BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  4 March 2008 : review by Thomas Koelbel  (Germany)

Customer Trip Rating :

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

FRA-LHR-YVR return: flight to Vancouver, everything was fine. Cabin crew offered great service, seats very ok. In-flight-entertainment is not as good as CX, because no German language movies available. On the way back from Vancouver: flight delay. We stayed in the lounge and asked for some small foods. Unfortunately, the service personnel in the lounge were indifference to our request and just pointed at the chips outside. Cabin crew service very fine again, but horrible breakfast. Connection flight from LHR to FRA was canceled. No excuse. Finally, we needed to take a later connection flight to FRA but this flight was delayed again. Flight and cabin crew of BA were excellent, but staff at the lounge as well as the delay / cancellation arrangement are worst I've experienced.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  4 March 2008 : review by Freddie Colsoul  (USA)

Customer Trip Rating :

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

Although the last couple of flights with British Airways there has been slight improvements (particularly entertainment), British Airways is delivering below standard products - for the last six months, BA has the same food menu (without any choice of starter on flights to the UK) on the route to JFK. Of course, the quality is good, but I am tired of the lack of choice. Boeing 767 dirty floor, dirty seat belt (seat 4K) and the tray next to the screen was about to fall into pieces. Otherwise, the crew was very professional and friendly.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  20 March 2008 : review by Neil Henderson  (UK)

Customer Trip Rating :

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Premium Economy

London Heathrow to Rio and Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo in World Traveller Plus. The seats in WTP are wide and have good legroom but the footrest and padding from the seat doesn't work very well. Also the IFE controller is positioned in a really poor place which means slight movement turns off your film or puts the light on. IFE on the outward flight was VOD and worked well although was pretty sensitive at times and would stop the film mid stream. On the return flight the IFE broke down and reverted to the old system - it took 5 resets to work - they gave me some magazines to read and a free champagne, so appreciated that. I did find the WTP seat reasonably comfortable on the way out because we were in 31J/K which has nobody behind - which is good considering people pressing the touch screen on the IFE was like being constantly poked in the back. On the return flight we sat in 29, row of four aisle and middle and it was ok. Not happy with the online check in though as there was only 2 seats available in WTP when I logged in exactly 24 hours before the flight - how did they get those seats!

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  8 April 2008 : review by B Stewart  (Hong Kong)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

AMS-LHR-IAD. A bit of chaos at check in in AMS - I was given my boarding pass for LHR-IAD but was told I had been transferred to a KLM flight for the AMS-LHR sector without explanation and told to go to the KLM counters for check in. Upon arrival at KLM check in, the very pleasant staff told me that they could not issue my boarding pass since the e-ticket number in their system was invalid. Went back to BA check in and then told that I could go, as planned, with them on the AMS/LHR sector. When I asked for an explanation I was told 'something to do with your transit through T5'. Apart from that fiasco, both flights were extremely pleasant with great crew and on time departure and arrival. Club World is a fantastic product and the inflight service including the food was top notch. Unfortunately the IFE failed in my seat - luckily the cabin was only 50% full so a moved to another seat. That failed as well but upon my third move it was functioning and I caught up on a few new release movies.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  8 April 2008 : review by John Hebblethwaite  (Italy)

Customer Rating :  5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LGW-NAP. After a 25 hour from Sydney via Bangkok to London with Qantas and a dash from Heathrow to Gatwick it was a pleasure to receive the sort of service I expect when flying. FA in club could not have been more caring and considerate. After being treated to 'good old Aussie laid back service' for the past day it was great to be treated as a human being. I look forward to my return trip with BA to the UK.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  8 April 2008 : review by Myra Armstrong  (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LHR-MIA, business. No business/first class pre-boarding, so had to join a very long queue. Onboard we had good seats upstairs (62J,K), lots of privacy - loved the privacy screen. Outbound staff were helpful and pleasant, the plane had not been cleaned by the looks of things - my whole seat area needed wiping down and litter removed, as did one or two others near me - even the tray was grubby. Toilets were also dirty, and the FA had to go in and clean it (then serve our meal - lovely!). We were upgraded to First due to quite a few problems we encountered, however, I did not feel that it was as private as business class, and the purser requested that I shut my blinds because an important person was behind me, and she wanted the cabin dimmed - therefore my needs came second - I was told. I went back upstairs where I felt more comfortable. The meal was very good, as was the snack. Inbound, it was a night flight and extremely warm - cabin temperature was high, despite requests to turn it down. Because of the heat, I found it very uncomfortable throughout the flight. No top-up of drinks etc, on both flights, had to keep asking for everything. In general, the product is good, but surly staff does not help BA one jot.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  7 April 2008 : review by T Cheetham  (South Africa)

