British Airways

Customer Reviews

4 star Skytrax Rating
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Seat Comfort 12345
Staff Service 12345
Value for Money 12345
Customer rating from 3778 reviews
5/10
4 star Skytrax Rating
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1/10

"they are truly awful now"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Flew from London Heathrow to Sofia. I have been flying British Airways for over 40 years and they are truly awful now. I see no difference now with easyJet or Ryanair. The main difference with BA now is the rudeness and sheer unprofessionalism of staff I encountered. Everything in T5 is now self service including bag drop. Paid food, etc.
AircraftA321
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon Heathrow to Sofia
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"slips further and further"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Flew last week London to Frankfurt. No light refreshments complimentary, crew busy operating Card terminals etc, makes less time to be nice to passengers. Then asking what was complimentary informed "tap water" and it came no ice or offer. On the return I was given a mid seat, asking if there was a free aisle I was told no. Waiting till all boarded I sat in a free aisle. The airline continues to pretend to have high standards but it slips further and further into the depths of I will book with BA if no other airlines available.
AircraftA320
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Frankfurt
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
7/10

"can't really complain about the overall experience"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | This was a one way Avios redemption flight. Fare cost £17.50 and 7,500 Avios each. As a BA Gold member I used the First class wing at T5, this included direct access to the Galleries First lounge. We were through very quickly as there was no queue at security. The lounge was busy and we arrived at the switch over from breakfast to lunch. The former had better food offering, the sausages and mushrooms very tasty. Lunch wasn't very good, I ordered a BA burger, the chips were the best part but only five were given on the plate, my wife ordered the aranchini which was awful and tasteless - she left most of it. The buffet selection wasn't particularly interesting, some chicken, potatoes, veggie curry and chilli. My wife said the curry was okay but the chilli I tried was bland. The drinks on offer were decent, a gin festival was on, although I don't drink the stuff the choice looked extensive. I had a few glasses of Henriot champagne which was okay better than the awful Castlenau they used to have but not as good as the Taittinger they served a year ago. I tried a few sips of a Kiwi Pinot Gris, can't remember what it was called but it was very nice. Finally I couldn't resist a shot of Johnnie Walker Blue. The first class lounge itself needs some TLC, the gents are smelly and unkept and none of the plug sockets worked. I normally try to fly another Oneworld airline other than BA. But if it has to be BA then I prefer to fly from T3 for the excellent Cathay Pacific lounge. In fact I prefer the new BA Gatwick First lounge than the Galleries T5. The flight itself was okay, it pushed back slightly late and arrived at Bologna on time. I didn't bother with the BoB as had eaten in the lounge and was saving myself for dinner in Bologna. Cabin crew seemed friendly enough and spent quite a long time selling the BoB offering. We sat in a pair of two seats next to door 3L. Really appreciated just two seats without any neighbours on the almost full flight. Due to our seat position in the plane and the fact both front and rear doors were used for deplaning, we were one of the last passengers to exit. It was a short bus ride to the terminal and it took 20 minutes to get though passport control then a further 30 minute wait for our luggage. Despite a lot of moans about BA on this forum I can't really complain about the overall experience. As a Gold member the lounge access was free. But if I paid full premium fare to access the lounge then yes I'd be disappointed.
AircraftA321
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon Heathrow to Bologna
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"We won't be flying with BA again"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | We did a return trip from Heathrow to JFK and there were only two good things about flying British Airways, you can use the entertainment system from the start and we liked Terminal Five at Heathrow. The rest was disappointing. The outbound flight was completely full so it was delayed in departing, you would expect them to have known this so they would be able to prepare and ensure that the flight left on schedule. There was no apology. The return trip was also late in departing but was quicker than expected so cannot complain. There was only one inflight meal and the only other offering was a bag of crisps or an 18g chocolate bar. It felt like being in school. Cabin crew weren't overly friendly on either journey. Inflight entertainment was fine, lots of films both new and old to watch. We would usually fly Emirates or Virgin but decided to fly BA to give it a go. If you have similar thoughts, don't do it. We won't be flying with BA again, they are not worth it. It is very British - elitist and inefficient.
AircraftBoeing 747
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon Heathrow to New York JFK
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"such appalling customer service"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Berlin return. Will be taking anything but BA flights from now on. Arriving at Berlin check in with only handbagge one of my party was told rudely that she had to check in her baggage despite that it contained fragile items. Another of my party did want to check in her hand baggage and was told no. Both times the ground staff were inconsitant, rude and uncooperative .I was allocated a window seat despite a request for an aisle seat. The new seat configuration is so narrow now I could not get into the allocated seat as I have a replacement knee which does not bend enough to get to the seat. Fortunately one of my party swapped with me for an aisle seat. I put a small plastic bag with fragile items in the overhead locker, the steward, without telling me or consulting me, moved it. When I queried this I was told "Madam, I know what I am doing I have done this before". I am 71 years old and I refuse to be so patronised so I was ready for a stand up row by this time. Fortunately a lovely stewardess with this guy saw my face and jumped in with a jokey remark which save the situation. No food left at the back of the plane as usual. Why on earth are we paying premium prices for such appalling customer service? If I want a budget flight I will use EasyJet anytime.
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon Heathrow to Berlin
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
5/10

