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Rating = 1.0 (very poor) to 5.0 (excellent) |
bmi British Midland review - by Jon Earnshaw
15 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
BA-LHR-LBA. Attempted to check in at LBA with hold luggage for my connecting flight at LHR, told I
had to use the self check in machine, which meant I could not be checked through to my final
destination and had to collect and re-check my luggage in at LHR. I would not have minded if I had
been advised what I needed to do whilst waiting rather than wasting 20 minutes and then been told,
the Aviance agent staff member who was talking to me whilst I waited made me no the wiser.
Once on the flight, used my Bmi frequent flyer card to claim my "free drink" and the flight passed
without incident, a short flight of just 45minutes on a lightly filled A319. The return flight was
delayed by 1.5hrs without any real explanation, though an apology was made onboard and the flight to
Leeds of 35minutes passed without any further problems, again a small load on this last flight of
the day from LHR. Crew friendly, smiling and efficient.
bmi British Midland review - by John Logie
11 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
MAN-ORD return Economy Plus. Both flights left on time and arrived early. Economy plus on the A330
utilises BMi's original business class seats so legroom plentiful and comfortable seats with
electric lumber, recline and footrest control. Each has a large TV with a choice of nearly 30
channels of movies and tv programmes which run on a 2 hour loop rather the AVOD. I was in row 15 on
the outbound leg, its the back row of this cabin and thought the recline was slightly restricted by
the divider behind me, you also cant really see the front screens showing the map and info. Food
was good for economy, you get a menu on taking your seat and give your choice prior to take off.
The crew were polite and cheerful. The food was pretty typical of economy. On the way back, dinner
was pretty similar to lunch, and breakfast was a muffin and a small fruit salad which was fine. All
in all a very comfortable flight with a pleasant crew both legs. I particularily enjoyed it as I
got a very cheap economy fare even though i booked it the day before i travelled and then managed to
use my Gold Card upgrade voucers to get a free upgrade both ways. If there are down points with BMi
its their lounges. They are pretty basic and the seating is not that comfortable which is ok for
domestic but on an international flight its nice to be spoiled a bit. BMi use the SAS lounge in T5
O'hare but they seem to have timed the flights well so it doesn't get too crowded. Lounge is bright
and cheery with free wifi but is pretty spartan and a bit like a display room in Ikea.
bmi British Midland review - by R Smith
5 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-LAS-MAN in business. Outbound 5 star - food excellent, steward superb. Inbound the opposite, 2
star. Both main meal and breakfast poor, stewardess surly, senior steward ineffective. Crew more
interested in themselves rather than passengers. On both flights there were problems with seats not
fully working. Lie flat seats are an improvement, though some issues - trays are very low, so often
do not sit clear of passenger legs, seats are high, so those under approx 5ft 9 may find their feet
do not touch the floor. Wrote to BMI Cust Services about the return flight - they were not
interested. Shame some poor staff let them down.
bmi British Midland review - by Irena Stanwell
4 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LHR-Amman return in Economy. Old plane with obsolete entertainment system which did not work in the
whole row where we were sitting on the outbound flight while on the inbound "Beowulf" was played
twice! The movie is rated "PG-13 for intense sequences of violence including disturbing images, some
sexual material and nudity" and was just shown in the cabin with small children. Shabby cabin with
many broken pieces, the handle of my son's seat was broken and replaced by some tape, the back of my
seat was also broken. Dirty cushions. Food very bad. Crew efficient but not particularly friendly.
bmi British Midland review - by Geoff Isaacs
28 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
BMI "Charter" Manchester to Bergamo (Milan) for skiing holiday. Got us there and back on time
without fuss. Crew attentive and offered drinks/breakfast/dutyfree service on 2 hour flight with
minimum fuss. A319 clean and tidy both ways.
bmi British Midland review - by Jon Earnshaw
27 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LBA-LHR-LBA Checked in online so breezed through fast track security at Leeds/Bradford. Boarded the
very crowded A319 for 45minute flight to LHR. As a Blue Plus Diamond Club card holder, I was offered
a free drink and hot sandwich as this was a 0655 departure and the sandwich was tasty and filling.