Customer Rating :  1/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

In the last three weeks I've travelled long distance with connecting flights through London Heathrow on business class. In both cases the flights were fairly uneventful and the cabin staff excellent considering a 4 hour delay at LHR due to weather. It seems no-one had factored into the logistics that the de-icing trucks have a much further way to travel from terminal 5 to replenish their chemicals. So what the Captain expected to be a 45-60 minute ice-truck turn-around to reach our aircraft was in fact over 3 hours. In both long distance trips my luggage was checked straight through to final destination. In both cases my luggage has not arrived. The first time due to the check-in staff at Dulles International Washington labelling my luggage with another travellers details sending my luggage half way around the world. The point of this communication is to say that apart from the Cabin Crew whom I have found to be very friendly and efficient - the rest leaves much to be desired. The service relating to this has been poor and shocking. No easy way to get in touch with BA or find the details to do so regarding following up. The flight experience on it's own I would rate good, but holistically it's a thumbs down from me.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  7 April 2008 : review by Bill Atkins  (USA)

Customer Rating :  2/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

First

PHL-LHR-MAN in First - transatlantic flight fine - crew amiable, food mediocre, wines excellent - finally they got back to a decent champagne. Disaster at T5 as snow started and many flights cancelled, mine included. BA seemed to give up. The lovely new lounges do not seem to be able to offer any services in such a situation - I was referred to the very crowded service desk in the terminal. Finally I decided to go by train to MAN - BA offered no compensation. This is the kind of situation BA used to be able to handle well, but no longer does.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  4 April 2008 : review by John Oram  (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

T5 had overcome a lot of its problems but lacked refinement. Whatever its architectural merits, it stands apart not so much from similar facilities around the world as the rest of the increasingly shabby Heathrow. On board and away from the terminal BA served us very well. The cabin crew were friendly and attentive and had plenty to do on a full flight. The CSD handled and responded to a couple of queries very well. The food was good and a couple of the dishes were actually excellent. We were late for two reasons the first explained accurately by the captain the second with rather more circumlocution which, as an interested party, I later had him clarify.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  2 April 2008 : review by Paul Whiteley  (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

LHR-IST-LHR, economy. Full flights both directions, boarding prompt on both occasions. Excellent service on both flights; my partner's pre-booked gluten-free meal was fine. My regular meal on both flights were very good, although the steak for a 09.40 departure, whilst excellent, was a bit too early in my opinion. The drinks service on the return flight wasn't in sync with the serving of food. Cabin crew on the return flight handled an ill passenger in the seat in front of me sympathetically and, to my eyes, professionally. No major complaints.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  2 April 2008 : review by R Harris  (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

Recent trip from LHR to EDI a nightmare. T5 looks great, and might end up being great, but because I could not check in my hold luggage I ended up going all the way back to Kings Cross to get the train. My outward journey to T1 was absolutely fine and offered great value for money.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  31 March 2008 : review by William Merrick  (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

Gatwick to Tampa return 777 aircraft. Cabin crew very helpful and cheerful, food average, entertainment very good. Check in at Tampa excellent due to efficiency of the BA staff in organizing queues. Entertainment again very good, cabin crew cheerful, breakfast was orange juice, yogurt and a very cold ham roll - bring back the cereals they used to serve.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  31 March 2008 : review by David Gartside  (UK)

