BIMAN BANGLADESH  Passenger Reviews and Customer Trip Reports

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Biman Bangladesh Airlines customer review :  20 April 2010 by J Hussain   (UK)

LHR-DAC-ZYL, DAC-LHR. LHR-DAC flight on leased Boeing 777. It's an old aircraft by the look and feel of the cabin, but much better than Biman's A310s. On this 9.5 hour flight there was no refreshment at the start of the journey. Only after 2-3 hours we had our first meal which was so small I was left hungry. Second meal served 2-3 hours before landing - again not enough. The cabin crew were standard - nothing extraordinary or not too bad either. IFE is rubbish - limited shows are repeated in multiple languages which can be boring on long flights. Toilets become a mess because it seems that most of the passengers do not know how to use toilets. On landing on the return journey at Heathrow, people got up and started getting their hand luggage way before the aircraft came to a stop! Overall, the only reason I would fly Biman is because its LHR-DAC direct flight - if only BA kept the direct route I would have flown BA.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines customer review :  29 March 2010 by Mehtab Rahman   (UK)

LHR-DAC Business Class on Biman's newly leased B777-200ER ex-Singapore Airlines aircraft. Quick check-in at LHR T4, however no priority luggage tagging for J pax. Biman uses the 4 Deck Lounge (formerly Holideck) which has an excellent glass observation deck of the active take off runway on the top floor. No priority boarding for premium pax. Onboard, well maintained J class cabin, functional seats (rare in my past BG experiences) and spacious cabin. Seats are ex-Singapore Airlines regional seats which are a massive improvement to previous J class seating. Cabin crew okay, slightly friendlier than in the past with a smile thrown in occasionally - otherwise keen to get on with service quickly. Amenity kit provided. A dinner and breakfast service offered which were passable. IFE with 9 channels on PTVs showing a English and Bengali movies plus old documentaries. Arrived in DAC early, dedicated immigration counters for J class pax. Baggage on belt within 15 minutes, although the inefficiency at DAC meant they were quite slow to load bags onto the belt. Overall a much improved experience on board the new Biman aircraft - good fares, direct flights and much improved ground and inflight service. Definitely a 3 star experience.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines customer review :  29 March 2010 by S Islam   (UK)

Sylhet to Dhaka on A310. Onboard handed juices and some sweets which we declined. Some cosmetic changes since my last flight in August 2007 (domestic only). Attendants seemed to be polite and had a smile on their face. On arrival at Dhaka (newly named Hazrat Shahjalal the same day) we were bussed to the terminal and was through security and outside the airport within 15 minutes. Overall the journey fulfilled its purpose, getting me from ZYL to DAC with minimal fuss. Long haul I hear is a completely different story.

BIMAN BANGLADESH customer review :   15 February 2010 by M Abdullah

Customer Rating : 3/5

Dhaka to London direct without stopping in Dubai on new Boeing777-200ER which is on lease with Biman. This has been the most improved flight that i have taken with Biman only because the airline has acquired a new aircraft. The service by flight attendants could have been better. The toilets became blocked as is so frequent on Biman Bangladesh flights.

BIMAN BANGLADESH customer review :   17 July 2009 by T Shahnewaz

Customer Rating : 3/5

Dhaka to Kathmandu was pleasant. The re-arrangement of cabin was quite good although it was an ageing DC10. Flight attendants also satisfactory and food for 1 hour journey was just fine.

BIMAN BANGLADESH customer review :   27 April 2009 : by Hussan Tahlil

Customer Rating : 2/5

LHR-DAC-ZYL/DAC-LHR. What a terrible mess - no entertainment, nothing. Was hungry for ages yet there was no food. I won’t fly with Biman again until they get new aircraft. Enough is enough and there are limits of mismanagement. The whole airline is in chaos. Bad seats and cabin staff make life even harder as they lack true sense of customer service and professionalism.

Customer Rating : 2/5

Dhaka-Sylhet on A310. The flight comes in from LHR via DUB, and most of the passengers remain on board for the last leg to Sylhet. When we boarded the flight, the smell and chaos in the cabin was overwhelming! Finding a Seat was very difficult, there were people sleeping over two seats or other seats were full with baggage or rubbish. I had to wake up an old man to get access to a window seat in the rear of the plane.