Crew friendly and efficient. Return flight, used the Bmi lounge at Heathrow as travelling on a full-
price flexible economy ticket - flight left Heathrow 45minutes late due to a security alert but
again complimentary refreshments offered to Diamond Club card holders, food for purchase for
everyone else, crew friendly and efficient once more on a very busy A319. A reliable and
straightforward service, shame they scrapped Business class on this sector but complimentary
refreshments for frequent flyers is the next best thing, lounge access at LBA would be nice too for
flexible ticket holders, especially when paying £350 for a return flight.
bmi British Midland review - by N Anderton
26 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-LAS in Business. Done this route in Business many times, first time with lie-flat beds. However,
new seats terrible. Hardly any of the buttons to adjust the seats worked. Table and drinks holder
too small. Real shame - used to be one of the best Business class services from Manchester to the
US. Very attentive crew and onboard chef for meals is always great. Entertainment system outdated -
needs to be on-demand, especially in Business. Apparently seat issue well known to bmi - they have
had loads of complaints. Until they sort them out it's probably worth saving money and flying in
Premium Economy. We would have saved £1700 each.
bmi British Midland review - by James Williamson
22 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
GLA-MAN-ORD Premium Economy. Got a great deal for a round trip between Glasgow and Denver of £570.
The short 40 min flight GLA to MAN was on an Embraer ERJ145 which was pretty small though not a busy
route so that's why they use it. The outbound flight had cloth covered seats which were pretty
uncomfortable, the cushion was almost non existent and this made the seat hard, while the return
flight had leather covered seats which were much better. Was very surprised to get a choice of Hot
Pannini and hot drink for such a short flight but at 7am this was most welcome. MAN-ORD seat is
very comfortable and loads of room. The cabin crew were excellent providing a very high level of
service - nice to have drinks in a real glass rather then plastic. Meal was fine if a little on the
small side and served on china and glassware.
bmi British Midland review - by Eric Holt
20 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
LHR to Palma. Outward journey was good, the return however was different. The flight was not full
and so there were only three cabin crew. One of the two serving economy class spotted an off duty
colleague and spent 20 minutes chatting to her - whilst we all waited for a drink. Trouble is, in
the winter months they have almost a monopoly from the UK.
bmi British Midland review - by M Valentine
9 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
ABZ-LHR-ABZ. Easy on line check in. Timings for boarding, departure, arrival more or less as stated
and ditto for return. You can buy food / refreshments on board for more reasonable prices than many
and service was pleasant. I will continue to prefer BMI now for this route - although their timings
aren't always the most convenient and that may force me back to BA sometimes. Of concern is the
continuation of this BMI service. BMI slots at Heathrow are worth a fortune and the anxiety is that
they will soon sell out and I suspect that will mean losing the BMI ABZ to LHR connection. This will
be a great pity
bmi British Midland review - by Mark Consterdine
4 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-ORD-MAN Premium Economy, with proper electric seats and even a few hours sleep both ways. Food
good, although a little on the mean side. Excellent service from crew, but some need to smile a
little more! IFE the old type - not on demand but ok, although picture quality not as good as
others. Premium Economy space and comfort on this route used to be a bit of a joke, but now much
improved. Seat configuration is 2-2-2 and used to be 2-4-2. I will definitely be using this route
and airline again.
bmi British Midland review - by Chris Duckett
2 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LHR-DMO-LHR. Business class seats great, flight attendants professional and friendly. Product badly
let down by truly awful food - microwave meal of standard way below most charter airlines. No
competition with BA or AF Club Europe's excellent snacks! Surely for a very small extra amount BMI
could serve something half decent! Being bussed to Arrivals at LHR - departing plane via back door,
crowded onto buses like cattle was a dispiriting end to the journey.
