ChatterBank16 mins ago
British Airways
18 Answers
Hello all, I am considering flying long haul with BA and wondered what other members on here think about the service, comfort, food, etc. I have never flown with BA before but have flown long haul many times with other flight companies. Any advice or tips greatly appreciated, thanks.
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^ :-) @sqad
Well I've done long haul with them 3 times in the last 5 years - every time there was something wrong - either the cabin lights wouldn't dim on an overnight, the in-flight entertainment broke for about 4 hours and last time the flight tracker screen option was broken (big deal to me). There were 2 choices of pre-packed meals that you would never buy on the ground, the staff are no different to Easyjet etc except they have an undeserved snooty air and certainly paid no more than basic attention to economy passengers. Virgin outclasses them by air miles in my opinion.
Positives are I assume they pay top attention to safety and the ground crew and checking in staff are helpful and polite.
Well I've done long haul with them 3 times in the last 5 years - every time there was something wrong - either the cabin lights wouldn't dim on an overnight, the in-flight entertainment broke for about 4 hours and last time the flight tracker screen option was broken (big deal to me). There were 2 choices of pre-packed meals that you would never buy on the ground, the staff are no different to Easyjet etc except they have an undeserved snooty air and certainly paid no more than basic attention to economy passengers. Virgin outclasses them by air miles in my opinion.
Positives are I assume they pay top attention to safety and the ground crew and checking in staff are helpful and polite.
I would say BA is the best airline I've flown with. Your overall experience with depend largely on the cabin crew.
I flew nearly 12 hours to BWI in 2003 (yes, quite a while ago but still post 9/11) and we had a free bar all the way there.
We asked for a bottle of champagne which wasn't included in the free bar but we were more than happy to pay for and the stewardess had to go and pinch one from First Class. She returned quickly and discreetly told us that it was compliments of the Captain but to keep schtum or everyone on the plane would want some. She kept the bottle in an icebucket at the back of the plane and we just kept popping down to top ourselves up.
I flew nearly 12 hours to BWI in 2003 (yes, quite a while ago but still post 9/11) and we had a free bar all the way there.
We asked for a bottle of champagne which wasn't included in the free bar but we were more than happy to pay for and the stewardess had to go and pinch one from First Class. She returned quickly and discreetly told us that it was compliments of the Captain but to keep schtum or everyone on the plane would want some. She kept the bottle in an icebucket at the back of the plane and we just kept popping down to top ourselves up.
They're still an OK airline but they've definitely gone downhill in the last few years. Heathrow Terminal 5 is a positive and they fly direct to places at very good prices. Long haul I'd rather fly BA direct from T5 at £600 than a superior airline from T3 via, say, Dubai at £600 or direct at £800 for the same journey.
Being over 6 foot tall I`ve always found their economy width and legroom quite stingy - can you stretch ( no pun intended ) to Premium. Sometimes Thomas Cooks premium is cheaper that BA or Virgin economy if they serve your chosen destination.
For general info see chart below
https:/
For general info see chart below
https:/
13 answers so far and nobody has mentioned SkyTrax! It's the airline equivalent of TripAdvisor and essential reading for anyone who wants to compare airlines. BA scores 5 out of 10 overall with their reviewers:
http://
(For comparison: American Airlines scores 3. Delta, Thomas Cook, Virgin Atlantic and FlyBe score 5. Ryanair, easyJet, Norwegian and Emirates score 6. Jet2, Qantas, KLM, Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific score 7. Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines score 8. i.e. BA is definitely NOT seen as one of the world's better airways!)
http://
(For comparison: American Airlines scores 3. Delta, Thomas Cook, Virgin Atlantic and FlyBe score 5. Ryanair, easyJet, Norwegian and Emirates score 6. Jet2, Qantas, KLM, Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific score 7. Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines score 8. i.e. BA is definitely NOT seen as one of the world's better airways!)
Flew to Miami with them and for my sins using them again. Cramped, food is a small portion with a choice of vegetarian or meat. Coffee undrinkable. Got half bottle wine with dinner and the obligatory free drink. I asked for a double and you'd think I had asked for the whole bottle. As a long flight I packed biscuits, fruit and nuts to nibble on.
I'd say keep your expectations low and you'll be fine.
The reality absolutely does not live up to their advertising.
I fly long-haul a lot. In the last year or so I've been with Virgin, Air India, Singapore, Delta, and others. Next month Cathay to HK and on to Chengdu and the following month it'll be either BA or Virgin to Shanghai. Then Aeromexico to Mexico and down to Panama...Almost always economy, but I pay extra to get the emergency exit seats for extra legroom.
BA is adequate, though I tend to call them Bluudy BA. Always something seems to go wrong. Or maybe it's because I look out for it nowadays. The staff seem a bit more jobsworth than some of the Asian airlines. But as NoM says, you may get lucky.
Virgin consistently seem to go out of their way to help out if I want something a little extra.
But the lesser known brands do seem to try that little bit harder, as the big names can be a bit complacent.
As to food, your tastebuds die at 11,000m, so it's not really about flavour. All the airlines (that I've been on - except China Eastern, who ran out of beer) have an essentially unlimited bar for long-haul, if that's what you want.
Flying economy, you soon realise that BA (and others) is not really interested in your business. They want the premium passengers in Club and First. BA is especially class-conscious. They have about 20 different levels of club member, all of which get to board the plane before you.
In the end, it's just sitting in a seat for a few hours, with people bringing you food and drink. Personally I try to avoid BA, but that's a very personal opinion.
Also, use seatguru.com to select your seat :)
The reality absolutely does not live up to their advertising.
I fly long-haul a lot. In the last year or so I've been with Virgin, Air India, Singapore, Delta, and others. Next month Cathay to HK and on to Chengdu and the following month it'll be either BA or Virgin to Shanghai. Then Aeromexico to Mexico and down to Panama...Almost always economy, but I pay extra to get the emergency exit seats for extra legroom.
BA is adequate, though I tend to call them Bluudy BA. Always something seems to go wrong. Or maybe it's because I look out for it nowadays. The staff seem a bit more jobsworth than some of the Asian airlines. But as NoM says, you may get lucky.
Virgin consistently seem to go out of their way to help out if I want something a little extra.
But the lesser known brands do seem to try that little bit harder, as the big names can be a bit complacent.
As to food, your tastebuds die at 11,000m, so it's not really about flavour. All the airlines (that I've been on - except China Eastern, who ran out of beer) have an essentially unlimited bar for long-haul, if that's what you want.
Flying economy, you soon realise that BA (and others) is not really interested in your business. They want the premium passengers in Club and First. BA is especially class-conscious. They have about 20 different levels of club member, all of which get to board the plane before you.
In the end, it's just sitting in a seat for a few hours, with people bringing you food and drink. Personally I try to avoid BA, but that's a very personal opinion.
Also, use seatguru.com to select your seat :)
I have just flown with an inter Far East airline. Their safety was abismal. One woman was allowed to lie down across three seats for take off and landing. The crew had long hair down their back (not conducive for fighting a fire whilst wearing a smoke hood - even if they have them) I have a pilot friend who started flying in 1973. He could fly a plane with his eyes shut. He said to me that the Middle East airlines have grown so quickly that they are an accident waiting to happen because their very young pilots have limited flying esperience and they are very instrument lead Two weeks after he told me that, the Air Asia accident happened. You might want to knock british airlines (BA, Virgin etc) as much as you like but if I was a passenger when the *** hits the fan, I know who I would rather be flying with. Your lovely dinner won`t help you then
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