British Airways

We flew London Heathrow to Singapore business class for the first time with BA and was not impressed - the cabin crew did the bare minimum they could get away with and as for the seating arrangement we just could not get our head around it - thank goodness we changed our seats prior to flight - we sat on the 2 outer seats that were ok though a bit narrow - felt so sorry for the people who sat in the middle seats as they had to face strangers on the take off and landing - we fly long haul on this route 4 times a year and can quite honestly say that after our experience with BA we would not wish to fly with them again.

I recently flew on British Airways long haul on a flight from Philadelphia to New Delhi havinh not having travelled with British Airway for around a decade. I had been a huge fan of British Airways in the past and was very curious to see how their inflight product and entertainment had changed in that time. I also was curious to see Heathrow's new Terminal 5. British Airway's overall product has improved in that time. On the first leg from Philadelphia to London I was very happy to notice the new seats with excellent comfort with adjustable headrests and new Audio Video on Demand (AVOD) entertainment systems. I had been travelling with noise cancelling headphones which made the experience a thoroughly enjoyable one. Inflight entertainment system is sophisticated and I enjoyed their World music section in particular. The Asian vegetarian meals was of a high standard for the most part. My only criticism in this area was that on the second meal (breakfast) we only were served a fruit platter and had to ask for the croissants everyone else were given. In addition I found the chapatis on the Delhi-London sector to be hard as rocks. Otherwise the meals were very good. Terminal 5 is a gem of an airport but the true highlight of the journey was on the London-Philadelphia sector when I had the opportunity to fly on the Dreamliner. The plane is a marvel. The windows are huge dimmable by button too. The bathrooms are larger than usual and the flight was very smooth. Additionally the legroom on the Dreamliner is impressive - an improvement on the B777. And finally a word about the cabin attendants. Their level of friendliness varies from person to person but for the most part they represent the best traditions of British hospitality - informal politeness. All in all I was happy with my BA trip and they continue to perform as one of my favourite airlines.

LGW-AGP and back. 737-400s on both journeys. These aircraft are looking very tatty now - seats worn cabins grimy and dingy. The 'food' was a soggy half-wrap with a filling-free miniature roll - it was unacceptable on a 2hr45m flight. No choice offered by the cabin crew even though they had 3 options. The claim that their food offering is appropriate to the time of day is hogwash - we were served exactly the same thing at 10.30am on the outbound flight as at midnight on the return. Although we benefited from it on this trip BA need to change their hand luggage policy. There simply isn't space for 150+ passengers to bring 2 bags which caused a lot of angst particularly on the return trip (both flights were completely full). On the upside both flights were on time and the crews were friendly - the return crew dealt well with a potentially disruptive family group.

We have just flown economy class London to Los Angeles on the A380. Outbound the meal was chicken which I do not eat so I was offered an almost inedible pasta dish. No more food was offered until 2 hours before landing chicken sandwiches I asked for a replacement cheese and chutney was offered. I was actually hungry by this time. Return journey was chicken curry replaced by vegetarian lasagne. Breakfast was awful a cardboard box containing a croissant jam cereal bar and a packet of dried cranberries. The service between meals was non existent. By far the worst airline food I have ever eaten. Sorry no British Airways for us.

October 16th Ibiza to London Heathrow. Well a great service as usual and we actually arrived on time for once 5 minutes ahead of schedule that is a miracle for London Heathrow! The only thing about British Airways is that they only do one drinks service I am sure two is far more appreciative as I know other scheduled airline services do more than one on a 2hr flight. Tea/Coffee only gets offered a poor once. But great flight all in all!

