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 3791 reviews
5/10
4 star Skytrax Rating
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1/10

"BA has lost the plot"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Rome to Heathrow flight on the 23rd June delayed take off over 6 hours due to technical fault. Minimal information and absolutely no customer service or support. No refreshments provided. The only information we received was when the captain came of the aircraft to tell us what was happening, he was the only one who cared. BA support and service in Rome was non existent. After take off the cabin crew came around with their trolley of drinks and unbelievably I had to pay £2.30 for a cup of tea despite a 6 delay with no refreshments provided. BA is now an overpriced budget airline with no service focus, actually thats unfair to budget airlines who provide much better service. BA has lost the plot.
AircraftBoeing 767
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteRome to Heathrow
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"BA are going backwards"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Chennai to London. What a mistake, I selected this route for a two reasons, I wanted to try the new British Airways 787 in Club class and the timing. But I have nothing good to say about the whole thing. The lounge at Chennai was poor but at least it was near the gate. Once aboard the plane we discovered that instead of what I think should be standard in Business class there is no direct aisle access for the Window seats and if you're in the Aisle seat you'll have people climbing over your legs to access the aisle and the hostess leaning over you to serve the person in the window seat, the layout is quite crazy. The seats themselves are fairly standard business class arrangements but its how BA have crammed them all in that's the issue. I had the window seat and initially I found it OK, but as it was a very long all daytime flight I had to dim the window and that's the point you can only dim them down, there is no blind, the sun still shines through, OK I accept it's like looking through very dark Sun glasses but it's not possible to cut out the light as you get with blinds. I understand several other airlines are retro fitting blinds on the 787 but this is a major error by Boeing. It was my second flight on a 787, both were 11 hour plus flights, the earlier one I made was at night so no issue with the window blinds. I've not noticed any advantage in the higher pressure of the aircraft I find myself just as tired after a flight as I would be on any other aircraft. I'm a long term supporter of BA and I'm so upset that BA are going backwards, focusing on profits and ripping off the customer. Sorry BA but there are so many good airlines out there competing for your business please wake up and start delivering service to customers not just cram them in and take the money, because it won't last, people like me will move on.
AircraftBoeing 787
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteChennai to London
Date FlownNovember 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
4/10

"Leg room was atrocious"

(Australia)

Verified Review | Flew London Gatwick to Genoa with British Airways. Fast check in at the smart new premium area at Gatwick. Brand new lounge was really comfortable and with a great selection of food, drink and magazines, access to the lounge not very convenient but given the design of the terminal I realize that nothing can be done about that. The gate number was only announced 20 minutes prior to the gate closing and it was 20 minutes away at at fast pace, especially as there was a queue to exit the lounge by the two elevators. On board our Club Europe seats that we had paid extra to choose, something that no other airline that I know of does with a full Business Class fare, was behind the curtain. Overhead bins were full so ourselves and another 2 Club Europe passengers had to put their bags further back in the economy cabin without assistance. An engineer was called to try to move the divider and curtain back but it was stuck and remained between rows 2 and 3 with our seats being in row 3. My special meal was not on board however the crew member in the premium cabin was very obliging and a crew meal was provided for the short flight. Leg room was atrocious for Business Class and seats are the same as economy. Because the curtain could not be drawn, the Business Class toilet was used by Economy Class passengers and at times Business passengers had to queue behind them. Given the high expectations following the experience on the ground the plane was not up to standard however the service provided despite these lapses was great. Had to wait for about 20 minutes for bags despite being the only aircraft at Genoa Airport. In all this was not a Business Class quality flight, we should have flown economy for a quarter of the price.
AircraftA321
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLondon Gatwick to Genoa
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"now providing a very inferior product"

(Ghana)

Verified Review | Flew British Airways from Beijing to London Heathrow. The cabin crew did their best, but they know they are now providing a very inferior product compared to other carriers. Cut backs are evident everywhere, from the small and very cheap hot towels (offered only once during the ten hours flight) and the nuts (presented in a packet, other than with other airlines on china and warm - this might seem a small niggle, but it is indication of BA saves costs - by annoying their premium cabin customer). The amenity kits, presented in a shoe bag, is a joke really. To be honest one gets a better premium cabin product from other One World members (Royal Jordanian and Qatar for example). Flight left and arrived on time - but the airline should be more than that. The offering within the flight needs to be competitive and regain some ground. Was presented, at the second meal serice, with frozen pawns on bread (returned and a de-frosted plate came by return). Unsure if prawns being frozen and unfrozen as a good idea - but no effect as yet. Part of the seat was covered with food from the previous flight, I covered it up with a spare blanket. Despite there being enough toilets for Club World passengers there was often a line of people waiting from World Traveller Plus - snaking past seat in rows 15 and 16. No control of passengers from World Traveller Plus coming in to the Club World cabin. Toilets were not cleaned through the flight by crew - twice they were in a bit of state so I ended up cleaning the floor with tissues myself. Lovely. Shame to see one of the great carriers fall to such low levels.
AircraftBoeing 777
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteBeijing to London Heathrow
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
5/10