Customer Rating : 1/5

KUL-DAC-DXB-LHR. Flight from KUL was scheduled to depart at 18:30, but was delayed until 20:15. At 20:45 annoucement was made for further delay, all passengers were given free dinner at a KLIA restaurant. After dinner, we returned to departure gate, but was told gate would be opened at 23:00. At 23:00, told again the flight would be delayed until next morning, due to technical problem of the old A310. We were provided rooms at Airside Transit Hotel based on the basis of 2-3 passengers sharing a room. Morning call at 05:45 after a mere 4 hour sleep. went to departure gate 37, but was told changed to gate 11. Sitting inside the departure room, waiting for hours as we were told that pilots were testing the aircraft at the moment. Finally, departed for DAC at 09:00, after a 14.5 hours delay. No apology was offered onboard. Cabin crew weren't professional. After meal service, they disappeared and you have to find them if you need anything. The taste of the meal served was ok, but presentation was poor compared to other airlines. Arriving at DAC with the thought that I had already missed my connecting flight to LHR. But was then told that the connecting flight to LHR was also delayed due to unavailability of aircraft. I soon boarded the same aircraft that flew me from KUL to DAC to LHR one hour later. Flight to LHR stopped at DXB and was fulled with Bangladeshi workers heading to Middle East. No entertainment, inflight magazine and alcohol offered onboard. From DXB to LHR, luckily there were just 20-30 passengers. Since there was no inflight entertainment onboard, most passengers were either sleeping or talking to friends sitting beside them. Arriving at LHR after 6 hours delay. Generally, a low-rating airlines which really need to improve (get new aircraft and new management) if they want to survive in the aviation industry. Was the cheapest airlines to fly with from KUL to LHR, more than half of the MAS standard fare. Not a pleasant experience with the delay.

Customer Rating : 1/5

London-Dubai-Dhaka-Sylhet (ZYL), flight stopped in Dubai for an hour. Crew didn't allow anyone to get off the plane claiming that Dubai airport authority refused passengers to get off (thats what one hostess told my mother)! Fresh crew then came on board while cleaners cleaned toilets and hot and bothered passengers twiddled their thumbs in despair. Interior of plane was falling apart. Plane landed in Dhaka and everyone was herded off onto another plane bound for Sylhet (40 mins away) although the same plane was meant to have flown them to their destination. No refunds, no explanations. Return journey on 24 Oct 2008 was the same. This time, one of the flight deck officers was frank enough to tell them that the reason they never allowed passengers off in Dubai was because some of them get lost in the airport. I can only assume that this delays the flight and costs Biman money. Who knows what the real reasons are. Regardless, rude staff, shambolic airline, no information. Plenty of other alternatives out there. Uk holidaymakers still fly Biman because of their large baggage allowance and because it flies to Sylhet (most British Bengalis hail from Sylhet).

Customer Rating : 1/5

LHR-DAC-ZYL DC-10. Check in was quicker than expected at LHR, though flight left LHR an hour late with no explanation. Plane was old and falling apart, seats very uncomfortable and many tray plates missing or not working. At DAC, we were made to wait almost three hours in a cramped gate room, as a flight from Dubai had passengers also connecting to Sylhet, who would join our group of passengers - no information was given, many passengers figured this out afterwards. Flight to Sylhet was ok, Biman staff just headed us into the plane as no seats are allocated, thankfully a short 40 mins flight so gave little time for problems to occur.

Biman Bangladesh review - by Kurt Müller

1 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

CCU-DAC-CCU. My flight to Dhaka was scheduled for 1930 hrs, and since I was connecting from an Indian domestic flight, I had arrived at Calcutta Airport at noon time. Sitting in the lobby of the international terminal, I received a phone call from Biman informing me the flight would be delayed until 2230 (although the departure information board right above me was still showing "Scheduled"). To their credit, BG offered free dinner. We finally departed 2330, i.e. 4 hours late. Can't understand why an airline whose main base is only 40 minutes flying time away cannot rearrange its planes to avoid a 4-hour delay. Returning four days later, flight was on time, but check-in was extremely slow due to repeated incursions by uniformed staff holding bundles of tickets and passports of pax who were not in the queue. When I finally complained, the staff member in question told me that he was actually checking in himself "as crew" and therefore had priority. Further questions revealed that he was not operating crew and simply felt that paying passengers come last in the scheme of things. BG have a lot of customer service training to do.