bmi British Midland review - by Derek Adams
17 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
BHD-LHR. With the added competition of Aer Lingus (BFS-LHR) and Ryanair (BHD- LondonStansted) BMI
have at last lost their monopoly out of BHD and at last have a fight on their hands. The flying
public appear to be voting with their wallets as there were lots of empty seats on this normally
busy flight. Baggage drop had a queue of 16 waiting with only one check in desk manned and no one at
the priority baggage drop! The Gold Card lounge was, as usual, pleasantly efficient. As usual BMI
refused to interline baggage, despite every other Star Alliance carrier trying to be helpful! BMI
extend Star Alliance Gold Card courtesies land-side but it stops dead air-side with charges for
everything on board. As usual baggage took longer to arrive on the carousel than the actual flight
time! Next time I probably try Aer Lingus into LHR as I have to haul checked baggage to LHR T3
anyway!
bmi British Midland review - by Patrick Jordan
11 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
GLA-LHR. I am an infrequent BMI flyer, but was curious to compare their short haul service with Aer
Lingus. Airbus was clean and had a pleasing interior. Some of the business class seats were
allocated to economy, and I would have welcomed the extra width given my portly size. Sadly my
request to move to one (if available) was refused, despite their being on one or two spares.
The seat belts were very short: I had to tug mine to fasten it. Aer Lingus give you a few extra
inches of belt, so I guess BMI are taking cost cutting to a new level. I was amazed to find that my
Silver US Airways card has absolutely no value with BMI: no lounge access, no free food, nothing. I
always assumed that all alliances honoured all partner airlines cards - not BMI it seems. The food
and drink was good quality, and reasonably priced albeit of a very limited range. I was amused to
note the "special offer" on Heathrow Express tickets: buying from BMI would save the princely sum of
50pence (or was that 25p??). Even a new entrant to BAA Worldpoints saves around £5. Convenience
aside, there's little incentive to take up this offer. Overall I was disappointed by my BMI
experience. Their dismissive attitude to my US Airways Silver card set the tone, and having to
endure an uncomfortably tight seat belt raises issues about passenger comfort.
bmi British Midland review - by Darren Ward
7 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Flew business class return between Yerevan to Heathrow and impressed. The business class seats were
comfortable, although they do not lie flat. IFE was good with a good selection of programs and
business class food was outstanding with attentive and efficient service.
bmi British Midland review - by Louis Esteves
4 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LHR-ABZ on an Embraer 145. Boarded on-time. Plane is very small and narrow, therefore, no hand
baggage was allowed as I had to leave mine at the bottom of the stairs due to the very small
compartments and lack of space. Onboard service not free, unless you are a Diamond Club card holder,
payable drinks and snacks. Crew friendly and professional. Arrived on-time, my hand baggage was
waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs on a baggage trolley. Overall, good flight.
bmi British Midland review - by N Holdsworth
29 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LHR-DUB boxing day 2007. Flight was empty - got whole row (emergency exit) to myself and paid only
taxes. Heathrow was quieter than usual but still chaotic. The flight was fine, but had problems with
online payment - ie they never took money out of my account when they should have processed my
credit card payment, then waited until four days before I was going to fly to tell me I owed them
£25. Spent 2 hours on the phone to a call centre employee in India trying to sort this all out. This
was very annoying, but thankfully it got sorted out in the end.
bmi British Midland review - by Simon Harris
24 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Heathrow-Amsterdam return. Online check in for outbound flight worked. The outbound flight was less
than half full, made for comfortable flight. Legroom is not great and for anything more then the
hour flight would have been a problem. Service was ok. They seem to operate on a low cost basis with
drinks and food as extras except for Diamond Members. Overall a good experience and would use them
again for a short hop such as this
bmi British Midland review - by Robert Bushby
24 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LHR-MAN on a little Regional Jet - very pleasant it was too. Return from MAN was at the other end of
the scale in a A321 operating the only one out of of 4 consecutive BMI flights between 1700 and 2100
to actually run as BMI and other operators had ATC problems at Heathrow We were delayed 5 hours
waiting to depart MAN two of which were spent in the aircraft on the tarmac. So given it was
probably not the fault of BMI how did they cope - reasonably well is the answer, modest refreshment
vouchers pre-boarding as the delays accrued plus free water, soft drinks, cake & crisps on board
kept us going whilst those who wished were allowed to disembark before we left Manchester and
collect their bags. Whilst there were mutterings around us on the lines of; 'next time I will go by
rail' clearly those folks had not hoped (as I had) to get to Blackpool from Manchester by train on
the Sunday only to find a rail replacement bus in operation for the entire journey, whilst there
were few trains at all on the West Coast main-line on the Monday north of Preston because of
flooding. BMI get 4 stars because the staff overall were pretty fair and were good in a difficult
situation - but I did not have an onward connection from LHR, and that might have been an altogether
different story.
