NTarrant flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 Mid J (11/05/2013 20:17)

LAX-LHR BA278

Check in at LAX was quick and polite, using the First desk. Security was busy but moving, the process taking about 15 minutes.

Arrived at the Oneworld lounge and directed to the First lounge. The lounge is decorated mainly in grey and there is no natural light. Ample computers available for use and wifi good. Food offering a little limited, although the garlic and tomato soup was tasty. There were two other dishes available a chicken dish and a vegetarian option along with rice and a few vegetables. There was nothing much in the way of “snack” food.

Boarding was called 45 minutes before departure and it was a 10 minute walk to the gate. Getting through the gate was quick as fast track was being dealt with first. We were welcomed on board by name and directed to our seats on the upper deck where we were warmly greeted by the two stewardesses.

Drinks were offered and we pushed back was on time. Once in the air, hot towels were offered, menus and amenity kits. Menu was a bit disappointing in that there was no chicken dish other than salad. I opted for the beef which was tender and tasty. The mash potato was a bit runny. I took the desert and the cheese board which were fine.

Breakfast was served an hour and three quarters before landing, hot towels were offered. The choice was fruit or bircher muesli, I wanted the muesli but had to wait for a few minutes whilst one was sourced from down stairs. It was worth waiting for. The smoothie was good but the bacon roll was not that good.

Arrival was 20 minutes early and disembarking was swift at B terminal with no real wait for a shuttle. Immigration was very quick and for the first time in a long time the priority labels worked as our baggage was within the first 20 bags, also marked priority.

We made our way to the arrivals lounge for a shower and refreshment. The lounge was quiet but the food offering was limited.

A most pleasant flight with an excellent crew who made us feel welcome and nothing too much trouble.

TominScotland flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B777-200 (Four class) (08/05/2013 18:30)

I joined the Heathrow - Bahrain - Doha service, having transfered from my Glasgow flight in T5. I spent some time in the First Lounge (see elsewhere for my very positive comments about catering and general ambience) and then headed out to the C Gates area, which was incredibly quiet - indeed, I think our flight was the only one scheduled for departure at that point.

Boarding started very early, with priority passengers called first. Given the quiet gate area, this did not look like a busy flight and so it proved, with all cabins seemingly well down on 50%. I was greeted by name on boarding, which was fine but not so very important to me. I was seated in 21B, the first row of WT+ but, with plenty of seats free in the cabin, I migrated a few rows back to to have sole occupancy of the four block in the centre and, with nobody in front of me, had a perfect environment for the serious work I was planning on this daytime flight.

The seat and legroom in the revamped WT+ on BA is as good as anything I have tried in this class - superior to Qantas which I have liked in the past and, I would say, probably as good as if not better than Cathay. The seat is wide, legroom allows passengers easy access to the inside while you remain seated and the overall feel of the seat is soft and supportive, if that makes sense. Add to that, both plug and usb power and a reasonable sized screen and things were really looking good for my planned working day on board. I will see what the seat is like for sleeping on my return leg next week.

We pushed back a few minutes late, due to ATC restrictions but, after a short taxi, were airborne and promised a 6 hour flight. Service started soon after we settled into the cruise and here BA does loose out a bit to QF and CX in that the drinks offering is that of economy and the meal service, while enhanced by Business options, lacks the table cloth and finish of the alternatives. However, for me, space and facilities far outweigh food and drink so BA wins by a short head in this class. That said, my beef curry was very tasty.

I worked solidly excepting for food and comfort breaks and did so in comfort and with the ability to spread papers etc all around me - almost like my somewhat cluttered office!! Cabin service staff and attentive (if you required them) were fine and helpful to other passengers looking to enhance their experience with champagne. Sandwiches (wrapped but very fresh) and a Kitkat were served about 45 minutes out from Bahrain.

We landed bang on time and taxied into the terminal. It is about 20 years since i have been to Bahrain I was somewhat surprised to face a demand for 5 dinar and to see my passport disappear into a back office with the abrupt command to "Sit", pointing to some seats. After about 10 minutes, my passport (thankfully) reappeared and was processed, along with a visa receipt. After that, a short wait for my luggage to appear and out into the sticky heat and my hotel transport.

I cannot speak highly enough about BA's new WT+ product - very much 1980s Business Class with the added benefits of seat-side power etc.

Shortie flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (06/05/2013 07:41)

I flew from Newark to Heathrow on the 21.25 departure on a Saturday evening. Upon arrivals, the dopey taxi driver dropped me on level 3 despite me telling him to go to level 1. Thankfully ground staff helped me with my bags to the check-in counter. Check-in was fast and staff were very friendly.

There was a fast-track lane at security, but as only one lane was open the queue was long and the wait even longer. This looks set to continue in the future due to the US budget cuts impacting airports. The queue was made no longer by a young teenager who had already passed through security and while looking for the toilets had managed to walk back to the public departure hall. This caused a security incident and some angry officials and parents. I thought the teenager did very well in showing the holes in US Customs and Border Control, but I kept this to myself.

Once through security, I made my way to the lounge via the elevator. A note to those who don't like elevators - these are slow and take a while to open, but do work. Upon arrival at the lounge, I was told that my flight was a sleeper flight so I was shown to the area where I could have dinner. The buffet was not as extensive as JFK, but it was very good and staff couldn't do enough. After dinner, I headed to the gate and noted that the BA plane was beside the Virgin flight flying the same route. The Virgin flight was an hour late, but thankfully our flight was on time!

Boarding started early and premium passengers boarded after those with children or who need help wit boarding. The first thing I noticed was the bad mood of the cabin crew on my side of the business class cabin. Neither of this could raise a smile and were downright rude to the 2 American couples who were traveling to London for the first time. I was embarrassed and told them all Brits are not as moody as the crew and we had a good laugh.

I didn't try the entertainment for two reasons - I wanted to sleep and the AVOD has not been upgraded so is painful to manage. This plane gets upgraded in May. I slept for just over 5 hours and had no breakfast as I prefer the arrivals lounge.

We landed ahead of time and bags were on the carousel when I arrived. All in all a good flight with great on the ground staff, but staff on the flight let BA down

trusman flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a B737-400 (29/04/2013 15:34)

BA2630 LGW - ALC. New check in area at Gatwick very smart and new self service machines where you print your own baggage tags very easy to use! Forgot how small the north terminal is at Gatwick! Nothing like T5 with limited choice of shops/food outlets.

After a long walk to the gate over the impressive bridge boarding was called by seat row and fast track for exec card holders was respected. Was welcomed back by name by a very friendly/bubbly purser even though it was 6:20am. One thing which did annoy me though was that there were no newspapers at the gate, if I had known it wasn't the same as Heathrow I would have got one in the terminal.

We pushed back around 10mins early and as the flight only had around 30 people on there was plenty of room for everyone to move around. Rather old 737 was not as tatty as I was expecting it to be and seem very well maintained and clean! No moving map though as there is no IFE although the flight crew were very informative with there updates on flight progress.

Shortly after takeoff the crew passed though with breakfast; a tasty cheese croissant and a not so nice granola yogurt served with the usual free tea, coffee, juice and water. All throughout the flight the crew were incredibly friendly and chatty and were happy to oblige me when I asked for a few more drinks.

Landed into Alicante around 30 mins early after a very quick flight time and was off and waiting for baggage in no time. Bags took a while to come, for some reason they had decided to put 3 recently arrived flights, ours and 2 Easyjet flights on one reclaim belt as others lay dormant but obviously this isn't BA's fault more the handling agent.

Overall I was VERY impressed with this short flight, the crew were some of the nicest and most professional I've ever experienced at BA.

NTarrant flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 High J (21/04/2013 05:30)

LHR-LAX BA283

Arrived at First check in just after 0900, there was no queue and we were directed to an available clerk. The check in process was quick, although the clerk did take a phone call whilst checking in which I found annoying but he did apologise.

Fast track security was quiet, but there was the slowing down of the male taking the tray with shoes whilst the female searched a female and vice versa.

After a bit of shopping headed for the First lounge, entry was swift and with a smile. It was busy but not bustling. Standard breakfast fayre was available. I had a couple of rolls with bacon and sausage which were quite nice.

We left the lounge at 1115 to head for B gates. A shuttle was just disembarking passengers as we arrived and boarding was prompt. We headed to the gate which had just started to board premium cabins and certain World Traveller rows. The process was quick with no wait other than the people who were in front of us.

Greeted at the door by the CSD and another crew member, were not welcomed by name but the greeting was pleasant and welcoming. We were seating the upper deck and made our way upstairs where we were greeted by the male and female crew for the cabin.

The usual drinks of champagne, orange juice or water were offered. Push back was slightly delayed due to missing passengers. The cabin was showing signs of age, but didn’t detract from the comfort of the journey.

Once airborne hot towels were offered followed by amenity kits and menus. The CSD came around and introduced himself and shook hands and asked if everything was in order. Drinks were served shortly afterwards, I had the Pinot Noir which was very nice.

For lunch I chose the cream cheese panna cotta for starters which was good. There was also Cajun prawns. The usual salad was provided which was fine although a couple of leaves looked a bit tired. A variety of breads were also offered.
For the main I chose the Cod with chick pea and feta casserole and rice which the fish was nice and moist, the whole dish was tasty. There was also the choice of beef, vegetable korma curry and a ploughman’s.

For dessert I chose the lemon and amarti tart which was nice and light. There was also cheese and ice cream. All washed down with a nice mug of tea.

The IFE was a bit disappointing in that the audio seemed to have far less choice of CD’s. However I settled down to watching Skyfall, Miranda and Coldplay and a couple of hours sleep. Visited the Club Kitchen and there was a good selection of items from Waitrose of fresh fruit, wraps and sandwiches. I partook in a yoghurt.

Afternoon tea was served about an hour and a half before landing. There were three finger sandwiches, one cheese, one chicken and one salmon. They were served in a package but they were fresh and the bread moist. Scones were offered and I chose a fruit scone which was warm and nice. There were three petit fours which were a little sugary for my taste.

Whilst the flight arrived early at 1500, there was an issue with the airbridge which delayed our disembarking until 1520. Immigration was painfully slow and eventually getting to the landside at 1700.

All in all a pleasant flight with an attentive and friendly crew.

PatJordan flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (17/04/2013 21:11)

DUB-LHR(Club Europe)

Booking and check in

In the wake of their takeover of BMI, BA have returned to the London-Dublin route, in direct competition with Aer Lingus. As a result, Club Europe makes a welcome return to this route.

I needed to go from Dublin to Manchester and with no time constraints, decided to explore the possibility of a reward flight with BA via LHR.

There was availability for the dates I wanted, and little trouble in making the booking. The total charges and fees were 45euro and 18,000 Avios. This was for both flights, DUB-LHR-DUB in Club Europe and LHR-MAN-LHR in UK Domestic. This was excellent value indeed, and provided a further opportunity to sample the BA product on the DUB-LHR leg.

As a BA Executive Club Gold Card holder, I was offered the opportunity to select my seats online at time of booking. The front rows of the Airbus 320 were available, and I chose 1A for DUB-LHR-DUB on both flights.

On line check-in is available 24 hours prior to travel, and I used this facility to print my boarding passes for all my flights.

I arrived at Dublin Terminal 1 just after 6.20am for my 07.50am flight and proceeded straight to security. Since Aer Lingus and transatlantic operators have migrated to Terminal 2, there is a lower number of passengers using T1 which makes it far less crowded than heretofore. BA Club Europe includes use of the fast track security lane which is useful. I was airside in less than a minute.

Lounge (Dublin)

BA use the Dublin Airport Authority executive lounge in what was formerly known as Pier B. The lounge used to be the Aer Lingus Gold Circle lounge and retains the same panoramic views of the apron. There is a variety of seat types: I chose a deep beige leather armchair beside the business area.

A small range of newspapers and magazines is available, and restrooms outside the lounge.

There is a limited range of food: fruit, cheese, biscuits, crackers, crisps and packaged bread. Orange juice is available in small cartons in the fridge. Not the most enticing of offerings, and certainly below the standard of the majority of BA lounges.

The coffee, however, is good and strong (perfect for early morning!) with a good range of soft and alcoholic drinks.

The lounge is a short walk from gates 301-313 (the old B pier) and makes boarding quite easy. We boarded from Gate 313.

Boarding

Boarding is through an airbridge and rearmost rows are called first to minimize delays. Priority boarding is offered to Club Europe and BAEC Gold & Silver cardholders.

Being in row 1 my hand baggage had to be stowed in the overhead bins, so if the flight is busy it can be worthwhile boarding early to ensure space is available close to the seat.

The Airbus 320 was immaculate, with blue carpets and darker blue leather seats. The cabin is configured 3-3 with the first rows allocated to Club Europe. These have the middle seat converted into a table top with space for drinks, etc. It also allows for much more personal space, particularly in row 1.The cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers by name.

Inflight

The Captain gave a brief welcome and details of flight times, and the news of a delay in departing for Heathrow: around 30 minutes.This was followed by a safety announcement from the cabin crew. We pushed back shortly after 8.20am and were airborne after a short taxi.

When cruising altitude was reached, there was a hot towel service, followed by a hot breakfast :

• Bacon
• Sausage
• Mushroom
• Tomato
• Scrambled egg

This was served with a cuplet of juice, sliced fresh fruit and a choice of warm breads. Feeling self indulgent, I asked for a snipe of champagne (Pommery) and thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

We landed in Heathrow around 9.30am, not too far behind schedule. As I was flying onward to Manchester, I took the option of the coach to the flight connection centre from which there was a further coach to T5. This short journey gave an interesting view of the substantial building work at LHR. At one point we drove past a (Cathay Pacific) 747 and (Singapore Airlines) A380. Looking upwards from the coach gave an unusual view of these majestic aircraft.

T5 security

Despite not being airside since deplaning, it is still necessary to clear security in T5. The fast pass queue comprised about a dozen passengers, but still took nearly 15 minutes to clear. The queue for non-fast pass was much longer and the wait time correspondingly longer too. It is difficult to fathom why there should be such slow progress through what is a pretty simple procedure.

Lounge

My Gold Status meant I could use the BA First lounge in south end of T5. On approaching reception, I was warmly greeted and welcomed to the lounge.

It is a very large and impressive lounge with several seating areas, excellent views of the apron and a wide selection of international newspapers and magazines. There is a huge choice of seat types too: finding a comfortable spot is certainly not going to be an issue!

There is a business centre which offers complimentary internet access, fax and printing facilities.

There was a vast range of food on offer: savoury nibbles, Walkers cake slices and biscuits, cheese, crackers and a full bar service. There is a dedicated champagne bar which had a choice of Bollinger Rose or Tattinger. I had a couple of glasses of the latter and thoroughly enjoyed them!

As well as the aforementioned range of food, there is a hot buffet self service area. Up to noon, breakfast is available, with lunch after noon.

The breakfast buffet includes:

• Fresh fruit salad
• Fruit Coulis
• Breads, scones, pastries
• Cereals
• Yogurts
• Cheeses
• Cold meats
• Muffins
• Bacon
• Cumberland and Vegetarian sausage
• Scrambled egg
• Black Pudding
• Beans
• Mushrooms
• Herb potatoes
• Toast

Additionally a number of items are available to order from a menu and are served on request. There are a number of very friendly attendants who regularly ask of there is anything further they can fetch. Late morning, I felt a little puckish and ordered kippers & poached egg from this menu. The kipper was smoked and accompanied by two lightly poached eggs and was delicious.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the BA First lounge, and on this occasion, wouldn’t have been too put out if my flight had been delayed. However, it was on time, so I left for Gate 6, which is at the opposite end of the terminal.

Boarding (LHR-MAN)

Boarding is through an airbridge and there is a dedicated queue for BAEC Silver & Gold members. Boarding began almost as soon as I arrived at the gate, and I was on board very quickly.

The Airbus 321 was immaculate and cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers. I was greeted by name. The seats are upholstered in Navy blue leather with adjustable headrests. UK Domestic is a single class service and seats are configured 3-3 throughout the cabin. I had selected 1D which I particularly like at there is no seatback in front of me. Unlike Club Europe, the middle seats are occupied, and it was a very full flight.

Inflight

The Captain gave a brief welcome, and details of flight times, followed by a safety video shown on a drop down screen.

Given the short flight time (45minutes) the service is basic but quite acceptable. There is a full bar service and a choice of crisps, nuts, etc. The cabin crew were excellent in all regards. We landed at Manchester on time, and were quickly on stand. It was a short walk to the arrivals hall and I was outside the building within minutes of landing.

Returning to Manchester airport later in the day, I went directly to security. There was a fast track lane and I asked whether this was open to BAEC Gold card holders. A particularly unhelpful staff member told me to contact my airline. There was a small queue for security and I was airside in less than 10 minutes. Thankfully, the remaining security staff were much friendlier than their colleague!

Manchester T3 is quite small, but quite busy. BA’s lounge is well signposted and is o on the upper level. The lady at reception was very welcoming. The lounge an unusual design in that it is a curved and overlooks both the apron and departure lounge. There was the standard choice of seats, and I sat overlooking the apron: I later moved as the large windows made it very warm.

There was a good range of savoury nibbles and a full bar, with champagne served on request (by very friendly staff). However, the food was limited to a few trays of sandwiches which were not terribly fresh.

The boarding gate for London Heathrow was beside the stairs to the lounge, however there was no separate lane for BAEC Gold & Silver cardholders.

The aircraft was identical to that on the inbound flight, with equally good service. We landed in T5, and deplaned quickly. After a short walk, I was landside and used the Heathrow Express to transfer to T1.

Security Heathrow T1

I arrived at security around 8pm for my 9.40pm flight. There were few passengers and I was airside within a few minutes. I have found security at T1 to be usually much more efficient that T5, and today’s experience mirrored this. After a small bit of shopping I made my way to the lounge.

Lounge Heathrow

The former BMI Lounge is very big and was refurbished shortly before the BA takeover. I was curious to see what changes had been made since my last visit. The décor and furnishings remain unchanged, as does the very relaxing night time lighting. I asked the lady at reception whether the flight departed from the adjacent gate 8,or the more distant gates 78-90. I was pleased to learn that I would be boarding from Gate 8!

There was a good range of newspapers & magazines, and a business area with complimentary internet access.

The food on offer consisted of the remains of a vat of tomato soup: scraping the bottom yielded just enough to half fill a bowl. There were two bread rolls in a large dish. There was some tired looking sliced cheese with crackers. Bowls of fruit, biscuits and crisps were available.

The very least I expected would have been a decent bowl of soup and a sandwich: I was very disappointed in the fare on offer.

Boarding

My Dublin bound flight boarded at gate 8, almost beside the lounge. There is a dedicated lane for BAEC Gold/Silver card holders and Club Europe passengers..

The Airbus 320 was identical to that on the inbound flight with one unusual feature: above the crew seats the VDU Screen displayed “BMI” in large letters! The cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers. The flight was quite busy in economy, but only a handful of passengers were in CE.

After a welcome announcement from the Captain, we pushed back at just before 9.40pm. During a lengthy taxi, the cabin crew gave a safety demonstration. There was no hot towel service, however.

The meal offered was a cold plate (sliced chicken in chili sauce with shredded vegetables) and warm breads. Having had such a poor offering in the lounge, I was hoping for something more substantial, but given the lateness of the hour a light meal might be deemed appropriate. I asked for a glass of champagne, and was served a snipe of Pommery. This was nicely chilled, and a replenishment was offered which I declined.

The flight landed on time, and after a short taxi, we were on stand and deplaned. As one of the first off the aircraft, it was a little disconcerting to find nobody to guide passengers towards passport control. However we found our way, there was no delay and I was landside very quickly.

Conclusion

The UK Domestic product is perfectly acceptable for such short flights. Given the full flights between London and Manchester, the travelling public agree.

As to the Club Europe product, I was quite pleased with the DUB-LHR flight, but felt that LHR-DUB was let down by the poor lounge experience.

chrisg236 flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B767-300 (16/04/2013 21:05)

Flying from Calgary to return home to the UK I had decided that the 9 1/2 hours was too much to ask in economy so talked my wife into us spending an extra $1500 for an upgrade to Premium Economy...never again..greatest waste of money ever.

We have already travelled back to Calgary and am still trying to figure out what was the additional cost for...same food ...same toilets...same (poor) service as economy. Cramped seats...no way to sleep and we all came out at Heathrow as basket cases. The cabin interior looked like something from the old Soviet era, bits broken, colours now yellowed, two of the outbound seats didnt recline, one of the inbound seats same problem.

There must be a better product out there. We spent the best part of $6000 for this trip. Thats not small money. Please someone out there read this and tell me that there is a better way for a family to travel. I have always been a BA fan, mostly patrotic reasons but it has to end.

CG

Freedom1 flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 Mid J (15/04/2013 18:58)

Quite late to check in for the 13.15 departure from Mumbai back to London, due to the heavier than usual traffic and the taxi driver surprisingly getting a little lost at one point !!

Nobody waiting at any desk so check in very swift and was allocated an aisle seat in the last row on the main deck. Security was the usual painfully slow affair at Mumbai and by the time i was through and arrived at the gate, pre-boards were just being called. This was a completely packed flight in all cabins and boarding took a little longer than usual and baggage overflow from economy was being bought forward and stored in the business cabin.

Once airborne the menu's were handed out and I smiled to myself thinking as i'm in last row I have no hope of getting my first choices. Sure enough when the crew came to take my order neither the starter or main choice I requested were available, and then to add insult to injury, when it came to dessert they had also got none of what I wanted. I know this not at all the crew's fault so took no objection with them. The meal itself was okay at best, however the salad accompanying the main meal was truly an embarrassment. Flying out of India this does seem to be the norm so again no quibble raised with the crew.

Flight continued without incident, IFE worked faultlessly and was on demand, cabin crew attentive and the refreshment before landing was quite tasty and despite leaving a little late, arrived in T5 on time.

All in all, as ever a reliable safe service, food a disappointment - which sadly I kind of expect these days, but super crew, friendly and chatty, and on time !

FormerlyDoS flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 High J (14/04/2013 00:35)

BA193 LHR DFW 9 hours 20 minutes

Arrived from Malta and took flight connections from T4 to T5, security was slow, not helped by the ridiculous way the security agents were working, if someone set off the archway, the man or woman (depending on the sex of the passenger) would search them, but the other would stop and hold a tray ready for their shoes, for up to 30 seconds, then walk across slowly and put them through the x-ray machine - just ridiculous as it stops anyone going through the arch in the meantime.