Biman Bangladesh review - by Jamal Munshi

1 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Business class from DAC to BKK. The check-in counter was a zoo and there was no provision for separate check-in for business class. The lounge was filthy, and they offered only water and soda pop. There was no food. Alcoholic beverages are not offered as a matter of policy. The flight was comfortable, wine and beer are served for an additional fee - payable in US dollars. Exact change is required.

Biman Bangladesh review - by David Lawson

1 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Absolutely abysmal airline. They ask passengers to bear with them as they are an "emerging airline / from a developing nation" and hope that that comment makes us feel sorry for them and allows us to understand and condone their absolutely shocking service, food, plane. Left Heathrow 7 hours late for a trip to Bangkok with a plane change in Dhaka, the plane that was supposed to be in Dhaka was still in New York and the plane I was on was going back to Heathrow. Stranded in Dhaka.

Biman Bangladesh review - by Rahena Anisha

25 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

I was travelling with my three children aged 20 months, 3 years old, an 8 year old and my mother from Heathrow. My flight was for 3pm but was delayed until 9pm. My return flight from Shylet was for 10.40am and was then delayed to 3.00pm. Once we arrived in Dhaka the flight was for 2.00am but then delayed again for the following morning but there was no time given. This carried on for the next 5days. No information was given throughout these days and I was running out of money, as I had two children on nappies, I did not have enough clothes or enough nappies. I asked for nappies and they supplied me with 6 pieces of nappies after 8hrs.Two of my children were due back for school and as a result of this they both missed 1 week of school. My family and I were put up in the Imperial Hotel International for five days with no explanation as to what was happening. We were only told that a connecting flight would be available the next day. This went on for five days. I always made contact with the people who was in connection with those in charge as we was left in a situation not knowing when where going to get our flight. We then was put on a flight on the 5th day with the airline Air India to the Uk. We were given no financial or practical assistance or information from Biman Bangladesh as to what was happening and were left stranded with a young family for five days in a strange city. The situation would have been extremely stressful for anyone in my position however for my mother and me it was even more so as she suffers from high blood pressure and I am epileptic.

Biman Bangladesh review - by Shupriya Iqbal

1 March 2007

London -Dhaka-Sylhet recently. When we arrived at LHR it took over two ours to check in due to long queues. We were then told our flight was delayed but not told the reason for the delay or how long we would have to wait. Our flight ended up being delayed for 12 hours and it was a complete nightmare in the airport with two boys running around all over the place. After this ordeal we boarded the aircraft at midnight. I was appalled by the poor service dished out by Biman cabin crew. They were curt and less then helpful when I asked them for anything ,and avoided making eye contact. They made no effort whatsoever to make us comfortable. On the way back the journey was no better. Although we had prebooked to arrive by the last flight from Sylhet to Dhaka so the transit time before we boarded the plane for London would be shorter, we were made to take the first flight to Dhaka when the tickets were reconfirmed. When we arrived in Dhaka it took over two hours of immigration checks and queues before we were taken to a hotel. Staff in Dhaka airport were completely oblivious to the needs of parents with young children. I had to stand in ceremony in front of countless officials who made us wait obscene lengths of time before they even noticed us. We were finally taken to a Hotel - it must have been one of the worst Hotels in Bangladesh. The four of us were ushered into a dark and dirty room with no windows or natural day light. The furniture was shoddy and falling apart, carpet was stained, blanket on the bed was filthy. On the flight back the service from the cabin crew was no better. By then I ceased to be appalled by anything because it is the norm with Biman Bangladesh airlines.

Biman Bangladesh review - by Samina Nessa

22 January 2007

I recently flew with Biman accompanied by my 20-month old son, from London to Dhaka to Sylhet. There was delays when boarding, delays at Dhaka even though my flight was a direct one from London to Sylhet. During the night I was ignored by crew members despite my repeated requests for a blanket for my child. I eventually had to cover him with part of my sari to keep him warm. The toilets were filthy, mother- &-baby changing facilities could not be found anywhere on the plane despite their notice being hung on a so-called baby-changing room. The crew were unhelpful and rude. At check-in in London I was told by a Biman representative to pay a 'reward' for the baggage handler to ignore my so-called overloaded baggage - which was NOT above the allowed weight! The food and service provided on board was shoddy to say the least. The plane was falling to bits, seats and food trays did not stay where they were meant to, a child seat belt had to be requested repeatedly by myself, as crew members did not bother to check whether passengers had belted up. On the return journey I did not even bother asking for one - the hassle was too much. The most horrendous thing about Biman is that there is a serious lack of responsibility for passenger safety by crew members. This is quite frightening when travelling with young children. The return journey was very disorganised as we were required to reconfirm already confirmed tickets, and once were contacted by their office to say the flight was delayed and to collect a new boarding pass which we had to pay for with our funds.