"BA cut us no slack for the injury"

(United States)

Verified Review | Barcelona to Boston via London. Mixed review: we had to rebook suddenly for next-day business class because my wife broke a bone in her shoulder and had to go home urgently. BA cut us no slack for the injury and the change cost a fortune. The good: flight crews were wonderfully supportive and helpful; food was surprisingly good; wheelchair attendants at LHR were wonderful. The bad: A321 business class was an economy seat with slightly increased pitch and the middle seat blocked; Boeing 777 business class seats were very comfortable, but a seat in the middle of the 4-seat central block allowed no access to the aisle if the aisle passenger had the seat flattened or was using the footrest; LHR connection of 2 hr was barely enough for terminal 3 to 5 transfer (BA representative said 1 hr would be adequate!) - even with a wheelchair that allowed priority through security and transfer bus. Also a nasty surprise: no wifi on a 7-hr transatlantic flight.
AircraftA321 / Boeing 777
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteBarcelona to Boston via London
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
5/10

"no different to EasyJet"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London to Madrid, a weekend flight. Heathrow check in was fairly chaotic for early morning check in and security, but once through was okay. Full flight and gate staff being quite keen to check passenger hand luggage, but managed to get through with my 2 pieces. Flight deck very informative about slight delay. Cabin crew struggled to get through the buy onboard service and I managed to get a single coffee after very, very long wait. It is quite a short flight and the fare was low so cannot complain too much, but BA is now no different to EasyJet, flybe etc.
AircraftA321
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Madrid
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"endured rather than enjoyed"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Brussels return. Through work I have to fly frequently and am firmly of the opinion that a BA flight is to be endured rather than enjoyed, even in the premium cabins. If your timing is right the prices reflect this, that is before the “add-on’s”. So be prepared to get on last, be prepared to be given the middle seat on the last or second to last row, and eat and drink before you board – unless of course you are happy to pay more. That way if you get an aisle seat or are allocated the third to last row up, it’s a win. Any flights longer than a couple of hours I strenuously avoid BA if I can - a shame because in some ways I grew up with BA (back in the days of BOAC and BEA). Having said that the flights to and from Brussels were OK in a full aircraft either way.
AircraftA319
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Brussels
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"very poor quality seats"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Accra. Flight left nearly two hours late - bit of an explanation but was really because the ground staff boarded the plane with only minimal time to departure. This is always a busy flight with passengers taking on loads of cabin bags. Ground staff only started to collect excess baggage from people with 20 mins to boarding and so there was no room on board for all luggage. Chaos in economy class. On this flight it does not work when the flight is boarded with anything less than 1 hr to departure. When will BA realise this flights needs at least 60 mins to board - it is the most delayed flight out of Heathrow because of this poor management. Fact. The ground staff did nothing to control the crowds - simple and polite requests would have helped. The grand staff were downright rude and grumpy with their passengers - on one of the money making flights for the airlines they need to up their game and just be polite (even if they do not enjoy their jobs or dealing with passengers). Once on board the crew were friendly and professional. Very friendly but this does make up for old aircraft in need of a good clean and refresh along with poor in flight entertainment, poor food and very poor quality seats. The cold/salad options are far better than the hot offering in BA's club class. Still no wi-fi on BA? Even discount carriers like Norwegian have this now, let along the flag carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways.
AircraftBoeing 747 400
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLondon Heathrow to Accra
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"service has gone downhill"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Krakow to London. Got us there fine. My main issue is the food service. I was sat in Row 21, probably 3/4 of the way back. It was an evening weekday flight,so everyone tired & hungry. Their new M&S service was a disaster. The flight was just over 2 hours. It took 1 hour for the single food trolley to make its way to my row. By the time it arrived all that was available was a KitKat and some other sweets! They had already run out of sandwiches / hot food. It took a long time because each customer had to pay using credit card - and the machine seemed to keep on having problems. Also the variety on the new M&S menu - whilst generally a good thing - meant the staff kept on running back to the galley to replenish (clearly still not enough stored). Have to say this services is no better than Easyjet & I will think twice about travelling with BA. If it wasn't paid for by work I would not have travelled with them. The service has gone downhill over the years which is a real shame for a national carrier.
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteKrakow to London
Date FlownMay 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no

