BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  21 July 2008 : by Guy Senior  (n/a)

Customer Rating : 4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LHR-BOS-LHR in late June Club World. BA lounge in Heathrow T4 is now getting a bit tatty but everything you can want, with some particularly good snacks. Flying out was old Club World and only 1/3 full. Good food and helpful crew. Coming back the newish BA lounge in Boston is underground and geared towards serving food with a large self service restaurant facility. A good 3 course meal. Flight was full but new Club World - like the old but everything much sturdier and with solid partitions, although the middle 2 seats lack privacy. Had an extremely comfortable night's sleep.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  21 July 2008 : by James Harding  (UK)

Customer Rating : 3/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

JFK-LHR Economy. Flight boarded and almost left on time before the captain announced that another flight had been cancelled due to "technical issues" and we would need to take that flights passengers. I am assuming that this was not entirely true as only about ten people from the cancelled flight boarded in the economy cabin leaving my wife and I with two spare seats. After take off drinks and dinner was served. Drinks were good but dinner was pretty inedible! From a quality and service point of view the meal service was horrific. That said, throughout the night the drinks did flow and flight attendants were regularly coming through our cabin with juice and water services. Request made via the call buttons were attended to promptly! Inflight entertainment was good until several of my fellow passengers and I experienced the system taking on a life of its own and finally crashing. Apparently the problems from last year have yet to be fixed and the flight attendants are just as annoyed as the passengers using the AVOD system. Arriving into T5 was a new experience for me but I really don't think the terminal works for me, it is far too complex and user unfriendly for passengers arriving off long haul flights. Saying that, the bags were ready and waiting on the carousel by the time we cleared immigration - a first for me arriving into Heathrow!

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  20 July 2008 : by Pierre Leblache  (USA)

Customer Rating : 3/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

MRU-LHR on July 10. Flight full to the rim in all classes. This does not go well with a lazy, uninterested crew, a rarity on BA but there they were. Inedible food making one wonder what Economy passengers were being served. The usual galley goodies failed to appear for at least 3 hours, then were only replenished once or twice. In spite of the decent seat and IFE, seldom has time passed so slowly.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  20 July 2008 : by Rupert Dingle  (Australia)

Customer Rating : 3/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

MXP-LHR Club Europe. Very slow process checking in, with family members who were connecting onto Sydney through Qantas, the check-in agent (a 3rd party agent) seemed to believe this was way too difficult and this was after she had lead numerous economy passengers jump the queue into club! Sorry, but if I'm paying top dollar for Club this is simply not acceptable. The flight itself was fine, with a sizeable load in club. The flight attendents were sloppy , forgetting to collect things like hand towels and rushing through the whole process. Can't say its been my best experience on BA by a long way. Arrival through T5 was easy though.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  15 July 2008 : by J Lynde  (USA)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

JFK-LHR-JNB-LHR-ALG-LHR-JFK, all business. All flights on time. Service was excellent. New style clubworld very comfortable and well-designed. Terminal 5 was also no problem, even during one very short transfer.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  15 July 2008 : by Mark Hurter  (Switzerland)

Customer Rating : 3/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

BSL-LHR. Was given wrong information and had heavy luggage. I was prepared to pay for the excess baggage but ground staff in BSL was not helpful at all and even started to talk behind one's back in French as they thought I would not understand it. Further they refuse to speak German to you even if the airport is trinational and check in is done on the Swiss side. Flight itself very nice and FAs friendly and professional. Breakfast fine and it is a nice touch to be served something warm these days even if flying in Business Class within Europe. Baggage transfer went well in LHR as was one of the first on the carousel in HKG. All in all very good flight, let down by the experience of the ground crew. Wrote a complaint email and it was answered promptly and in a professional manner. Nice to see that they really reply to complaints.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  12 July 2008 : by I Lancaster  (UK)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LGW to TRN, Club Europe. Both flights on fairly old 737-300s, but interior re-furbed and clean. Outbound late departing because the plane had an ambulance passenger on its arrival flight and the ambulance didn't arrive for about 45 mins - presumably not BA's fault and the desk clerk kept us informed of the situation. Inbound on time. Excellent, cheerful FAs and given the flight time, good meal service.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  12 July 2008 : by Kirsty Carter  (UK)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

