"lack of care extremely disappointing"
E Roper (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | Hyderabad to London. I have travelled BA numerous times and had very good experiences up until this past week when I was returning from Hyderabad to London from a business trip and was downgraded a cabin. While the downgrade itself was not to so much the problem, the manner in which the BA staff handled the situation and the apparent lack of care or effort exuded was extremely disappointing. I have had previous experiences of being inconvenienced by changes in cabin fair or cancelled flights on other airlines, and in such instances those airlines did a fantastic job of providing alternatives or compensation for my troubles. In this instance with British Airways, I was very surprised to find that the company as a whole seemed to care not at all for my well being or the inconvenience put upon me. When I asked if I could be put on another comparable flight I was shut down and told "no, this is not possible" without any explanation. When I then inquired about switching to a partner airline or receiving a refund to book a different flight on another airline I was told again and again "no, this is not possible". After realising that British Airways was in no way going to try and remedy the situation I asked what could be done given the circumstances. My answer was a to be handed a £75 gift card and be told that there was essentially nothing I could do about it as the airline was under no legal obligation to provide the service (ticket class) I had purchased. After the flight I filed a claim with British Airways and sent emails to the customer service team hoping that someone would have the decency to try and provide some sort of remedy to my less than pleasant experience, but I have yet receive even one response, only adding to my understanding that British Airways does not value myself as a customer or my business. I am sad to say that this painfully bad service is likely to prevent me from booking future travel with this airline.
| Type Of Traveller | Business |
| Seat Type | Premium Economy |
| Route | Hyderabad to London |
| Date Flown | March 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"will not be flying BA any more"
C Newton (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | London to Chicago. In my opinion British Airways have massively decreased in value for its customers both within Europe and Internationally especially as an economy passenger. They are moving more towards being a budget airline. There is no option of a free seat selection, they charge for food on board on short haul flights. On long haul flights they removed a second meal with shabby options of a snack instead of a full breakfast or lunch meal. Avios and Tier Point awards have been slashed. I will not be flying BA any more and will be taking my money elsewhere.
| Aircraft | Boeing 747 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | London to Chicago |
| Date Flown | February 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"plane in both directions old and shabby"
K Tatten (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | London to Vancouver return. British Airways is no longer good value for money. The cost of Premium Economy compared with the quality of service, food, and the general age of the plane make this a fairly pointless exercise. The plane in both directions was old and shabby, staff are fine, but don't really go out of their way to make it a pleasant experience. Particular bugbears were the inability to choose a seat when checking in online as soon as it opened (of course, you have the opportunity to pay an extra £40-£55 each way to choose a seat beforehand). The food quality seems to have declined in the past few years and on a 9pm return flight it took a good few hours to serve the Premium Economy cabin. The tv screens are dirty and small (the system had to be reset on the flight out, took quite a while). For almost double the price of Economy, I don't think it makes sense to fly World Traveller Plus on this route.
| Aircraft | Boeing 747-400 |
| Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
| Seat Type | Premium Economy |
| Route | LHR to YVR |
| Date Flown | March 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"lack of enforcement of the carry on allowance"
1 reviews L Irving (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | Flew London Heathrow to Gibraltar. This is probably the last time that I'll book a short haul with British Airways from Heathrow for anything other than a long holiday - no matter how cheap they make it they can't overcome the structural issues of long walks to gates, delays for take-off slots, long walks back to passport control then long queues as passport control and a schlep back to transport. Willie Walsh was saying the other day how people had to expect to pay higher prices for premium airports - slightly hollow laugh. BA are further constrained by their 2 class cabin configuration which effectively means that the majority of passengers (in Economy) are served by only x2 cabin crew and only have access to the rear toilets. On our flight (of well over 2 hours) this meant that the final few rows did not get access to any food or water until we had begun the descent and the loos were effectively out of use. I have no objection to paying for food and drink but BA have got to make it possible to actually be able to do it and use the loos reasonably easily. Seems like a structural flaw in their offering. The other frustration was the lack of enforcement of the carry on allowance which leads to a scrum to get your bags stowed - it took me back to the early days of EasyJet and Ryanair before allocated seating. So unless I'm lucky enough to be among the pampered minority in the front few rows I think I'll use regional airports and the better general service (and available loos) that come with a single class cabin - no matter who the carrier is.