Customer Rating :  3/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

LHR-MAD B757 economy. The usual potent combination of BA and LHR - and this was before the present T5 problems - conspired to make the outward journey hard work. A windy day at LHR meant delayed arrivals etc, so we were informed at check-in about a 90 min delay - eating badly into a perfectly sensible 2 hr connection at MAD. Code-share meant little in practice - while we could check baggage through, the system wouldn't allow on-line check-in for the second leg, and the LHR staff could only give us random seat allocation and boarding passes for that sector. The 90 min delay (in theory) reduced to 60 mins, but then a fire alarm, a protracted bus trip from the international side of T1 to a domestic stand - the incoming a/c had been from EDI - so why didn't it go to a vacant international stand? - and then a hail shower which required de-icing - but 'the deicing team doesn't start until 1415', and then 28 aircraft queueing for take-off, meant we arrived in MAD 90 mins late. No help at all during flight on detailing connections - the logic appeared to be appear that IB was a 'one world' partner so therefore everything would be alright. Homeward bound we embarked with trepidation, having heard all the T5 stories. Fortunately we were bound for T1. Incoming a/c arrived MAD on time, left on time, arrived LHR on time, bags arrived just as we walked into arrivals hall. So it can be done! In flight service good. Code-share meant as little inbound as outbound - once again no availability of on-line check-in via IB and no visibility of IB sector on BA site, no ability at XRY to do boarding passes for the MAD - LHR sector, but rescued by a very efficient IB team at MAD T4. Why doesn't code-share live up to the offer of seamless travel?

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  30 March 2008 : review by T Atmore  (UK)

Customer Rating :  5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LGW-TPA-LGW. Club World Boeing 777. AVOD has still not been introduced on 777s and that is the only downside of travelling long-haul with BA as far as I'm concerned. But with a good book and an entertaining travel companion, this matters little. Apart from poor movie selection, both flights were great. Check-in was swift, no queues. Fast tracked through security, and headed straight for the lounge. Much prefer the lounge at Gatwick to Heathrow; very light and airy, and quiet. No chardonnay available, but staff were happy to seek out fresh bottle. Priority boarding worked well, on both outbound and inbound flights. On this aircraft's configuration, seats 11F/G are great for couples; no climbing over other passengers to get in and out of seats. Same seats on return. Priority off-loading of luggage worked well, especially in US as Immigration queues are notorious. We were in a taxi 35 minutes after landing! The service on board was excellent and we felt we were in extremely safe hands. No delays on either trip. Will fly BA again. Will take our chances in spite of T5 fiasco.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  27 March 2008 : review by S West  (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Premium Economy

LHR-EWR return in WTP. Outward flight average - food inedible and has not changed for 6 months. AVOD working at the start of the flight, but then restarted and from that point on did not work at all. Return flight good - food a significant improvement and staff professional. 767 both ways and although it looks a bit dated, the accommodation for WTP is far superior to 747 or 777 layouts.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  27 March 2008 : review by Myke Zurenda  (Qatar)

Customer Rating :  3/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

DOH-LHR-ORD-ATL return. DOH-LHR ok except for the 2hr wait on the plane in BAH, I was wondering why won't they just let the passengers off and reboard, instead of waiting on the plane while they clean the cabin. DOH-LHR flight got rerouted to AMS due to bad weather and we waited on the tarmac for 2hrs, but thankfully BA booked me on the next available flight to the US, I give my hats off to the 3 BA agents in AMS who transfered 200+ people on to their onward destination very efficiently. On the return, check-in with AA/BA was a pain, BA does not allow AA to issue BA boarding passes and so after I arrived in ORD I had to go back to the check-in counter and pick-up my other boarding passes, the rest of the trip was ok, except for another 2hr stopover in BAH on the plane.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  26 March 2008 : review by Martin Davies  (UK)