LGW-TAB and GND-LGW in World Traveller. We did online check in on both legs. Both flights were comfortable although I found the planes overly warm. I haven't flown BA long-haul before but found the seats and legroom on the 777 much better than the 747 configuration on Virgin. Food was very good on both flights though they could offer more drinks during the flight (water/juice). The in- flight entertainment system is still a let down compared to AVOD on other airlines. The films on both flights out were either family orientated or picturehouse films. We prefer Gatwick to Heathrow as we had cleared immigration and got our bags within 30 minutes of landing.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  12 July 2008 : by Paul Gatto  (Canada)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

First

AUH-LHR in First. A very good flight. Upon boarding a choice between Arabic coffee and champagne offered. Amenity kits and sleeper suits. As this is an overnight flight only myself and 2 other passengers took advantage of the late dinner service, which was served promptly but not rushed by the crew. A second serving of the delicious lobster main course was no problem. A good sleep after hot chocolate was a perfect conclusion. The cabin was not too hot for sleeping even under a duvet. Awoke for a quick breakfast before landing at Heathrow. My only complaint was that the inflight entertainment system was not the AVOD system and that the screen was too small. Otherwise a perfect flight with a top notch crew.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  11 July 2008 : by Uri Auerbach  (Australia)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

SYD-LHR-CPH-LHR-SYD. Outbound 747 not too bad. Home trip - Sat on tarmac in CPH 2.5 hours before departure. Got to london past dep time of our connection and were told to run for our lives. Got snarled at by staff at the gate for 'being late' as we wheezed towards them running all through T4, then sat for 3.5 hours on tarmac due to a never ending roster of problems. Old 737/777 planes. My wife is a vegetarian and for her breakfast got one rice cake - no spreads, nothing.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  8 July 2008 : by Bill Atkins  (USA)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

First

MAN-LHR-PHL First Class. These days it seems BA get so many things wrong, but when it works right they are a joy to travel with. Crews on all flights friendly, relaxed and competent. Food good, not outstanding, excellent wines as usual. T5/T4 transfer apart, a most enjoyable experience and wish it were consistently so.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  8 July 2008 : by Stephen Hogan  (Belgium)

Customer Rating : 1/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

World Traveller BRU-ORD-BRU (via LHR). The original 4-hour wait between our arrival at LHR and scheduled departure of our flight to Chicago ended up being 11 hours due to a 7-hour delay. BA's response? A Stg£10 voucher for food! During this delay we were called back to our boarding gate - the furthest distance possible in T4 only to learn that despite the call they were not in fact ready to depart. This was compounded further on our return. When we purchased our ticket we were originally meant to arrive / depart from T5 - but after the T5 opening, Chicago flights remain at T4 until Sep 08. BA in its wisdom have introduced a minimum 2-hour transfer window if you have to change terminals, on which they provide no flexibility - even if it is a matter of 5 minutes. When we booked we were meant to arrive from ORD at 07.05 and depart for Brussels at 08.55. However, thanks to the terminal change BA now insisted we could not leave on the 08.55, but instead had to leave on the next available flight to BRU at 12.40 - a wait of nearly 6 hours! This flight was delayed and did not in fact leave until 13.30 - BA response a Stg£5 voucher for food.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  7 July 2008 : by E Hochstatter  (UK)