LHR-IAD-LHR 29/9 and return 13/10. We booked our original flights on WTP on the A380 and B777 both fitted with the revamped World Traveller Plus - far more comfortable than the old style WTP with an infinitely better IFE system. So guess how pleased I was when BA changed the aircraft on both flights to the now very aged and decrepit B747's with the old style WTP. The 747's really should be pensioned off and replaced with A380's - they are old grimy and falling to pieces. Our B747 was filthy. The catering on the way out to Washington was not too bad - a half decent fillet steak. On the way back beef again but nowhere near as nice and a truly horrible pathetic cold hard croissant and jam that passed for breakfast. Inedible and disgraceful. Good grief BA can't you even pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds? The good points: both flights were on time and the FA's were OK. That's it. This would almost be acceptable except for the final insult - charging for choosing your seat after confirmation of the flight. This is cheap nickel and dime low cost airline stuff and not what you should expect from the nation's flag bearing airline. No other major airline that I regularly use does this - not even small ones like Bangkok Airlines or United Express. It is shameful - even our American friends who flew BA back to Chicago were dumbfounded. You expect it on Ryanair or other low cost outfits but this really shouldn't happen on your national airline. I recommend BA but with enormous reservations - try to book on the B777 or A380 and if you don't need to choose your seat before check in you'll be OK.

OSL-LHR in Business. BA has over the last few years put less priority on Oslo and SAS today has a better offering. BA is the only flag carrier in Oslo that does not offer fast track security. The Menzies ground staff are doing their best but does not have any authority to help when things go wrong. Particularly the evening flights are very often delayed due to late incoming aircraft from LHR and I have several times been an hour or more delayed and lost intercontinental flights as a result. The de-icing procedure is also much slower than on SAS. The lounge in Oslo is nice but not magnificent. BA has better service in business class than SAS with better food and free middle seat. You do however pay much more than for SAS Plus. The crew was friendly and did their best on my last flight but seemed badly trained forgot to serve bread with the meal and spent a lot of time chatting in the galley. One sometimes miss the old well trained BA staff. SAS also very often offer internet access on the London flights which is a plus.

Heathrow to Bergen Business no priority boarding bus out to plane which was packed - a bad start. Aircraft cold slow cabin service and in fact glad to get off. Food was ok the cooked English breakfast was nice.

BA176 JFK to Heathrow 13 October 2014. The outward flight had been so awful so the return surely could not be any worse. How wrong I was. Arrived at business check-in at JFK terminal 7. No staff at desk. Boarding pass printed at machine but had to wait nearly twenty minutes to check luggage. Agent was rude and unhelpful. Onto the BA lounge. Sagging shabby seats and no food except crisps. On asking the receptionist where the food was I was told passengers normally use the much advertised "pre-boarding supper" facility. Asked when this opened and was told it was not operating. Eventually some badly cut sandwiches and lumps of cheese with crackers appeared. No hot food was available. Two hours before departure the flight was posted as four minutes late. No further information was posted. When I asked for an update thirty minutes before scheduled take-off I was told there would be an announcement shortly. Eventually a barely audible announcement came that the plane was now boarding. The departures board had not been updated so premium passengers were forced to shuffle along with those in the main cabin. Onboard after presenting my boarding pass I was given a grunted down there with no indication as to which side of the plane I was seated. On reflection late boarding may have been a blessing. I lost count of the times I was knocked by oversized and heavy hand luggage. Eventually the safety demonstration was played on the IFE system. The sound was inaudible. Surely a safety hazard. Similarly all announcements from the cockpit went unheard. We took off one hour and fifteen minutes late with no explanation given for the delay. The wine selection was very limited on the flight as was the menu two choices of main course and only one dessert - I asked if I could have the advertised ice cream snack for desert to be told there was none on board. Food was barely edible. Service was poor. The cabin crew seemed intent on throwing trays round as fast as possible. My salad was served with desert (which I did not want) on the tray. The main course was overcooked beef near raw vegetables. I was made to feel a nuisance when I asked for a second glass of wine. The narrow seat converted to a narrow and not very comfortable bed. Other carriers provide mattresses and duvets. BA seem to think a tacky blanket will do. The whole service has been downgraded to the standards I would expect in economy class. The nicieties that used to mark business flights have been lost in the pursuit of profit. Given that BA charge far more that their competitors for this route I was thoroughly disappointed. I will not use any BA flight again if there is an alternative available.

Very impressed with Premium Economy on BA Sydney to Heathrow and return. Nice also to have an unsolicited upgrade to Business on return Singapore to Sydney.