Star Trek characters hit Heathrow for British Airways promo

Move over Starship Enterprise, British Airways has taken the throne as the preferred mode of transport for the voyaging characters of Star Trek.

Unsuspecting customers and airline workers were taken by surprise as the Starfleet cadre made its way through the airport to board USS Enterprise flight 1701 to Starbase 1. Stunned customers about to board flights were seen taking photos and assisting lieutenants seeking directions to their boarding gate.

The unusual scenes at the airport were to celebrate the launch of a dedicated Paramount+ channel on the Highlife entertainment platform, which will allow British Airways’ customers to watch popular series from the comfort of their seat when travelling on any long-haul flight in every cabin.

The authentic Starfleet costumes from Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds were carefully flown in direct from set, with the lucky costume wearers made up of the airline’s Star Trek-loving colleagues. The Star Trek franchise’s costume designer, Bernadette Greaney, styled five colleagues in unique lieutenant uniforms from Command, Operations and Sciences, with two transformed into Vulcans by Star Trek’s prosthetics team and dressed in the state-of-the-art Vulcan robes.

Bringing characters together from different universes, nearly a thousand years apart, was a first for the Star Trek franchise, with genuine props, including Tribbles, Federation passports and an original Tricorder.

Watch the Starfleet voyage from London Heathrow’s Starbase below:

Customers will be able to watch a curation of exclusive Paramount+ series targeting all ages on the airline’s Highlife entertainment platform, including HALO, The Offer, Queen of the Universe, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, iCarly, Yellowstone and the Star Trek series.

Customers who wish to continue watching their favourite programme after their flight can do so by subscribing to the streaming service via a QR code on the Paramount+ channel on Highlife or on ParamountPlus.com. Customers will also be able to subscribe to Paramount+ ahead of their trip, providing them with the ultimate entertainment travel companion before, during and after their flight.

Calum Laming, British Airways’ chief customer officer, said: “We wanted to kick-off this announcement with Paramount+ in true blockbuster-style by bringing some of their exclusive content to life, directly to our home at Heathrow Terminal 5. It was great to see so many Star Trek fans from across the business come together to help us celebrate this launch, with many colleagues excited to swap their wings for the Starfleet Insignia for a day.

“We know that customers are really going to enjoy the hours of content that this partnership with Paramount+ brings. There really is something available for everyone!”

Anna Priest, chief marketing officer, UK, at Paramount, said: “This partnership is a fantastic platform for our continued growth in the UK, allowing us to introduce millions of customers a year to some of the best shows anywhere, available on Paramount+. We’re confident that British Airways customers will love what they see and be encouraged to continue exploring the mountain of entertainment on offer.”

Members of the British Airways’ Executive Club are being offered access to an exclusive subscription offer so they can enjoy the streaming service at any time.

This partnership forms part of British Airways’ continued commitment to enhance the premium experience for customers when they choose to fly with the airline, whilst celebrating originality throughout their journey.

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Anna Priest british airways Calum Laming Paramount Star Trek