Went to Plane Food and bought a picnic, noticed that the gate was advertised in the B satellite, so took the shuttle (after waiting several minutes for a staff member to check the cars at a languid pace. I know it is Saturday, but found it quite frustrating that people were working at half speed.

Had a quick drink in the B lounge and then went to gate, even though the lounge FIDS said only the gate number and found premium boarding underway and well policed - I've scored it 10/10 in the review numbers, well done BA.

The 747 was in tidy condition and 64K was as accommodating as usual, although the IFE screen had apparent dried liquid on the inside of the glass which reduced the already poor resolution and basically made it unusable for watching movies, fortunately this wasn't on my agenda.

The two crew on the upper deck, one female and one male, were very good and did enough to deliver an effective service, without overdoing it, very good crew and pleasant dispositions to boot. I will criticize airlines for poor cabin crew, but also give praise where due and it was.

A big thanks to Woburn man for recommending the Ploughman's salad, which was great, really tasty and filling.

A poor guy across the aisle ordered the 'seared steak' and I heard him say it was overdone, to which the crew member replied it was difficult to do steak well in electric ovens; his riposte, which I thought was hilarious, was to say with a straight face that these ovens shared their technology with the electric chair and achieved the same outcome.

Less welcome was the 'afternoon tea', which had three sandwiches that reminded me of the size/type served at parties for 3 year olds and wrapped in ghastly cellophane and a scone that looked suitable for testing the integrity of an airliner windshield - compared to the salad I had on LH last month as the second meal (MUC-EWR), it was disappointing, but my neighbour benefitted from mine, as I demolised Gordon's finest picnic, which was excellent.

Our two crew members took turns coming around with trays of juice and topping up my champagne glass and the hours passed relatively quickly, before arrival and a 1 hour 15 minute wait for immigration followed by a taxi to a local motel. Tomorrow, it's back to DFW to collect a drop top Mustang and drive down to Austin, for a weeks client work.

All in all, a good flight with BA and it is so frustrating that they cannot deliver this level of performance every time.

flydrive flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 Mid J (09/04/2013 16:28)

LHR - LAX

I was upgraded from WTP to Business at check-in due to a full flight in back, so I should be more grateful... but... I was given an aisle in the middle section on the lower deck, with two children next to me. In the row ahead was a man with a baby. It was the beginning of Easter holidays. I started to guess why they had given me the upgrade, as business was full of children.

Fortunately, I spotted an empty window seat and asked the flight attendant, who remembered my request and after boarding was finished came and told me I could move. Even better, it was the last row of business which offered a clear way to aisle. Of course this inconvenienced the woman sitting opposite me in my new seat, as we now became neighbours, facing each other for the 11 hour flight.

Take off was a bit late, but we had a quick taxi.

The food service started, and lasted what seemed like half the flight. They had my first choice (a welcome surprise since I was a "last minute" addition), but it was a tough steak. Service was fine, if not spectacular, but painfully slow. I am still surprised that BA does not offer any after dinner wines or port. I was told "not in this class of service". Anyway, I noticed that the crew was running around constantly, so I can only chalk up the very slow service to a reduced number. Shame, as I think the crew would have been much better if they had a chance to breathe once in a while.

The slow service would not be such an issue if it weren't for the let down of the IFE. I was disappointed the last time I flew BA in Club, noticing that the quality of the screen is quite poor, especially in day light. This was true on this day flight as well, even though the blinds were down. No matter how you adjust the contrast, the screen is difficult to view. I haven't noticed this to be such a problem on other airlines; maybe it is the type of screen BA is using. This would not be so terrible, but they had to re-set the IFE 3 separate times on the flight, which of course was annoying. It took me 5 hours to finish a film, by which time the meal service had just ended.

I dosed a bit in the middle of the flight, and this is where the CW seat comes into its own, allowing you to fully recline.

The second meal was high tea, but I was offered either sandwiches or scones (but not both). The scones seemed freshly baked, and were the highlight of the flight in my view. Otherwise, it was a rather meagre second offering.

Landing was slightly behind schedule, but quick through immigration and customs and on my way into the LA night.

Verdict: A bonus being upgraded certainly, but the thought of paying full whack for CW is inconceivable. I'll probably be saving CW for upgrades on Avios in the future. Not that there were any great flaws in the flight or service, just that there was nothing special worthy of paying 2 or 3 times the ticket for a seat in the back, imho.

flydrive

Morrs101 flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a B737-400 (02/04/2013 15:21)

Arrived at Nice Cote D’Azure at 1615 via a shuttle taxi service and headed straight up to security as I had checked in online. A new lane opened when I neared the front of the queue and the man took my phone to scan the barcode of my electronic boarding pass, no problem and I was through in no time.

Terminal 1 at Nice is quite cramped compared to T2 but I went straight through to B gates where UK flights depart from and upstairs to the Riviera lounge using my Priority Pass card.

This lounge is small but comfortable. There are two coffee machines, I worked out one was serving much hotter espresso so I had a couple of these. There is a fridge with help yourself beers, water and soft drinks as well as some snacks such as pizza bites, olives and pretzels as well as Provence specialties like olive tapenade and pistou for spreading on croutons. There are also pre-packed biscuits, cakes, crisps and crepes.

The wifi in the lounge stopped working soon after I logged in for some reason but others did not seem to be having trouble. I used the in-lounge PC to do some work, charged my phone and read a copy of The Times instead.

Boarding for Club Europe was called at 1735 but this soon became general boarding without a further announcement.

The aircraft was an old looking 737-4 with fairly tatty blue leather seats, but legroom felt sufficient, and I stand at around 6ft. Again the flight was busy and overhead bin space came at a premium. I just about got my bag and jacket in before taking my seat, window seat 13A, by 1750.

We pulled back at 1750 and a baby started screaming immediately, fortunately this didn’t last. We took off at 1800 and a duck hoi sin wrap was offered followed by hot and cold drinks a little after.

I read for the flight duration and we started our descent at 1925, landing at 1940. A long walk back to passport was offset by the short queue and all e-gates were operating. As I had no baggage I was out of the terminal and away by 1905 (local time). Service was very good and professional from two senior males members of staff and one young girl.

Another good and quick service from Nice, getting me home in good time following the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Morrs101 flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A319 (02/04/2013 15:19)

Arrived at London Heathrow T5 via tube at 1830 on the Thursday of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. I made the error I make every time of not getting the lift from the tube platform and so had to go the long way around to reach departures.

I had checked in online and downloaded my boarding pass to my phone. Security wasn’t as busy as I expected for the Easter weekend and the automated barrier read the barcode off my phone perfectly. I made my way through the north security channel and was through by 1840. I made a dash for Wagamamas to grab a bite before my flight and had to queue for about 15 minutes, not too bad as they are always quick. As a new member of Priority Pass I was slightly disappointed to learn that there are no eligible lounges at T5.

On leaving Wagamamas I picked up a few bits and pieces before headed to gate A23, which showed quite late, at 1955. Boarding was delayed a little and began at 2020. The flight was very full, causing havoc for storing bags overhead.

The doors closed at 2045 and we pulled back soon after, eventually taking off at 2100. Chicken Caesar or tomato and mozzarella wraps were offered at 2115 followed by hot and cold drinks, I had a G&T and a still water and settled in to the short flight. The service was what I typically experience with BA - efficient and professional if lacking a little in warmth.

The A319 seats are blue leather and comfortable enough but look a bit tatty in places. I was in seat 10A, a window seat which was fine. We landed at 2225 and Nice airport was a breeze to get through, with my pre-booked shuttle waiting for me on arrival.

A quick and comfortable service, and its always a pleasure travelling through T5.

HappytobeSilver flew British Airways Club World, on a A321 (ex-Bmi) (02/04/2013 08:27)

Recently flew from Heathrow to Amman in Club World on this A321 former BMI aircraft. Connected from Glasgow and transferred from T5 to T1 where we underwent security screening once more.

We made our way to the BA international lounge in T1 which I found to be very impressive- good range of food and drinks on offer, uncrowded at 1730 that evening, clean and tidy and with good views out to the apron.

Boarding was from gate 74 which was only a short walk from the lounge. The boarding process itself was rather chaotic with the cramped conditions at the gate itself meaning that it was not possible to have a priority queue for Club passengers or those with a Gold or Silver card. All passengers board from door one; this making it very difficult for cabin crew to offer a pre-departure drinks service to CW passengers before all passengers were on board and had made their way to their seats.

The seats themselves are all forward facing in this single aisle aeroplane and arranged 1:2, 2:1 respectively. I actually prefer this arrangement to the ying/yang in CW on the 777 and 747. The seat was very comfortable (wider than the traditional CW seat) with a good-sized IFE screen in front. The CW cabin has 23 flat-bed seats therein compared with the 31 cradle seats that BMI previously had installed on this type of aircraft. The one disadvantage of this new arrangement is that there is now only 1 toilet, rather than 2, in Club (it's worse in WT though with up to 131 passengers sharing only 2 toilets).

Once we took off the inflight service began- albeit rather slowly. This flight is operated by BA's short haul cabin crew and on our outbound flight they struggled somewhat with the CW service, appearing always to be rushing around and almost panicky.

BA now offer a Rose Champagne from de Castelnau as well as a Champagne Boizel Grand Vintage 2004 in CW in addition to the Tattinger Brut Reserve NV, but on the outbound flight only the Tattinger was available (the Rose was available on the return flight but I'm not sure whether the vintage champagne was).

The dinner was tasty, if perhaps the beef was rather overdone.

After a flight time of 4 hours 20 minutes we landed at the newly opened international terminal at Queen Alia Airport where we were quickly through passport control (there is now a visa desk next to each of the passport lanes in the new terminal which means it is very easy to purchase a visa on arrival : cost 20 Jordanian Dinars).

On our return flight there were only 8 passengers in CW as opposed to the full cabin we had on our outward journey. The cabin service was very organised and this was not only I think due to their being less passengers, but also the Purser having operated on the A321 CW service on a number of previous occasions- he was particularly organised and efficient. Rather surprisingly we were served lunch- I had expected a brunch- as the flight departed at 0900 and landed at 1215 local time some 5 and a bit hours later. I wasn't quite ready for chicken and potatoes before 10am, but nonetheless the Rose Champagne aided my enjoyment of this.

All in all two excellent flights in CW on the ex BMI A321. I much prefer this particular CW seat and would implore BA to retro-fit them on all existing 777 and 747 aircraft!

1nfrequent flew British Airways Euro Traveller (01/04/2013 20:12)

I flew BA from LBA to LHR on an Airbus 319.

LBA is a small airport – essentially one building divided into two ‘terminals’ – Terminal A and Terminal B. BA has 4 check-in desks (22 – 26) in Terminal A, which is clearly signposted and easy to find.

Thanks to light traffic on Yorkshire’s roads, I arrived at 18:45. I’d checked in on-line that morning using the BA App but I’m not a fan of downloading an electronic boarding card onto my phone and I didn’t have access to a printer so had opted to pick up the boarding card at the airport given that I had a bag I needed to check in anyway. There are no electronic check-in booths at the terminal – instead passengers have to use the manned desks and my heart did sink a little when I saw that check-in didn’t officially open until 19:10. However, there was a member of BA ground crew at the desks who gave me a friendly welcome and said that he’d be happy to check me in regardless of my being early, which was a relief.

When he saw that I was BAEC silver cardholder he also took the initiative to tell me that although BA didn’t have its own lounge at LBA, I may be entitled to use the Yorkshire Premiere Lounge and phoned someone in the lounge to confirm the same. He also told me that I was entitled to use the priority security lane and pointed out where to access it and told me how to find the lounge once I was through.

In the event, security was a doddle – I ended up being the only person in line and was through the whole thing in 5 minutes. Security personnel all seemed good-humoured, which made the experience less of a stress than is normally the case.

As I said, LBA isn’t a big airport but there were a number of eateries (a Burger King, a couple of family pub/chain type places) and a fairly good sized duty free shop, which you have to walk through to get to the gates. I didn’t notice much in the way of seating outside the eateries but must confess that I wasn’t really paying attention. The terminal was very clean however and smelt freshly painted so whether it’s been recently renovated or well maintained, it’s in good shape.

The Yorkshire Premiere Lounge is well signposted and located just past the duty free shop. It’s divided into 2 areas – a business lounge and a leisure lounge. It’s a third party lounge and does allow for paid access (although you’ll need to check on-line for the rates). However in addition to having a deal with BA (so that it’s open to business class passengers and gold and silver BAEC cardholders), they also seemed to have a deal with KLM – certainly for business class passengers but possibly also for elite card holders (although again, you will need to check).

The receptionist gave me a very warm welcome and directed me to the business lounge as I wanted to use the wi-fi. The lounge itself is a reasonably sized space but most of the chairs were of the comfy variety and it only seemed to have a handful of desks and chairs if you wanted to get on with some work. However there’s free wi-fi (log-in and password available at reception) and free refreshments. The range of soft drinks contained the usual suspects (including tea, coffee, fruit juice, fizzy drinks and tonic water) but the range of beers, wines and spirits seemed limited and I couldn’t find any water for those who wanted it.

There was also a range of snacks including pastries, tea cakes, toast, cheese and crackers, biscuits and crisps. I also spotted a bowl of apples for those who want something a bit healthier. There was a good range of newspapers and a television screen showing Sky News together with a screen showing departure information. Note though that the lounge doesn’t have its own toilets – instead you have to leave and go across the corridor to use the main terminal facilities – not a big deal but worth noting. Also worth noting is that the staff turn off the tea and coffee facilities at 8pm but do let you know before hand if you want a last minute brew. I should say that all the staff there were friendly, helpful and hard-working – taking away rubbish and topping up refreshments.

The lounge was quiet when I got there – only 4 of us in total and I took the opportunity to get some work done. The flight was scheduled to leave at 21:10 so I checked the screen at 20:40 to see if the gate had been announced only to see that the flight had actually been delayed to 22:00. I was still resigning myself to it when the BA ground crew member who’d checked me in arrived in the lounge to make sure that I was aware of the delay and to let me know what was going on (there’s been a technical issue earlier in the day, which had a knock-on effect on the shuttle service).

This was the first time that’s ever happened to me and I really appreciated the gesture (and I happen to know he was also looking for other BA passengers in the terminal to let them know the same). He went on to say that although the anticipated departure was 22:00, there was only a small number of passengers so they were hoping to do a fast turnaround of the plane in order to minimise the disruption and get us out before then if possible – in which case he’d make sure that a message got through to me at the lounge to let me know. I was actually so impressed with his initiative and attitude that I’ve posted my compliments on the BA website in the hope that management give him some well-deserved recognition as he’s definitely a credit to the airline.

In the event, the lounge receptionist let me know at 21:25 that the plane was ready to board and I made my way over to gate 7 where the excellent BA ground crew member gathered us in a line and said that as there were only 15 of us on the flight they were hoping for a fast departure. Boarding was via a remote stand, which involved a bit of a stroll across the airport apron (which I must confess I actually like because it means you can see the planes close up). Again, the BA ground crew member was excellent – making sure that the passengers were aware that it was cold outside and advising people to button up their coats – a small gesture but typical of the guy’s excellent attitude.

I should also mention that there was a passenger with mobility issues who was concerned that the late departure would affect a ground transportation link he was trying to make at Heathrow. The BA ground crew member assured him that he’d been in contact with LHR staff and there’d be someone with a wheelchair to get him to the ground transportation link.

Because it’s a domestic flight there’s only one class of travel and seats are arranged on a 3x3 basis. I’d noticed when checking in that I was unable to preselect any seats in the first 5 rows and had assumed that this was because they’d already been pre-grabbed by other passengers. However, given there were only 15 passengers, I now wonder if those rows are actually blocked out for BAEC gold cardholders. No doubt more knowledgeable people on BT will be able to tell me.

I’d preselected 5C on the basis that it was closest to the front of the plane and an aisle seat. In the event I had the whole row to myself so space wasn’t an issue. The cabin crew did invite passengers to move further forward if they wished but no one seemed to take them up on it. The gentleman with mobility issues was (quite rightly) allocated the first row. My seat was in good condition – clean and comfortable enough for the short flight.

The captain made an announcement at 21:40 to let us know of the reason for the delay (i.e. that there’d been a technical issue earlier in the day, which had to be fixed) and told us that the flight time was 35 minutes and they were hoping to leave as soon as possible. The purser then made a brief announcement welcoming passengers to the plane and we pushed back at 21:49. A safety video played while we were taxiing to the runway and then the cabin lights were dimmed as it was a night flight.

Because it was the last day of March, the plane had been loaded with the April edition of High Life so I entertained myself by flicking through it during take-off. The trolley service started 10 minutes after we were air-born and was done very efficiently with a good range of drinks (soft and alcoholic) and crisps/nuts being offered. If I’m being picky, given that there were so few passengers I do wonder if the crew couldn’t have actually done a second run instead of retiring to the cabin once they were done before finally coming down to collect rubbish. I know it’s a short flight so time is very tight but I would have thought it was achievable and again, would have been a nice thing to do.

The captain gave an announcement 10 minutes before landing that we’d be coming into Terminal 5. The landing itself was smooth, touching down at 22:35 with passengers disembarking 10 minutes later via an airbridge. The passenger with mobility issues was first off and was met by wheelchair assistance – a very nice lady who assured him that they’d get him to his connection.

I headed for the baggage carousel and after a brief wait the luggage started to come out at about 22:55. My bag was one of the first off, despite not having priority tags (not an issue given the small number of passengers) and I was out of the terminal and heading to the Underground by 23:00.

All in all, it was a perfectly satisfactory flight but given the low passenger numbers (compared to the nearly full flight I had on the way out) I wonder how long BA will continue to run it for and whether they will try to scale it back. For business travellers who want speed and the ability to work, you’re probably better off with the train as there’s less hassle and waiting-around time but price-wise it’s certainly a viable option for more time-rich leisure travellers looking for an alternative way to the region – especially those of us chasing Avios and BAEC tier points for status (10 tier points and 1,000 Avios with the silver tier bonus).

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A321 (30/03/2013 16:22)

A fairly standard flight from Glasgow to Heathrow where I am connecting on to Cathay Pacific en route to Hong Kong and then Hanoi. Checked in early and dropped my suitcase which was tagged right the way through. Upstairs to security where, as a first for me, I was able to use the new Priority Lane. This will be great at busy times but today made little difference as all lanes were very quiet. Nice to be greeted by name at Security - no, not some new service touch linked to the barcode reader at the entry gates, but an acquaintance who works there.

I went to the revamped bmi lounge (see bespoke thread for more about this) and was delighted to note the return of fruit!! The lounge was quiet and relaxed/ worked there for a wee while. The flight was called early and we all headed up the pier to Gate 21 where there was no priority lane for boarding. Joined the queue and slowly snaked my way aboard.

I had been pre-allocated 2C but with only one passenger in Row 1 and neighbours in 2A and 2B, I migrated forward to 1A which was fantastic as it provided a great view of Arctic Britain on the way down south and of Eton Dorney and Windsor Castle on the run into Heathrow.

Drinks and snacks service was fine and the crew were friendly and professional throughout. After a short hold, we landed on time and taxied to a remote stand, from where we were bused to Domestic Arrivals and I made my way onwards to my T3 bus.

FormerlyDoS flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B747-400 High J (29/03/2013 08:21)

BA178 JFK LHR 6 hours 40 minutes

I arrived at JFK on Jetblue, on the 'red eye' from San Francisco, giving me about 4 hours between flights.

Getting from T5 to T7 involves a longish walk, in a covered walkway, to the Air Train, which then covers the distance between the two terminals in about 2 minutes.

After arriving at Jetblue's T5, T7 felt like a public convenience in contrast, dingy, old, somewhat reminiscent of T2 at Heathrow, with low ceilings.

The check in was advertised as opening at 0615, so I had about 40 minutes to kill and went to look for a place for breakfast. I needn't have bothered, as the outlet's oven had broken and they were unable to heat up the chilled breakfast rolls - pretty poor for an international airport in a major city. So off to the Air Train, to find sustenance elsewhere.

Arriving back at 0630, the premium check-in was open, but I noticed that the economy desks were still not opened 15 minutes after the displayed time, I know it is not a premium service, but surely economy pax should still be treated with respect and check in should open as advertised?

Having checked in without fuss, it was time to tackle T7 security, which is on a noticeable slope and not particularly nice. However, the TSA staff were professional and pleasant and i was through in a reasonable time.

The lounge was okay (but nothing special) and I had a shower after reception were able to find someone with a key; that was good, after working a full day and then 5 hours on the red-eye.

Departure was on time and I can't really comment on the boarding arrangements, as it was one of those serendipitous days where the first call coincided with me arriving at the desk and I was 3rd or 4th on.

Boarding the aircraft, I was welcomed back, with my name - a nice touch, but the only time it happened on the flight and found my way to 28D, a bulkhead aisle seat in the middle 4. There was plenty of stowage in the overhead bin, for my computer bag.

Having criticised BA in the past for lack of cleaning, I was pleased to find that this aircraft was immaculate, although the signs of old age in the cabin fittings were all too visible, yellowed grey trim etc.

We departed on time and hot towels were given out. The cabin crew member on my side did a great impression of Bellatrix Lestrange, in both hairstyle and volume, but noise cancelling earphones (mine) took the edge of the vocal assault. I noticed I was addressed as a perfunctory 'sir', rather than my name, but hey-ho, I was more interested in sleeping than conversing.

Breakfast appeared and I declined, much to Bellatrix's surprise. The meal service is really pretty poor, as most people will have eaten breakfast by 0930 and the flight does not arrive at LHR until 2015. To offer a full English or omelette (as nice as they looked) and then follow up with a single muffin, not even on a tray, as the second offering is very poor, in my opinion and evidence of BA's preference for bean counting over passenger service. They should offer a light continental breakfast or similar and then a warm meal a couple of hours out.

Knowing that the catering would be poor (thanks to the BT forum), I had made my own provisions and brought along some healthy things to eat en-route. Bellatrix was even more surprised when I wouldn't eat the muffin and asked me why? "Would you eat that thing, with a shelf life of 37 years?" I replied and got an embarrassed smirk in reply.

The crew were an average BA crew, pleasant, stuck to standards, didn't do anything above or beyond it.

I didn't notice the crew offering water/juice during the flight, although there was a tray out in the galley, for self service.