British Airways Photos

British Airways is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom, with its main hub being at London Heathrow Airport where it operates from Terminal 5 and Terminal 3. The airline also has substantial operations from Gatwick Airport. British Airways is a member of Onweworld alliance, and part of International Airlines Group (IAG).

FIRST CLASS

British Airways offers First Class on many long haul routes operated by widebody aircraft (Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777, Boeing 787 and the A380). Most aircraft have 14 flat-bed seats in First Class, and 8 seats on the Boeing 787-9.

flat_seatsFlat bed seat / suite
power_iconIn-seat &/or USB power
No WiFiOnboard WiFi
AVODAudio / video on demand
DiningOn demand dining
WinesFine wines & beverage service
SleepingPillows & duvet / blanket
PyjamasPyjamas / Sleepsuit
AmenitiesAmenity kit

BUSINESS CLASS

Branded as Club World for long haul and Club Europe for short haul services, British Airways was one of the pioneers of flat bed seats in long haul business class. The product is overdue an upgrade, with the seat layout on a Boeing 777 being 8-across in contrast to the more standard 4-across layout. British Airways Club Europe cabin uses a standard Economy class seat, with the middle of each 3-across section left empty. British Airways charges business class customers to reserve seats for both long haul and short haul flights..

LONG HAUL
flat_seatsFlat bed seat
power_iconIn-seat &/or USB power
No WiFiOnboard WiFi
AVODAudio / video on demand
On demand dining
SleepingPillows & duvet / blanket
PyjamasPyjamas / Sleepsuit
AmenitiesAmenity kit

SHORT HAUL
Seat pitchSeat pitch : 31 ins
Seat widthSeat width : 17 ins
In-seat &/or USB power
No WiFiOnboard WiFi
Inflight entertainment
DiningComplimentary meal / snack

PREMIUM ECONOMY

British Airways offers a premium economy cabin on their long haul / widebody aircraft, branded as World Traveller Plus. With the exception of the larger seat, the onboard service and product varies little to the standard long haul Economy class.

Seat pitchSeat pitch : 38 ins
Seat widthSeat width : 18.5 ins
No WiFiOnboard WiFi
power_iconUSB power
AVODAudio / video on demand
DiningComplimentary meal
WinesComplimentary beverages & wines
SleepingPillow / blanket

ECONOMY CLASS

British Airways has been reducing economy class standards recently and now charge for all food and beverages on short haul services. Further cuts are expected to their long haul product standards. The cabins are branded as World Traveller for long haul, and EuroTraveller for short haul.

LONG HAUL
Seat pitchSeat pitch : 31 ins
Seat widthSeat width : 17.5 ins
No WiFiOnboard WiFi
power_iconUSB power
AVODAudio / video on demand
DiningComplimentary meal
WinesComplimentary beverages & wines
SleepingPillow / blanket

SHORT HAUL
Seat pitchSeat pitch : 29-30 ins
Seat widthSeat width : 17 ins
In-seat &/or USB power
No WiFiOnboard WiFi
Inflight entertainment
Complimentary meal / beverages