"exception is British Airways"
Leo Walters (United States)
✅ Verified Review | Every airline which offers Business Class Travel will assign seats when booking the flight. The exception is British Airways. In January, 2016 I booked a flight for two passengers on BA in Business Class from San Francisco to London and back for travel in May/June. Seats in Business Class are not assigned until 48 hours before flight time. However, and here comes another BA first: If you want to choose your seats before that time you can do so by paying an extra fee. I ended up shelling out $484 - for the privilege of selecting two seats for the return flight. This on top of the steep fare charged for travel in Business Class. I don’t begrudge the airlines for their extra profits when the price of fuel takes a massive drop but when an airline then also engages in tactics as described in order to further maximize profitability, I rebel.
| Aircraft | A380 |
| Type Of Traveller | Business |
| Seat Type | Business Class |
| Route | SFO to LHR |
| Date Flown | May 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Wifi & Connectivity | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"unexpectedly served breakfast"
Jake Walker (United Kingdom)
London City to Isle of Man on BA Cityflyer operated by Eastern Airways Saab 2000 aircraft under codeshare agreement. Checked in on line and got the boarding card sent to my BA app. When it came to boarding there were only 14 of us booked on the flight so it required some tinkering by the ground staff to enable the aircraft balance and as a result 10 of the 14 passengers got given new seats - fortunately, I got to keep 11A. Flight time was 55 mins in which I was, unexpectedly, served a full cooked breakfast. The female member of cabin crew was very efficient.
| Aircraft | Saab 2000 |
| Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | LCY to IOM |
| Date Flown | May 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | yes |
"crew professional and friendly"
F Kleinen Hammans (Netherlands)
✅ Verified Review | Amsterdam to Sao Paulo via London Heathrow with British Airways. Comfort on the A321 was very good, stylish leather seats with adjustable headrests. I had mixed feelings about the Boeing 747 to Sao Paulo. The headrests and recline were very good, however IFE was very outdated and limited, and because of the seat recline, hard to see the screen. Also personal space when the passanger in front was in full recline became almost claustophobic. On all flights I found the crew professional, friendly but somewhat reserved. I found the quality and quantity of catering very good.
| Aircraft | A321 / Boeing 747-400 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | AMS to GRU via LHR |
| Date Flown | May 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | yes |
"outrageous red tape"
T Brettel (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | London City to Glasgow with British Airways. Outrageous red tape. Flight delayed to Glasgow so asked if I could go on the earlier flight (no baggage etc.) "Sorry madam, there are empty seats, but the time of sales has passed so we cannot put you on the earlier flight that leaves in 30 minutes". Other airlines let you fly standby except for British Airways. They delay a flight and won't switch you to an earlier flight that has space due to ridiculous red tape. This isn't the first time that this has happened. Worst customer service ever - just pure laziness. Anytime I have the option, I will be flying a different airline.
| Type Of Traveller | Business |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | LCY to GLA |
| Date Flown | May 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"poor customer service"
A Golding (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | My partner and I were flying from London Heathrow to Bombay in March and were due to catch an onward flight to Goa. Unfortunately someone fell seriously ill on the flight and our plane was redirected to Istanbul to allow for them to be taken to a hospital. The redirection meant that we arrived in Bombay 3 hours late and wouldn't make our connecting flight. When we touched down in Bombay the flight attendants said that BA ground staff would help us with missed flights, connections etc, and we should speak with them when we disembarked. On this advice we sought out uniformed BA ground staff in the luggage hall and asked for advice on what to do. They advised us to exit the hall and find an airport-based travel agent and purchase new flights to Goa. When we voiced our concerns about not being reimbursed they reassured us saying that BA would definitely cover it, and went on to say that we should wait 14 days before making a claim through the website. Armed with this advice from BA staff we went ahead and purchased new tickets. Big mistake. Since returning home we have duly followed instructions and tried to claim for reimbursement. Here is the reply we received from BA customer relations: "We've received a reply from Mumbai who've investigated your case. The agent you spoke to can't specifically remember speaking to you personally. He did mention he'd advised customers with separate tickets to make their own arrangements. He also mentioned BA wasn't responsible for any onward travel costs." This is an outright lie. I can only conclude that the BA staff member we spoke with in Bombay was either fobbing us off or was improperly instructed in what to say to customers. Either way British Airways should be held responsible for the advice their staff give. Poor service at the time and poor customer service in the follow up.
