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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8/10

"professional and friendly"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Las Vegas, and a great journey. The flight was on time and staff were professional and friendly. The inflight meals were tasty and the portions of a good size. Although the seats are a bit narrow, they were comfortable and the leg room was adequate. Facilities on the plane were clean. Would definitely fly BA again.
AircraftBoeing 747-400
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Las Vegas
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
5/10

"on a race to the bottom"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Rome return. Race to the bottom. My first time with the new buy onboard service. I was not happy when they announced this and this flight confirmed my disappointment. Basically it does not work. I can understand in some ways why they decided to offer a wide range of food options. I would have accepted this if they had kept the free drinks. Even soft drinks are chargeable - I don't think this is acceptable. However, despite the extensive menu, there was an extremely limited selection available. One crew member came round soon after the flight took off and took orders for hot food. There was a 20-25 minute wait time for this. The crew then came around with the drinks trolley. This was extremely slow. The payments could only be made with credit cards or Avios points. The payment added significant times to process. Despite sitting 3 rows from the front of the cabin, we didn't get our drinks until 30 minutes after they started. There was only the one trolley, and they were still serving the rear of the cabin as we were starting our decent. CEO Alex Cruz and British Airways - your airline used to distinguish itself from the competition but you are on a race to the bottom - more rows in economy, 10 abreast in some 777's and other cost cutting measures mean that even though I'm a Silver Exec club member I am now considering my future travel options. I live near Manchester Airport and KLM/Air France and Lufthansa are more attractive options.
AircraftA320
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon Heathrow to Rome
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"treats customers with such contempt"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Edinburgh to London City. Despite having a confirmed booking, when I attempted to check-in with a prepaid-for bag at 1535 at the EDI airport for a 1655 flight to LCY (domestic flight) I was told I couldn’t as the flight had been oversold. I accepted an offer to switch to a later flight on the same route with Flybe and take compensation but then was told the compensation couldn’t be authorised so I had to ‘wait’. I then stood around for 10 minutes, being asked to ‘move out of the way’ at one point because I was blocking others. I was not given a copy of the compensation scheme details (despite what the BA website claims should be done) and the staff seemed unclear of it themselves. I was simply ignored until I approached the desk again and insisted to speak to a supervisor. None was available nor could be contacted, apparently. I wasn’t allowed to transfer to the Flybe flight “in case” a seat became available on my original flight, so they tagged my luggage but did not check it in. I was told to wait for another 20 minutes. I argued this was not fair to leave me in limbo given I had a confirmed booking in the first place but I was basically ignored and informed this flight is regularly oversold and it’s not their problem that other people had checked-in before me. I was treated as a nuisance. At one point, there were 5 members of BA check in staff doing nothing (nobody else to serve) whilst I was just standing silently there ‘waiting’ and being ignored. After 20 minutes of not knowing what to do, my original flight closed and I was approached by a supervisor (who suddenly was available to talk to me) and given a seat. I asked how it was that a seat has magically appeared if earlier I had been told the flight was already full with no seats available. He explained that the seats had been prepaid for by others who had then not checked in, and as the check-in was closing, they could give me the seat now. I informed him that I resented having been treated rudely by his staff earlier (though the supervisor himself was professional and courteous) and that his staff are untrained to deal with overbookings. I had done nothing wrong to deserve being treated so shabbily, like a problem rather than a customer. I then had a predictably stressful rush through security to ensure I was not denied boarding at the gate for being late (even though I had arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare originally, especially for a domestic flight). As I told the supervisor, if the airline treats its customers with such contempt, do not be surprised that the public ends up viewing the airline with contempt. Under their current policy of overbooking, passengers who do not pay more to reserve a seat in advance are at risk of not getting a seat at all, even though they have a confirmed booking. Some would call this cheating. The saving grace of the experience was that the flight was punctual, and unlike mainline BA, this route is run by its subsidiary BA CityFlyer which still offers complimentary drinks and a snack for which the cabin crew service was efficient. I rate it 2 out of 10 for the stress incurred in checking in.
AircraftEmbraer 170
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteEdinburgh to London City
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
4/10

"I was highly disappointed"

(Ghana)

Verified Review | Accra to London Heathrow on BA is a 6 hr 50 min overnight flight. Sleeping on overnight flights in economy class is an ordeal in itself, bit I was highly disappointed that more than an hour before landing - we had just entered French airspace - all cabin lights were put on bright for the breakfast/snack service (following the dinner after take-of in Accra): the more since this service consisted of a cup of tea or coffee (or cold drink) only. Not even a biscuit was offered. I was shocked.
AircraftBoeing 747
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteAccra to London 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
4/10

