28 Jul 2017
“Thank you” to the city and to our customers, as British Airways i360 celebrates its first-year anniversary
A year after it opened to the public on August 4, 2016, British Airways i360 will mark its first anniversary by thanking its customers and the city for their support.
As part of the celebrations:
- All customers taking a flight on the British Airways i360 pod on August 4, 2017, will be offered a birthday cupcake. A live band will perform on site in the afternoon and there will be free face-painting for children.
- Customers on the 2pm flight on August 4, which marks the moment the attraction opened to the public last year, will also be welcomed with free drinks from the Nyetimber Sky Bar.
- Any customers born on August 4 will be given a free flight on their birthday, subject to availability*.
- The attraction's 26,000 Resident Members will have their membership extended free of charge, meaning they can continue to enjoy half-price tickets for another 12 months**. Time restrictions on usage have also been lifted so that Resident Member discounts apply at any time of day, year-round.
- In addition to the 39,000 free tickets given to the city's school children in the last year, British Airways i360 will send free tickets to children starting reception classes in Brighton & Hove state schools in autumn 2017.
- The Belle Vue restaurant at British Airways i360 closes today (July 24) for a refit, and will re-open under a new name – the West Beach Bar & Kitchen, in time for the first-year anniversary. Celebrated local neon artist Andy Doig is creating a bespoke piece for the bar area and artwork by other Brighton artists will be displayed for sale year-round. Please see supplementary press release w/c July 31 for full information about the West Beach Bar & Kitchen.
British Airways i360 Executive Director Steve Bax said: “A year after it opened, British Airways i360 is giving inspiration and delight to hundreds of thousands of people. Nearly 80% of our customers rate us as 'excellent' or 'very good' on TripAdvisor, and according to the Brighton Visitor Survey 2016***, we are the most-visited paid-for attraction in the city.
“As we mark our first birthday next week, everyone at British Airways i360 will be celebrating the enormous achievements of the past year and the benefits the project has brought to Brighton & Hove. Most importantly, we will be thanking the city and our customers for their fantastic support.”
British Airways i360 was conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, and was part-funded by a capital loan from the Public Works Loan Board via Brighton & Hove City Council. The council earns around £1m a year from interest on the loan, plus additional income from business rates and 1% of BA i360 ticket sales in perpetuity.
British Airways i360 Chairman David Marks said: “Over the last year, British Airways i360 has paid £2.6m to Brighton & Hove City Council in loan repayments, money the council is now using to regenerate the seafront. British Airways i360 has created 150 new local jobs, given away 39,000 tickets to the city's school children and won eight prestigious awards for design and innovation.”
In its first year, British Airways i360 has:
- Paid £2.6m to Brighton & Hove City Council in loan repayments (this is in addition to £1m set-up fees paid during the construction period).
Of the £1.8m profit from these repayments, the council will use £1.1m to help restore Madeira Terraces. The remaining £700,000 has been used to help fund the landscaping work on either side of British Airways i360, restoring 2,500 sq m of public space for the city, including new public seating, new lighting and re-using the columns from the old West Pier to form a new public monument.
- Created 150 new jobs, all paying at least the Brighton & Hove Living Wage, plus many more in the wider city as a result of business partnerships, local supply chains and additional visitors to this part of the seafront.
- Given 39,000 free tickets to the city's children – one for every child in a state school in Brighton & Hove. These have facilitated 192 free school trips to British Airways i360.
- Signed up 26,000 Local Resident Members - people living in postcodes BN1, BN2, BN3 and BN41 who benefit from half-price tickets for just £1 a year.
- Won 8 awards for design and innovation, including a RIBA National Award.
- Been rated as 'excellent' or 'very good' in almost 80% of our TripAdvisor reviews.
- Received 1 royal visitor, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who officially opened the attraction in October 2016.
- Served 55,000 glasses of Nyetimber sparkling wine at the onboard Sky Bar.
- Supported 7 charities, including Trust for Developing Communities, our local charity partner.
- Held 5 weddings and 176 private events.
* One free ticket per person born on August 4 for use on the day only, subject to flight availability. Walk-up booking on the day only. Proof of birth date and photo ID must be presented at the British Airways i360 ticket office at the time of booking.
**An additional 12 months' Resident Membership will be given to all those holding membership at close of business on August 3 2017.
***Brighton Visitor Survey 2016 conducted by Tourism South East Research on behalf of Visit Brighton.
ENDS
Images (please credit British Airways i360): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xryzizvt9z0tulw/AABZ9ht3yD2rfnXrvFwrU6eLa?dl=0
For further media information please contact Emily Bamber, PR Manager at British Airways i360
Emily.Bamber@BritishAirwaysi360.com / 01273 448360
Information for editors
About British Airways i360
British Airways i360 is conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye.
With an overall height of 162m, and a glass observation pod that glides up from ground level to 138m above Brighton beach, British Airways i360 is the world's tallest moving observation tower and the world's first vertical cable car. Visitors enjoy unprecedented unfolding views across Brighton and Hove, the South Downs and the beautiful Sussex coast. 'Flights' carry up to 200 passengers and depart every 30 minutes. While on board, guests can enjoy a drink at the Nyetimber Sky Bar which serves a range of drinks from Sussex including Nyetimber, an award-winning sparkling wine.
At the base of the tower is the British Airways i360 beach building which houses a stylish restaurant, West Beach Bar & Kitchen, with sea views and a large terrace. Dishes feature ingredients sourced from the local area. The beach building also has flexible beachside events spaces which can be hired for private functions and can accommodate between 10 and 1,000 people. British Airways i360 is licensed for weddings and couples carry marry in the pod, saying 'I do' at 138m above Sussex.
British Airways i360 has worked with the West Pier Trust to reconstruct two of the original West Pier tollbooths using Victorian building techniques. The reconstructed buildings now grace the entrance to British Airways i360, and house the West Pier Tea Room and the British Airways i360 ticket office.
The British Airways i360 shop stocks gifts and souvenirs, many of which have been created by local Brighton artists.
British Airways i360 is owned and operated by Brighton i360 Ltd.
Website: BritishAirwaysi360.com
Twitter: @BA_i360
Instagram: @BA_i360
Facebook: BritishAirwaysi360
Pinterest: @BA_i360
Hashtag: #bai360
About Marks Barfield Architects
David Marks and Julia Barfield are the architect-entrepreneurs behind the creation of Brighton i360. They founded the company in 2005 and are its majority shareholders. Previously they performed a similar role creating the London Eye where they remained shareholders and directors until 2006. Together with a tight-knit group of extraordinary individuals, trusted consultants and companies, many of whom worked with David and Julia at the London Eye, they secured the planning permission, partners, land and funding for British Airways i360. Marks Barfield Architects is one of the UK's most versatile and innovative architecture practices, established in 1989. David chairs the British Airways i360 board.
@marksbarfield
About British Airways
British Airways is one of the world's leading global premium airlines and the UK's largest international scheduled airline, carrying approximately 35 million passengers worldwide annually, on around 800 daily flights. The airline employs around 40,000 people, the vast majority of these at its sites throughout the UK, and has an annual turnover of £8.5 billion. It employs 2,500 people in Sussex, several hundred of them in Brighton.
British Airways is the naming rights sponsor of British Airways i360. The attraction is owned and operated by Brighton i360 Ltd.
Ba.com
@british_airways
Available spokespeople:
David Marks, British Airways i360 chairman
Julia Barfield, deputy chair
Steve Bax, executive director