| Aircraft | A320 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | London Heathrow to Gibraltar |
| Date Flown | February 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"Inflight service was basic"
Kah Kay Au (Singapore)
✅ Verified Review | This is my first time flying on BA's A380 daily service between London Heathrow and Singapore. I chose a seat on the upper deck of the A380 - seat 70A, an exit row seat. Located just behind World Traveller Plus, this seat has enormous leg space which allows the passenger to fully stretch out. The inflight entertainment was adequate and featured some of the latest movies. The classical music selection was severely limited though. BBC News was on the menu but ironically, it was not available for some strange reason. Inflight service was basic. There was only one round of drink service during which cabin crew asked passengers for their drink selection for dinner. In other words, you would have to order your orange juice/Coke and wine at the same time. Cabin crew came around to clear dinner trays too fast even before passengers had finished their meal. Throughout the night of this red eye flight, I did not see any cabin crew coming around with drinks. The LHR - VCE route was operated by the A320. British Airways had recently withdrawn free inflight snacks and drinks for its European routes and passengers are now required to purchase drinks and M&S snacks. On the whole, BA will get you to your destination safely and punctually with no frills in economy class. Unless there is a promotional airfare too good to resist, I would choose another airline.
| Aircraft | A380/A320 |
| Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | Singapore to Venice via London |
| Date Flown | February 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"nothing short of chaotic"
T Robinson (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | British Airways are really trying to take all the worst parts of the budget airlines and make a uniquely poor offering. I recently flew with BA from Gatwick to Marrakech despite the ticket price being twice the price of EasyJet. The catering with the new M&S food can be described as nothing short of chaotic. On the return journey the best that could be offered on a four hour journey was a KitKat! Cost cutting includes removing toilets. Is one toilet for 200 people realistic BA?
| Aircraft | A320 |
| Type Of Traveller | Family Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | London to Marrakech |
| Date Flown | March 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"British Airways have lost the plot"
1 reviews L Rennie (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | London Heathrow to Cape Town return. This return journey was the worst long-haul flight that I've ever taken. British Airways Boeing 747-400 has been configured to cram in as many seats as possible so with only 2 toilets to cater for the front cabin, queues were 5 or 6 people long continuously throughout the flight. There was hardly any legroom and, while it's good that the seats recline quite a way, it's impossible to get in or out of a row without limbo dancing or waking the row in front to move their seats. The seats are very narrow so put pressure on my elbows when i was trying to sleep (I'm not a large lady, only 53kg!) and the entertainment controller is on the top of the armrest so my neighbour was constantly switching my light on accidentally. I gave up trying to watch a movie as the screen was so close to my face I couldn't focus on it. The inflight meal was also very poor, unlike the food we had on five internal flights on SAA which was excellent. British Airways have lost the plot - fly with someone else.
| Aircraft | Boeing 747-400 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | Cape Town to London |
| Date Flown | March 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"how the mighty have fallen"
Geoffrey Wyndham-Jones (Kuwait)
❎ Unverified | Oh dear: cost-cutting on British Airways has led to them becoming an embarrassment. Flew Kuwait to Edinburgh via London. Aircraft are still comfortable, timekeeping is good, and information from the flight deck is always forthcoming. However, most of the cabin crew were "mature", and the food and drink offering is now minimal. Breakfast from Kuwait was eggs mixed with vegetables (no, not the omelette we used to have) plus mushrooms and potatoes both prepared as a mushy sort of tortilla: both looked like something you would spoon out of a tin for a baby. "Lunch" was a mars bar or similar. I did not bother with the "buy on board" stuff on the flight to Edinburgh - I get a better choice in the terminal when I get off the aircraft. The domestic flight back from Edinburgh to Heathrow had the most appallingly childish cabin crew I have ever seen on BA, giggling at each other during the safety demonstration - very unprofessional. The evening meal out of London back to Kuwait was more like a snack, with a smallish steak, three snap peas, three baby carrots (I counted the things), and another babyfood potato thing. "Breakfast" was a muesli bar. Sorry guys: a comment on this board that BA equals "Budget Airline" just about sums it all up. I have other choices from the Gulf back home, and next time I will be thinking about taking one of them: the only attraction with BA is the extra legroom in Premium Economy, the choice of entertainment, and the direct flight to Heathrow rather than having to fly down the Gulf and return. Otherwise, the epitaph "how the mighty have fallen" springs to mind.