Customer Rating : 4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LHR-TXL-LHR. Terminal-wise: Terminal 5 is a major disappointment. My wife and I flew Club Europe (business class). The sterile environment of T5 was almost nauseating. To make matters worse, there is not even a separate queue for premium class passengers, or silver card holders, let alone a business class check-in. How BA managed to cock this up is beyond imagination, especially as Berlin (and other airports) has a separate check-in desk for premium class passengers. It beggars belief how BA's flagship terminal could be absent of this. The man that checked us in even recommended that we write to 'customer relations' to complain about the absence of premium check-in counters, which we did. Oh, how I miss Zone R in Terminal 1. Security check-in was an absolute joke. The staff were rude and expected you to pick up the lovely grey container in which you were to place your items. The inconsistent policy of whether to take shoes off is compounded by the fact that there was not even a mat on which to walk! On our return, there was not nearly enough immigration officers. Flight-wise: no major complaints for either direction. However, I have noticed a steady decline in the cleanliness of BA planes. Moreover, the new champagne they serve is hardly worth the grapes on the vine. I shall continue to fly BA but I will give heavy consideration in the future to other airlines unless BA cleans up their act.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  7 July 2008 : by G Davis  (Australia)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Premium Economy

DEN-LHR-ORD in premium economy. Outbound was on a 777, inbound on a 747. The premium economy on the 747 was definitely nicer than on the 777 because you are surrounded by business class sections. The premium economy section also has its own lavatory on the 747, whereas on the 777 you have to wade back into economy and queue. Seats do recline more than in economy class (seat bottom actually shifts forward slightly when reclined), and there is tons of leg room (I am 6' 2"). This is a better premium economy product than Air New Zealand's. If you want any chance of sleeping on your flight this upgrade is definitely worth it.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  5 July 2008 : by Stuart Reay  (Australia)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Premium Economy

Flew 3 return trips from Heathrow to Newcastle NCL and everything went very smoothly. Excellent free drinks and snacks offered and great crew. BA still continue to shine on their domestic services especially for the cost of tickets. Lounge at Newcastle excellent as is the new lounge at T5.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  5 July 2008 : by C Slater-Walker  (UK)

Customer Rating : 2/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Premium Economy

LHR-SYD-LHR Premium Economy. Flights full both ways. BA's premium economy isn't really worth the money, based on my experience with these flights. The food is identical to economy. The IFE is identical to economy. The seats _may_ be slightly wider (2x4x2 whereas economy is 3x4x3) but they don't seem to recline any more than economy. At least you don't have to fight over luggage locker space. On my outbound trip, if you wanted a drink of any sort outside mealtimes, you had to go to the galley and get it yourself. Fortunately on the return flight, both crews came round regularly with water and juice. I can't understand why some crews manage this but others can't.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  3 July 2008 : by A Edwards  (UK)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

LHR-MIA-LHR Sat on plane for over 2 hours while President Bush's plane took off and all other aircraft grounded but this was not BA's fault. Crew supplied drinks during the wait. Easy check-in procedure at T5, we checked in on-line and chose first row in World Traveller for increased legroom and it certainly made a difference to the standard WT seats, no need for WTplus if you get these in my opinion. Flight was comfortable and the AVOD system was great, certainly helped the time pass. Crew were pleasant and chatty on both flights. Considering price I paid for this trip I was more than happy with the experience, will definitely fly BA again where possible.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  3 July 2008 : by Richard James  (UK)

Customer Rating : 4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LHR-LAX and SFO-LHR Club World. It's currently a great time to use BA's new terminal 5 : No queues, spotless new lounges and they didn't even lose my bag. It'll be a shame to go back to T5 when it's full, but enjoy it while it lasts I say. The flights were fine - the new Club World apparatus is wearing fast but there were no AVOD problems, some good food and the usual half-pint glass of port with the cheese - even the squalid Tom Bradley terminal at LAX couldn't spoil the journey. SFO a different planet by comparison, although the lounge there is too small for when two flights are waiting. No complaints really.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  30 June 2008 : by M Heather  (UK)

Customer Rating : 4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

LHR-YUL-LHR in Economy (World Traveller). Excellent flights on good condition Boeing 777s, both ways on time. Good crew, comfortable seats, good inflight meals and generous drinks service, working IFE (not AVOD) with a wide choice of films. As usual though, having delivered an excellent product, BA was let down by its ground arrangements at LHR T4. We waited 30 mins to leave the aircraft (as BA ground services had only sent one bus to a full Boeing 777 - air bridges being in short supply at that time of the morning), and then a further hour for our bags to appear (as they had sent the equipment to the wrong aircraft). Complained in the terminal to the BA customer services manager, who was excellent and totally professional and commented 'well, now we've got T5 working we really mustn't let our standards slip elsewhere - I'll be taking this problem to the top. Please complain via the website as well.' I complained per her advice, got a full response within 24 hours and 5000 miles for my trouble. A good outcome, but it is tiresome that they cannot - no matter what - successfully operate from LHR. They do a much better job at LGW!