"BA please admit your mistake"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Flew British Airways from Corfu to London Heathrow. Food service a joke. I have never written a review on anything in my life, but how can an airline like British Airways spend probably millions of pounds setting up a new food paying service by using an antiquated system of the poor cabin staff needing to find each individual item picture on the hand held computer and check they have entered the correct number of items instead of using barcodes? Unbelievable if the company has become so badly managed, (how many quangos to come up with this decision?) that common sense is lost in corporate nonsense. Apart from that, flight great, but sorry BA please admit your mistake and put this right.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteCorfu to London
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"such bad customer service"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Heathrow to Santorini. We were at the gate when BA cancelled our flight. We could not get booked on another flight and we got told to go home without our luggage. It took them 4 days to return it. BA will not reimburse us the cost of the flights at £1,200 or the cost of the hotel at £2,000. This is a total disgrace. How can they be allowed to do that? Book with another airline to ensure you actually arrive. Never experienced such bad customer service and refusing to refund our money is outrageous.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteHeathrow to Santorini
Date FlownMay 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
8/10

"has been hit by cost savings"

(South Africa)

Verified Review | Leeds to Durban via London / Johannesburg. Check in at Leeds was efficient. Security was slow, so fast track was appreciated. Boarding was relatively quick and flight departed early. Seating was reasonably comfortable but cramped, and service is basically non existent unless one is prepared to pay for food. Transfer at Heathrow was a breeze, surprisingly with no further security check. Boarding commenced in good time and was quick and smooth onto the upper deck, with a pleasant greeting from the crew. The premium economy cabin is very pleasant with good seat width and legroom. The seats are comfortable, but both our seats were faulty. Mine would not stay upright and my wife's would not recline. Unfortunately we did not realise the extent of the problem immediately and only reported it next morning. We were moved to business class - we should have reported it immediately! Sparkling wine and fruit juice were offered before take off, unfortunately the quality has been hit by cost savings. Bar service followed quickly after take off, but again the quality of wines was average and not up to the standard offered by other airline in premium economy. We both ordered beef fillet for dinner - alternative was chicken - which was good and served on proper crockery with decent cutlery. Breakfast next morning was economy class fare with plastic cutlery, which along with the cheap and nasty amenity kit lets down the standard and one questions whether the cost saving is really worth the negative impression created. The A380 is very quiet and most passengers seemed to sleep. There were several drink runs during the night, and the cabin crew were quite active. Arrival was on time and everything went smoothly. The final connection to Durban with BA franchise, Comair, was a reminder of the difference between flying in South Africa and flying in Europe. More space and full service on a one hour flight.
AircraftA319 / A380 / Boeing 737
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypePremium Economy
RouteLeeds to Durban via London / Johannesburg
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
7/10

"such a miserly product"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | I had an early morning flight from London Heathrow to Dublin to attend a memorial service in Ireland. The check-in process seems to have been automated and I am not impressed. I saw an elderly Chinese couple struggle with the computers and a uniformed staff member in BA uniform walked away and ignored them. I intervened and assisted. The interior of the aircraft was spotless. However, there was no catering per se other than a to buy Marks and Spencer items. No cash was accepted and the staff were very embarrassed. The cabin crew were lovely people and deserve better than to have the name of a once proud national carrier reduced to such a miserly product. Arrival was punctual.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon Heathrow to Dublin
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
4/10

"time to pull up its socks"

(Laos)

Verified Review | Bangkok to Luxembourg via London. Premium economy on British Airways is disappointing. The Bangkok to London route is served by B777 aircraft that look like they've seen better days. Boarding was chaotic on both outward and return flights. Seats are old and worn, not very wide, and with little recline. The IFE is poor in terms of choice, the screens are the smallest I've ever seen, and the sound quality is very bad. The food served is ok. Service on board during the outward leg was perfunctory but excellent on the return leg, with the cabin attendant who served me being a real credit and asset to the airline. The short haul flights between London and Luxembourg (in economy) were good. It's time for British Airways to pull up its socks if it wants to compete with the leading Asian, Middle Eastern airlines, or even the better European ones.
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypePremium Economy
RouteBangkok to Luxembourg via London
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"lack of honesty and transparency"

(United States)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Paris Orly. I have been a gold member of BA over 25 years making approx 100 flights per year We have been through ash clouds, strikes, IT breakdowns and weather and of late the spiral of poor response has picked up pace. I didnt think it could get worse but it did. Arrived at the airport and my app said on time, screens said on time but my independent tracking app said 3 hours delay. In the first class lounge I was told short delay. Knowing how inaccurate BA can be I asked to speak to special services. One hour later I asked again. I got an arrogant manager who lectured me that she was only two on duty, take it up with Alex Cruz and there were more important flyers like royalty and celebrity. Unimportant is how I felt after 25 years of Gold guest list. She then told me the flight was cancelled and said I would have to either accept the flight the next morning or make my own arrangement .Staff didnt know how to get people out of the airport and despte flights on time for Charles De Gaulle no alternative was offered. I had to concede and cancelled critical business discussion and then beg BA for a refund which they tried to sidestep. The moral of this story is when your gut tells you trust has gone believe it and at BA it is systemic lack of honesty and transparency and it all points to the CEO. The other interesting fact is I did look at choices before booking including Easy jet <100 pounds Air France 500 pounds and foolishly I felt loyalty meant something. Not at this airlin . The salt in the wound is that Easyjet and AF got to their destination on time and no doubt executives on those flights are enjoying a good business day in France. It is incredible that one airline who carry's the British flag is such a disgrace. I am sure that a small percentage are satisfied but looking at the chaos and disbelief in the lounge last night echoes the most common phrase heard in airline speak. What has happened to BA and we wont fly them again.
AircraftA319
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon Heathrow to Paris Orly
Date FlownJune 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 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