By:  Ellis                                             S.R. No. 659
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
    1-3  recognize British Airways which is celebrating its 75th anniversary
    1-4  this year; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, The world's first daily scheduled international
    1-6  air service took flight from an airstrip at Hounslow Heath at
    1-7  9:00 a.m. on August 25, 1919; the airplane, parts of which were
    1-8  canvas, took two and a half hours to reach Paris, its destination,
    1-9  and the aircraft carried only one passenger; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, The International Air Transport Association
   1-11  calculates that the world's airlines have carried about five
   1-12  billion international and 14.5 billion domestic passengers on
   1-13  scheduled flights in the 75 years since then; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, In the past 75 years, British Airways and its
   1-15  predecessors have pioneered improvements that today's passengers
   1-16  naturally take for granted; and
   1-17        WHEREAS, The world's leading international airline,
   1-18  British Airways is chosen by one in every 14 passengers flying
   1-19  from one country to another throughout the world; last year it
   1-20  carried 22.5 million people on its international scheduled flights;
   1-21  and
   1-22        WHEREAS, In all, the world's airlines carried 307 million
   1-23  passengers on international flights a year and 900 million more on
    2-1  domestic flights; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, The initial London to Paris route remains the
    2-3  world's busiest international route; British Airways operates 24
    2-4  return flights a day between the British and French capitals;
    2-5  these flights take less than an hour; and
    2-6        WHEREAS, British Airways in the 1990s is among the world's
    2-7  most successful airlines, recording profits throughout the recent
    2-8  recession when other airlines lost money; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, British Airways also is helping to bring about
   2-10  the world's first global airline alliances; investments in the past
   2-11  18 months have given British Airways close to a 25 percent share in
   2-12  USAir, the fourth largest domestic United States of America airline;
   2-13  a 25 percent share in Quantas, the Australian-based leading Pacific
   2-14  carrier; 49 percent share in TAT European Airlines, France's leading
   2-15  independent carrier; and 49 percent of Deutsche BA, the German
   2-16  alternative airline; and
   2-17        WHEREAS, Together this alliance carries 95 million
   2-18  passengers a year on services to 445 destinations in more than 85
   2-19  countries, providing customers with superior services the world
   2-20  over; now, therefore, be it
   2-21        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
   2-22  74th Legislature, hereby extend congratulations to British Airways
   2-23  on the grand occasion of its 75th anniversary; and, be it further
   2-24        RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
   2-25  British Airways as an expression of the high esteem of the
    3-1  Texas Senate.
    3-2                               ______________________________________
    3-3                                       President of the Senate
    3-4                                    I hereby certify that the above
    3-5                               Resolution was adopted by the Senate
    3-6                               on April 10, 1995.
    3-7                               ______________________________________
    3-8                                       Secretary of the Senate
    3-9                               ______________________________________
   3-10                                        Member, Texas Senate