bmi British Midland review - by W Hamilton
21 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LHR-DUB restricted economy. Not a very pleasant experience. I don't understand the low-cost-carrier
thing. Connecting on a BA flight from China you are told to check-in online 24 hours before
departure and that they won't check your bags through to the final destination. After spending
twenty quid trying to find a BMI rep office that was open in an appropriate time zone (the
Australian rep hung up on me without saying a word!) I was told by both BA and BMI that if BA in
Shanghai were willing to do it, BMI would allow through checking of bags. In the end, and bearing in
mind it was Christmas and I was going via Heathrow I opted not to take bags. So I got up and went
into the office at 3am to print out my boarding pass as I was told without it I would have to arrive
at Heathrow terminal 4 and go through the whole arrivals process and then travel to terminal 1 and
check in again. All this after a twelve-hour flight. Madness. And it's not like the ticket was super
cheap. GBP67 plus having to buy your own food and drink on each leg for a one-hour flight ended up
about a hundred pounds. Or you can pay the ridiculous GBP400 return fare to travel in what BMI have
the gall to call "Business Class". On one leg I noted that if you take the first row (row 5 in this
case) you have Business Class style seats (the middle seat removed and replaced with a space) as the
curtain has been moved forward one row. Comfortable enough for the short flight. When connecting
with an international flight costing a thousand pounds the whole BMI experience just seems like a
rip-off. As I wrote above, my ticket cost GBP16 but I was just under GBP100 out of pocket at the end
of it. Who are they trying to kid? I've been flying between Ireland and the UK since 1984 and when
connecting with long-haul flights you need a little bit of flexibility in the ticket. To get this it
appears to now cost 400 quid return. If my BA flight had been late I would have had to pony up 30
pounds plus the fare difference to get the next flight - if it was even available and I estimate
this would have cost me about 160 quid one way on the day (!) Can this possibly be right? However it
seems there is no alternative as all European carriers are at this malarky. All the BMI staff I
encountered were very helpful and friendly though. The two stars are for them. Job well done, but I
won't be flying BMI again because of their bizarre ticketing policies and ridiculous penny pinching.
bmi British Midland review - by Suzanne Ackerman
13 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-ORD. Excellent business class service on way out with just 6 passengers in business cabin.
Unfortunately flight cancelled on return where we had been booked into premium economy due to lack
of availability. Alternatives offered were Aer Lingus/Swiss Air/Air India. However they would only
rebook economy seats as no premium economy offered on these airlines. After much debate about
getting equivalent service got business back on Aer Lingus with 5 hour wait in Dublin. MAN-ORD
flight has been cancelled quite a lot recently so bear this in mind if it happens to you as they
will try and fob you off with economy.
bmi British Midland review - by S Butler
8 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
I was travelling to Montreal in Canada from Belfast City via London Heathrow. When flying home,
there was a technical error on the plane. First the crew told us we were going to be delayed, then
told us we were going on. They had us all lined up and then told us to sit down again! There were 2
flights already going ahead of to Belfast and we were delayed for 4 hours! They eventually got a
supply plane and we didn't even get a free drink!