"Short-sighted management or what?"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | This a tale of two airlines and their individual approaches to Business Class passengers. We were flying to Mauritius on holiday and I felt, given the flying time, we should spoil ourselves and fly up-front with all the 'comparative' comfort of Business Class. The British Airways flight itself was okay, the crew friendly and the cabin worked fine. However, I was totally shocked by the standards of catering in the Gatwick Lounge (a small issue for some perhaps, but for me, it's all part of the Business Class experience). To illustrate my point, I attach a shot of what Walsh's policy of putting shareholders first actually means for fare-paying passengers. With the very confusing layout that greets one in the South Terminal now that BA have moved in, the 'serve yourself' check-in (you even label your own bags!). I was pretty frustrated by the time we actually found the 'Lounge'. But then to be greeted with this, was totally unacceptable. So, Willie, rather than screwing down costs for the benefit of your shareholders, this sort of display of overt cost-cutting has now lost you revenue for the future. Short-sighted management or what? Take a lesson from Emirates who I decided to fly home with, so disgusted was I over our experience. They put passengers first!
AircraftBoeing 777
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLondon Gatwick to Mauritius
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
7/10

"a reasonable experience"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | London Heathrow to Vancouver return.Both flights were punctual but sadly the 747-400 aircraft used are now beginning to look their 20 plus years of age, especially compared to the A380s BA have used on this route. The cabin is looking rather tired and worn and the seats are not comfortable enough for a 9 hour flight. I was very pleased to have booked an exit row seat for additional room. The IFE system is also quite dated and limited compared to modern offerings. On the plus side the cabin staff were friendly, helpful and courteous and this is somewhere BA seem to do well. Food and drink were complimentary and of decent quality for economy class. Boarding at YVR was very well organised, less so at the Heathrow end. It is also a shame that these flights depart from the cramped Terminal 3 at Heathrow. Overall a reasonable experience, but one that they could improve to excellent with a bit more polish.
AircraftBoeing 747-400
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteLondon to Vancouver
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
10/10

"Flight barely a quarter full"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Return trip from Washington Dulles to London Heathrow. Flight was barely a quarter full. Going to Washington flight was probably only about a third full. Attendants said it was the quietest they had every seen. Given that I was on an A380 it really did look empty. Food and service was good both ways and the aircraft was only a couple of years old. Plenty of room on the downstairs cabin and the overhead lockers seemed larger than any other airliner I'd flown on. I was given an exit row seat which was very welcome. BA usually charge £58 for this seat. It meant about 5 foot of legroom and because the next cabin in front was business class the toilets were curtained off for the entire flight meaning the area was very quiet. No real gripes although the "snack" served about an hour before landing has been downgraded from a small meal to a tiny Twix chocolate and a cup of coffee. Flight cost £430 and using some airmiles I knocked this down to £330. Loads of interactive channels to watch but films weren't the best but that's a personal thing.
AircraftA380
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteWashington to London
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"food had no taste whatsoever"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Bangkok to London with British Airways. I'm a frequent flyer. For a change, we decided to fly BA to London from Thailand for our 12 hour journey. When we were seated, we realized that the seat cushion was coming away. Underneath there were lots of litter. We then realized that we can't watch movies etc due to fact that there was no sound. I informed the cabin crew and they said that they will report to relevant people etc. Our other complaint was the food - it had no taste whatsoever and was served with plastic cutlery which broke few times. In short I would not recommend flying with BA.
AircraftBoeing 777
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteBangkok to London
Date FlownJanuary 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
7/10

"service good, food adequate"

(China)

Verified Review | London to Hong Kong with British Airways. The flight is good as I booked the best business seat and it is imperative if flying BA to get this best seat 16K, other seats are below standard for long haul business. Yet a similar seat on an A380 is better. Service is good and food is adequate. I fly this route many times on BA rather than CX: CX is better but BA better priced, and that is, if you get the best seat. 7 points for B777 and 8 for A380.
AircraftBoeing 777
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLondon to Hong Kong
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
8/10

"flight OK with snack and drink"

(China)

Verified Review | Flying British Airways from Paris to London is less convenient as they are the only major airline that has the check in counter located one floor down at basement, but good that on this occasion the business class lounge is relocated to the Cathay Pacific lounge as this caters for long haul passengers. Boarding on time but held in tarmac for half an hour, not BA's fault. The pilot tried to make up time but still failed by a few minutes to have lost the allotted time, so the aircraft parked a mile away with inconvenient stair deplane and coach connection, but good that business passengers are taken away first in a separate car. The flight is OK with snack and drink.
AircraftA320
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteParis to London
Date FlownFebruary 2017
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes

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