BRITISH AIRWAYS CHOSE COPENHAGEN

In brief, this is the result of British Airways’ decision to locate its Scandinavian sales and marketing activities at a head office in Copenhagen.
- "After 11 September 2001 we decided to re-evaluate our organisation," relates Sam Heine, British Airways’ general manager in Scandinavia.

At that time British Airways had three separate sales offices in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, respectively, but then the question of merging all functions into one single Nordic head office arose.

Several advantages in Copenhagen
"It was definitely not on the cards that the head office was to be in Copenhagen. Everything was open," relates Sam Heine.

The company chose Copenhagen for a number of reasons that all fell out in favour of Copenhagen.
- First, British Airways realised right away that they needed to have Danish and Norwegian as well as Swedish-speaking personnel.
- With the Øresund bridge, Sweden is a mere half hour’s drive away from Copenhagen. If the company had chosen Stockholm, it would have been far more difficult to find Danish-speaking staff.

Lower rent and shorter travel time
Rent is another factor in favour of Copenhagen.
- "Commercial rents are lower in Copenhagen than in Stockholm. Although our new head office is located in down-town Copenhagen, the price per square metre is less than for our Swedish office, which was located outside the city," says Sam Heine.

Moreover, there is the infrastructure. Copenhagen has better flight connections to both London and Frankfurt than Oslo and Stockholm. Finally, Sam Heine mentions the flexible Danish labour market.

"With regard to salary levels there is no great difference between the two countries; however, there is far more flexibility in Denmark than in Sweden, and this is certainly important to us. So everything considered we had no doubts about locating our head office in Copenhagen."