bmi British Midland review - by B Nugent
8 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Confused now with what BMI are trying to be. Just flown EDI-BRU return and food and drink are free,
however on the busier and surely more profitable EDI-LHR or any LHR routes you pay unless you are
silver or gold? Must say service on the EDI-BRU route was far superior to the now non-service on the
mainline LHR routes
bmi British Midland review - by D Ward
8 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Business Class ESB-LHR. Service very good with very nicely presented, tasty food and nice wine
selection. IFE was hand held DVD players with good picture and sound quality and 9" screen. The
seats do not recline flat, but very comfortable for me. I would use them again provided service was
at this high standard.
bmi British Midland review - by Ross Clark
4 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
BMI EDI-LHR-SIN-AKL. If they could do something to botch the handling of an interlined booking, they
did. The booking (through to AKL) was not completely held in their system, so needed a manual
override for the luggage labels; this also required the issue of the SQ boarding passes at LHR,
which took more time; the boarding pass did not have the e-ticket reference printed, so that took
even more time at boarding. Was saved only by having a paper record of the whole booking. I know
interlined bookings can give grief, but I have done the same trip with BA/CX, two years ago, and it
worked perfectly.
bmi British Midland review - by Sandra Collyns
20 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
London Heathrow - Dublin. I had a comfortable, pleasant journey. There were no queues at the self
check in machines (which i find very easy to use) and Heathrow was surprisingly empty. The aircraft
was a A320 with a pleasant interior and comfortable leather seats in economy. The cabin crew were
also very friendly. The only problem was that due to congestion at heathrow we arrived 10 minutes
late - but this didn't really matter. Overall, a very enjoyable experience, and i will fly bmi again
if they are cheap enough!
bmi British Midland review - by Robert Bushby
20 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
GLA to LHR mid-afternoon for two of us on tiny (pretty tiny in fact!) fares. Arrival was late but
there were plenty of apologies and explanations from the flight-deck. So long as BMI do not start
charging for hold baggage, continue to pre-allocate seats and steer clear of scratch-cards they will
keep our business. Self-service check-in seems a lot smoother these days or perhaps I am just
getting used to it. 4 stars may appear a bit OTT for a short domestic sector spent down the at the
cheap end of the aircraft but with plenty of legroom it was value for money and despite the late
arrival and change of stand at Heathrow the hold bags still popped nice and quick up on the
carousel.
bmi British Midland review - by A Bruce
20 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
ORD-MAN. The old business class seats in Premium Economy have made a difference on this route - a
comfortable nights sleep, aided by noise cancelling headphones. SAS/BMI lounge at departures was
comfortable and the service was good. Very limited retail in ORD once past security. Flew across to
the US with US Airways out of Brussels. Very tired 767. Envoy class was less comfortable than BMI's
new premium economy - and significantly more expensive. MAN-EDI : connecting regional flight home.
Badly delayed at Manchester. A nuisance and let down after good service across the Atlantic.
Insufficient Aviance ground staff available to service the plane; resulted in 2 hour delay. Several
passengers got off before departure.
bmi British Midland review - by Dan Peterson
16 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-LHR-MAN. I feel standards of service are improving. Self-service gets the job done. Being a
Diamond Club Silver member, you get free food and drink (though the drink is only 150ml) on domestic
flights even on a Tiny Economy fare. Service is relaxed and with a smile. Though, I'm not too sure
about bmi time though.
bmi British Midland review - by Jon Earnshaw
9 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LBA-EDI-LBA Business Class. Checked in online, dropped off my bag and found my own way to the
business lounge which as a Silver Star Alliance member I can use at LBA. Boarded quickly and warmly
welcomed on board. Newspapers provided, breakfast of sausage, bacon, scrambled egg & mushrooms with
orange juice, coffee, yoghurt and coffee was provided - the cabin crew also came around with warm
rolls and croissants. No hot towels. Return used Bmi lounge at Edinburgh and welcomed on board by
friendly and energetic female cabin crew. Newspapers not provided but once airborne, served drink
and hot meal - no tea/coffee or hot towels. Bmi do well judging that both flights was totally full -
but their standards have certainly fallen - come on Bmi, these are principal business routes with
people paying over £350 for a return flight.
bmi British Midland review - by A Pottage
21 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Business MAN-ORD-MAN with the new Business seats. I was somewhat disappointed with the new seats.