Biman Bangladesh review - by Giles Wynne

30 July 2006

Business class BKK to LHR 39000bht or £550.Promotion offer! BKK Business class lounge fair to good. All types of alcoholic drinks and good snacks. A310 Bkk to DAC comfortable and good food considering old aircraft and limited staff. Beer and red wine as requested. Business class lounge at Dhaka poor. Dirty chairs but better than Economy Class area. Only coffee free and alcohol in nearby bar very expensive. DAC to stop over in Dubai, old DC10,food poor and business class invaded by air crew going on holiday. Dubai OK for Duty Free. Dubai to LHR Food very good and drinks as above. All in all good value for the money. Choose your flight dates carefully to get best connection times. I understand 11 NEW A330 aircraft have been ordered.

Biman Bangladesh review - by Arafat Mahbub

5 July 2006

Riyadh to Dhaka and back - my second time. After the many delays and poor service at the counter (one advantage being that if your vacation is very short, you have it extended by the delays and you can blame it on the plane to dodge your superior's wrath!) I was in a queue for over 3 hours just to get through immigration! I finally boarded the plane which was parked way out on the tarmac and got there by the bus shuttle service. Was winter so I was spared the heat (this flight didn't have very good air-conditioning I think it was one of the older planes) but it can get quite stuffy. The cabin crew quite friendly and chatty. The seats had very little legroom even for my 5’6 frame. I had to push the neighboring passenger off my shoulder - thrice, well we really can't blame him the seats didn't recline and were cramped. Food was ok considering I’ve tasted worse. Toilet seats were bad and lets not forget the train of ants on the toilet wall; I saw tiny roaches crawling on a another flight! I received my luggage 2 days after I reached Dhaka. I had some clothes and personal amenities in my carry-all, so I survived - but most of the other people on my flight were not so lucky... If your traveling in winter and it's one of the newer planes, at night I suggest you keep your outerwear as it can get quite chilly (provided there is air conditioning) , and blankets are in short supply. On one of my flights most people had turned in their jackets which were kept in a compartment behind the projector screen, there weren't enough blankets to go around and so many people shivered, mercifully children were given priority, as for myself I had my jacket on - a cabin crew member suggested holding on to it - thanks to her. Well it's a very small fleet and so I guess not too much in the way of funds. As to whether I'll ever fly it again I don't know, but in the mean time I'll put it on my list of airlines I'd fly only out of dire necessity.

Biman Bangladesh review - by L Fiddy

18 May 2006

I guess I can only echo the complaints below and be thankful that I made it back to London in one piece. Journey to Bangkok uncomfortable and delayed for only 10 hours - (I understand now that this really is a walk in the park when flying with Biman). Return journey was not so smooth - after spending two days trying to reconfirm my already paid for tickets and finally giving up I was allowed to fly from Bangkok to Dakar. Bad mistake - why didn't they leave me in Bangkok where you can organise things normally - alas my path had been chosen - I was to land in Dakar and get told that I am not allowed to leave - great - its not like I have a job to go to and I could think of nothing better to do than spend the rest of my days rotting away in possibly the worst airport in the known world. 9 hours of hard negotiation, a call to the British Embassy, and some serious negotiation with the London office meant that I was able to board the flight 9 hours later with only 20mins to spare. If this had not happened I would have been trapped in Dakar for between 3-5 days. I am not a religious man but I must admit I was praying with everyone else at takeoff when I saw the decor and found a piece of the plane (not sure which) under the seat in front of me - I carefully replaced this and tried to forget that I ever saw it - an unscheduled stop in Dubai (clearly to drop off all the passengers that they had over booked onto all the already paid for tickets) meant the flight from Dakar to London took 17 hours - match this with a non-reclining seat - air stewards smoking on a non-smoking flight and distinct uncertainty if we were going to make it, made for an experience I will never forget. Long live Biman since my return you have made me appreciate every minute of every day that I am still here.