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 3777 reviews
5/10
4 star Skytrax Rating
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7/10

"the worst lounge experience ever"

(United Kingdom)

My return British Airways flight from Dubai to LHR started badly with the worst lounge experience I have ever visited. A shared lounge for Club and First Class - in either class it is terrible. Tatty and years past a refurbishment. Given that BA has flown this route for decades, one does wonder what they are playing at. I could only enviously look at a pristine Emirates lounge across the departure hall. My wife tried the "breakfast" - a dried up sausage and disgusting scrambled eggs. She declared she would not give it to our dog Charlie, a cocker spaniel. The boarding gate was miles away and BA shipped us over to gate in a golf buggy. It took ages! Apparently they are installing a First lounge later this year, the same story I heard at LAX last year. The flight left on time. FAs were terrific and it seems BA rely on crew to make or break every flight nowadays. The seat was much better than outbound on a Boeing 747. Food okay - starter of "dried" Asian duck was fantastic. Soup very good. Grilled salmon okay - a bit dry. Wines very good and chilled properly, which is often not the case. Only four passengers in First - including my wife and I. It wasn't too bad - but there is no wow factor. Shame.
AircraftBoeing 777
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeFirst Class
RouteDubai to LHR
Date FlownSeptember 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"what is there to like about BA"

(United Kingdom)

British Airways flight was delayed due to a fuelling problem with the aircraft, despite it having been sitting on the ground for 9 hours between flights. The lounges are full of dirty plates and glasses on every table and the food is insufficient for the volume of passengers. Antiquated entertainment system kept coming up with "please wait" several times during the flight, whilst the cabin crew gave apology announcements and kept trying to reset it. British Airways Club World meals are full of packets and wrappers which doesn't exactly reflect a premium product. The cabin looks old and tired. The amenity kit is cheap and useless. I paid to reserve a particular seat and it was changed due to unexplained "operational reasons". Terminal 5 (which is British Airways home) had a complete baggage system breakdown causing queues and chaos, so my luggage arrived 3 days after I did. What is there to like about BA?
AircraftBoeing 747-400
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLHR to PEK
Date FlownAugust 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"dirt between seats that is disgusting"

(United Kingdom)

Absolutely disgusted, delayed by 45 min with no reasons on a quiet night with one other international flight. Baby seat too small, no infant meal available after confirmation at check-in. Entertainment system stuck on a loop and not working. Dirt between seats that is disgusting. Old seats and flight. Flying in 2015 this must be a 20 year old flight, not comfortable. However good leg room.
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteCape Town to London Heathrow
Date FlownAugust 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"too much money for such mediocre service

(United Kingdom)

London to New York JFK is the most profitable route for British Airways. My ticket cost nearly £5,000 return. I fly fortnightly between London and New York JFK. The aircraft are tired, food is poor, even the new gourmet business class food. British Airways management should try the breakfast porridge with salt and blueberries! What about the afternoon tea sandwiches? Yuk. Toilets often out of service and on my last 6 flights at least 1 of the toilets has been out of service. The last flight BA117 on Wednesday 2 September 2015 the power failed meaning all the seats in my section of business class had to be manually positioned. The in-flight entertainment system stopped. The staff were great, but frankly all the company is doing is putting staff in a difficult position. In 2015 my company will have spent £120k on travel to and from London and New York. Too much money for such a mediocre service, aircraft that are many years beyond proper serviceability and a management team focused on shareholder profit not customer satisfaction. What a fall from grace. In August I flew Singapore Airlines London to Melbourne. What a difference in aircraft quality, customer service experience and value for money. Please British Airways, sort yourselves out. Letters to Keith Williams or Willie Walsh are ignored or intercepted by staff. Lots of promises and little or no action. My most recent cabin was held together by pipe insulator. The last one the same, and horrible condensation issue with the air con resulting in a soaked blanket at take off.
AircraftBoeing 747-400
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLondon to New York JFK
Date FlownSeptember 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
6/10

"simply not worth the premium prices"

(United Kingdom)

Compared to the likes of EVA Air or Qatar Airways, British Airways Club World is by far the poor relation. Flew from Glasgow to New York via LHR, the seats have zero storage apart from the small drawer at floor level. It is astonishing that for the money they charge, you have to step over the legs of the person on your outside, especially if you accidentally trip and land on top of them. Food was satisfactory although a small bacon roll for breakfast was again a poor show. AVOD was also satisfactory. Apart from the flat bed, this just really doesn't have a premium feel about it. On our recent trip, on both legs, the crew were excellent, but the product from our national flag carrier simply is not worth the premium prices they charge.
AircraftBoeing 777-200
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteGlasgow to New York via LHR
Date FlownAugust 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
9/10

"BA have improved both service"

(United Kingdom)