Lie-flat is a definite bonus, standard UK 3-pin for laptops etc. Three seats had been condemned on
the way back due to mechanical faults, not too promising after a limited in-service period. There is
an apology for a drinks tray (about 50x50mm). The seats along the aisles had this tray aisle-side -
passengers and crew sail pretty close to knocking the glass off this perilous perch - this happened
to my colleague who lost a full glass of champagne and the glass broke. A lack of accessible
storage space - one storage pocket in the seat back, one at floor level. The meal trays are now
contained in the inner armrests. Simultaneous opening of adjacent seat armrests to extract the trays
brings about a clash of the armrests near the hinge. On the flight back the inner side of the seats
were distinctly wobbly. Compared to the old seats, it felt that one had less elbow room - the meal
tray appeared a smaller than the old seats (a remark also made by some crew) and it appears less
robust. Not enough space and a bit too low for me - I reckon bmi will have a few problems with
these.
bmi British Midland review - by Trevor Wilson
19 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
I recently flew Addis Ababa to London Heathrow by BMI, having been forced to change airlines due to
BA giving up their franchise. The departure time was most inconvenient: I had to be at the airport
at 2am for a 415am take off. Flying Business Class I expected good service. Check in took 30
minutes (there were two of the other three people flying Business Class in front of me) took 25
minutes due to the incompetence of the staff. The welcome onboard was tepid. There was a welcome
drink but no nibbles. Food on the 3.5 hour flight to Amman was a rather tired roll and some coffee.
We were on the ground in Amman 75 minutes instead of the promised 45. Business Class from Amman to
Heathrow was full and was obviously too much for the cabin staff to cope with. Our "dining
experience" - the words of the Cabin Service Chief - on the 6 hour Amman London sector was
breakfast. We landed at Heathrow just about on time at about 1215pm London time. I had by then
been on the aeroplane 11 hours and 45 minutes and all I had to show for it was a bun, coffee and
less than satisfactory breakfast. Far from getting Business Class priority baggage my two bags
were third from last and last on the carousel. I fly to Addis three or four times a year. My next
trip, and any future ones, will not be with BMI.
bmi British Midland review - by Darren Jones
19 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-ORD-MAN premium economy. The service in premium economy was excellent with comfortable seats,
excellent cabin staff and food. Not too long ago this would be known as business class service.
Excellent value for money.
bmi British Midland review - by Simon Castleman
9 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-ORD in Premium Economy. The seats in Premium Economy are the old bmi business seats and the
48"pitch and 50 degree recline is better than others in this market sector. Get the front row and
nobody reclines into your "space" its like the old bmi business at about 30% of the cost. OK the food
is economy class but you get a mixture of business and economy drinks service (free drinks with a
limited choice) and if you want some extra you have to ask rather than it being offered, but when you
consider the difference in price its well worth it. If you are prepared to accept economy food I
think this is probably the best value for money.
bmi British Midland review - by I Pemberton
28 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Chicago to Manchester cancelled due to a technical problem but these things happen. They did an OK
job of re-booking me via LHR with BA then the BMI flight up to Manchester. I've just tried logging on
to the website to claim my miles but it took about 2 minutes to logon then on the next page the
message said 'Service Unavailable'. I've had similar problems with the website over the last couple
of months and out of all the websites I use for business/pleasure the BMI site is absolutely rock
bottom. BMI please spend a few hours looking at your web log stats and you will get an idea of the
problem - then fix it!
bmi British Midland review - by Alan Thompson
26 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LHR-MAN-LHR, economy. A shambles. Friday evening outward leg over two hours late, surly unhelpful
ground staff who literally turned their back to passengers. Gate changed without advice. Return leg,
early Sunday evening flight cancelled, reason given problem with the aircraft - more likely
'consolidation' as later flight (two and a half hours later due to further delays) was not full. 11
hours total at airports/flying for a weekend in Manchester. Never again with this airline - not even a
free drink to say sorry.
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Customer Rating = from 1.0 (very poor) to 5.0 (excellent) |
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