With the help of a decent tailwind, we ploughed on across the Atlantic and I drifted in and out of sleep to the "Best of the Eagles" (well, I had just been in California for a week), before a descent into Heathrow, where the fun and games started. Holding was for 40 minutes and really annoying, especially as I faced a taxi transfer to Stansted for a 4am alarm call the next day. We arrived at a 'C' gate.

Thankfully both iris machines were working and I got to the carousel in about 15 minutes from leaving the aircraft, the baggage then took about an hour to arrive, which really irritated.

Overall, a very average flight with a short duration, but extended unpleasantly by holding and baggage delays.

All in all, an average to poor flight experience.

1nfrequent flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A319 (28/03/2013 23:27)

I flew BA from LHR to LBA. It was a trip of firsts for me – first domestic BA flight, first time using Terminal 1 and first time using a BA business lounge as a silver cardholder. I usually take the train up to Bradford but having had a couple of horrendous experiences the last couple of years (including a 5 hour standing room only experience that I never want to repeat), I decided to try BA on the route to see how it compared.

I was flying out on the last day before the long Easter weekend so I was prepared for both transport disruption and a heaving airport. In the event, the transport wasn’t too bad. I used the Tube to get to Terminal 1 but the carriage wasn’t too busy and apart from a 5 minute wait at Terminal 4, the journey took 45 minutes from central London. However Terminal 1 was heaving with queues to take the moving walkway, the escalators and the elevator up to Departures, which was jam packed with people.

I made my way over to Area B, which is where BA is based. Unsurprisingly it was also packed, with a very long queue for the ET/WT bag drop desks. There was only one BA member of staff being around to help people use the self-service check-in desks and he was busy on the telephone. Fortunately I’d checked in on-line the night before and printed out my boarding card. As a newly minted silver cardholder, I was also able to use the bag drop at the CW/CE desks where there was no queue whatsoever. The check-in agent was very friendly, put a priority tag on my suitcase and told me where to find the BA lounge.

There’s an entrance to the security checks next to the BA check-in desks, together with a priority channel that can be used by business and first class ticket holders and people with BAEC gold or silver cards. I was a little thrown by the fact that in addition to a manned desk, there were also electronic gateways that read your boarding pass and take a photo. A member of staff directed me to use the gate instead of queuing for the manned desk and I had some difficulty using it – the gate took several attempts to read the boarding pass and I had a problem getting my photo taken properly. As a result, I was a bit flustered when I finally managed to get through the gate and by the time I realised I wasn’t in the priority line, it was too late to turn back.

It took 25 minutes to get through security because of sheer passenger numbers – including a lot of families trying to get away for a break. All but one of the machines was running and the staff were very proactive in getting people through and very good with young kids who were obviously a little scared of the whole thing. I thought that they took a bit of a haphazard approach to making people take off their shoes – some did, others didn’t and it wasn’t immediately obvious whether you’d get picked on. I ended up just taking mine off and shoving them through because it seemed easiest. Interestingly, the staff were very hot on anyone trying to take photos of the queues – I saw one member of staff go after someone like a Terminator when she thought she’d seen a camera flash.

Once through security, the terminal itself looked okay – a good variety of shops and eateries and places to sit but obviously the strength of passenger numbers meant that it was all being stretched. I decided to head straight to the BA lounge, which was clearly sign-posted. However it wasn’t long before I found myself in another queue along with a lot of other confused passengers. A member of airport staff finally came along to tell people who were heading to Gate 5 that they could by-pass the queue and carry on down but everyone heading to Gates 7 and 8 (including the Aer Lingus and BA lounges) had to remain in the queue. One passenger asked for assistance because he had only 5 minutes to get to his gate before it closed. The member of staff said they didn’t have authority to help him but pointed to another member of staff who listened to what the man said, said that he’d go and ask and then never came back. No idea if the man made his flight but he was understandably anxious and frankly, the airport staff didn’t give a damn.

It turned out that the reason for the queue was that a second security check was in operation, this time with every passenger (including babies) having their pictures taken before being allowed through to the gate. By way of warning to others – once you are through this security check, you cannot go back to the main terminal, which is important because there are only 2 shops at the gates – a Costa and a WH Smith so if you need anything, you’re pretty much stuffed. I’ve got no idea if these checks are normal or a one off, but they did take everyone by surprise and there was nothing to indicate that they were in effect and it took 15 minutes to get through them.

Once I was through the second security check, I easily found the BA lounge. There was one dragon on duty who greeted me warmly. The lounge itself is a good size and was comparatively empty when I got there. There were a lot of comfy chairs and sofas and I selected one near the window overlooking the apron so I could see the planes loading up and taking off. By contrast there weren’t too many desks set up (although there is a separate computer bank). Food and drink was divided between 3 islands – each island had slightly different stock so my tip would be to take a walk around. There wasn’t a huge amount of choice on the food front – crisps, crackers and cheese (stilton or cheddar) and biscuits. There was more choice on the drink front with coffee/tea machines, a range of soft drinks and a range of spirits and wines. The only hot option was a red pepper and tomato soup, which wasn’t to my taste. I ended up grabbing a couple of bread rolls, some cheese and biscuits and a couple of cans of ginger ale. There were also flat screen TVs showing Sky news and a range of newspapers and magazines for those who wanted them.

At 6.25pm I made my way over to the gate where there were already a large number of people waiting. The gate finally opened at 6.40pm with a call for passengers with children or mobility issues and gold and silver BAEC members. There was a big problem with gate lice crowding the gate, which the ground crew didn’t try to address. Boarding was via an air bridge and I was greeted by a member of the cabin crew with a warm smile and addressed by name.

The plane was an Airbus 319 with a 3 by 3 configuration. It’s a single class flight and I picked seat 5D because it was the closest available to the front. All 3 seats are available for selection, but I was lucky that in my row the middle seat hadn’t been chosen, giving both me and the passenger in the window seat some extra room. The plane itself was clean, the seats comfortable and a little worn but perfectly fine.

Pushback was early at 6:58pm with the crew doing a safety demonstration as we taxied to the runway and the captain gave a brief update on the anticipated flight time. Lights were dimmed because it was a night flight and we were air-born by 7.20pm. Trolley service began at 7.30pm from the front of the plane. Service was efficient with passengers offered a range of drinks (including alcohol) and snacks (crisps, biscuits and nuts). I think that they’d made it to the back of the plane by the time the captain announced that we were 10 minutes from landing at LBA. The trolley then came back down to collect rubbish. Cabin crew were polite and supremely efficient given the short flight time.

We landed at 7.53pm and taxied to an air bridge and I disembarked at 8pm. The only bum note was the 20 minute wait for baggage but my bag was the second one off, enabling me to head off into Bradford.

Price wise, the flight was comparable to booking an advance first class ticket and you get the benefit of Avios and tier points. However, you do jump through more hoops, which represents more hassle and adds to the overall journey time. For me, the Avios and tier points made it more worthwhile than the train plus as a status holder with BA, I get to use the facilities, which is much more appealing than the train stations. On the whole, I think that I would take this flight again if I was heading up to the Leeds-Bradford area again but I recognise that it wouldn’t be for everyone and if speed is important, then you are better off by train.

AllOverTheGaff flew British Airways First, on a B747-400 High J (27/03/2013 17:56)

1) Boarding: Reasonable walk to gate and then at the back of long queue. I’m ‘checked in’ again but given no priority, which annoys me. Standing aboard the sky-bridge, I see a sign for 1st class and branch off to the left.

2) Cabin Ambience: So, I already know this is an OLD First, but even still, there should be ways of making this experience a special one. So far so not. The cabin smells. And I mean smells badly. I am given a drink of rosé on getting aboard and I ask for a set of jammies, they give me what they have, and they don’t fit. Cabin has loads of seats (14) and genuinely, I have zero feeling of exclusivity.

3) Seat: Well, it is smelly. Really smelly. Yuck! I am not at all impressed and I have little privacy….all in all I am just not loving the whole experience thus far, you know what they say about 1st impressions right? The cabin is full so plenty of people willing to spend/use miles on this particular route on this particular day. Anyway – back to the seat. It is average. I don’t know how to elaborate on this observation, other than to reiterate – it is average. I did have an ok sleep but some of the noisy neighbours had little respect for their sleeping cabin mates and I was awakened a number of times. No width on the seat to speak of (when compared to other airlines) but the bedding was ok.

4) F & B – Drinks thus far have been good, albeit crew have taken an age to replenish glass. Seems Rosé was a bigger hit than they had anticipated and it is off the menu from take-off. Oh dear. Vino is decent enough to be fair and I have a steak dish for supper which is rubbish. Chewy rubbish with some rubbish sides which I can no longer recall other than they were soggy. Breakfast was dire, burned bacon, cheap sausages but it was at least hot. Took them some time to clear away my dishes though and was close to taking them back myself. Not kidding either.

5) IFE – again, without wishing to bamboozle y’all with techie stuff – it is garbage. A useless little screen with nothing on it I want to watch. Oh my. Pulled it out of the holster and promptly put it back in again having watched nothing.

6) Crew: They can make or break a flight in my opinion - Well, this lot don’t care. It really is as simple as that – they have no desire to make my experience with them pleasurable and are simply going through the motions. No charm, no interaction, no smiles, actually rather unfriendly a lot of time spent hiding in the galley and everything I hate about BA. Dismal. We’re about to land into London and I have to say that I am just appalled that BA can get away with selling this product.

Conclusion: It is just dismal. I know a lot of folks love the Avios programme and I appreciate that, particularly as I am on a reward flight, but there isn’t enough incentive for me to pay BA my hard earned cash for such a terrible product and service. I won’t be flying BA again unless I absolutely have to. I flew with Malaysian airlines on the way out who out-performed BA in practically every area, and out-performed them handsomely – think Ferrari 458 v Ford Cortina from 1983 with 300,000,000 miles on the clock.

LinguaFranca flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B777-200 (Three class) (25/03/2013 16:40)

Recently flying to Abu Dhabi on BA was what one would say, a different experience to flying with other airlines I have come to enjoy over the many years. Alas, after many years of absence, I decided to use BA for Outbound Premium Economy and Inbound Business.

My first experience of Terminal 5 at Heathrow was fine and so was my boarding. Cabin Crew were great and extremely helpful and friendly - so no problems there.
This could not be said about the actual aircraft.

Allocated in 15A, the bulkhead seat had little room to stretch. However, no problem as the whole of the centre section of 3 rows of 4 seats were empty so moved to 16C once airborne.

Had to laugh when I asked the Cabin Crew if we were flying in one of the first ever built 777 aircraft when they replied, 'the very first'. So obvious as the IFE screen was smaller than some of today's mobile phones. Imagine a seven hour flight watching a movie on a screen measuring just 11.3cm x 9.2cm with a scratched screen and picture quality worse than a VHS tape. YES, it was dreadful. Such a contrast to the return journey on BA 0072 sitting in Business with a 25cm x 18cm screen and loads of options.

Food was mediocre on both Outbound and Inbound though the actual Cabin crew made up for it as they were superb.

SUMMARY - Though flying out again at the end of April, I'm just hoping I have the opportunity to experince a 777-300 or other aircraft with larger screens and ability to watch a wider variety of programmes when I wish to and not a handful of movie titles switched on when the food is coming round.

After also experiencing Etihad on a recent journey, I must say its Economy in an Airbus is superior to BA's Premium Economy. Though the 777 seating in Etihad Economy is not as comfortable as the Airbus. Is this a 777 problem or the airline's choice of seating?

Rockhopper flew British Airways (25/03/2013 16:28)

This is a review of a flight from the Isle of Man to London City operated by Eastern Airways on behalf of BA Cityflyer. The equipment used is a Saab 2000 in full BA colours with full BA UK Domestic service.

Checked in online and turned up to the airport 45 minutes before departure for this 1300 service to London City. Security was cleared within a few minutes and through to the departure lounge which is adequate enough for a small regional airport. There is a shared executive lounge available but I did not bother to make use of it as I was only there a very short time. The flight was called for "pre-boarding" at approx 1240 and we were cleared downstairs to the pre-boarding lounge that was instigated when Easyjet started flying to the Island a few years ago. We were released to the aircraft at approx 1250 with no real control and as a result there was a brief scrum at the door for the short walk out to the aircraft.

Greeted with a frinedly smile by the one cabin crew on this service. The seats on the Saab 2000 are in a 1-2 configuration and I took my usual seat of 10A which is the single emergency exit seat. Boarding was completed quickly and we pushed back slightly late at 1305. The captain made the usual PA regarding our expected flight time etc and we took off at 1315.

In flight service consisted of a drink from the bar and the usual choice of sweet or savoury snack. The aircraft was about two thirds full and service was completed quickly by the friendly and efficient stewardess.

Before long you could feel the aircraft slow as we started our descent into London City, with a brief PA from the Captain to announce the expected runway and weather. Despite the delayed departure we arrived on time at 1415 on the westerly facing runway which meant great views over London and Canary Wharf on our approach. We were off the aircraft and in the terminal within minutes of arrival.

I use this service frequently and it is usually a great service. In fact Eastern Airways should be proud as the service they offer under the guise of BA is often superior to that offered by BA themselves.

KeaneJohn flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (24/03/2013 19:01)

Checked in relatively early and went through to the Menzies Aviation Lounge. Fast Track Immigration anything but although shorter than the usual queues.

The usual range of refreshments (stale bread, yoghurt, fruit salad and chocolate filled pre packed croissants) was available together with a limited bar and a range of hot drinks. 40 minutes before take off, flight came up as Final Call in the lounge. For those familiar with Prague security is completed at the gate room. A3. Despite having 2 x ray machines there was one long queue which was going down rather quickly and no Fast Track

After security boarded aircraft to be take seat 3F. Relatively full flght with overhead lockers above Club Europe filled a lot by people from Economy using them on way down the back. This meant one guy from 3A having nowhere to stow his hand luggage. He asked the crew for assistance and the CSM took it back to about row 7. The guy protested to the crew who just shrugged his shoulders and walked off. This is something that is going to get worse as BA introduce hand luggage only fares on routes out of Gatwick.

Boarding completed 15 minutes early but due to a departure restriction we were going to have a 15 minute wait followed by 15 minute taxi before take off.

Once airborne guy in 2F fully reclined his seat and so it was right in my face. I am 6ft6 and despite the little extra leg room my knees were now in the back of his seat. He even had has seat fully reclined for the meal service despite him sitting forward. DIdn't want to cause a scene by asking him to put it up whilst eating.

Once he had eaten he moved to the empty 3D leaving his 2F seat fully reclined. I asked him if he still needed that seat reclined to which he replied he did not so I asked the crew to move the seat forward. This caused a bit of disruption to a few people which I hope made this inconsiderate passenger feel uncomfortable.

Shortly after take off crew commenced in flight serviced. This seemed very disjointed with one person doing the food and another following with drinks. With the drinks trolley having to return to the Galley at least twice whilst the person doing food wanted something.

I was last to be served so had no choice was just presented with what was left over. Three slices of salami, a quarter of an egg cut in half again, a dollop of mayonnaise, a tiny piece of cheese, one slice of cucumber, and a piece of tomato.. Brunch. Served with cold coffee and some champagne. Didn't notice the coffee was cold until after the crew had gone back to the galley and pressed the call bell. 10 minutes later they had not come back through the cabin so gave up.

Cabin cleared away relatively quickly with regular drinks runs throughout. 40 minutes of holding before getting the 10 minutes to landing sign 5 minutes before our regular STA. Hot towels came out at this time.

Flight crew seemed disjointed and switched off for the vast majority of the flight really only gaining momentum in the last half. Catering offering shocking on a flight that had moved its timing forward 20 minutes which would have previously had a hot meal served.

Compared to outbound flight which was one of the best, this has to go down as one of the worst overall experiences due to the lounge, boarding, staff interaction and catering. Looks like I will have to review my choices of flight times on my regular trips to Prague.

Bunnahabhain flew British Airways Club Europe, on a B767-300 (European config.) (24/03/2013 12:05)

British Airways London Heathrow to Larnaca, Cyprus

BA operates a daily rotation between Heathrow T3 and Larnaca with a 2-class 767-300, departing at 0840 to arrive 1510, then returning at 1625 to arrive back in London at 1940. This aircraft type and configuration also operates the flights to Istanbul and Athens. Heathrow to Larnaca is also served by Cyprus Airways and Aegean; I'm unfamiliar with their fleets but those I saw parked at Larnaca were A320 family.

BA operates from Gatwick to Paphos in summer, presumably with a 737.

A lady who was in my hotel and the lounge on the return leg said she was flying with BA back to Birmingham; there was certainly no flight to BHX with any airline listed on the departure screens (Friday afternoon) for the rest of the day, so this is a bit of a mystery - she didn't seem to be under the influence of the complimentary alcohol and got her UK geography confused! At first I thought LHR must be closed again by the snow and she knew of a diversion. I know BA operates summer Saturday charters from Scottish airports to destinations in Spain, but haven't heard of weekday or winter ones to / from other UK airports - again this would be useful to know.

Heathrow - Larnaca

I arrived at 0700 for the 0840 flight, having checked in via the BA iPhone app. Bag drop is in zone G towards the far end. My hold bag was priority tagged at the separate Club Europe desk. Security was the usual claustrophobic experience that is T3 but relatively swift. The passport control desks immediately after security were unstaffed, which I had not experienced before although rarely use T3 so perhaps this is common. I headed for the Galleries lounge, much about which has been written elsewhere on the site.

Boarding was from the usual gate 24 cowshed for the remote stands. The fast track lane was signposted but blocked by a turnstile, so I joined the general queue for the buses at gate B; there was no obvious separate CE bus. The one set of covered steps (it was a right dreich day as we say in Scotland) led to the N2 door at the galley which separates rows 9 and 12 - there is no row 10 or 11, although there is row 13 which I thought most aircraft avoided. (Many hospitals I've been in don't have wards or rooms 13 either!)

Club Europe covers rows 1 to 9 in the front cabin, then 12 to 14 in the main cabin; Economy starts at row 15, separated only by a moveable exit sign, not any type of curtain. Configuration is 2-2-2 throughout Club, and 2-3-2 in Economy. The centre section seats D and F are separated by the small seat with fold down table; the left and right sections of seats A and B then J and K have the standard armrest separation only. Seat pitch and width seemed to be similar to Economy, but there must be slightly wider for the centre unused seat in Club to be narrower than the extra seat in Economy - if you know what I mean! 1 and 12 are bulkhead rows, with a galley in front of each; row 9 has a toilet in each aisle between it and the galley behind. Club service in rows 12 to 14 appeared to be from the N1 galley, with that at N2 serving the front half of Economy, whose passengers may also use the toilets behind row 9.

I was in 14J on the outbound; although immediately in front of the Economy seating which looked full, I had the consolation that 14K was empty. On the return leg I was in 9F. The centre section seats D and F offer more space with the centre seat and small table, and aisle access for all passengers. Unless you want to cuddle up with a travelling companion or prefer a window seat, choose these over the left or right sections. The bulkhead rows 1 and 12 avoid seat recline from in front, as well documented elsewhere. Row 1 is slightly better than 12 as there are no toilets, with possible first disembarking if the N1 door is used. Meal choice is also more likely to be available.

IFE is refitted flat screens of about 15 inches against the bulkheads and ceiling, as detailed towards the end of the pages in High Life.

We pushed back slightly late and took off at 0915. Despite the weather the climb out was smooth, however the passengers were not released for over 30 minutes - I have experienced this before out of LHR with no explanation from the crew on domestic flights, by which time it can be time to descend. One for a separate thread!

Service commenced from the front galley at row 1, so I was last to be served. Firstly hot towels, then an appetiser and drinks. The menu cards were then handed out; on the return leg this was done before the appetiser. Next the main breakfast course with drinks on request.

Menu;

Chilled fruit juice
Fresh fruit appetiser
Sweet curd with marinated wild berries

Traditional English breakfast
or
Smoked salmon crepe with breakfast potatoes and spinach-stuffed tomato
or
Bagel with cream cheese, Loch Fyne smoked salmon, caper berry and grilled courgette

Selection of breakfast pastries and warm bread rolls

I had the English breakfast which was tasty, with the full tray presentation reminiscent of halcyon days on the Shuttle 757s.

About an hour out of Larnaca there was another round of drinks, with the ubiquitous duty / tax free trolley in between. I do wonder if the fuel burn from the weight of these is covered by what always appears to be poor if indeed any sales, especially on short haul.

We landed at the scheduled arrival time of 1510, with a quick taxi. Airbridges were attached to both the N1 and N2 doors; the front CE cabin used the former. The passport control agents seemed to be caught out by the arrival and scurried to open more booths, which was eventually effective. Unlike in the reviews by the BT team, baggage reclaim was slow and the priority tagging had no effect, many of the Economy bags appeared before mine or other tagged ones. Another thing I always wonder about is at what point does the airline's service end on arrival and pass over to the airport operator, to which you seldom have any recourse.

The EU customs channel was closed (!!)

Larnaca - Heathrow

I arrived at 1430 for the 1625 flight, again having checked in via the iPhone app. Bag drop was at desk 64, with no queue and the standard arrangement for CE. I was given a voucher for the Cyprus Airways / Swissport lounge. There was no fast track security channel, and although the queue was short, I was held up by the lady in front of me who seemed to be wearing most of her hand luggage around her neck and was none too happy as to why it had to be removed.

The lounges are on the upper level of departures, accessed by lift or stairs to the left of the shopping area. There is also a Star Alliance lounge. It was relatively small and the food selection was limited to a finger buffet, otherwise it had all the usual facilities. Annoyingly the flight was listed as boarding at least 20 minutes before it actually commenced, at gate 25; this is common across airports and just causes crowding and frustration at the gate area. I know it's equally frustrating to be delayed by missing passengers, but there must be a way at least for those in lounges to be given more accurate boarding information. Feel an app coming on.

Boarding was a shambles, with the CE channel sign pointless and the announcements confusing. The three channels of boarding pass & passport checking funnelled into one narrow corridor, before the dual airbridges to the N1 and N2 doors, by which point things had become more civilised. As with baggage reclaim, no doubt the gate boarding process is not the responsibility of the airline, whose service effectively only begins when you step aboard the aircraft.

We pushed back slightly late and took off at 1650. Crew and passenger release was quick and service began with hot towels and menu cards, followed by the appetiser and drinks. The main course with more drinks was then served. The passenger adjacent to me in 9E continued to work on his laptop throughout the meal service and ate from his tray perched on the fold down table in what I can only describe as a well offside position; good job he wasn't in one of the left or right section seats.

