Half of the answer to the right question

I never thought I would see the day when Marcello Minale would say the new British Airways logo should have retained the British “flag” – (DW 24 October). Is not the retention of the name British Airways enough flag waving?

He is right in saying that British Airways wants to project a global image. But I think it is well documented that consumers choose an airline primarily for its routes and schedules, etc, rather than any misplaced ideas of what we British might like to think of as our national heritage.

But the main point, surely, is that products, be they air travel or motor cars, sell on availability (and that includes visibility), price, and comparative quality of both design and functionality. BA’s aim is, I would guess, to meet those wants in a way which is most attractive to the largest number of potential customers, regardless of their origins.

And Marcello must surely know that the Morris Marina failed, not because it lacked national identity, but because of the quality of its design and construction.

Leslie Millard

Managing director

The Design Distillery

London WC2