Ahead of welcoming the world to London this summer, British Airways is trialling two unique new initiatives designed to take service in the skies to new heights.

The "onboard travel advisor" and "golden ticket" trials are both taking place from April and will be offered to thousands of British Airways customers in all cabins.

Onboard Travel Advisor

With the successful rollout of over 2,000 iPads for senior cabin crew, British Airways has also now equipped a group of crew with iPads crammed with top travel apps, designed to help customers.

Announcements are being made on selected longhaul flights to offer the services of an "onboard travel advisor" and the designated crew member is able to provide travel information on request.

From hotels to restaurants, theatre shows to shopping hours, British Airways cabin crew will be able to provide information and top tips on a range of destinations. Onboard travel advisors are currently offering information on nine routes including: Johannesberg, New York JFK, Newark, Chicago, Haneda, Mumbai, Shanghai, Bangalore and Sao Paulo.

Golden Tickets

To recognise the importance of exceptional service, British Airways is also giving its most frequent travellers the chance to commend individual crew members through "golden tickets" that can be handed over inflight.

During the trial, British Airways has given 3,000 of its top UK customers two golden tickets to recognise cabin crew at any time. British Airways managers will then be able to thank individuals personally for their contribution in delivering exceptional service.

Frank van der Post, British Airways' managing director, brands & customer experience, said: "Our cabin crew are travel and service experts, and these new initiatives give us the perfect opportunity to share and recognise their unique talents with our customers."

Both trials are underway and British Airways will make a decision before Autumn about whether to roll both services out on further flights.

Contributed by British Airways