Menu;

Appetiser - Selection of savoury appetisers!

Main - Chicken curry with Kashidi-style rice, or Salmon roulade in white wine sauce served with fresh vegetables

Warm bread rolls

Dessert - Chocolate fudge cake

Selection of cheese with crackers

I had the chicken curry, which was tasty but a bit dry in style for my liking. Wines were the usual selection of small bottles, with champagne available likewise. I didn't expect Bunnahabhain 18yo to be available - and it wasn't!

We were in the hold for about 30 minutes and landed around 2000, although the 09L landing meant a short taxi to the remote stand at T3. The sole set of coved steps was attached to the N2 door as on the outbound. The cabin crew member at that door started to let the Economy passengers disembark, and her colleague at the starboard side of the galley was trying to get her to stop them and allow the Club passengers off first, without success, so I joined the general scrum. There was a separate CE bus first in the line but it was already quite full of Economy passengers.

There was a long queue at passport control, although the e-gates were working.

This time I felt like Tom Otley as I strolled up to the carousel to see the bags from the flight already on the belt. It was the Economy luggage though - once again the priority bags came through after some time. Is it worth asking the CE check in agent to deliberately not priority tag your hold luggage?

Service from the crew on both legs was very good, especially on the return. This was perhaps partly psychological with being in the front CE-only cabin which feels more exclusive for the return, although to be fair to the outbound crew I didn't notice any difference in the pro-rata time they spent with the Club passengers in the last 3 rows in the main cabin.

Overall a very good service especially on board, with the wide body aircraft on a 4 to 5-hour route dominated by the narrow body series an advantage in terms of aisle access for all those in the centre seat sections, also 2-3-2 in Economy v the standard 3-3. I can't comment on the other carriers operating the route having never used them. The T3 remote stand saga is just a pain for whichever routes operate from there at any given time, and boarding at Larnaca was an embarrassing mess more akin to free seating on the LCCs.
Priority hold luggage tagging was simply useless on both sectors.
Departure times fitted well with hotel check in and out times for my leisure trip; for business friendly timings the other two carriers or a combination may well suit better.

My booking was with Avios only at short notice of one week, excellent value with the Reward Flight Saver at 40000 Avios and £40 return. I did not compare the cash only, part of each or upgrade with Avios rates. Interestingly the system does not allow a reward booking to Larnaca via LON from EDI, GLA, ABZ or NCL (stopping over in London each way due to the Larnaca flight times) as it does for most routes both short and long haul from London, for the same Avios rate and a slightly higher charges supplement. But it would let me book MAN-LHR-LCA - from the other domestic origins it says BA and its partners do not fly the route. So I had to make a separate booking EDI / LHR, fortunately the Reward Flight Saver was again available at 9000 Avios and £30 return. Over to the BA booking experts, crew and Alex McW on that one thanks.

KeaneJohn flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (23/03/2013 12:52)

Prompt and efficient check in at T3 and fast track security was fairly fast moving for a busy Thursday afternoon. Went to AA lounge first before settling down in a busier than usual Galleries Club. A couple of glasses of champagne and some nibbles before heading off to the LCC sytle gate 24 scrum and but to the aircraft.

Settled down in 3F but swapped seat to allow a couple that had been upgraded to sit together. Ended up sitting in 1D,.

Plenty of legroom and seat as comfortable as usual. We were not airborne until approx 1hr after STD due to a wait before pushing back and long wait for take off.

Hot towels came round before the bar service whilst supper was prepared. Offerings were warm chicken salad or a beef stew. Opted for the former which was delicious and served along with regular drink top ups.

With strong tail winds making up for some of the lost time on the ground arrived on stand just 18 minutes late. Lengthy queues for the Immigration were bypassed by use of the e-gates and surprisingly bags off fairly quickly.

All in all a very pleasurable experience with the in flight service virtually faultless by 2 members of crew that really went out of their way to personalise the service on this flight.

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A321 (23/03/2013 12:27)

I arrived in T5 from T3 for this flight to Glasgow on a cold, sleety morning, cheered by the threat of domestic flight cancellations due to snow further north. After a relaxed hour in the First Lounge, I picked up a couple of things from this shops and headed to Gate 11 in good time for boarding. This commenced at about 08.05 for our 08.25 and, with priority boarding, I was in 4C quickly. A few minutes later all the lights went out and the Captain came on to inform us that the power unit had failed and hey would need to get another one. As a result we were 30 mins late pushing back.

Another breakfast was on offer - potentially my third, so I refused and caught up with UK and world news instead, heretically from a BT Forum point of view, choosing The Independent and The Times - no Daily Mail!!!!

We made good time north and landed amid a winter wonderland only about 20 minutes late. Very good natured service throughout...... and my case made it from Phnom Penh!!

TominScotland flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a B747-400 Mid J (23/03/2013 07:37)

I joined BA10 to London from a Bangkok Airways connection and enjoyed a few hours of peace in the BA/Qantas First Lounge (functional but quiet), including a welcome shower, before heading to the gate.

I was booked in Economy as per the rules of the donor agency for whom I am working and had found out, a couple of weeks ago, that the ticket purchased was not upgradeable with Avios. So some trepidation although i had booked 29A which is the row behind the two blcok emergency exit seats and has clear blue water in front of it, giving full access without disturbing neighbours.

Priority boarding was painess and I was in my seat, settled and comfortable before the majority of passengers boarded. We pushed back on time and I was asleep before take off. Therefore, I missed dinner (intended) and managed to sleep, with a couple of brief interuptions, for close to 9.5 hours - absolutely wonderful and more than I have often managed to lie-flay/ fully-flat C seats. I woke up about 2 hours out of London and enjoyed a very satisfactory cooked breakfast before we landed about 15 minutes early into a sleety and dismal looking Heathrow.

A short taxi took us to T3 where I was soon off the plane and heading for T5. Overall, service was professional and seemed to be quick and efficient.

In T5, I was waiting to be called a 'Twit' but the security folk were too busy talking among themselves to bother with passengers!!

Headed to the BA First Lounge, hoping the snow in Glasgow would moderate......

BrianParker flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a B747-400 High J (17/03/2013 21:32)

This was my first time to travel on BA, since most of my international travel has been on US-based airlines. I live in an AA hub city, so I travel AA more frequently than any other airline.

I've read many times about BAs superior service and on-board experience, compared to AA and other USA airlines.
My overall complaint is BAs economy seats on the 747 - they're terribly uncomfortable, and the leg room is small. Their seats are strangely contoured along the sides. This "contour" ended up poking me in the back for the everlasting 10 hr flight from Houston to LHR. I found the economy seats on AA and Iberia to be much more comfortable. When the seat in front of me reclined, literally the seatback was about 12 inches from my face.

Also, they must have heated the plane up to a warm 80 degrees, since I was hot the entire flight. No need for blankets, as you'll want to peel off your clothes to stay comfortable.

I'm so glad I had a proper dinner at Pappadeaux restaurant at the Houston airport, because the economy meal was really unappealing. Just imagine every stereotypical airline meal, and you've got it. The bread roll in plastic wrapper was hard and stale. The salad wasn't much better. The pasta dish was ok, it was the best part of the meal. In addition, the "breakfast" was a cold box meal, with a muffin and a few little things. I would call it a snack, more than breakfast.

The only enjoyable part of the flight was the IFE, it was good with lots of selection.

flydrive flew British Airways Club Europe, on a B737-400 (13/03/2013 14:27)

Gatwick - Dubrovnik return in CE for leisure.

Outbound:

Did not use check-in at the airport, but security quick and efficient although couldn't find any fast track. We went straight to the lounge to get a snack. While a good size, very busy with few available seats. It was late morning, and food on offer was breakfast; fairly good choice, although nothing hot besides beans or porridge. Requested and received champagne - twice. Always nice, but why not just put out the whole bottle! Guess that will have to wait until I'm Gold.

Boarding and departure smooth and on time. Had seats 1D and 1F, bulkhead. Plenty of room. Plane looked a bit worn, but relatively comfortable even though seats are simply economy with the middle one empty. Staff functional, although no particular warm welcome. Disappointed with food: flight was 2 1/2 hours, departing after 11 am, and the only food on offer was "brunch", which consisted of a cold plate with some meat and cheese and fruit. Uninspired. Drinks only came after the meal was served, and then the only offer was coffee/tea. I had to ask for something else, after which drinks were replenished often. I found this a bit odd - there was no juice or water on the tray, so it meant trying to down food with no drink. Given the relatively long flight, I was surprised there was no proper "drink, food, coffee, drink" itinerary. Flight attendants were fine but I did not notice any discernable difference from economy.

Flight landed early and being at the front, we were first through immigration, which was the highlight of the flight as far as I'm concerned.

Return:

Had to check in as on-line not available out of Dubrovnik. Easy and fast. Quick through security and up to a stifling and full contract lounge, which had plenty of drinks but nothing in the way of food besides packets of nuts and crisps. Flight departed on time.

Was seated further back in CE in A and C. This side of the aircraft is preferable if you are travelling with someone you actually want to speak with, as the gap between A and C is smaller than between D and F, while still offering extra room. If travelling alone, then D or F would be preferable. The leg room was a joke; except for B remaining empty, there is no difference from economy.

Service was perkier than the outbound, and followed a proper meal service with drinks, followed by dinner, coffee and more drinks. Dinner was a choice between beef stroganoff and cajun salmon salad, both of which were tried and found delicious. Flight attendants were a bit hurried, as there were 9 rows of business, but managed to still give personable service.

Landed a few minutes early and quickly out of LGW to the train station.

Verdict: A pleasant enough experience, with the punctuality the best thing going for a precious weekend away. CE tickets were a very good deal, only slightly more than economy, but in reality the benefits of CE were minimal except for the empty seat in the middle and slightly better food and service on offer. I certainly would not choose to pay a multiple of economy even for a longish European flight like this. It's just not worth it. But for about 50 pounds extra, it just about makes this a good value. I do think if BA wants to keep a business product, they need to keep up a noticeable difference from economy. The difference in pitch - or lack of - really lets the product down. I can deal with the economy seats (with middle empty) rather than proper business class, but the pitch needs to be upped if BA wants to be able to really charge a premium for CE.

flydrive

TominScotland flew British Airways First, on a B747-400 Mid J (13/03/2013 01:35)

I connected from T5 for this flight to Bangkok and, although running late, made it to Gate 32 in plenty of time, arriving at 21.30 for my 22.05 flight, being assured that my transfer baggage was en route from T5 and had already been checked at T3. Priority boarding swas me as on of the first passengers aboard and I made my way to 12J, the second row of WT+. I had only just settled in when the CC member in charge of the cabin came over and invited me to move to the back row of the small four row cabin as the middle block was entirely free. This I did and was able to spread out and enjoy the (relatively) spacious legroom etc.

Push back was at 22.15 and I was alseep before take-off - having completed a house move that morning, I was feeling somewhat tired!! I woke up for the service and enjoyed an excellent chicken curry as compsensation for missing the T3 BA Lounge. I then fell back to sleep and rested well unto about 2.5 hours out - the seat, reclined, was very comfortable and suited me fine, as I rarely use the full recline/ flat position even when available in Business.

A good, cooked breakfast (I had Spanish omlette) was served an hour before arrival into BKK and we landed some 35 minute early before taxiing to the gate. Service was fine nd professional throughout. The mid-J WT+ cabin gets a great deal on disembarkation and can mingle with passengers leading the line from both F and J so I was on my long hike to Immigration quickly. The plan was to collect my bag and re-check it upstairs - no problems with that as a theory!

The immigration queues at BKK appear to have disapprared and the system has been pleasently revamped into an efficient facility. So, I was through quickly and at the carousel, waiting and waiting and then the frustraion of realising that you (and about 20 others) were bagless. This was really unacceptable, even with a T5 to T3 transfer, because 1'20" should be plenty to achieve this and, given my information at boarding, had already been 75% completed 35 minutes before scheduled departure. In fairness, forms had been filled in prior to arrival and processing was quick - in my case, accompanied by a whispered briefing on the immediate compo I was to receive upstairs in departures - a BA visa card with £50 credit on it. I was also promised that my bag would transfer on to my final destination of Phnom Penh the next day - will await this in breathless mode.

TominScotland flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (13/03/2013 01:18)

This was a connector flight to my long-haul from T3 and so it was perturbing to hear of a delay at check-in - 40 minutes at that time. I had tried to check in online for the previous 24 hours but had repeatedly received an error message in reply so it was the traditional route. I was booked on two tickets (GLA - BKK and BKK to Phnom Penh with Bangkok Airways and, oddly, the system allowed through boarding passes but luggage just to BKK. Fine, I had allowed myself plenty of time so off my luggage went, priority tagged and all but, with the delay, some concern on my part about connecting times.

I went upstairs, through a quiet security and on to the new BA lounge in Glasgow which seems to have slipped in, un reported on BT. It is, in fact, the old bmi lounge but totally revamped into a much larger space than the old (but still quite new) Terraces Lounge. I thought the catering, while fine, was disappointing after the old lounge - fresh fruit, for example, has gone. There is also a longer walk to the BA gates and no priority access to the adjacent gate.

Boarding commenced 10 minutes prior to the revised departure time and there was no priority called - just front and back lines which is quite a complicated request to make for most business travellers, many of whom had to be told that 21C is not at the front of the aircraft!!

Take off was 50 minutes behind schedule but, ith a short flying time, I did not anticipate problems with my trasfer to T3. Service was standard aboard and, indeed, we landed and were at the gate relatiovely quickly and 40 minutes late. This gave me 80 minutes for the transfer - no problems. So it proved for myself and I was in T3 and at my gate within 30 minutes..... My luggage? At the Gate, I was told, "I can see that it has been checked at T5 and again here at T3, Sir" so should be fine"...... Mmmmmmm

LastCallGate1 flew British Airways First, on a B777-200 (Four class) (12/03/2013 17:31)

New F is the upgrade that BA needed. I was growing increasingly frustrated by the old cabin and actually "downgraded" myself once to a Club seat as it was a far superior product.
Excellent service as usual and glad to see they have finally sorted the Spa situation at T5 with bootable treatments as far farcical scenes before this.
Food and wine selections as expected in First and always a great breakfast.

Negatives - still not quite Cathay or Singapore for a First class experience.

sparkyflyer flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A319 (12/03/2013 16:37)

The route: Rome-LHR

The choices: BA, Alitalia & Easyjet. BA was chosen because of the slightly bigger choice of flights and a more generous luggage allowance, which is always a factor for me!

Check in – I checked in via Internet on my mobile, and was easy. The day after I made my way from Florence, where I had visited for the weekend, and took the train to Rome Termini. Here I caught the “Leonardo Express” which was no express and certainly the platform used, and the facilities, pretty ugly. Anyway I checked in at FCO and dropped my bag off. The check In lady was very friendly and efficient indeed. There was no queue. I went through security (shoes off, although same shoes on way out were fine) and tried to find the lounge. This was not the BA one but one I can use via Airport Angel. The airport was not busy and I wondered when it might justify the new pier it seems they are building.

Immigration was very poor. The guy behind the screen did not look at any of the 3 passengers in front of me, and so could not have known if their faces matched their passport photos. Queen Elizabeth II, Barack Obama or even Pope Benedict post retirement could have walked through and he would not have known.
I eventually the lounge, (Mosiac) which was almost empty, and in the basement, so no sweeping apron views. Food offering was very minimal and any drink, even water, could only be found at the bar, which was half manned! There were PCs there however and I was able to quickly check on emails and the news.

Boarding was early and I was one of the first on. I had tried to get the A seat in the front row of Y on this A319, but was not lucky, so had the second row, which is still comfy with the 34” pitch. The luggage space in the overhead bin was fine for my mini case, which had been a problem on the 737 on the outbound.
The flight left exactly on time and the taxi was short. With curtain/barrier between C & Y, it was not easy to see the screen and thus safety video. Info from the Captain was delivered in a very robust, jolly and “Captain Windsor” way! After a short while, the food was delivered, a Hoisin Duck wrap in a small package. Drinks came around a while after that, and I wondered why they could not do it at the same time, and then do a tea/coffee round. I tried two of the wines, including a Pinotage, which was like Ribena/Jollyjuice, and then another which was far more satisfying. The duck wrap, well, there were 2 in the packet, one without any sauce, but the other was with and quite tasty. I also had the tea, which was the new blend mentioned on the BT news page, and I must say was a hearty brew, although it seems the cup sizes have shrunk. . .? A always I enjoyed the Highlife magazine, although I had to steel this from my neighbours seat pocket. The crew were somewhat mediocre and I noticed that all announcements were in English, none in Italian at all, which surprised me. Also I pressed the FA Call button, and this was only responded to after 30 minutes. I bought some Duty Free, and am pleased that BA continue to do this as part of their offering. I am not sure how many legacy carriers continue to do this intra-Europe. There was no real communication from the flight deck about the delay in arriving at LHR, but in the end the flight was 2:30 minutes, quite lengthy for a 898 mile flight.

Arrival was late, but I was relieved that we were coming into the main part of T5, not B or C! The walk was not too far from the aircraft and the luggage for once, was quite quick.

Summary and verdict. Good but not great. Good value, but feel if BA just slightly upped their game, that this would make them a much better and more attractive option.

sparkyflyer flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a B737-400 (12/03/2013 15:48)

The route –London to Rome

Choices –BA, Alitalia & Easyjet .Ryanair was not considered. With luggage, Easyjet was going to be the most expensive. I chose BA as there was slightly better choice of schedule and because the hand baggage allowance was slightly more generous than AZ. However I would have been happy to have tried Alitalia again as have heard good things about them recently.

Check In. I checked in online the day before (very easy) and secured an Exit seat. In the morning I arrived at LGW North about 2.5 hours early, and queued for the bag drop for a good 15 minutes. This was annoying as I wanted to do some work, but some Caribbean bound passengers in front had some luggage issues.
Following check in I queued for security a good 15 minutes before trying to find an English Breakfast, and I found Jamie Oliver’s kitchen which was decent. I then headed to the No 1 Traveller lounge, where there was a warm welcome and pretty good breakfast spread. With all the queueing I did not have as much time to relax and do some work as I would have liked.

Boarding on to the 737-400 was orderly and I was one of the first on. I was glad as I just managed to get my cabin bag in the over head bin – which in an A320 series would not have been a challenge.
I sat down with a thud onto a pretty hard seat but was glad for the extra legroom in the exit row. I was also quite thirsty and popped back to the galley for some water which was delivered with a smile. Returning to the seat I reflected that the cabin was pretty tatty. The seats were battered, the leather coming loose etc. No duct tape here!

The Flight. Push back was on time and after a 10 minute taxi we were airborne. I had a short doze as had been up since 5:30. The cabin crew came around very quickly and handed out chicken wraps. It seemed a while after that that they came around with drinks, both the wines/drinks/teas and coffees at once, which seemed odd. Surely a better way would have been to come around with the drinks and snack, followed by more drinks and tea/coffee service. This I think would have been more appropriate and left a better impression with the passengers who were not BA loyalists. On one occasion I pressed the call button but this was never responded to, which was disappointing. They did a Duty Free round which I used, but although the crew (3?) were a smiley bunch, they did seem to do the bare minimum. The rap by the wrap was tasty and my neighbour requested a vegetarian one and the crew had this option as well. I had a white wine which was OK but not much more than that! I missed the moving maps you get with the A320 series. I read and kept copies of the BA inflight mags Highlife and Business Life, which I always enjoy.

Arrival the flight was slightly late due to a runway switch, and we arrived 2h20 after take off. It was a hard landing and I had to brace myself against the seat in front with my hand. At FCO BA arrives at a satellite terminal and you take a train to the main terminal. It was here I bumped into a former UK minister I am acquainted with, and after a tedious wait for luggage (which belts being used not well signposted at all), we shared a taxi into Rome as were going to be at the same conference.

Summary and verdict. Value was good, but feel the crew could have done a bit more and the structure of the service delivery better planned. The 737s have their “charm” but are waiting for their retirement!

thefirstchild flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a B777-200 (Four class) (08/03/2013 18:29)

This flight was brilliant
It was from london to boston (This is for the flight going eastwards only)
The entertainment included 40 radio channels, screens that you could watch films, play games, listen to music or even read books on and magazines of all sorts.
The flight attenants were kind and there was a good selection of food and drinks, that were warm and refreshing.

I do appreciate the fact that this was a 777, most flights from LHR-BOS are on planes that sometimes are not even wide bodied. For all the wrong reasons, these were the two best parts of the flight. First of all we came to the gate to find a drunk man, who asked me something about operating the doors, and asked another member of the family if he could sit next to her. I have probably never felt more relieved then when I heared "can we have the duty manager please?" Also, there was occasionally turbelance but the pilot never turned the seatbelt sign on just to make the flight more comfertable. The seats were extremely soft and I did manage to get at least an hour of sleep on the flight.

This was a great flight that I would recommend you go on. also, because it is a codeshare with AA you can fly all around the States and back to London with American without counting it as a completely different flight, making it quite a bit cheaper.

alexpo1 flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a A321 (ex-Bmi) (05/03/2013 10:26)

BA148 Beirut to Heathrow T1

A long take-off to the south exactly 2 minutes after the scheduled departure time of 09:30.

I had the same crew as on my outbound flight.

The previous evening I had checked in online and selected 31F. The middle seat was empty which is always a blessing in economy. Legroom was sufficient, and although the seat was firm it was not uncomfortable.

Unfortunately the moving map was not working as I like to know the route, especially on a daytime flight with no cloud cover. Was that Bulgaria, Romania or Serbia down there?

There was no ravioli left by the time I was served. I am not a great fan of beef but as I was very hungry I gladly accepted it.

We landed ahead of schedule, but it was a long 5 hours 10 minutes.

alexpo1 flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a A321 (ex-Bmi) (04/03/2013 13:12)

I arrived at LHR T1 on the BA421 from Luxembourg. This flight was delayed due to bags having to be offloaded, de-icing and, no surprises, congestion at Heathrow. The flight lasted 1 hour 20 minutes. In the other direction, it is normally 50 minutes.

As is my custom, I went landside for a couple of puffs.

I returned to fast-track security to find a short queue. The good thing about this connection was that I did not have to change terminals.

BA149 Heathrow to Beirut

I went straight to the BA international lounge. My first impressions were not favourable. Glasses were in short supply, and other passengers were having the same problem. I found a nice place at the window overlooking the runway and stretched my legs with a mini glass of white.