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  30 June 2008 : by G McNab  (UK)

Customer Rating : 5/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Economy

Two short flights to and from Manchester on full aircraft. Despite the short flight time of about thirty five minutes the crew managed to cheerfully serve all who wanted it a sandwich, drink and tea or coffee. The return flight arrived early but just short of the gate had to stop for a short while as the automatic guidance system had not been switched on which, I think, guides the aircraft to be aligned with the airbridge. With hand luggage only I was off and found it a very quick and easy route from the domestic arrivals to the London Underground and was soon on my way.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  29 June 2008 : by K Khiran  (Australia)

Customer Rating : 4/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

SYD-BKK Return. 62A/K. BA's business class seats are still one of the best in the skies and my key reason for choosing the airline. Had a very enjoyable return trip. Competitive fares, swift friendly check-in at both ends, departures and arrivals on time, bags one of the first to arrive on both sectors and good AVOD, meals and beverage selection. The one factor that usually lets BA down in the past has been staff service on board, but noticed a significant improvement and encountered only one grumpy staff on each flight. Another gripe is size of BA/QF business lounge in BKK which is too small esp when both airlines tend to arrive and depart at the same time.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  29 June 2008 : by Clive Varejes  (South Africa)

Customer Rating : 2/5

Recommended:

Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

Has anyone ever tried to actually use their BA miles to book a flight? I have found it totally impossible and their customer care department treats you with total contempt. Perhaps this is a way to improve profitability, by making it impossible to book with air miles and driving their customers away in total and complete frustration, thereby reneging on their obligations.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  29 June 2008 : by Jon Earnshaw  (UK)

Customer Rating : 4/5

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Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LGW-MCO-LGW. Terraces Lounge at Gatwick was quiet for a busy Summer Saturday afternoon at the North Terminal - good selection of refreshments. Boarding delayed by 30mins because of a small technical issue, welcomed warmly and seated in 2J which is the forward section of Club World out of Gatwick, Champagne offered before take-off. Menu, amenity kits provided with hot towels, only 19 passengers in Club out of a possible 40. Drinks and nuts 30mins after take-off and a second round of drinks before a lovely lunch of Smoked Salmon & Crayfish salad, Fillet of Beef and followed by Strawberries and whipped cream. Staff friendly and attentive throughout, shame the Gatwick planes still have the old Club World flat beds which are looking shabby now. Club Kitchen is great - snacks, drinks and even hot options available. A sandwich or salad, with warm scones and clotted cream provided 1hr ahead of arrival into Orlando. Returning, BA use the Delta Crown Room at Orlando which is disappointing. Once on board usual pre-take off champagne, dinner served quickly after take-off which consisted of Prawn salad, beef or chicken main and followed by caramel apple tart or cheese - crew friendly. A breakfast of cereal, juice, smoothie and bacon rolls was provided about an hour from Gatwick. A good attentive service, once the cabins have been upgraded this will be an even better service, to have 12 channels of entertainment that is not on-demand is not really acceptable in the cut throat business of scheduled business class travel these days.

BRITISH AIRWAYS review :  29 June 2008 : by Paul Rex  (UK)

Customer Rating : 5/5

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Value for Money:

Cabin Flown:

Business

LHR-IAD in Club World. Flight on time, nice inflight service, excellent food, AVOD worked without any glitches, luggage on belt after clearing Immigration, so out of airport within 1/2 hour of leaving plane. One of those flights where everything goes right (the fact that it was a Saturday morning departure may have helped).