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
Filter Reviews by :
Show
7/10

"good on this occasion"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Gatwick to Bridgetown. I managed to locate some seats that offered reasonable leg room (I am over 6ft), although after feeling the knees of the passenger sitting behind me, I think he was not so lucky! We had a delay in take off but apologies provided. Food was okay and I was pleasantly surprised. Crew members were hard working, polite and professional. The Boeing 777-200was showing signs of age (G-VIIW ) but compared to the other aircraft we flew on last year, this plane appeared more cared for. I am concerned how BA are going to shoehorn 10 abreast instead of the current 9. I cannot conceive how physically eating a meal would be possible. Overall the experience was good on this occasion. The IFE was old, but worked, it did not last time.
AircraftBoeing 777-200
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteGatwick to Bridgetown
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
4/10

"lacking the passion to serve"

(United States)

Verified Review | Dubai to London. Didn't have high expectations but surprised how bland and uninteresting this journey was. Started in an uninspiring visit to the BA lounge, with a poor food choice and poky. Plane was just about clean but rather poor for business class. The menu was poor and entertainment the worst I have seen. Afternoon tea was an afterthought and the forty minute wait for a gate at LHR really summed up the state of BA today. Bland uninspiring and lacking the passion to serve. Not a patch on Qatar Airways or Emirates and makes you feel quite inadequate as a Brit
AircraftBoeing 777
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteDubai to London
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

"BA is just a budget airline"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Sofia. Flight was on time and ground service was smooth. However our seats were changed due to aircraft configuration change which is normal to happen, but no any choice or apology was offered (for Silver member!). No complimentary service onboard provided. Crew even had problem with the payment machine. Luckily I've got some water and treats from the airport shops. Cramped cabins and uncomfortable seats - now BA is just a budget airline charging premium prices and has worse service than other budget airlines!  I've abandoned my Silver status and considering using other airlines. I'm still using BA as well in cases when the fare is competitive on the route.
AircraftA321
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Sofia
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
5/10

"Food selection mediocre"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Mauritius to Gatwick, club world. Efficient check in, third party lounge at Mauritius airport was a reasonable place to spend time before the flight with usual facilities. On time departure, welcomed with warm glass of champagne! Cabin ok though was a little grubby in places. Food selection mediocre for dinner, the meze starter was average at best. My main of pasta was bland and tasteless. Some of the cabin crew attending to my wife were not as helpful as they could have been. Toilets kept clean throughout flight. Reasonable breakfast. I note the removal of the arrivals lounge at LGW. After a 12 hours + flight this would have been quite welcome.
AircraftBoeing 777-200
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteMauritius to Gatwick
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"other carriers must be laughing"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | New York JFK - London Heathrow. The British Airways lounge at JFK is truly terrible. It seems to have been refreshed of late but this means rows of scruffy seats and toilets that are too few for the crowds. Not enough chairs for the evening flights that tend to depart within a few hours of each other. I wasn’t allowed into the First Class lounge despite being a BA Gold List member. So much for loyalty. Was instructed at check in that this was a “sleeper service” and I should eat in the lounge. Not an advisory but an instruction. The Club World food on offer in the lounge for the “dining experience” was overcooked and of very poor quality. Usual Cub World service on BA which involves clambering over people to get out to the aisle, poor food (they did offer food), poor in-flight entertainment, putting the inflight divider down but never putting it back up (BA train your staff if they put the divider down to have the good manners to put it up again) to serve food and drinks. The crew obviously know they are providing an inferior product and act accordingly. The product and offer from BA is so mediocre (I even saw Club Class passengers taking their own food on for example) the other carriers must be laughing as they take over BA in terms of service and quality of aircraft. Shameful.
AircraftBoeing 747
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteNew York JFK to London Heathrow
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
5/10

"on time and safely at that"

(United States)