As it turned out, there was a technical problem with the original aircraft. As a result, take-off was delayed for over an hour. I had selected 12F, but shortly after the seat-belt signs had been turned off I discovered that the back row was empty, so off I popped.

Flying over the Alps I had a very good Chicken Tajine. The next time I looked out it was dark.

One point to note on these mid-haul flights is that there is no duty free. The reason given by the CC member was the size of the aircraft. He also added that they were still getting used to the ex-BMI aircraft.

The flight passed quickly and soon I had a wonderful view of a fat yellow moon over Beirut by night.

Immigration was slow, and by the time I collected my bag I discovered that my arranged transfer had long since given up and deserted me. I also forgot my credit card pincode!!

The ups and downs of international travel.....

FormerlyDoS flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (27/02/2013 22:16)

BA GOT LHR

A320 with spacesaver seats.

Check in was fast, efficient and friendly security a little slow. Although there is a fastlane, BA don't pay for their business class pax to use it, so I stood there and watched a good number of SK pax pass my by - I think I might take SK next time.

The shared Menzies lounge is adequate, but no more, with a reasonable selection of drinks and a poor selection of food.

Boarding was fast for me, as I was the #3 pax by the desk, but I didn't hear any calls for priority boarding for CE pax, which is irritating, as was the experience of getting to my seat and finding the bassinet lowered, with pens and other things on it and the overhead locker full of crew luggage.

On boarding, I was 'sir', not 'Mr FDoS' and there was no 'welcome back', the crew were a little robotic and self absorbed - I was treated to a long and loud conversation from the front galley during the descent, inoffensive stuff, but a little gauche for a full service airline. Likewise, on arrival at T5, the two crew stood talking to each other whilst we awaited a bus on the remote stand and they made no attempt to talk to me, even though I was only a few feet away. They didn't say goodbye, either, when we deplaned.

There were no hot towels and the dinner order included the first drinks. I thought the prawn curry didn't taste of curry and was a little greasy, not that great, but the mini bottle of Pommery was very pleasant. It took a long time to be asked if I wished to have a refill (I only took a water), but at least I was asked.

So far, not that great, but things did pick up at T5; firstly, the 4 of us had a separate bus and the driver was very polite and friendly and then after a quick Iris (the m/c on the LHS was o/s, but the RHS was ok), the bags arrived quickly and the priority tagging had been respected, with all the tagged bags coming out first.

So, on balance, the trip was okay but this crew was not one of BA's better and they did let their company down a little.

FormerlyDoS flew British Airways (24/02/2013 22:33)

British Airways (operated by Sun Air) MAN-GOT on a Fairchild Dornier 328-300 (jet.)

Check in at Manchester's Terminal 3 was quick and painless and I got a fastlane sticker for BAEC status, which saved quite a bit of time getting through.

The lounge is on older Galleries format, but is adequately large and in very good condition, with a cheery lady on the front desk.

The food was limited to snacks and sandwiches, which were good, but it was a shame that there was not a hot option for an 1830 departure, especially as the flight had a cold salad (which I didn't eat.)

The flight was about 50% full and the single hostess offered a very good service whizzing up and down the aisle with a drink and pretzels, the meal, yoghurt, coffee and then Baileys. She was also very pleasant in her demeanour.

Pushback was on schedule and the flight time was 1:50, the luggage arrived in about 10 mins and I was in my hotel just over an hour after landing. Excellent.

This was another rewards saver flight and was tremendous value.

BA have (wrongly, IMHO) killed a number of franchises - I hope they keep this one running, what I got today was a great little flight and I would be happy to use Sun Air again, in the future.

FormerlyDoS flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A320 (Domestic) (24/02/2013 22:22)

LHR T1 - LBA 40 mins airborne

It nearly took as long to clear security at T1, as it did to fly to Leeds.

The domestic lounge in T1 does not compare to T5, but I thought it was perfectly adequate for a domestic flight and the lady on the front desk was cheerful and helpful.

A bit of a sentimental journey for me, as I used to fly LBA/LHR/LBA a lot in the late 70s, when BA still served the destination, albeit with VC8s, not nice shiny A319s.

Once onboard (an ex bmi aircraft in excellent condition), the pushback was 15 mins beyond STD, due to late arrival of the inbound from Belfast.

Not much else to say, the flight was by no means full and the crew whistled through the service, I had a nice bottle of white wine (actually, it was pretty anonymous, but it was free and by no means foul.)

Landed at Leeds on 13 and got the bags within about 15 mins, so reasonable.

I booked this as a rewards saver flight and found it good value, I just hope the route survives, since I doubt this flight broke even.

FormerlyDoS flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (22/02/2013 08:23)

BA124 BAH LHR

Due to a very late change of plans, I found myself taking BA instead of GF and paid £2,500 for a last minute one way ticket in Club World.

Check in - check in was in the premium area of BAH airport and was smooth and painless, as was security clearance.

BA uses the Dilmun lounge, which is nicely furnished, with a good selection of drinks, but poor food, with sandwiches and snacks; this was disappointing for a sleeper service. Fortunately, I had eaten in my hotel executive lounge (The excellent Regency Intercontinental.)

Boarding was handled well, with the gate being located close to the lounge and premium pax being called quite late, meaning the queue was small.

The greeting at the door was neither warm nor cold and efficient. However, the aircraft, G-ZZZC was very clean and tidy, even old first looked in very good condition, as I passed through it.

Having been restricted to a choice of E or F seats due to the last minute booking, I had asked the check in agent if their was a completely free pair, but on boarding the seat next t me was occupied by a guy who had plugged in a laptop and looked as if he was going to be active. So given I wanted to sleep, I found the CSD and arranged to move to another pair where I would have no neighbour.

I don't know what happened in terms of communication breakdown between the crew, but I never received a menu and no-one came to ask my what I'd like to eat (which would have been nothing.) I didn't get a bottle of water, either.

The captain made the usual announcements and said it would be a bit bumpy after departure, which it was for about 45 mins, so I cranked my seat back and went to sleep.

Waking up in time for breakfast, there was the usual mountaineering challenge to get into the aisle, for a quick freshen up, followed by asking a crew member if they were going to serve a breakfast, as we were only just over 80 mins out of London and there was no sign of movement.

To cut a long story short, the woman was astonished I didn't have a menu and gave me one; it must be said that the lady in question was not the member looking after 'my side' of the aircraft.

When the crew member came to take my order, it was a bit hard going; I asked for a smoothie and the continental breakfast. She then insisted on going through the menu like a checklist, would you like Orange juice or fruit? No thank you, I would like a smoothie and the continental breakfast. Would you like cereal? I would like a smoothie and the continental breakfast. Would you like the bread basket?

When the smoothie and continental breakfast arrived, it was okay - I still got the cereal, which I just left and she looked most put out when I declined the bread basket. Bl**dy hell, I began to wonder how larger her IQ was than her shoe size and then it clicked - now I understand why I didn't get a menu, bottle of water etc.

As the aircraft started to descend into London, I retrieved my wallet and stuff form the small drawer built into the seat and saw that one of the plugs on the headphones provided (still in the cellophane wrap) was twisted at a strange angle, so I thought I'd inform a crew member, so he could report it and someone could go back up the supply chain and take corrective action, as a plug twisted like this one could have broken off in the socket, causing a problem. I stressed that it had not affected my flight, as I used my own set with my iPod.

The next thing I knew, I had a visit from the CSD, who seemed to have got the wrong end of the stick and was quite defensive, saying if I had reported this at the start of the flight, they would have changed the set. I found this a little irritating, as it seemed to me that I was being blamed for a lack of QC in their system, but I restricted myself to commenting that I had informed her colleague that I had only just noticed, as I was using my own set and despite travelling in business class, was quite capable of reaching across to the F seat and taking the headset from the other (empty) seat. This seem to mollify the lady and off she went, to thank the cabin crew for all their hard work (which obviously did not include delivering my menu and water, but I could not deny that getting the breakfast was hard work for me, so it probably was for the FA, too), before asking them to sit down. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.... this is one of the things I most hate about travelling BA.

We arrived at London 15 mins ahead of schedule, into the C pier and as we were one of the first arrivals, progress through T5 was stress free and rapid.

My bag came out within the first 20 and all were priority tagged, so that was good.

On balance, very clean/tidy aircraft, don't know what the dinner was like or the F&B, inattentive cabin crew, good experience at T5. I'd rate this flight was a 3* experience, tops.

SBingham flew British Airways Club World, on a B767-300 (21/02/2013 23:55)

19/02/13 IST to LHR. It was to my surprise to find that a long haul 767 was on this sector, so really nice to have a flat bed and wide choice of films to watch. Crew a little confused as not used to this con fig. Food ok but after flying this route so often for last couple of years am bored with the same old choice of meals. Crew seemed to disappear after the meal service, i found them sitting in the galleys eating, talking and ignoring passengers, they did respond when asked but made no effort before being spoken too to engage. Landed 25 minutes early, but arriving at a C gate (which i hate) means you loose the time made up walking for miles and waiting for the shuttle. IRIS was working which was a nice treat.

SBingham flew British Airways Club Europe, on a B767-300 (European config.) (21/02/2013 23:41)

After two years of flying LHR to IST once or twice a month and being told the 767's would get a refurb. I found to my surprise that this plane had been done, they do look allot better and tv screens far more practical and well placed. The lunch served was great and choices offered. CC attentive and worked hard but this ethic came straight from the CSD who seemed to run a tight ship. Overall a nice enjoyable flight.

SirJohn flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 Mid J (19/02/2013 19:58)

LHR – MIA
Pre-flight: I was in transit from a flight from TLS into T1, so had the usual bus trip from T1 to T5. No problem except for the tiresome requirement to go through security again even though one has not been landside. The South lounge is good both for food and drink except for the awful requirement to ask a waiter if you want champagne. “Another??!!”

The flight departed from Satellite C, two quick stops on the train from the main T5. Boarding was painless and a glass of champagne was on offer before take-off.

On board: one either loves or hates the clumsy fore-and-aft facing seats in BA business class. I personally hate them, but have learned to cope with the twin possibilities of being either rude (by shutting your sliding window at the earliest opportunity) or bored by having to chat (if you don’t).

I also find it difficult to be forced to face rearwards if I want a window seat to starboard. The other disadvantage of these seats is the lack of storage space. The seats themselves are actually physically unpleasant – narrow, hard, with rigid arm rests and with ‘wings’ (as in wing chairs) of solid, bruising plastic. A disastrous design which ignores every principle of ergonomics.

How very old-fashioned it is to receive a little toilet bag containing socks, eye masks, a tooth brush, ear plugs and four useless Elemis products. One wishes they would not bother.

The F & B was average. The NV Taittinger was bog standard: cocktails were never mentioned except in the handout: a 2011 Chablis is simply poor and the American Sauvignon blanc little better. An Italian red (Barbera d’Asti 2009) was drinkable. I did not try the Sonoma pinot noir. The main course choice was steak (which BA always ruins) and cod which was dry and tasteless. A risotto or a cold collation were also on offer.

Late in the flight, “afternoon tea” came round. A sandwich and a scone were correct, but the sandwich was “served” still in its cardboard & plastic wrapping! This is sheer idleness on the part of the crew.

Some four hours into the flight (and then only having asked) I was told that the IFE had broken down. You could not watch a movie and could only join a tv program in mid-stream. Nothing was available a la carte. “Just like the old days” a steward told me laughing heartily. On a 9+ hour flight this is not amusing or acceptable. Some six hours into the flight, we had heard nothing from the flight deck: no destination weather, no arrival time, no apology for the IFE breakdown.

I feel driven to ask how long this dysfunctional, amateurish operation can continue. With the more professional KLM and Lufthansa available a short hop away, BA must change or die. The jargon phrase is “unfit for purpose”: with these aging aircraft and 1960s service values, the phrase fits.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this flight was the behavior and attitude of some of the cabin staff. They were either cold and remote or overly “matey”. The service of meals, admittedly hampered by the dreadful seat lay-out, was more corner café than quality restaurant.

Coats were not taken on boarding. Toilets were uncleaned. The small courtesies were ignored. We never saw the CSD who probably never emerged from the first class cabin. Either the training or the recruiting criteria need a thorough overhaul: perhaps both.

andrew007 flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a Embraer 170 (16/02/2013 20:27)

I arrived at Schiphol about 80 minutes before departure from my economy flight to London City and checked in on a self service machine as I had not had a chance to do so on line.

Being the last flight of the day the BA check in area was very quiet and staff made it clear I could have gone to a desk had I preferred. Unlike on my outbound flight the previous day the machine allowed me to check in using my frequent flyer card and I was not removed from my pre-assigned seat.

Not having any bags to check in I headed straight for immigration where there was a short queue before I was through to the departure lounge; security here of course comes later.

Anticipating minimal service on the short flight I went to have simple but tasty sushi meal.

Security was fast and efficient and from here I made my way to the gate.

Boarding was timely and without significant incident.

Seating is 2 - 2; I was in 10D; the snack was a tiny bag of sweet or savoury snacks as anticipated and there was a choice of a drink from the bar. Here I say fair play to BA; although there are no hot drinks served on this very short flight there are a good range of cold options. However, the advert I had seen suggesting that ice and lemon accompany all gin and tonics served aboard BA flights does not extend to this serivice; neither are carried due to space constraints but at least the gin and tonic were reasonably cool.

We landed on time and the joy of London City is the quick passage through the arrivals hall even when, as in this case, a bus was required from the plane.

A perfectly reasonable service at a level I would expect and at a cost slightly cheaper than the KLM alternative.

Henryp1 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A319 (10/02/2013 19:11)

Sunday 1pm Heathrow to Berlin.

Check in nice and fast very polite and chatty agent. But security slow and pulled aside for a pat down. Only one agent performing, so had to wait while the couple ahead complained that its not fair and they don't get this in USA. To be fair I had omitted to take out a tube of hand cream and put into the plastic bag. But this did delay me by 15 minutes as the security guard undertook this very thoroughly. A good result and I was on my way.

Even now I still find the trek to the Galleries to be tiresome and feels quite tortuous at times, unless stopping off for shopping on route. Lounge busy but not packed. Lunch was quite nice and then a dash back to the post box before heading back to A19. Boarding quick and aboard into 2A with no real delay, just the scrum of passengers who followed.

Cabin full with I think 7 rows but service not noticeably slow. Hot towels, which are very thready and almost transparent followed by which I was surprised to have a nice salad with various meats and salad items. Followed by a small, warm rolls and cheese cake. Coffee good and hot.

Less than 90 minutes to Berlin and the tax free trolleys made a mad dash through the cabin and a good landing. Baggage off the belt quickly.

Overall a very good flight and experience. With CE I do believe it is very well worthwhile and I appreciate the smaller cabin and service.

cunardqueen flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 High J (10/02/2013 01:20)

Flight BA 269 LHR TO LAX Upgraded at Boarding Gate from WTP - Club World

Booking my flight via a friend l was able to gain from the BA hotline service. I booked as always WTP. This flight was for the 1500 departure from London Heathrow on Christmas Eve for Los Angeles. This flight was in conjunction with a BA flight down from Aberdeen. For what its worth I saved just over £200.

Checking in on line l was greeted with the message "Sorry we cannot check you in online for this flight as we are unable to offer you a choice of seat at present" this was showing for both flights. I had pre paid for both seats. A quick email to my friend who booked the seat resulted in the information being gleaned that there was only 1 seat in First, 2 in Club and none in WTP or Economy. But there were some 15 staff on standby. The advice l was given on how to proceed was "Bother them but be gentle if you find that you don't have your booked seats, but let them know your aware the flight is overbooked".

I checked the following day at the BA terminal in Aberdeen and mentioned to the service air member of staff the fact l couldn't check in online. I did say that if this flight to London was full l would be happy to take a later flight to London. He told me that wasn't where the problem is but rather its my next flight. I told him l was aware its overbooked, No response other than check in as normal at the desk in T 5.

Check in for real. It was Christmas Eve. The terminal did seem rather quiet. I noticed a BA customer service rep hovering round the check in desks. My flight wasn't open for check in yet but what the heck the charm offensive starts now! l approached the lady and asked her what time the desk would open for check in for the Flight to LA., she scanned the sheets and l uttered the immortal words "I'm only concerned as my flight is overbooked & 15 of those are staff." She told me the time and pointed out which desks l should go to, and asked how did l know my flight was overbooked. I regaled my tale of how l booked the flights via a friend in BA using the friends and family discount. Then when l went to checkin online the system told me they were unable to offer me a choice of seat. Even though l had paid her whole manner became more more friendlier (not that she wasn't friendly before) but she re scanned the sheets and said Oh don't worry Sir we will get you onboard. But yes your flight is showing as full, however use that checkin desk over there.

With that l went and waited for the desks to open up, they did shortly afterwards and off l went to check in. I went to the desk the agent pointed at and handed over the passport and engaged in conversation. I regaled yet again my story of how l couldn't check in online and that the flight was overbooked and l did so much hope that the staff can get on this flight, She asked me oh how did l know it was overbooked, I told the other part of my story about how l had booked via a friend in BA and she had told me about the staff being on standby. She said "oh lets take a look at your ticket" and she looked into the booking on her screen in more detail. I did say that l do hope the staff can get their seats on this Christmas Eve flight as l think to be flying away today is just so exciting, in fact any more excitement and lm liable to burst!" Which l guess is not what they expect a 43 year old man to say, but the camp chat caused her to laugh.

I produced a box of Christmas chocolates and said to her My dear these are for you, its Christmas and May l wish you a very merry Christmas. She was l felt quite stunned by this little act of Christmas spirit and said that in all her years she had never been given such a thing by a passenger, we bantered some more about the USA as she types away on her keyboard and out then came the magical boarding pass. Boarding at B 36 Gate l was still in my same pre booked seat in WTP seat 31 A, Always a good seat and one that l always pay for, no one behind you, and the view is ok in that you can watch the flaps and speed brakes etc on take off.

The 2 suitcases were safely on their way and the agent wished me a very pleasant journey and a Merry Christmas. I thanked her and went on my way re leaved l had a seat. I have flown this route now 4 times return and assumed that oh well no upgrade but it was fun the interaction.

I did have an Amex fast track pass which l had purchased via ebay for 99p so already what small lines there were at security were even less on the fast track side, only one in front. My only minor comment with T 5 is when you go through security you are right away into the pathway of the masses and by the time you collect your various containers there really is no where to put yourself back together without being rushed, and l hate being rushed.

Enjoyed a nice all day breakfast at the Giraffe cafe and a browse through duty free and before long the flight was showing on the departure screen. Took the transit train to B gates (on previous flights it was always C gates) There really isn't much to do at B gates other than chat to fellow passengers.

The boarding process was soon underway and starting with WT the 747 aircraft was filled from the rear. Boarding then for passengers in WTP commenced and l joined the line, handed over the passport and boarding card which was scanned and out spewed a new boarding card, not realising what had happened the agent said Mr ##### British Airways are pleased to upgrade you to Club World, your seat is 19 A have a pleasant flight and Merry Christmas.

For a moment l was stunned and lost for words, it didn't last long. "Thank you so very much British Airways, l really do appreciate this and a Merry Christmas to you indeed" as l went down the steps l punched the air with glee and couldn't believe it. A quick call to those that mattered to share the news and l boarded. An upgrade from Premium to Business.

Showing the new boarding pass to the cabin crew at the door l was welcomed to Club World and directed to my seat 19 A, all the other passengers were already settled. It took a moment to realise that my seat was facing backwards and the whole set up looked strange. Other than passing by on previous flights l hadn't given much notice to club world. The 2 bags were placed in the locker, plenty of space, the steward returned to offer a glass of champagne, naturally l accepted.

19 A is a window seat which is my chosen requirement. But l must say it was strange to be seated facing someone else, the divider was down and l wasn't sure if l liked it. Anyway we took off slightly later. A another drink was offered as l studied how the seat was going to work and limited conversation with the passenger opposite, it was like pulling teeth. Then the divider was raised by the steward, l had no objection and neither did the other passenger, and there l was in my own little world.

The menu came round with a little card advising of the festive nature the menu would reflect this.

A varied choice menu Starters: Grilled tiger prawns or Five mile goats cheese, Salad: Fresh Seasonal salad with vinagrette. Main Course was Seared Angus Beef or Seared Sea Bream, Vietnamese Curry or a chilled main course salad. Dessert was Toffee apple crisp, Cheese and grapes , or a selection of fruit and Chocolates. The festive additions were the Roast Turkey and mince pies..The steward came back to take my order l mentioned that i wasn't keen on the starters but some fruit would be nice, the salad, Turkey and mince pies with Tea. As l work in a hotel there was no need to reel of the whole description the basics is all we need.

It wasn't long before as it happens the Purser appeared with a (chilled) plate of sliced apple and pomegranate seeds, beautiful presentation and he hoped l enjoyed it, I did! the salad was well just a salad but the Roast Turkey again lovely presentation, and didn't look as though it had been turned out onto a plate. Dessert was again very nice and a refreshing mug of tea, i joked that he can leave the tea pot and l can help myself, he noted this as tea refills were very frequent. Along with a frequent top up of drinks its was a delightful dinner service.

The wines were White Le G de Chateau Guiraud 2011/ Reata Chardonnay 2010 and RED Chateauneuf Du Pape 2010 and Byron Pinot Noir 2010 Santa Barbara.
Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve

The menu told me about the club kitchen, which is in effect a mini chilled fridge with various little snacks, shortbread, chocolates, ice cream, pastries, yogurts, and sandwiches and its a space to stretch your legs. I made a few trips there during the flight and enjoyed the camp chat with the crew, mainly the purser and regaled again the story of my booking etc. I asked did all the staff get on that were on standby, they did! and l joked that probably the best party now was in steerage, which he found highly amusing.

Thanked him personally for the great onboard service and how much l appreciated the upgrade, he seemed pleased that someone was appreciative of his and the crew services, and working in the hotel industry i am more aware of the understanding of just how it all works.

Back at my seat the larger in flight entertainment screen was a bonus, and they were playing Christmas tunes, it would have been nicer if they had some festive films showing, but hey life isn't perfect, even in Club World.

A chance to try out the flat bed, and yes it was very comfortable and a nice thick blanket, l did nod off for half an hour or so but what with the moving map and music l was happy to stay wide awake and enjoy this upgrade. High above the clouds this Christmas Eve, a free upgrade, champagne in one hand, Christmas tunes playing in the headphones and the most amazing view out the window, life really doesn't get much better.