Excellent British Airways flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg. My second flight on the A380 which smooth, quiet and very comfortable. I think BA have improved both service and food to a good standard. My husband and I fly very regularly and found the meals on this flight enjoyable - much better than Emirates. However, BA had a disappointing selection of films.
AircraftA380
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteHeathrow to Johannesburg
Date FlownAugust 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
7/10

"service ok"

(United Kingdom)

LHR-ARN-LHR with British Airways, return 29th and 31st August. Check in online quick as was bag drop at T5, used galleries Sth lounge which I've always liked. Breakfast on offer at 7am. Boarding quick however the use of a bus to a remote stand always feels odd at an airlines hub newish aircraft with new Club Europe seating first time using this layout and must say felt not much different to economy. Flight away on time, service ok with english breakfast on offer. Crew ok. Landed a little early. Return check in quick and easy although 3rd party lounge is just ok, flight departed on time lasting 2hr 35min, crew pretty nice and the old CE layout on this A320 appeared comfier, afternoon tea served which was ok. Flight arrived a little late but on to a stand so no bus trip. I'm unsure if Club in Europe is still worth the extra, I have a few more BA European flights coming up so will judge once I've used economy and club once more.
AircraftA320
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLHR to ARN
Date FlownAugust 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
5/10

"I would struggle to get comfortable"

(United Kingdom)

London Heathrow to Dubai in British Airways First Class. The trip got off to a good start with the Concorde lounge at Terminal 5. Very comfortable and private, however showing signs of wear and tear. Needs a bit of a refurb. Boarding was announced and we promptly left, however only just made it to the gate. (Very odd, but I am no fan of the trains to the strange satellite terminals for boarding.) The plane was a very old refurbished Boeing 747-400. Quite why BA hangs on to these gas guzzlers is a mystery. I estimate the plane, over its life so far, has done about 90 million miles (enough to get to the moon). Much criticism has been said about cramming so many First suites into the nose of the plane, and I can say that is fully justified. It was a day flight so not worried about sleeping, but if it were a night flight as a tall (but not overweight) man I would struggle to get comfortable. It’s like a coffin and storage space for personal effects not worth a light. A cabin crew told me they will hang on to the newer Boeing 747-400s for another 5-10 years. If so, this is truly unbelievable. Given the Emirates competition on this route, their fantastic suites and they always serve caviar, one does wonder if the sales and marketing people at British Airways have a clue how to entice customers to the overall experience. There is so much criticism of British Airways on this site, one wonders why they don’t listen. It can only be perceived as arrogance. Food was fine. Very nice mezza, nice soup and spicy Middle Eastern style chicken; not bad at all. Champagne very basic and Krug has long vanished from British Airways routes. Cabin crew were terrific – faultless. Travelling a Boeing 777 on the way back. Hopefully a better seat.
AircraftBoeing 747-400
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeFirst Class
RouteLondon to Dubai
Date FlownAugust 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
6/10

"strange new Club Europe seats"

(United Kingdom)

Brussels to Heathrow with British Airways. Lounge at Brussels very acceptable. Plenty of space. Reasonable snacks (I wouldn’t call it a 'meal'.) Plane pushed back on time and we were airborne in minutes. The flight to LHR was just 40 minutes and straight in without stacking – landing from the East. Barely enough time for a meal, but a number of passengers took advantage of the reasonable looking prawn salad. I was happy with a couple of gin and tonics. Seated in row one, so leg room was okay in the strange “new” Club Europe seats. Overall not bad.
AircraftA321
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLondon to Brussels
Date FlownAugust 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
3/10

"need to up their game"

(United Kingdom)

On the upper deck on BA 282 (Aug 31st), although the equipment is relatively new, once you are in those hideous seats, you wouldn't be aware of what aircraft you are on. Squeezing as many ying yang seats onto an aircraft does not constitute a premium cabin experience. British Airways missed a great opportunity to enhance their club world product, but while other carriers improved their cabins, BA seem content in leading the race to the bottom. The crew on this flight looked as though they did mot wish to be on duty and one in particular was really obnoxious to a child. The child's parents were certainly mare tolerant than I would have been. Crew turned a blind eye to two passengers who decided to retain their luggage from the overhead lockers while the aircraft was still climbing and the seat belt signs were still illuminated. Once the food was served, crew were nowhere to be seen until breakfast was served. Due to the awful food served on this route on a previous trip, I ate before boarding so cannot comment what the offerings were on this sector. The 'Club Kitchen' is a complete waste of time. I did attempt to have a snack from the club kitchen during the overnight flight (after negotiating the outstretched legs of a sleeping passenger) but the unlabeled sandwiches were chilled out of their existence and were inedible. British Airways really need to up their game in respect of offering a premium cabin service.
AircraftA380
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteLAX to LHR
Date FlownAugust 2015
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Inflight Entertainment 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