Verified Review | A packed flight from Athens to London Heathrow. Cabin crew spent quite a bit of time selling food and drinks from a trolley. Everything had to be purchased. I had to go to the back for a glass of "tap" water - complimentary! Small TV screens hanging at intervals displayed the flight route. Minimal interaction with crew. Seat was fine. Bag space overhead was ample - no charge for that. Plane arrived on time which was a relief as I had to change terminals to catch a connection. I had two hours and made it. The travel was followed up by a customer survey by the airline. I was glad when the four hour flight ended - nothing special but at least it was on time and safely at that.
AircraftA320
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteAthens to London Heathrow
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"never going to choose BA again"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Venice to Gatwick. I am done with British Airways. It has the worst service and incredibly rude staff. We were supposed to fly back from Venice at 11.55 p.m on 10th July. The flight was delayed by an hour and a half. BA policy indicates that there will be no food vouchers or otherwise for flight delays of less than two hours. Fair enough. However, what this does not take into account is the timing of the flight or the airport. The only cafe at the VCE Airport available to customers after security was shutting at around 11.30pm. When I went to buy some water, the guy at the counter refused outright. Another lady had been there since 11 am (her flight earlier that day was delayed) and she went around the same time to redeem her food voucher. The guy shouted at her and called a guard on duty who was of no help and was incredibly rude. My partner tweeted about this to BA and there was no response from them at all although they were complimenting on someone's pics at the same time. We finally found a vending machine and there was no water there too. There was not one person from British Airways this whole time till 1am in the morning. As if this wasn't enough, when boarding started and we were showing our tickets, we were told that that was the priority boarding line and the one next to us was for regular joes like us. We were the tenth/twelfth people from the front in the queue and the other queue was moving parallel to us. There was no sign or announcement separating the two queues. Instead of politely mentioning that, this member of BA staff shouts at us for everyone to hear and asks us to go to the back of the line. By then the so-called priority boarding was over so both the queues were meant for everyone. When I mentioned this, she told me that I was cutting the queue and wasting her time. We just moved aside and waited for everyone else to board before we did. I am definitely never going to choose BA again.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteVenice to Gatwick
Date FlownJuly 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"won't be flying BA again"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | New York JFK to Manchester via Heathrow. Budget airline trying to retain a big name brand. Flight was cancelled then booked then delayed. Aircraft was diverted to Liverpool whereby the passengers were subsequently abandondoned. Poor quality, no aftercare and BA customer service extremely poor in responding to complaints, when they eventually did the shrugged it off as "Not their problem". Disappointing and won't be flying BA again.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteNew York JFK to Manchester via Heathrow
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
9/10

"crew are still doing a great job"

(United States)

Verified Review | After flying Boston to London on the A380-800, I returned on a recently retrofitted Boeing 747-400. The 747 seats were newer and much more comfortable than those from my previous flights (they appeared to be the same ones in the economy section on the A380). The seatback TV and in-flight entertainment had been significantly upgraded. The only part of the cabin's aesthetics and comfort that was lacking was the overhead lights, which hadn't been replaced. The cabin crew was polite, professional, and accommodating – no complaints there. The captain even gave us a personal, genuine announcement before takeoff, which was appreciated given the amount of preparation necessary before a long-haul flight. The flight itself was comfortable at 6 hours, 59 minutes, and without delay on either end. While I'm a bit concerned that BA is at risk of turning into a low-cost carrier under the current leadership, my experience was that his crew are still doing a great job.
AircraftBoeing 747-400
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Boston
Date FlownApril 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
2/10

"am soon likely to hate it"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Naples to Gatwick. I used to admire and love BA. I now no longer admire it but dislike it and am soon likely to hate it. I think that one is entitled to have pleasant expectations when paying the not inconsiderable supplement for flying Club Europe. My wife and I have noticed a constant deterioration over the last two years, have complained (and received some Avios in compensation) but, this time, the cup overfloweth, unfortunately not with blessings. We had, once again (!) been allocated aisle seats in separate rows even though my wife’s preference states that she likes a window seat – and there were plenty of seats adjacent to each other available when we were permitted to make online changes so we did manage to get seats next to each other – but why does BA have to keep doing this? The trip as such started well enough in the new BA South Terminal Lounge, which was spacious and had a good selection of drinks, food and magazines. When time came for boarding and, amongst others, Club Europe passengers were invited to board first, there was no check made at all, which resulted in an almighty scrum as just anybody pushed forward immediately, exacerbated by then having to stand cooped up in the stifling bridge for over 10 minutes as the cleaning of the aircraft had not finished. Once boarded, we were – unlike the other Club Europe passengers – not offered a glass of water but, worst of all (and unforgivable) found food debris and other dirt in between our seats (so much for having to wait for the cleaning to be finished). When I opened my meal tray, it clearly had not been cleaned as there were crumbs and stains on it. We took photographs and also pointed our findings out to the very pleasant stewardess, who seemed utterly appalled when she looked. The meal was pleasant but we were not offered coffee or tea afterwards. And whilst I do not object to being served wine from a large bottle, it means one gets only a (smallish) glassful so has to ask for a refill, something not everybody likes to do. This practice of pouring from a large bottle is clearly a cost-cutting exercise. On previous occasions we had been disappointed to find that no lounge facilities for Club Europe passengers are available in airports like Corfu, Rhodes, Heraklion, even Seville (contrary to BA’s website at the time – we were told at all these airports ‘ BA no longer pays for its passengers to have access’) so, this time, my wife enquired well in advance whether we would have lounge access in Naples. She was told No; but at least, we knew beforehand – or so we thought, but when we got the holding area prior to the gate opening, we were joined by some rather merry Club Europe passengers who told us that there was a lounge (though not exclusively for BA use) that they had been able to access and enjoy! Why could the check-in staff not have told us? The waiting area did not have sufficient seats but we were lucky and found some. However, when a young lady arrived to deal with checking boarding cards, passengers who were sitting beyond where she stood, were forced to get up and move all the way back to the other side. Club Europe passengers were amongst the first to be called, so that did not look too bad. Know what? We showed our boarding pass, then had to stand (no seats available) in a very cramped area for 14 minutes before the gate was opened. In other words, we had the doubtful privilege of having to stand for longer than other passengers.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteNaples to Gatwick
Date FlownJuly 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