| Aircraft | Boeing 747-400 & A320/321 |
| Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
| Seat Type | Premium Economy |
| Route | Kuwait to Edinburgh via London |
| Date Flown | February 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"Hopelessly inadequate product"
Clive Drake (United Kingdom)
❎ Unverified | London Heathrow - Pisa return. I fly this route often as I have a house in Tuscany. I fly British Airways Club Europe only because the FAs are better, the lounge is a welcome benefit - and if you book far ahead enough - you can get a reasonable deal plus Avious points. That aside there is little benefits to flying say Ryanair. The trip started at T5 and the Northern lounge was not, for a change, to busy. Had a fruit and coffee breakfast. The options were a group of highly unhealthy looking bacon baps - dripping fat all over the place. Some years ago - BA provided some nice scrambled eggs. Now they don't. Flight left from the "A" terminal and we boarded "downstairs" from the lounge. The plane was half full. It was clean and valeted. We pushed back 10 minutes early. My wife had a sort of brunch thing, cheese and ham + rolls. She said it was ok. I had a couple of Gin and Tonics. The FA said she had never seen such an empty flight - and neither had I for that matter. The now chargeable food and beverages in Economy went down like a lead balloon apparently. I read the BA "Brochure" on the now chargeable food and as a Sales and Marketing professional - It was the most patronising piece of rubbish I'd ever read. It read as if BA were providing the most amazing product to the benefit of all. And goodness me - the products are not cheap - over a £1 for a kit kat. We landed ahead of time and has to walk the tarmac like Ryanair customers. Several years ago you had the air-bridge. Now you don't. The return flight started in the shared lounge which was rammed. This in part is due to Qatar airlines operating out of Pisa and their Business Class customers use the same facility. Some booze and snacks - nothing edible. Flight delayed by 30 minutes. Plane was rammed. Very pleasant FAs. Afternoon tea - with horrible dried out sandwiches + scones that didn't look like scones. On both flights - the usual three seats with the centre seat being a table. No legroom. Hopelessly inadequate product which can be as high as £600 return. Docked at the "B" terminal and had to walk miles to the trains - that took us back to T5/Terminal "A". All in all - another disappointing experience from the "World's most frugal Airline".
| Aircraft | A321 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Business Class |
| Route | London Heathrow to Pisa |
| Date Flown | March 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"Overall a good flight"
E Smyth (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | Overnight flight from St Lucia to Gatwick. Efficient check in. Lounge at St Lucia was pretty dire, some snacks provided which were ok. Plane on time. Club world middle seats which were a good option for us. The food options on this flight were not of the usual standard I would expect of business class. The starter of melon and cucumber was poor. The chicken main was overcooked and lacked any flavor. Drinks were good. Some options missing as not loaded but quality generally good. FA's were in the main good but some better than others. I was well looked after. However, the FA attending to my wife lacked experience and it showed. Overall a good flight. On the subject of baggage, it would seem that few of us with priority tagged baggage received their bags quickly (mine were almost last!).
| Aircraft | Boeing 777-200 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Business Class |
| Route | St Lucia to Gatwick |
| Date Flown | March 2017 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | yes |
Flat bed seat / suite
In-seat &/or USB power
Onboard WiFi
Audio / video on demand
On demand dining
Fine wines & beverage service
Pillows & duvet / blanket
Pyjamas / Sleepsuit
Amenity kit
On demand dining
Seat pitch : 31 ins
Seat width : 17 ins
In-seat &/or USB power
Inflight entertainment