Customer Rating :  3/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

MAN–LHR-LAX Club Class. Massive delays at security meant no time to visit the lounge at Manchester. Terraces lounge in T1 excellent and called to flight before a delay was announced so had to hang around gate for nearly an hour. No priority boarding for First or Business, this took place after families with children and passengers needing extra time. The menu was the same as on the last two trips. FAs didn’t offer any drinks refills, entertainment failed and was rebooted several times. I gave up in the end. I did visit the famous Club kitchen but as the aircraft was configured with World Traveller Plus Economy situated between First and Business, this facility was a bonus to the economy passengers and not much was left. This strange layout also meant no priority disembarkation. For a Premium product more effort has to be made or business passengers will be looking to other carriers who are moving into this market. Returning to reserved seating at booking would be a start. One plus was that immigration was quick and cheerful. Return trip only passengers with children aged 5 and under boarded first, so very few were involved. Slow with welcome drink. Entertainment system worked, new business seats are fine unless your neighbour is restless, as every movement can be felt. The fact the footstool is connected to the seat in front means that this moves when that passenger moves. Breakfast is becoming a snack - they used to serve a cooked breakfast on the short Manchester to London flight so why not on long haul.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  25 March 2008 : review by Anil Sinanan  (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

BOM-LHR World Traveller. BA have an efficient and more than adequate economy service. Left Bombay on time, pre-flight drinks offered with wine for meal at the same time. An efficient but charmless crew, meal okay - trolleys with snacks left at the back, a sort of economy raid the larder.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  25 March 2008 : review by Matthew Tonkin  (Brazil)

Customer Rating :  5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

F irst

GRU-LHR. Due to fly on 18 March but cancelled due to lack of cabin staff. Automatically rebooked for the next day which was good. Even better was being upgraded to F at check-in. I love BA First and the service was as always exceptional: though must confess I missed the privacy of my usual seat upstairs at 62A. But I mustn't complain: thanks BA for another great trip.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  25 March 2008 : review by A Cohen  (UK)

Customer Trip Rating :

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

Los Angeles-Heathrow World Traveller. Check-in for the 2nd daily flight to LHR was reminiscent of checking-in for a charter flight in Spain ie. extraordinarily long queues. Partly due to 1st daily service still checking-in passengers, partly due to insufficient number of staff (total of 5 desks open which apparently wasn't enough). Ticketing desk remained unmanned for long periods of time. Our flight was slightly delayed - not a problem. Service onboard from staff was good; food sufficient and plenty of water & snacks available in galley. Crew responsive and polite. IFE (AVOD) worked without a problem. Baggage could have been delivered more promptly. Generally a good experience other than check-in (disorganized) and breakfast (stale bread roll could have been replaced by something fresher e.g. banana)

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  22 March 2008 : review by D Wright  (USA)

Customer Trip Rating :

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

JFK-LHR-JFK in Club World on a 747. A well-designed seat with nice touches like a drawer for laptops, books etc. AVOD has good selections and user-friendly touch screen controls, though some of my cabin mates had to have their sets reset. Competent, businesslike service from FAs. But the BA ground staff at Heathrow become snippier each trip, finding it difficult to answer even the most minor questions without sarcasm. Maybe it comes from having to work in Terminal 4 and this will improve in Terminal 5.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  22 March 2008 : review by Louis Esteves  (UK)

Customer Trip Rating :

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Premium Economy

LHR-LAX-LHR Check-in was quick and efficient was given WTP seat. Flight full and it was very difficult to get comfortable, especially if you're seated in between people in the middle row of 4 seats. WTP not really worth the money, seat in general uncomfortable. Food was good but it was the same as WT and the only difference and benefit you had was a proper glass with your wine and a few extra inches of leg room. IFE was good with a good selection of films and audio programming with a touch screen function. Crew were professional and some could have done with a smile to add to their service, otherwise were good. On the return, long queues at check-in, waited over 2 hours to check- in, not enough staff to man the desks and some seemed, especially the supervisor, not having a clue what they're doing. Flight delayed for 40 mins. Sat in WT and it was more comfortable than WTP. Crew attentive and cheerful, return flight uneventful.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  22 March 2008 : review by Doug Raynes  (UK)

Customer Trip Rating :

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

British Airways Club Europe Gatwick to Prague and return. After previous flight by Easyjet it was good to be on BA again. The cabin crew very professional. No problems on outward and inward flight. Lunch and afternoon tea were fine. Only fault - no one in Club was offered a second drink for lunch.