British Airways and Iberia sign merger

1973: David Nicholson, first chairman of British Airways following the merger of a number of UK airlines, proudly displays a model of the Concorde in the company's livery
Photograph: Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1977: British Airways uniforms for air stewardesses designed by Baccarat Weatherall
Photograph: Dennis Stone/Rex Features

1992: Lord King, chairman of British Airways, with flight attendants
Photograph: Times Newspapers/Rex Features

1996: British Airways jumbo jets at Heathrow
Photograph: Tim Ockenden/PA

1997: Roseann Kapes, British Airways' director of sales, tries out the sitting position of the flying bed in the First class cabin in a new long-range Boeing 777
Photograph: Dan Loh/AP

1998: Paula Coxall, a BA air stewardess, demonstrates how British Airways are throwing away prices on their air fares, at Heathrow Airport. A BA booking bonanza was expected with more than two million bargain seats for sale, with savings of up to £531
Photograph: Neil Munns/PA

2001: A worker cleans a window at the Iberia office at Mallorca airport
Photograph: Dani Cardona/Reuters

2001: A BA Boeing 747 flying over planespotters at London's Heathrow airport. In 2002, the airline's fortunes were turning around as it reported a sharp increase in profits over the last three months after aggressive cost-cutting measures fed through
Photograph: Tim Ockenden/PA

2002: An Iberia Mcdonnell Douglas MD88 plane takes off from Palma De Mallorca airport, Spain
Photograph: RG Williamson/Rex Features

2003: A British Airways Concorde lifts off from Heathrow airport on one of its last ever commercial flights. The world's only supersonic passenger aircraft, which has been flying commercial services for 27 years, was retired by BA after a fatal crash
Photograph: Ian Waldie/Getty Images

2006: Two Iberia pilots at Barajas airport, Madrid. In 2007, British Airways joined a consortium led by US private equity firm TPG Capital to make a bid for the Spanish airline
Photograph: Bernat Armangue/AP

2008: Iberia's chairman, Fernando Conte, right, speaks with British Airways's chief executive, Willie Walsh, during a press conference in Madrid, Spain. Conte said both companies 'took a first step to reach a merger' but did not provide any definitive date
Photograph: Manuel H. De Leon/EFE

2008: British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson boards a British Airways plane. Branson spoke out against a proposed merger between British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia
Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

2008: Iberia planes at Barajas airport in Madrid
Photograph: Javier Lizon/EFE

2010: A British Airways plane lands at Heathrow Airport as strikes by BA cabin crew went ahead as talks between the airline and the union Unite collapsed
Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

2010: Antonio Vazquez Romero, chief executive of Iberia, left, poses with Rafael Sanchez, chief operating officer, at a press conference in Madrid. Iberia announced that fourth-quarter losses widened as the recession hurt demand for travel
Photograph: Xabier Mikel Laburu/Bloomberg via Getty