Step by step - securely - through an online booking
When you buy a British Airways ticket over the World Wide Web your web browser connects with the web site through SSL ("Secure Sockets Layer"). SSL is an industry-standard protocol for encryption over the Internet.
When information is encrypted, it is scrambled between your computer and our server. The information is only unscrambled when it safely reaches our end. It's fast and safe, and it ensures that your personal information cannot be read by anyone else. As with any standard email, emails containing your personal data sent to or from British Airways will travel in a non-encrypted format.
When checking schedules and fares, no personal information is being exchanged, and so encryption is not used.
As you make a reservation we need to capture your personal details to go into the booking. At this point the information is encrypted. You can tell this is happening as browsers will display a key or padlock at the bottom left corner.
When you send your personal details to us, none of the information is stored on the web site - it is passed straight back to our secure servers at our Heathrow Headquarters, where it only exists as part of the record of your transaction.
Would you like to know more? Choose one of the options below to review the security policy or to get answers to security questions you may still have.
Note: This information reflects our current security policy. If there are any changes to industry standards, the law or our procedures, the information in these pages will be updated.