Never noticed the duty free going round, but then they are very quick and blink and you miss them.
The Afternoon tea service again was of a high standard, the menu as far as l was concerned only showed that there was one sandwich l would like and that was the Chicken and Basil, Prawn cocktail and cheese and chutney l really didn't care for, l mentioned to the purser that l was only keen on the chicken one, he explained that they are all pre wrapped but to leave it with him, he duly appeared and gave me 3 packs and said oh just leave what you don't like and the comment extra tea again is it, its these small things in customer service that l feel make all the difference and the fact he left me one of each scone (warm!) with cream and strawberry jam just added to it, even though the menu worded it as a choice..again a very regular tea top up.

The purser came round with a questionnaire and asked would l object to completing the survey for this flight. Naturally l didn't mind. They were all given top marks as truthfully the service reflected this. l added some extra comments in view of the crew and customer service and handed it back into the galley, with it opened so that they could see exactly what I had written, well it was only fair that they should see what praise l had heaped upon them. The purser returned shortly afterwards to thank me very much for the very kind comments. As it happened BA followed up the survey 2 weeks later.

I remembered that l had a spare box of chocolates in my bag so l dug these out and as the call had gone out we would be landing shortly l took out a $50 and went to the galley to express my sincere thanks to the Purser and the crew for all they had done to make this flight just so enjoyable and not only that but the upgrade was an magic way to start my holidays. He thanked me very much and expressed that there was no need for such gifts but the crew were going out for Xmas day brunch tomorrow he would ensure that all the onboard crew knew that Mr ***** in 19 A had left them $50 towards the drinks tab. The impression l got was one of sincere gratitude.

The flight into LAX was a beautiful night time landing & we disembarked quickly, one point l did notice the purser extended a handshake and used my name and the comments enjoy the Holidays. One of the younger crew members right at the edge winked and thanked me for buying the drinks..all in all the holiday spirit was in the air, l was nearly sad to be disembarking.

The arrivals and immigration appeared to be understaffed and in no time the officials were swamped with customers as well as another flight that had just landed. A lady immigration official roped and un roped various sections for us to pass through, the couple in front of me took great delight in announcing in a posh voice for all to hear that they were in First Class and where was their section, only to be shot down in flames with the comments "This Sir is the USA , Your not onboard the aircraft any more." Looking around there were a few gentle smiles among the rest of us.

It took half an hour to clear US immigration and a further 20 minutes wait for the luggage to appear and with what seemed like two very longs at Customs it took me only 5 min's to get through.

Christmas Eve in the USA was about to get under way.
A further note I was at the Queen Mary for Christmas Day brunch and who did l bump into at the buffet but the Purser and the very same flight crew from the night before..It is indeed a very small world.

As is the case it seems if you get a great crew the service is outstanding, as l felt it was on this flight.
Thanks BA You now have this customer for life!

Swindoneric flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a B767-300 (08/02/2013 13:18)

Flew on the early morning Edi-LHR flight for the first time in ages and my first time on a short haul 767 in living memory. Whole thing was pretty enjoyable. We left on time and arrived early. The aircraft was pretty pristine inside, and the crew were charming. I'd forgotten how much quieter a 767 is compared to its more modern counterparts. I know these aircraft have their critics, as do BA sometimes but this was an excellent flight.

1nfrequent flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (07/02/2013 23:49)

I flew British Airways Club World from JFK to LHR.

Thanks to the cancellation of a late afternoon meeting, I arrived at JFK’s Terminal 7 at 3.45pm for a 9.40pm flight. Club World and First have their own check-in area in the Terminal (including electronic check-in kiosks), which are clearly sign-posted.

There was no queue but the check-in crew were more interested in chatting with each other than in signalling for me to come forward so it took a couple of moments before I was seen. I’d checked in on-line the night before and was worried that I was too early to drop off my bags (owing to extensive retail therapy, I was using my full 3 piece check-in allowance and didn’t fancy having to keep them near me in the Terminal) but in the event, this wasn’t a problem.

I was asked about one of my pieces of luggage (which was a very strange shape) but my explanation seemed to satisfy. I was also asked to provide my BAEC card because the computer had flagged up an issue, which turned out to be that I’d gone from BAEC Bronze to BAEC Silver during my trip and the check-in lady wanted to let me know that a new card had been sent out to me. She also explained how to find the Galleries lounge and said that as I was on the sleeper service, I’d be able to have a meal when the service opened.

I was directed to a priority security line where, again, there was no queue and the TSA staff were actually rather cheery, which was a first for me in the US. I followed the check-in lady’s instructions towards the Galleries Lounge, but to be honest I found it clearly sign-posted. The airside part of the Terminal had an okay mix of eateries and stores – mostly tourist-orientated and I was disappointed by the lack of bookstores on offer as I could have done with buying a decent novel.

At the Galleries Lounge I was given a very warm welcome by a male lounge dragon who explained that the spa had opened at 4pm and I could book an appointment and who also explained that the sleeper service would be opening at 4.30pm and I could eat there at any time prior to my flight. Having flown out to the USA from LGW,

I was determined to get the most out of BA by having a spa treatment so immediately went to the spa area where I got an appointment for 4.20pm. Because I was one of the first people there I was given the choice from the full range of treatments and opted for a facial on the basis of positive reviews elsewhere.

I wandered around the lounge while waiting for my appointment slot. JFK’s Galleries Lounge appears to be a flagship for BA and it shows in the layout. I was impressed with the amount of space available and the range of seating options but the view was nothing to write home about (little more than concrete walls and the monorail). The spa takes up the area next to the kids’ zone (a dedicated room with a large TV and some toys) and the sleeper service dining area is in another dedicated room.

There are 3 bars – one dedicated to snacks and soft drinks (juice, sodas, tea and coffee together with finger sandwiches, cookies, packaged biscuits, fresh fruit and crisps), a second with a range of beers and juice (grapefruit, orange, apple and cranberry) and a third main alcohol bar with a good range of premium liquor, wines and beers together with pretzels and trail mix. There was also a TV screen switched to CNN.

I went to my spa appointment, which was with a male therapist. The massage chair was a little too firm for my tastes (I ended up with bruises at the base of my spine) but I liked the fact that it also kneads your feet. The facial itself was okay – I liked the fact that the therapist talked through each product he was using but I did find afterwards that he’d failed to clear off all the scrub so I needed to wash my face again. There was no offer of free samples, but I’m not a massive fan of Elemis products so it wasn’t a big issue.

By the time I came out of the spa the lounge staff had put out fresh finger sandwiches. I helped myself to some egg salad and bacon mayonnaise on rye bread but there was also chicken with mango chutney and tomato and avocado wraps and smoked salmon and cucumber. I noticed that the staff were constantly refreshing the sandwiches so they didn’t have a chance to dry out or run out but the staff were a little slower at clearing plates away from tables. I also had a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of Riesling, which was well chilled and absolutely delicious.

I found a chair and table to perch at while I ate and read a copy of The Times. The range of newspapers wasn’t that great (Times, Independent or Daily Mail plus the Wall Street Journal and some Chinese language papers) but I just wanted something that would feature non-US focused news.

The lounge did begin to fill up (partly because the 18:50 services to LCY and LHR were cancelled, meaning that there were people moved onto the later flights) and although there was still plenty of room to sit, there was a lot of competition for plug sockets and I found the room to get uncomfortably warm. I used the complementary wireless, which I found to give a good connection.

At about 6pm I went through to the sleeper service restaurant where my boarding pass was checked before I was invited to help myself. The restaurant is a buffet service and I thought that it had a good range of food: cold cuts and salads, a vegetable soup with bread rolls and a range of hot winter food (rice dishes, a casserole and mashed sweet potatoes).

I was particularly taken by the dumpling bar, which was offered as a performance service – it gave you the choice of dumplings (pork, shrimp, vegetable or duck), a choice of broth and a choice of extra ingredients. I went with shrimp and shitake mushrooms in a miso broth, which was hot, tasty and filling.

I followed it up with some of the winter vegetable soup, which was a little salty for me but perfectly edible. Desert offered a choice of cheeses or a chocolate cheesecake and there was also fruit for the more health conscious. There was also a choice of wines and beers and I helped myself to some more of the excellent Riesling.

A boarding call went out at 8.45pm, followed by a second call at 8.55pm so I made my way to Gate 7. As I was leaving the lounge I overheard another passenger ask why boarding was beginning so early for the 9.40pm flight and was told that they were hoping to leave early so they could de-ice the plane.

It only took a couple of minutes to walk from the lounge to the gate and there wasn’t a queue. The gate crew member tore my boarding pass in half and waved my through, which I found a little odd – as did the flight attendant who greeted me at the end of the air bridge who told me that the gate crew shouldn’t do that because she needed to check the flight details. She pointed me towards my seat where I found that Club World was almost completely full already.

I’d pre-selected 10F as it was the only aisle seat left but I found that the overhead bins were already pretty full with other people’s luggage and I had to squeeze my things past a BAEC Gold’s tagged bags. There was no offer to take my coat, so I shoved that in the overhead bin too.

The plane was very warm on boarding. Another passenger raised this with a flight attendant who told him that the plane would cool down once it was airborne (although a second flight attendant did later put on the cool air while we were still on the ground following more complaints). A flight attendant offered me a newspaper while I was still getting myself sorted out, which was a little irritating. There was a blanket and headset already on the seat, which was clean except for a dried in mark on the chair but I noticed that someone had put a seat user guide for a WT+ seat in the magazine rack instead of a user guide for a CW seat.

As soon as I sat down I was offered a choice of champagne, water or orange juice and went for the champagne. Amenity packs were brought around followed by menus. Because it was a sleeper service, the choice of food was limited as the idea is you eat before boarding. The options were:

MAIN:

Grilled swordfish brochette with carpaccio of marinated figs, balsamic-infused lentils and glazed goat’s cheese.

Artisan herb and mascarpone tortellini with Parmesan cream sauce and green asparagus.

DESERT

Caramelised passion-fruit and lime delice.

Varda chocolates.

Wine choices were:

Chablis 2011 Pomaine Sainte Claire, Burgundy, France

Lockwood Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Monterey County, California, USA

Barbera d’Asti Superiore 2009 DOCG, ‘La Luna e Falo’, Piedmont, Italy

Sebastiani Vineyards Pinot Noir 2010, Sonoma Coast, California, USA.

The captain made an announcement explaining that early boarding was to enable the plane to de-ice and still keep to schedule. We pushed back at 9.30pm and proceeded to de-ice. The flight attendants took food orders while we were still on the ground. Neither of the food options really appealed to me, so instead I accepted the alternative offer of hot chocolate with warm artisan macadamia nut and chocolate ginger cookies. I couldn’t get my nightlight to work and found it difficult to flag down an attendant to help (practically having to rugby tackle one) although she was able to fix it easily.

As I said, seat 10F was the only aisle seat available when I went to use my BAEC Silver benefit of advance seat selection (note that this right kicks in about 24 hours after you gain that status on the system). The advantage of the seat is that you don’t have to worry about anyone climbing over you during the night and you get a little extra space between 10G and the bulkhead to store belongings.

The disadvantage is that it’s next to the toilet and the galley so you get a lot of people gathering there plus the chatter from the flight crew. Given the number of Gold and Silver BAECs on the flight and its clear popularity I think this is one of those things that infrequent travellers have to put up with unless you want to pay for the privilege of a better seat selection early on.

The BA safety video played while we were still de-icing, but we were finally airborne by 10.20pm. Water bottles were brought around, swiftly followed by food. The hot chocolate was excellent but the cookies weren’t particularly warm and I wasn’t struck by the macadamia ones, which were a little bland.

Because I’d over-indulged at the sleeper service, I wasn’t able to get to sleep immediately so I watched the AVOD instead, which had another good selection of older movies and new releases. The flight attendants seemed to work hard during the flight answering calls. The temperature crept up during the flight, which made it very uncomfortable to try and sleep although I did manage to doze off for an hour or so. The flat bed was okay to sleep on – long enough for me to stretch out on but I was directly beneath a blast of hot air, which wasn’t great and made the duvet redundant.

Breakfast was offered but it seemed meagre (Welsh rarebit, the normal pastries, fruit juice, fruit smoothie or Greek yoghurt with honey) and I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t bother checking out the Club Kitchen.

We landed 30 minutes early thanks to tail winds across the Atlantic and I was quickly off the plane. There were queues at immigration but I was able to use the electronic passport gates, which meant I was through in 5 minutes. Baggage was already out on the carousel by the time I got there. My bags were actually among the first ones off, which was a surprise because I discovered that the check-in staff hadn’t put priority labels on them. All in all I was out of LHR about 15 minutes after landing. Owing to commitments, I didn't bother using the BA Arrivals Lounge (although I have used it in the past and think it's good for those looking for something more substantial to eat).

All in all, night flights aren’t my favourite thing in the world and to be honest I didn’t find this one particularly great or particularly bad. Club World is worth the money for me because the flat bed is the only chance I’ve got of getting any sleep but in future I won’t be such a glutton in the Sleeper Service kitchen!

HenryMelrose flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a B747-400 High J (07/02/2013 11:57)

Flew to Seattle and back and was overall very please, full flight on the way out and I sat in 36K, meant to be a 'bad' seat but I thought very good seat as the pitch was normal and there was space behind the seat to put your stuff and being next to the WC and gallery was no problem, maybe because I was in the smaller econ section, also I didnt have that guilty feeling of putting my seat back into someones face which I know annoys the passenger behind you!

Food was good but the cabins are showing their age, but still comfy and ok for sleeping. (I had a 'big' chap next to me on the way out who obviously had a good garlic and onion meal before he got on, that was the only thing keeping me awake). The in-flight movie choice was not as wide as other carriers but did the job, hint, I bought some noise cancelling headsets which were brilliant when on a 747 to drown out the engine noise and sleep in peace.

On the way back the flight was only about 60% full so this time I did not have anyone next to me, on time flight and the 8.30hrs went very quickly. I was in 34K this time and another good seat as the seat aliment allows for a good window view but also enough room for leaning against and sleeping.

If you can, try and get in the forward econ section on the BA 747 high J as it is smaller and quieter and you get less yaw than you would being at the back of the plane. The food choice was different from first flight which was good, the crew were friendly and experienced on both journeys and we landed back into T5 LHR on time.

I was really looking forward to my flight on the 747 and it didn't disappoint, thank you BA.

1nfrequent flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Three class) (02/02/2013 04:18)

I flew Club World from LGW to MCO on a three-class 777.

Having stayed overnight at the Hilton the night before my flight, I took the monorail to the North Terminal and easily found the BA section in Area A. I’d pre-selected my seat the week before (one of the few privileges of being BAEC bronze) and used the online check in the night before to print out my boarding pass so I went straight to the bag-drop area. Club World and First have their own bag-drop area at the far end of Zone A which is segregated with temporary barriers that I guess are intended to give it an exclusive feel but left me confused as to where I was supposed to queue. Ended up lining up at a CW bag-drop desk just outside the area. There were a number of free check-in staff but they were more interested in chatting to their colleagues than inviting people to come up to them. I ended up waiting several minutes until a member of staff became free. He took my suitcase but didn’t ask me if I knew where the CW Lounge was or inform me about any priority line for the security check.

Assuming that priority security check wasn’t available, I headed over to the security line. Was stopped en route by another member of BA ground staff who put a tag around my hand baggage. When I asked why they said that it was because they’d had problems with excessive hand baggage being taken onto the plane. It would have been better to do that at bag drop because that way they catch all the passengers rather than have staff hang around security asking if people are on a BA flight and it later became apparent that no one at the gate was actually checking the tags, making a bit of a mockery of the whole thing.

Was through security in 20 minutes. The general departures lounge was busy but not heaving and there were plenty of screens up with flight information. I easily found the signs pointing to the BA lounge and wandered over there.

The Terraces Lounge is a good sized area and I got a friendly welcome from the lounge dragons. The lounge was busy but there were still plenty of seats available and I easily found a table with a good view of the apron. Unlike Heathrow, there’s no spa at Gatwick, which I think is a shame given that the spa is part of BA’s Club World offering and there are a large enough number of long-haul flights leaving Gatwick to justify the expense (at least as many as JFK, which does have a spa). There are showers, a TV area and free wireless and a decent selection of newspapers. There was also a selection of food, although I was disappointed that the only hot option was porridge (which was very good). There was a good choice of fruit, yoghurt, cheeses and cereal together with toast (white and wholewheat), pastries and cereals. The bar was also well stocked with a choice of red and white wines, beer and spirits on offer, but no champagne. The selection of soft drinks was equally good, including fruit juices, coffee and tea.

The gate details for my flight flashed up at 10.30am but gate closure wasn’t until 11.25am so I opted to have a couple more glasses of fruit juice before moseying along. It took about 15 minutes to walk down to Gate 57J where extra security measures were in place. Firstly there was a passport check where I got asked how long I was staying in the US and whether I had a return ticket. 10 feet after that was a second check where I had to hand over my boarding pass. People were also being taken out of line to have their hand baggage searched. When I finally got down to the gate at about 11am (where my boarding pass was checked for a second time) it was obvious that they hadn’t started boarding so I grabbed one of the rapidly depleting seats at the gate to wait it out. Boarding finally started at 11.15am, starting with Club World passengers and gold and silver BAEC card holders. Was welcomed on board with a smile and directed to my seat.

I’d chosen seat 4K in the front part of the CW cabin - it’s a window seat but has its own aisle access so you don’t have to worry about stepping over the passenger next to you and has a small overhead bin above it so if you get there first you can claim for your private use (which I did). The seat area was relatively clean, although the cleaning crew had missed a swizzle stick and old tissue behind the footrest and an old menu down the side of the chair. The seat itself had a dried-in stain on it but was otherwise clean and free of crumbs. There was a clean pillow, blanket and head set on the seat.

I got myself settled in and cabin crew came around with a choice of water, orange juice and champagne. I selected a glass of champagne and watched my fellow passengers board. One of the passengers had a broken seat but the cabin crew seemed to fix it quickly with apologies.

The plane pushed back promptly at 11.46am and we were treated to a tour of Gatwick en route to the runway before getting airborne at 12.05pm. In the interim we had an announcement and introductions from the captain and a video safety briefing.

As soon as we were airborne the cabin crew came around with hot towels, which I used to clean the AVOD screen. Menus were brought around promptly, followed by a drinks round. I enjoyed a ginger ale while reading the menu, which gave the following options:

STARTERS

Lemon poached prawns with mango and coriander dressing.

Vegetable sushi with soy sauce and wasabi paste.

Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette.

MAIN

Seared fillet steak with rustic roasted carrots, roasted new potatoes and peppercorn sauce.

Seared salmon and haddock fish cakes with creamed fennel sauce and asparagus celery medley.

Paneer and sweetcorn masala with shallot and cashew nut rice.

Chilled main course salad of lemon pepper chicken with balsamic dressing.

DESSERT

Bitter chocolate and cinder toffee torte.

Butler’s Secret and Blacksticks Blue cheese.

A selection of fruit.

Chocolate.

Cabin crew then came around to take orders. I opted for the prawn starter and fishcakes and a few minutes later the cabin crew did a second drinks round followed by distribution of the amenity packs (which had the usual mix of Elemis hand lotion, eye cream, face cream, toothbrush and toothpaste, eye mask and socks).

I flicked through the AVOD options while waiting for lunch. I generally like the Club World hard product, but on this flight I found the table to be very rickety while my AVOD screen was loose and kept trying to turn back into its recess (although I was able to jiggle it into a fixed position). I do like the range of entertainment on BA’s AVOD but the in-flight map didn’t work at all.

The cabin crew served lunch at 1pm, starting from the front of the Club World cabin. The prawn starter was okay – the 3 prawns were a decent size (albeit stone cold) and firm and the dressing was tasty. It also came with half a quail’s egg, rocket leaves and a dried vine tomato. I opted to wash it down with a glass of Pouilly-Fume 2011. I didn’t touch the salad because I don’t eat salad generally but it looked okay.

The fishcakes were a bit more disappointing – a fair size, hot and moist but there was too much mashed potato, which meant that they were lacking in flavour and I had to add salt. The vegetables were a little sparse – a couple of small carrot batons, some asparagus heads and celery but they were well cooked and tasty. I do wonder if BA are reducing their portion sizes for Club World because although the main course was filling there didn’t seem to be as much of it as I’ve had on previous BA long-haul flights.

Cabin crew then came around with desert and I went for the chocolate torte, which was very good – sweet without being sickly and very filling. I washed it down with a cup of builder’s tea and enjoyed two Lily-O’Brien chocolates, which are seriously good (hazelnut truffle and lemon truffle – I’m looking up the brand when I get home so I can get another hit).

Contrary to my experience on previous BA flights, the crew seemed to have sufficient quantities of each food option for other Club World passengers.

After a while I got a bit peckish and checked out the Club World Kitchen. I found the selection a bit disappointing – fruit cake, cookie bars, crisps, soup and pre-packed sandwiches with a couple of bananas thrown in for good measure. I ended up getting a couple of cans of coke but the contents of the kitchen changed as the journey went on and later on there were more chocolate items for people to pick from.

Was a bit irritated to find that when I plugged in my laptop it gave me feedback through my headphones when using the AVOD. I managed to position my laptop to minimise it so I could continue working while using the AVOD but it seems to me to be a bit of a design flaw.

The crew did two further orange juice/water runs and a second hot towel run prior to serving high tea, which consisted of beef and horse radish on white bread and prawn with lemon mayonnaise on granary bread and a choice of plain or fruit scone. Although the sandwiches were pre-packaged and obviously refrigerated, they tasted very fresh and were a welcome snack. The scones were warm, doughy and came with cream and jam.

BA cabin crew in general were professional and courteous and it felt like the purser ran a very tight ship. One member of staff did stand out though – genuinely friendly and made me feel like nothing was too much trouble – I was so impressed that I used BA’s feedback site to send positive feedback on her work because, for me, she epitomised the touted ‘to fly, to serve’ mentality.

About an hour before we were due to land the captain announced that Gatwick had failed to load enough customs and immigration forms onto the plane so although we’d be landing 40 minutes ahead of schedule, we would have to wait for MCO staff to deliver the cards, which we would then have to fill out before being allowed to get off the plane. This provoked understandable grumbles and although the cabin crew spoke to passengers and apologised for something that clearly wasn’t in their control, they also miscounted the number of passengers who needed a I-94 owing to the purser giving a confusing announcement on who needed it.

