rankin, Alix Kegg and Kayleigh Flynn

2. British Airways Background British Airways can trace its origins back to the birth of civil aviation, the pioneering days following World War I. In the 90 years that have passed since the world's first schedule air service on 25 August 1919, air travel has changed beyond all recognition. Each decade saw new developments and challenges, which shaped the path for the future, Take a look at the different eras of air travel, to see how British Airways became the airline it is today.

3. Marketing The musical theme predominantly used on British Airways advertising is "The Flower Duet" by Léo Delibes. This, and the slogan "The World's Favourite Airline" were introduced in 1989 with the launch of the iconic "Face" advertisement. The slogan was dropped in 2001, after having been overtaken by Lufthansa in terms of passenger numbers.However, "Flower Duet" is still used by the airline, and has been through several different arrangements since 1989. The recent version of this melody was shown in 2007, with a new slogan, "Upgrade to British Airways".The advertising agency used for many years by BA was Saatchi & Saatchi, who created many of the most famous advertisements for the airline.It created the influential "Face" commercial for the airline; following the termination of its relationship with BA, it made an imitation of this commercial for rival Silverjet in 2007.As of February 2007, BA's advertising agency is Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

4. Management British Airways management has hit the headlines over the years with many high profile decisions and disputes. British Airways strategy has sometimes proved controversial and in certain examples it has led to industrial action from staff. Among British Airways strengths is its brand, and the company has in the past marketed itself as 'the world's favourite airline'. However, a British Airways swot analysis would throw further light on the company's strengths and weaknesses. Despite controversy, through its business strategy British Airways has remained among the key players in air travel.

5. Size British Airways is the UK's largest international scheduled airline, flying to over 550 destinations at convenient times, to the best located airports. Whether customers are in the air or on the ground, British Airways takes pride in providing a full service experience. The British Airways group consists of British Airways Plc and a number of subsidiary companies including in particular British Airways Holidays Limited.

6. Employees The British Airways Community Relations Department has awarded over £368,000 to registered charities supported by British Airways employees over the last six years. The awards are judged on the number of personal volunteering hours our staff dedicate to their chosen charities. 54 awards were given in the 2009-2010 financial year.

7. Finance

8. Pressures The dramatic fall in British Airways' profitability reflects a combination of changes to the industry which have left the airline looking cumbersome and slow to adapt to competitors' strategies. BA - which used to call itself the world's favourite airline - has been out-manoeuvred by smaller air lines in the fiercely competitive budget flights sector, and falling passenger numbers have forced it to overhaul its own market strategy. Easyjet: giving BA a headache, Rising fuel prices, the strength of sterling and the fact that there are too many seats on offer to too few passengers have all taken their toll on BA's, and other airlines', profit levels. But it is in the budget sector that the most dramatic changes have taken place. Cut-throat competition has produced low fares that would not have been dreamed of a few years ago as airlines try desperately to fill their planes. Easyjet, Ryanair, Debonair, AB airlines, Virgin Express and BA's own "no-frills" service, Go, were all set up during the 1990s to tap into the growing market for budget flights. KLM's low-cost subsidiary, Buzz, is due to join the fray in the coming months.

9. BA Future Willie Walsh has given his gloomiest assessment yet of the future of British Airways, effectively telling staff that the flag carrier faces potential bankruptcy. In a startling internal email sent to employees, the chief executive confirmed that BA is "definitely at risk" if trade unions reject its call for voluntary redundancies. He warned that the £401 million loss BA made last year left it in a perilous situation, saying the downturn was "beyond anything that we can save from our costs".