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | LHR to BOM |
| Date Flown | March 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"rude and obnoxious"
Kate Smyth (United Kingdom)
My husband and I flew to St Lucia from London Gatwick on 5th May 2016. This was the first time I've flown with British Airways and it will also be the last. Are British Airways training their staff to be as rude and obnoxious as possible? This is certainly how it seems with the awful cabin service we experienced. Our food was literally thrown at us with not a hint of a smile. The gentleman sitting next to me asked the stewardess very politely if he could have a drink, to which she replied "if you want another drink you'll have to go up to the back of the aircraft and get it yourself as I have far too much to do to be running back and forward with drinks for you". Strange as I thought they were there to help passengers. We thought we were just unlucky with this journey but sadly not, as the return journey was pretty much the same. Miserable, unhelpful and downright rude cabin crew. Very disappointed as I thought British Airways would have a bit more class than this.
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | LGW to UVF |
| Date Flown | May 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | no |
"treated incredibly well"
Walter Mythen (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | We were treated incredibly well and staff made our trip as memorable as possible. Having found out we heading off on our honeymoon the champagne flowed and they looked after us so well. In particular an Irish FA was amazing to us and I'd like to thank him and the staff on the flight. We will recommend British Airways to friends and family and this trip would make me choose BA for future flights.
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | LHR to MIA |
| Date Flown | May 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | yes |
"service in a very discreet way"
20 reviews J Hugo (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | I was scheduled to be on BA 114 from JFK to LHR on 17th of May. When I conducted online check-in I was informed that the flight will be one hour late. I proceed to JFK and at check in they kindly moved me to an earlier flight (BA172). Check in was easy and smooth. Terminal 7 at JFK is nothing exciting. Very limited shopping/dining and not enough seating. It feels like a LCC terminal. I was greeted by friendly crew once onboard. The hardware again is very dated - tiny screen, old seat and interior. Legroom was decent though, and because the flight is empty I had plenty of space to stretch out. The flight left JFK with a minor delay. As it's a light flight most passengers were sleeping. Service was done in a very discreet way. The food quality is nothing to write home about. Overall it's a typical BA flight. Very efficient and friendly crew with a very dated and unattractive product. We arrived at Heathrow early despite the late departure in JFK. T5 was a pleasant airport to arrive. Spacious and airy, and there was no queue in immigration. It took me less than 30 minutes to leave the airplane, travel from T5C to T5A, clear immigration and collect luggage.
| Aircraft | Boeing 747-400 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | JFK to LHR |
| Date Flown | May 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | yes |
"let down by inferior product"
20 reviews J Hugo (United Kingdom)
✅ Verified Review | British Airways from London Heathrow to New York JFK on a Boeing 747 which hasn't been refitted. Checked in at Heathrow T5 was smooth and quick. T5 is pleasant enough. Used the BA Galleries lounge in T5A (South). It was busy with very limited food choice during breakfast, although the wine selection was decent. The lounge lacks atmosphere and is very basic in my opinion. The flight left Heathrow late as usual but the captain assured us that we would make up the time and should arrive early. The hardware of this particular flight is sub standard. Very old interior, worn carpet, dated toilet, and a small screen with poor resolution. Entertainment provided was very limited and not as what's being advertised on the website. Amenity pack provided is also very basic. In a way I felt I was on Premium Economy of some Asian airlines. However the seat itself was ok as it has plenty of leg room and is comfortable, although I am not a big fan of the ying-yang design. The service onboard was very friendly and informal. A full service after take off and an afternoon tea before landing. I felt that service has been consistent and is the biggest asset of the airline. It's always let down by it's inferior hardware product. I will always prefer to fly Asian airlines.
| Aircraft | Boeing 747-400 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Business Class |
| Route | LHR to JFK |
| Date Flown | May 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 12345 |
| Inflight Entertainment | 12345 |
| Ground Service | 12345 |
| Value For Money | 12345 |
| Recommended | yes |
"boarding worked well"
Leslie Percy (United Kingdom)
We flew British Airways BA2678 from Gatwick to Dubrovnik on the 26th April. Boarding the plane called in seat rows which worked well. We had booked emergency exit seats on row 12 which had plenty of leg room. Served a simple snack which was edible. The flight was late leaving Gatwick, but only a couple of minutes arriving at Dubrovnik. On leaving the plane the Captain was out saying goodbye and enjoy your holiday.
| Aircraft | A320 |
| Type Of Traveller | Couple Leisure |
| Seat Type | Economy Class |
| Route | LGW to DBV |
| Date Flown | April 2016 |
| Seat Comfort | 12345 |
| Cabin Staff Service | 12345 |
| Food & Beverages | 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