When we landed it took about 30 minutes to get the cards on and distributed. I filled out my customs card very quickly and was actually one of the first off the plane, but only after showing it to a US official at the plane door.

MCO immigration was clear when I got there and I was through in 2 minutes. Bonus kudos to the immigration staff because I later discovered that a vaccination certificate had dropped out of my bag while I was dashing through and had written it off as a permanent loss. Fortunately someone at MCO not only found it but also sent it onto my hotel free of charge – unexpected and very kind. I know immigration/airport bods can be pains in the neck sometime but this really stood out for me and I sent an email to the airport to convey my appreciation.

There was a bit of a delay for baggage but the priority tags worked and I was out of the airport within 30 minutes.

nigelchism flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a B767-300 (28/01/2013 17:15)

A flight to EDI from LHR turned out to be a longhaul 767. The World Traveller seat was huge compared to the expected domestic economy seat; but how lucky were the people who found themselves seated in a Club World seat!

norbert2008 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A321 (28/01/2013 12:24)

Lunch time flight from Brussels to LHR. Beware you need to take out your duty free from bags to pass security! Loung staff lovely and found me to tell me UK paper were now in. Odd food selection but nice pate in pastry. Boarding was odd. Please get your staff to police business class line and not let anyone just crash in. Again bright friendly crew. Very nice quick lunch goats cheese and beetroot salad, hot rolls and choc pud. Captain gave me the sad news about Murray loss too. Well done BA even had time for a nice chat with CSD.

norbert2008 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A319 (28/01/2013 12:11)

Quick afternoon flight to Brussels. Lounge sandwiches were at time a little sad looking (maybe take some advice from M&S) but wine selection was very good indeed. Boarding was quick with everyone on and push back dead on time. Afternoon tea finger sandwiches brilliant fresh and nice fillings. Need to work on scones which crumble after being warmed. One for Heston? Lovely sort flight on time with perfect crew.

LCY2FRA flew British Airways Club World, on a A318 (22/01/2013 15:32)

CHECK IN:
Arrived at LCY at 8:30 for the 9:50 departure, as I am only 20 minutes away by DLR I left the house less than 2 hours before take off!

Went to the Club Europe line of 4, but quickly a BA employee came and asked me where I was flying to and, when told New York, pulled me out the line, went to a nearby desk and rapidly returned with my printed boarding pass - really can't complain about that service! I use LCY all the time, so rapidly through Security and off to Gate 24 - the dedicated gate for BA001

PRE-BOARDING AND BOARDING
The lounge at Gate 24 has 33 seats for 32 people (apologies if my counting was out!), there were 6 people when I arrived. It is by no means equivalent to T5 but with the minimal amount of space and as you are not meant to be there for more than a short period, more than acceptable. Full range of soft drinks, snacks, croissants, cheeses and cold meats, there was alcohol (including a bottle of Taittinger) but no one took any at this time of day

Only one more person came to joint the flight so 8 of us boarded across the tarmac to the aeroplane and, with 32 seats on board, it gave us a row each.

LCY TO SHANNON (SNN) FLIGHT
No pre-take off drinks on board but as the point is to board and immediately leave, it really wasn't necessary (and we had all been in the lounge 30 seconds before!)

We took off within 10 minutes and they came around with the drinks service (OK so I DID have a glass of Taittinger onboard). The idea is that you have your starter between LCY and Shannon, and I was looking forward to a Confit of Goose (the alternative choice was a Beetroot Carpaccio with Goat's Cheese)....but they weren't loaded so they handed around a plate of cheese and cold meats and a groveling apology. A bit disappointing but the apology more than made up for it. As there were only 8 of us, the service was extremely attentive with the Gatwick-based crew looking for things to do (champagne top ups were very regular!)

SHANNON STOP OVER
We landed in Shannon after about 75 minutes into thick fog. Once we got to the Gate we had to take all of our hand luggage, coats etc off with us (apparently US customs go through the plane and confiscate items not taken off). I didn't have luggage in the hold, but it looks like you have to wait for approval that it has been checked in the terminal before you go through US immigration in Shannon. For those of us without hold luggage, you go immediately to security where they X-ray your shoes and bag, but there are no metal detectors for your person. With 4 US immigration officials for 8 people we sped through (in fact they were desperate for a chat, must seem a long day for them!)

Went back to the Gate for 15 minutes, there was wi-fi available and Shannon airport does have a very retro feel to it (i.e. doesn't appear to have been updated since 1988) and was empty. Re-boarded, but spent an additional 20 minutes on the 'plane to due refueling delays, so were a few minutes late taking off again

SNN TO JFK
Another round of drinks on take off and the iPads handed out for films on the trans-continental piece, the choice was a lot more limited than on a 747/777 but still managed 'The Thick of It' and 'Anna Karenina'....and talking to the Steward and Stewardess at the back, they were keen for diversions and exceptionally bored with no one to talk to!

A salad came first, then I had the Guinea Fowl (they take the order between LCY and SNN) that was very nice..the alternatives were beef (which I usually find BA are not that good at cooking), poached turbot, vegetarian haggis and coconut-crusted chicken. Enjoyed it with a glass of Bordeaux (well, refilled multiple times). Finished with a Bakewell Cheese Tart (it tastes far better than it sounds), a coffee and a Glenlivet 15 year-old malt. Somehow needed a quick sleep so had a chance to find out the seat is very comfortable as a bed too

No Duty Free was offered, either I was asleep or it could not be served to SNN as it is an intra-EU flight and could not between SNN and JFK as it is technically a domestic flight.

ARRIVAL
Arrived on time in JFK, as I had no bags it was less than 10 minutes from arriving at the gate to being in a cab - the time saving of going LCY-SNN-JFK by saving the trip to LHR and US immigration is a definite benefit for me.

OVERALL
An excellent journey, highly recommended, the service was excellent (OK, I can only comment on a flight with 8 people on!), the food and drink very good and arriving in JFK as a domestic flight is a huge benefit - not sure I would be as keen on the later LCY service that lands internationally.

PatJordan flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A319 (20/01/2013 18:45)

LHR-Manchester (UK Domestic)

Booking and check in

This was the second leg of a two flight journey booked using my Avios.

www.ba.com is an easy site to navigate and selecting a flight for my preferred date and time was no trouble. BA offer an advance check-in facility up to 24hours before travel, and complimentary seat selection to BAEC Gold card holders: I chose my preferred seat, which was 1D.Within a few minutes, I received my confirmation email

Advance check in is available 24 hours before departure, and the evening prior to flying, I printed my boarding card.

I arrived at London Heathrow Terminal 5 just after 10.00am for my 12.00pm flight and proceeded straight to security. BAEC Gold allows use of the Fast track lane and I was airside within a minute.

Terminal 5 is vast, and is very bright and airy. Due to snow, and subsequent delays/cancelations, T5 was very busy. I checked the flight screens and saw that the Manchester flight was delayed by 25minutes.

Lounge

My Gold Status meant I could use the BA First lounge in south end of T5. On approaching reception, I was warmly greeted and welcomed to the lounge.

It is a very large and impressive lounge with several seating areas, excellent views of the apron and a wide selection of international newspapers and magazines. There is a huge choice of seat types too: finding a comfortable spot is certainly not going to be an issue!

There is a business centre which offers complimentary internet access, fax and printing facilities. I took advantage of this to send a few emails, and printed a few documents which I needed to read.

There was a vast range of food on offer: savoury nibbles, Walkers cake slices and biscuits, cheese, crackers and a full bar service.

There is a dedicated champagne bar which had a choice of Bollinger Rose, Castlenau, or Tattinger 2005. I had a couple of glasses of the latter and thoroughly enjoyed them!

As well as the aforementioned range of food, there is a hot buffet self service area. Up to noon, breakfast is available, with lunch after noon.

The breakfast includes:

• Fresh fruit salad
• Fruit Coulis
• Breads, scones, pastries
• Cereals
• Yogurts
• Cheeses
• Cold meats
• Muffins
• Bacon
• Cumberland and Vegetarian sausage
• Scrambled egg
• Black Pudding
• Beans
• Mushrooms
• Herb potatoes
• Toast

Additionally a number of items are available to order from a menu and are served on request. There are a number of very friendly attendants who regularly ask of there is anything further they can fetch. I indulged in some bacon, tomato and mushrooms which were quite tasty.

The view from the panoramic windows was one of snow, snow, and more snow.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the BA First lounge. However, as the time for my approached, I asked where the departure gate was in relation to the lounge. It was Gate 6, which is the opposite end of the terminal. There was a small delay in boarding, I decided to pay a fleeting visit to the Galleries lounge, which is just above Gate 6.

It is a large bright lounge with a variety of seat types, and good views of the apron.
Even though the lounge was quite busy, getting a seat was not a problem. The range of newspapers & magazines was very good, and there was a number of computer terminals for those who had work commitments.

There is a surprisingly good range of food in Galleries:

• sandwiches
• salads
• two types of soup with a variety of bread rolls
• baked potato
• rice
• pasta with choice of sauces
• chilli
• crisps, savoury nibbles

There is also a full bar with a good choice of wines.

As I was only there for a few minutes, I limited myself to a glass of sparkling water and a sandwich. However this is a lounge in which one could quite happily spend an hour or two waiting for a flight.

Boarding

Boarding is through an airbridge and there is a dedicated queue for BAEC Silver & Gold members. Boarding began almost as soon as I arrived at the gate, and I was on board very quickly.

The Airbus 319 was immaculate and cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers. I was greeted, and on leaving the aircraft was thanked for my custom : a very nice touch indeed. The seats are upholstered in Navy blue leather. UK Domestic is a single class service and seats are configured 3-3 throughout the cabin. I had selected 1D which I particularly like at there is no seatback in front of me. Unlike Club Europe, the middle seats are occupied, and it was a very full flight.

Inflight

The Captain gave a brief welcome ,apologised for the delayed departure, and details of flight times, followed by a safety video shown on a drop down screen. This later displayed ground speed, temperature, distance from destination, etc. Due to the weather and waiting for a de-icing operation, it was 13.15 before the doors closed. This was followed by a futher delay on the ground. It was well past 2pm when we eventually took off. We landed at 3.15pm, over two hours behind schedule. In fairness to the captain, passengers were kept fully informed of the reasons for and likely duration of the delays.

Given the short flight time (45minutes) the service is basic but quite acceptable. There is a full bar service and a choice of crisps, nuts, etc. The cabin crew were excellent in all regards.

Conclusion

Despite the delayed departure, this was an enjoyable flight. Excellent service on board, being kept informed by the Captain made the delay bearable. I also enjoyed the magnificent lounge, appreciated the efficient booking and check-in processes.

PatJordan flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (19/01/2013 22:26)

DUB-LHR (Club Europe)

Booking and check in

In the wake of their takeover of BMI, BA have returned to the London-Dublin route, in direct competition with Aer Lingus. As a result, Club Europe (the only business class on this route) makes a welcome return.

I needed to go to London one morning, and onward to Manchester later in the day, and decided to use some Avios to get a reward flight. There was availability for the dates I wanted, and little trouble in making the booking. The total charges and fees were 22euro and 9,000 Avios. This was for both flights, DUB-LHR in Club Europe and LHR-MAN in UK Domestic. This was remarkable value indeed, and provided an opportunity to sample the BA product on the DUB-LHR leg.

As a BA Executive Club Gold Card holder, I was offered the opportunity to select my seats online at time of booking. The front row of the Airbus 320 was available, and I chose 1D. I prefer the front row whenever available as there is no seatback close to one’s face. The downside is that any hand baggage, coats, etc must be stowed in the overhead bins, so early boarding can be advisable to ensure space in the bin directly overhead.

On line check-in is available 24 hours prior to travel, and I used this facility to print my boarding passes for both my flights.

I arrived at Dublin Terminal 1 just after 5.30am for my 8.20am flight and proceeded straight to security. Since Aer Lingus and transatlantic operators have migrated to Terminal 2, there is a lower number of passengers using T1 which makes it far less crowded than heretofore. BA Club Europe includes use of the fast track security lane which is useful. I was airside within less than a minute. Despite the early hour, there was quite a queue for security so I appreciated this facility.

Lounge

I assumed that BA would continue to use the former BMI lounge in TI, but this is now closed. Instead BA share the Dublin Airport Authority lounge adjacent to gates 301-313. This is the former Aer Lingus lounge and offers good views of the apron. There is a range of different seat types with a business area for those who wish to work. A glass partition remains with various handwritten quotes etched: this was replicated on the upholstery of older Aer Lingus aircraft and is a reminder of times past.

There is a limited range of food:
• Fresh fruit
• Cheese
• Crackers
• Biscuits
• Crisps
• Bread

The coffee is good and strong (perfect for early morning!) with a good range of soft and alcoholic drinks. Having had such an early start, I particularly appreciated the double espresso!

The lounge is a short walk from the boarding gates.

Boarding

The flight was called from the Lounge at 0755am, and I proceeded immediately to the gate. There was no queue, so I cannot tell whether there is preferential boarding for CE passengers.

Cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers and guided them towards their seats. The Airbus 320 was immaculate with dark blue leather seats and blue/grey carpets.

This Aircraft was configured 3-3, with the middle seats in the first few rows blanked off with a fold down table. This enhances the space available and gives added space for drinks, papers, etc. Unlike some BA cabins, there was no wardrobe so my coat went into the overhead bin.

The flight was very empty, and this may be due to the fact that there is another DUB-LHR flight scheduled for 0845.

Inflight

I settled into my seat and awaited the safety announcement. At this point, the Captain emerged from the cabin. This is a rare occurrence and usually indicates bad news. This was indeed the case: due to snow in Heathrow, our departure was put back to at least 10.00am. To his credit, he went on to explain that a number of long haul flights were circling Heathrow and had to be given priority, whereas we were on the ground and perfectly safe. This was very informative and went a long way to calming those who were anxious about being delayed by such a margin. The Captain invited passengers to use their mobile phones and invited anybody who wished to transfer to another flight was welcome to do so. He finished by inviting anybody with concerns to speak to him in the cockpit.

The cabin crew began to distribute tea, coffee, water and juice to all passengers, a nice touch.

Shortly after this, the Captain announced that our departure time had improved to 9.30am which was welcome. A few minutes later with the news that we were cleared to take off immediately, and were all passengers ok with this? Needless to say everybody was delighted, and we pushed back at 8.40am: a very welcome development indeed.

Once airborne, the crew (John and Massimo) began service. There was a fresh fruit salad with full English breakfast served with real crockery and cutlery. A basket of warm breads and pastries was offered a number of times, along with tea & coffee. I decided to indulge in a glass of champagne to accompany this excellent breakfast. Not only was this served with a smile, but a refill was offered with equal charm. I gratefully accepted!

Allowing for a short holding pattern approaching Heathrow, we landed at 10.05 and were on stand within a few minutes. Not at all bad for a routine morning in LHR, but for a dreadful snowy day this was an excellent achievement.

On leaving the aircraft, the Captain thanked passengers for their patience.

As a final touch of top notch service, the senior cabin crew, John Harris, stood outside the door and guided passengers around a patch of ice on the jetty floor.

Conclusion

This was a very enjoyable flight experience. The food and drink were of a high standard, and the service was exemplary. What could have been a long delay was made bearable by a very personable Captain taking the time to fully inform passengers of the length of and reasons for the delay. I found the extra space created by the non-use of the middle seats very pleasant indeed. Well done BA.

rjbrownmalta flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 Mid J (14/01/2013 16:25)

Friendly and efficient check-in at Vancouver, with Kindle left by one of the kids on the outward flight returned to us and luggage checked all the way through to Malta even though BA has no code share with Air Malta. As the Browns don't travel light, this was a major godsend. Lounge was crowded , but staff very helpful and brought cold water without asking to us. Boarding was prompt, though it is hard to relax as a couple of hundred economy passengers troop past you trying to get to their seats. Once this was done service was excellent, entertainment and dinner pretty good. Breakfast was the usual affair of a bacon roll, some of the most disgusting coffee ever tasted and a fresh fruit salad which whilst good, was served as if it had come straight from ones local supermarket. BAs hot towels are somewhat sad little numbers too.

The crew on the flight were great, but the girls looked uncomfortable in their outfits and could have been better served by more relaxed and casual attire.

A much better flight than three weeks previously on BA First, but still lacking some of the niceties that you would find on the top tier Middle Eastern and Asian airlines.

rjbrownmalta flew British Airways First, on a B747-400 Mid J (13/01/2013 07:02)

Check in at LHR Terminal 5 was efficient, yet smart looking check in area on the outside, hides a very ordinary check in desk behind it, which was quite scruffy. Unlike with some airports you could not proceed directly through to immigration and security check in, but had to exit to go through the Fast Track queue, which to be fair was not bad. An opportunity wasted here by BAA and BA in the design of the terminal.

Concorde lounge was comfortable, though could do with a help yourself option, similar to the BA First Class lounge. This is especially useful when traveling with kids.

Check-in was drawn out and a number of passengers were complaining at the time it took.

On board it was the old first class, which is now very tired and ordinary. Amenity kits wear very average at best. worst of all my seat failed to move from the upright position and despite all the best efforts from the crew, would not budge an inch, necessitating a nine hour flight with no sleep. No other flat bed seats were available in business class or first class to move me to. BA have offered compensation which is inadequate at best.

Food was fine, though not exceptional, but entertainment very sub standard for first class, with screens being smaller than the current J class screens and of a lesser quality. Furthermore they did not work for the first two hours of the flight.

The one exception was the crew who generally seemed to care and were very apologetic for the seat mishap.

Overall a very sub-standard experience for what is supposed to be a premium product.

TonyWest flew British Airways Club Europe, on a B737-400 (09/01/2013 16:58)

This was a BA Product on Comair from Durban to Cape Town in Business class.

I was the only person at the Club check in, in fact the only passenger in the whole BA check in area. My boarding card was handed to me without a word or a smile. I attempted a polite word or two but it was a waste of time.

I went to security. Little was said there as well. My bag went through without a hitch. In fact the lady monitoring the screen seemed too busy in conversation to check anything. What a delight. The first time in ages that I did not have to remove my belt.

The new Durban airport is a splendid place. So much space and it is so quiet. Very user friendly.

I went to the BA lounge...operated by a company called SLOW. One of the best lounges I have ever been to. The lunch buffet would have done justice to a high quality hotel.

It was only in the lounge that I realised that I had passed through security with a litre bottle of water in my bag and my laptop. Naughty.

After a delightful hour in the lounge...free massages are available....It was a short distance to the gate. At the gate I handed my boarding card over. The gate agent just grunted "Id". I thought that a smile and a 'please' would have been appropriate.

The rather old 737-400, which had already seen many hours in the air from Gatwick, was as comfortable as could be expected.

The departure was 5 minutes early, with an excellent chat from the captain in English and Afrikaans. The cabin crew informed us, modestly, that they were an excellent crew.

I relaxed in my seat and noticed that the use of mobile phones was permitted as we taxied out. Then I thought it refreshing that BA in South Africa were happy for iPads to be used during taxi and take off.

It was only in the climb that I noticed that I had been remiss in that I had forgotten to attach my seat belt. The crew had not noticed. They do not seem to bother with a check on seat belts or that seats are not reclined for takeoff.

The meal service started with the offer of a drink. There were only 6 passengers in the cabin so service was slick. The light meal was a choice of a plate of cheese or a plate of cheese with a slice of cold meat. On the tray was a bowl of mixed nuts. I declined and just lived with a cup of coffee. In fact only one passenger accepted the meal.
The service was soon over.

The cabin crew retired to the galley and chatted happily for the next hour on the jump seat. In the mean time there was a constant trudge of economy passengers through the curtain to the Club toilet. One passenger with his child decided to sit in a Club seat to wait for the toilet and allowed his son to run up and down the Club cabin shouting. The crew thought this quite amusing. I did not.

The flight lasted about one hour and fifty minutes. I asked for a second coffee which appeared during a breaking the crews chat.

The approach and landing were uneventful with splendid views of Table Mountain. Again, the use of iPads were allowed and telephone chats started shortly after landing. I noticed that seats were in the recline and hand baggage on the floor.

It was a very long walk in the new Cape Town terminal from the domestic gates. But with a prompt arrival, I was through and in the car park in minutes.

My memory of this flight is a general awareness of slip-shod security in all areas and an appalling meal on Comair again.

But, I arrived on time. Maybe,BA Mainline should do an audit to bring standards to the required level.

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A319 (07/01/2013 19:03)

This was a tad disappointing flight for a number of reasons and the first time i've felt this way about the short Glasgow - Heathrow hop in a while.

I arrived at Glasgow Airport in plenty of time for my flight and, having checked-in in advance, made my way through a virtually empty security and on to the Lounge. This smallish space was very bsy, with a Gatwick and two Heathrows scheduled to leave within a 30 minute timeframe - why do BA schedule a 09.15 (A319) and a 09.30 (A320) to Heathrow rather than use a larger aircraft? I availed of the working facilities and enjoyed a coffee.

Priority boarding was announced in the Lounge but was a total disaster as folk from the main line fed straight into the Premium line without any check so that those of us who hoped to board first found ourselves way back in the queue. This is unusual for Glasgow and i am not sure what went wrong. The result was that, once aboard and it being Monday morning, all the baggage space overhead had been taken, leading to some frustration from premium card holders...... Please note that the regular criticisms leveled at a certain LCC for its inadequate bin space could equalyy apply to BA's A319 and the aircraft was by no means full at that!! My smallish bag (honestly) was kindly stowed up-front by the purser. I was in 3C so thought that it would be easy to collect my bag on the way out........

We pushed back early and took off in murky weather. This being the 09.15 flight, a hot breakfast was offered (and refused by me) but I did notice that marmalade was available with the breakfast servive (the moral of the story is to fly to/ from LHR rather than LGW if you want to leave the aircraft with the sweet tang of seville oranges in your mouth).

There were no hold ups on the approach and we landed ahead of schedule. After a long taxi, the captain announced that we would have to wait a short while before pulling up to our gate and then disembarking into the terminal. After about 5 minutes we inched forward and then the seat belt sign went off. We stood up (as one does) and waited... and waited.... without any evidence of action on the bridge. About 10 minutes later we were informed that, contrary to earlier information, we would disembark form the rear and into a bus. My bag was at the front and my fellow passengers very, very relucatnt to let me move forward (just from 3C) to collect it so had a bit of a scrum there and some angry words from fellow passengers. Made it to my bag and was virtaully last off into a crowded bus to the terminal where we then proceeded to de-bus (as opposed to de-plane) from the front door only. At last and some 30 minutes after landing, made it out and onto the Piccadilly Line. A rather disorganised experience - unusual on this route, I must say.

OllaRoberts flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B747-400 Mid J (02/01/2013 16:42)

BA0015 and BA0016
I traveled to Sydney return on 1 November 2012 thinking being British, BA should be one of the best airlines (not).
The inside of the plane was old and urgent need of updating. The seats were not very comfortable and the monitor was so small, i am pleased I downloaded films onto my iPad to watch with its 10in screen, I could at least watch my films with out eye strain.
Premium Economy was lodged inbetween First Class and Business Class which was awkward because BA staff were not very good at coming round with water during the flight, so i decided to stretch my legs and go and ask for water, in the service station I could see there were bottles

1nfrequent flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (01/01/2013 22:35)

I flew TXL - LHR in Club Europe on the last flight out at 19:40. As per the outbound flight, I'd originally booked a cheap economy ticket but then upgraded to CE for £69.

Checked in on-line the day before but because my hotel didn't offer printing facilities, I opted to pick up the boarding pass at the airport. Arrived at the airport at 5.15pm and first surprise was that there were no self-check-in facilities at TXL (I was surprised because on my way to the gate I saw that there were self-check-in desks for Air Berlin and Lufthansa and because they're such a fact of air travel today I'd assumed BA would have them too). Check-in was at Gate A05 and arrived to find a small queue but there was no one manning the desks. Check-in staff eventually arrived at 5:40pm and started setting up, directing people into two queues - one for CE and one for ET. They did set up a desk for baggage drop off for those who already had their boarding passes, but anyone wanting to use it would have had to join either the CE or the ET line (depending on their status). I was at the front of the CE line and made the mistake of stepping forward when the check-in lady wasn't ready, earning a clipped instruction that I should step back again. When I was called forward, check-in was efficient but definitely not warm and I was told where to go for the BA Lounge. Because of the way TXL is set up, the BA lounge is out on the main concourse (i.e. on the wrong side of security) so you do need to leave yourself a bit of time to get back to the gate and through security.

The lounge itself was perfectly fine. There were two male lounge dragons who were polite but again, not particularly warm. Plenty of chairs - not least because there were only 4 of us in the place - and a view over the road leading in and out of the airport. Choice of the Daily Mail, Independent or Financial Times for newspapers (plus a range of German language papers) and the free wireless internet had a good connection. However the choice of food was appalling - salty crackers, boiled eggs, sponge loaf cake, crisps or a range of sandwiches with nothing to indicate what was in them (not great for those of us with allergies). The selection of drink wasn't much better and I was a little disappointed that there was no champagne given that it was New Year's Eve - instead there was only sparkling wine or cava from a bottle that had clearly been open for a while. There were main brand spirits (including Bacardi, Hennessy and Finlandia vodka) and for beer there was a choice of Beck's non-alcoholic, Beck's or Beck's Gold, Budweiser Budvar or a German pils. I went for the Beck's Gold and cake and browsed the internet until an announcement was made at 7pm that boarding had begun. As a side note, there were no toilets in the lounge so you have to use the ones near the gate.

There's no priority boarding for CE passengers so I joined the back of the queue, which was painfully slow as there was only one X-ray machine and the security team were being very inconsistent in terms of their requirements (e.g. some passengers had to take their shoes off, others didn't). Boarding was via an air bridge and was very quick. Another perfunctory welcome from the cabin crew and I found my seat (2D) quickly. There were only 3 people in CE and although the cabin crew asked to take the coat of the other passengers, I wasn't approached at all (which turned into a bit of a theme during the flight).

The aircraft itself was clean but a little worn. I did think there was better legroom in CE on the A320 rather than the A321 I'd flown out on. The light above my seat didn't work, but the cabin crew noticed it and immediately said they'd make a note of it and invited me to move seats (I didn't because it wasn't an issue). The first officer made an announcement to welcome the passengers on board and explained that they'd started boarding early because they wanted to make sure they made their slot. Safety demonstration was via an overhead monitor, with the monitors staying on during the flight to show the flight progress.

In the event we pushed back early at 7.30pm and were soon airborne, at which point I was offered a drink and a packet of nuts. Cabin crew had to explain that although they were offering a meal they only had one choice available - a cold prawn and rice dish with a chocolate mousse. I did take it and it was nothing special (and I was bit perturbed by the chunks of mango around the 3 prawns and lump of cold sticky rice) while the chocolate mousse was way too sweet and sickly for me. Again, I think that BA needs to get the CE food sorted out because I don't think it's value for money - especially if they can't offer a choice to a cabin filled with 3 people. The other couple in CE definitely got better service from the cabin crew than me at the meal time, with their being offered several drink top-ups, which was a little irritating. I did eventually get offered a top-up, but I did feel like an afterthought for the entire 100 minutes.

Flight got in on time and we were promptly off the plane. There was a pretty long queue at passport control but thankfully they opened the electronic passport booths so I was able to side-step it and was out in 5 minutes. My bag was one of the first out thanks to the priority tag so I was on the Heathrow Express 15 minutes after we'd landed.

All in all, I remain unconvinced that the CE experience is worth the money and I'd have to be hard up for tier points before I'd pay more than £250 for a return to Europe unless I was looking at a flight over 3 or 4 hours.

1nfrequent flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A321 (27/12/2012 20:33)

I flew Club Europe LHR - TXL on the 7.05am flight. This review's a little long because it was my first time flying CE and I tend to write my reviews for people who, like me, are mainly leisure flyers.

BA had sent me a 15% discount voucher in October, which I used to buy the cheapest economy fights available to Berlin between Christmas and New Year for about £96 (plus £4.50 credit card booking fee). A month before I was due to fly, I was offered the chance to upgrade for cash for £69 each leg. Given that at the time of booking a CE seat on my flights was about £325, I thought that the upgrade was good value given that I'd never flown CE before and was curious about it and because I'm pretty close to hitting silver BAEC status so I figured the tier points would be useful (not least because it means I'll hit silver after my next flight).

I'm currently BAEC bronze, which meant I got to pick my seat 7 days before flying. Small gripe - I have my preferences registered on the BA site and always prefer an aisle seat but the computer had allocated me 2A, which is a window. It's not a big thing and I guess it's inevitable because the computer always starts allocating people from the front of the cabin, but it does make a bit of a mockery of asking for preferences in my opinion. This time it wasn't a problem because the CE cabin was only half full so I selected aisle seat 3C. Check in was available 24 hours before the flight - I used the on-line check-in facility, which is very easy and printed out my boarding pass.

I got to LHR at just after 5am and found Terminal 5 to be very busy. There were long queues at the economy bag-check desks, which didn't bode well for business bag drop. Lo and behold there was a queue owing to several large families with large number of bags and only 3 desks open. I got lucky and picked the line where there was only 1 person checking in so was processed faster than I'd anticipated but there were two couples behind me who I believe were already running late and were doing the typical British thing of tutting loudly and complaining under their breath at an Indonesian family who were having problems finding a passport.

Went through the fast-track security, which wasn't quite as fast as I'd have liked owing to my decision to wear heavy lace-up boots in anticipation of cold weather in Berlin. The staff were perfectly friendly and patient, which is more than could be said for one gentleman who got a pointed response for his bad manners and worse attitude when I didn't unlace my boots quickly enough for his liking.

Skipped Duty Free as there's nothing I need (and nothing I can afford right now thanks to Christmas) and headed straight for the Galleries Business lounge. Lounge dragon was very friendly and let me know that it looked like I'd be boarding from A10, which would mean using a bus rather than a walkway. She told me that I'd need to be at the gate by 6.45am at the absolute latest if I wanted to get on the flight.

Lounge itself was quiet and I availed myself of the breakfast facilities. There were a lot of bacon rolls out under the hot plate (in both brown and white rolls), together with white and brown tosst, a selection of fruit, yoghurt, variety of juices and hot porridge. There was also wine and champagne for those who could stomach it at such an early hour (and evidently there were!)

Ate a leisurely breakfast while reading the Times and at 6.10am decided to mosey on down to the gate. A10 is only about 5 minutes walk from the Galleries lounge and the flight was going from A10b. Although the flight was scheduled to start boarding at 6.15am, we didn't actually start getting loaded onto the bus until about 6.30am with priority being given to the CE passengers, gold and silver BAEC loyalty card holders, families and people with mobility issues. Boarding onto the bus was pretty orderly and it filled up very quickly so we were off and running by about 6.40am. It was a bit of a trek across the airport apron, although I quite liked getting a behind-the-scenes look at LHR (no doubt because I don't have to do it very often). Boarding the plane was less orderly when the bus stopped with people herding up the stairs in a higgledy piggledy fashion.

Cabin crew were at the entrance to say hello but they seemed to be trying to balance that with getting ready for departure. I found my seat very easily and got myself settled in. I noticed a couple of economy passengers slide their hand luggage into the CE luggage bins, which didn't draw any comment from cabin crew. I think that's a bit cheeky although given that CE was only half full there was no harm done - had the cabin been full though, I would hope that cabin crew would have made them move it.

Plane itself was clean but clearly very well used. CE seats looked a bit battered and worn. I was also surprised that it was in a configuration of 2 seats on the left and 3 on the right with there being 5 rows in total. Had the cabin been full, I would not have been amused to have been stuck on the middle seat in that row of 3. I've previously flown AA domestic by way of rough comparison and I don't think CE gives you the same leg room or seat room (although the seat itself was comfortable enough). I'm not very tall but I found the leg room a little cramped so if you're over 5'8" you should look to get the front row because they seemed to have more space. As it turned out, I had a row of 2 to myself, which was great because it gave me more room to speed out (and I did).

CE was half full, economy was about 75% full - mainly students or musicians who were on the final leg of a trip from Australia.

All passengers were on board by about 6.55am and the CE cabin crew brought around piping hot towels. The pilot then gave a brief announcement that the flight would be departing on time, with a flight time of about 1 hour 20 minutes. We pushed back from the stand promptly at 7.05am.

Take off was a little bumpy due to strong cross-winds and about 20 minutes after we were air born the cabin crew came around with breakfast. There was a choice of continental or full English. I know that a number of people on Business Traveller have pointed out that BA has a problem of not packing enough meals for the different option and it was no different here. By my count they'd only packed 4 continental breakfasts for a cabin of 10. Fortunately I got the last one but I know that the passengers behind me were disappointed by the fact that they didn't get a choice. I understand the need for BA to think about weight and not be wasting food but for the cost of the CE ticket I think you should have a better than 1 in 2 chance of getting your first choice meal.

The continental breakfast was a selection of cold cut meats (salami and what looked like 2 types of cured ham) together with a smoked soft cheese, two slices of what looked like gouda, 2 grapes, 2 slices of cucumber and a yoghurt. Cabin crew also offered a choice of hot roll or pastry and I went for a mini croissant, which was warm but a little greasy. Passengers were also offered a choice of soft drink and tea/coffee. (I find BA coffee to be undrinkable and went for tea). I didn't really get to see what the full English was but it seemed to include a sausage and some kind of omelette thing.

Plates were cleared away about 20 minutes after breakfast was served. I think this was a fair amount of time because it meant you had time to eat without being rushed but you weren't hanging around waiting for things to be cleared away. Duty free shopping was then brought around and I took the opportunity to use the toilet facilities, which were scrupulously clean but again, very worn looking.

We got another pilot announcement about 10 minutes prior to landing. Landing was a little bumpy, again due to strong winds and we got in about 20 minutes later than billed (making a total flight time of 1 hour 40 minutes).

Disembarking was very quick. It was my first time at TXL so I hadn't realised Passport Control was practically on top of the gate with baggage reclaim just behind it. There didn't seem to be any priority baggage in operation on the belt, which took 20 minutes to get started and I was waiting another 10 minutes for my suitcase to come out. Bit irritating given that a load of economy passengers got theirs first but I guess that isn't BA's fault. All in all I was out and heading for the bus into Berlin within 30 minutes of landing, which won't be true for my return flight into LHR! I'll be interested to see how the new Berlin airport works once it eventually opens because luggage aside, I did find TXL to be fairly efficient.

All in all, I did enjoy the flight and I think that the crew were incredibly efficient but my satisfaction's mainly because I didn't pay a lot of money for it. Had I paid for the full £325 for it that was being charged at the time of my booking, I think I'd have felt a little ripped off because Galleries lounge aside, you don't get a huge amount on the actual flight when you consider the flight time. To be honest, I think that in future I'd only be looking to take CE on flights of over 2.5 hours and only then if the price is right or I really need the 40 tier points on each leg.

1F

alexpo1 flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B777-200 (Four class) (27/12/2012 10:37)

Heathrow to Boston on the BA213

Check-in was very slow with many passengers travelling with everything but the kitchen sink.

After a glass or two of Taittinger in the First Lounge, I made my way to the B gates for the 11:20 departure.

Boarding was very prompt and painless.

The WT+ cabin was full and, as a result, did not feel quite so premium. I was in 22A. I soon discovered that my seat was wonky as the leg rest had a mind of its own. I gave up on my IFE system as it was having a bad day.

For lunch I had the Christmas Fayre followed by a cold mince pie. I'm not sure if it came from the Club kitchen?

My neighbour was a very pleasant Sri Lankan living in England and for me made a poor flight bearable.

Unusually for BA, the landing was a shocker and the First Officer excused himself by saying it was a windy day in Boston! Indeed, the Atlantic did look quite choppy.

Immigration was painfully slow as a LH 747 had just landed before us. It was also slightly intimidating, as is the norm in North America, but friendly nonetheless.

I was soon on my way...a beautiful crisp day in Massachusetts.

alexpo1 flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (27/12/2012 00:17)

Upgraded from World Traveller to Club World.

This was a new experience for me as it was a daytime flight from North America to London with a scheduled departure time of 08:00.

Christmas Eve at 05.30 and Boston Airport Terminal E was very quiet.

Security was thorough but I was shortly airside.

I finally located the Terraces lounge in the bowels of Logan. As it was Christmas Eve I poured myself a G&T.

Take-off shortly after 08:30.

Breakfast was too rushed. After my starter of Special K and salmon, I could have done with a breather before my English breakfast.

I was in 11J (forward-facing, aisle seat). I found it very comfortable for sitting and stretching. On a longer flight when sleep is necessary, it is perhaps too narrow.

IFE very good, and I actually managed to relax enough to enjoy Sir Kenneth Branagh in Wallander and Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey. Highlight of the flight.

Pre-landing G&T and, I think, stale sandwiches.

Eventually we parked at what must be the most remote stand at T5B.

Flying time 5 hours 45 minutes.

MurdoMcDougall flew British Airways First, on a B777-200 (Four class) (26/12/2012 21:53)

Flew First on a 777-200 from LHR -IAD on 7/12/12. Seat plan right up to final day of departure was showing new first however upon check in was disappointed to learn it was the old cabin. Check in was smooth and quick and staff very friendly. Fast track security could have been faster but it's Heathrow after all. Once through security entered the Concorde Room by the side door. Had booked a cabana for four hours and all controls and facilities explained by concierge. Concorde room was very pleasant with good standards of food and champagne. Departure was from satellite C and had a bit of a rush to get there due to enjoying the Concorde room too much.

Arrived at the gate to find the aircraft had boarded and boarded via a separate link way for first passengers. Was greeted at the door by the crew and walked to my seat.

Cabin crew were really friendly and called me by my name immediately offering drinks. Started on the champagne ( a very nice Laurent Perrier grand siècle ) departure delayed by an hour and glass continually topped up. 14 seats in first and only 7 occupied. No upgrades which was nice.

Captain came out to chat and CSD also mingling. Menus were handed out and dinner order taken. I had a bit of trouble choosing and was told I could have all of them if I liked lol. Opted for the steamed fillet of Loch Fyne salmon with lemon and mint cream sauce, mustard potato croquette and buttered kale. Had chicken liver parfait with roscoff onion and toasted brioche for starters and the ice cream sundae for desert followed by cheese and biscuits and mints. Service was great, crew very friendly professional and looked after everyone. Although old first cabin it was very nice and seat comfort good. Crew converted my seat to the flat bed and managed to get four hours uninterrupted sleep on the comfy mattress and duvet supplied. IFE was a bit dissapointing. Selection of films wasn't too great and screen was small. Crew supplied an iPad with loads of films but couldn't be bothered fumbling about with the iPad so never bothered. All in all a fantastic product and will definitely fly First with BA again.

The service received from the crew both at check in, in the Concorde room and in the air was second to none.

alexpo1 flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (26/12/2012 21:39)

Upgraded from World Traveller to Club World.

This was a new experience for me as it was a daytime flight from North America to London with a scheduled departure time of 08:00.

Christmas Eve at 05.30 and Boston Airport Terminal E was very quiet.

Security was thorough but I was shortly airside.

I finally located the Terraces lounge in the bowels of Logan. As it was Christmas Eve I poured myself a G&T.

Take-off shortly after 08:30.

Breakfast was too rushed. After my starter of Special K and salmon, I could have done with a breather before my English breakfast.

I was in 11J (forward-facing, aisle seat). I found it very comfortable for sitting and stretching. On a longer flight when sleep is necessary, it is perhaps too narrow.

IFE very good, and I actually managed to relax enough to enjoy Sir Kenneth Branagh in Wallander and Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey.

Pre-landing G&T and, I think, stale sandwiches.

Eventually we parked at what must be the most remote stand at T5B.

Flying time 5 hours 45 minutes.

andystock flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A320 (Domestic) (26/12/2012 11:26)

Short flight from LHR to MAN using avios points as no trains between London and Manchester on christmas eve. Flight completely full, boarding quite slow due to the volume of passengers.

Departed 15 mins late with no further delay. Sat in 3D which was fine. CSM when serving drinks was using the ipad and asked each passenger by their surname. The snack selection had also improved with some tasty salt dog crisps. Arrived on time into MAN and made a quick dash to the train station to get the FTP express train.

laurentnguyen3 flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B777-300ER (25/12/2012 15:44)

JFK-LHR. Bag drop and boarding took forever. Take off was late but we landed almost on time.
Seat 22b, exit row. Lots of leg space, unfortunately zero seat storage (the window seat has a little one on the wall).

The seat has an included footrest that is badly designed: my legs had to be folded when resting my feet on the footrest. This is not a resting or comfortable position, I actually felt it added strain on my legs. Anyone above 5'5 would have this problem. I would have much preferred a separate footrest to be laid on the floor. The seat also didn't operate that smoothly from recline-upright positions. Apart from that the seat is quite comfortable to sit on.

Good choices on the IFE but it was a touch screen and my screen didn't respond to the touch, I had to use the remote -kind of annoying.

Overall a this is a good seat, it is just disappointing that in what seems to be a new cabin, some things seem already tired and stopped working as expected.

AJB2793 flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A320 (18/12/2012 22:36)

The return flight from Dublin on what was previously the BMI route on a two class A320.

Boarding prompt and punctual, again a difference of £150 on the price of a non flexible Club Europe ticket compared to the lowest Economy ticket. Difference on the one hour flight - a plate of three very small sandwiches in Club Europe, compared to a bag of raisins in economy. One drinks run in each cabin. Two seats per row in Club Europe, three per row in Economy.

Crew relaxed and friendly provided effective and well managed service - the ticket price in economy was £40 cheaper than Aer Lingus

Impressed and I will use it again - I hope BA stick with the route.

AJB2793 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (18/12/2012 22:31)

Was curious to see how these flights, which used to be operated by BMI, had changed following BA's acquisition. Boarding began on time, and was prompt and efficient. The price compared very favourably to Aer Lingus.

Crew friendly and polite when we boarded - still a two class service, for a flight of around an hour.

Main difference is two seats instead of three in business, and a very light lunch going out of Salmon Salad in Business compared to a bag of crisps and a free drink in Economy - the difference in price for a non flexible Business ticker was around £150 each way.

Cabin crew in Economy got flustered very easily, forgot the person next to me's drink, then accused him of drinking it, then said if they had any left they would come back, and then remembered that they hadn't given him it, and had only given him a glass with ice. The drink in question - a Diet Coke! Drinks are free though which is a bonus to Aer Lingus, and the wine is decent.

All in all a very pleasant surprise and I would use again - I just hope BA stick with the route

AntonyMercer flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (18/12/2012 06:24)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS I checked in on-line for this flight via the BA website 24 hours before the scheduled departure and selected the window seat 12A in Club World. As I did not have access to a printer the boarding pass was sent to my iPhone.

I had one bag to check in when I arrived at Toronto Terminal 3 at 18.30 on this Saturday evening in preparation for the flight back to the UK at 21.35.

There was one First Class desk and two Club World desks open but all were occupied. It became clear though that they were not premium passengers and a BA staff member appeared to check the tickets in the queue. After he had completed his work, I was the only person left waiting and was checked in in a matter of seconds.

At check-in the lady asked me whether I was aware that I would be flying on the BA Sleeper Service to the UK. Although I had discovered this when surfing the BA website, the details are rather sparse so I did not know what it entailed. As a tip to BA, I do think that they need to provide more details. The check-in lady advised that a meal would be served in the restaurant in the BA Lounge thus enabling me to maximise the sleep time.

I then proceeded to the Security Channel and removed my laptop from my bag. I did not notice a fastrak channel, but in truth it was not needed as it was very quiet at this time of day. I proceeded to the BA Lounge which is by Gate C32 and requires you to take the lift up one storey. There are other Lounges here, including the Sky Team.

THE LOUNGE Upon arrival, I was greeted by a very friendly lady who asked me whether I had used the Lounge before. As I had not, she personally took me through and showed me the actual lounge area and the restaurant which was self-service. As I had plenty of time, I had a glass of wine before moving across to the restaurant. The menu was as follows:

Pre-Flight Dining
SOUP’S ON
Potato Leek

OF THE SEASON
Local Mesculn Greens, English Cucumbers,
Grape Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives
Classic Caesar
Spiced Chickpeas, Spinach, Garam Masala
Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms
Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken
Cajun Seared Tuna

OUT OF THE OVEN
Turkey Pot Pie, Cheddar Biscuits
Thai Chilli Spiced Salmon, Cucumber, Diakon Relish
Five Bean, Butternut Squash Chilli

SIDES
Maple Glazed Turnips, Carrots,
Sautéed Zucchini, Olive Oil
Steamed Jasmine Rice

CULINARY THEATER
Chipotle Spiced Shrimp
Chilli Rubbed Pulled Chicken

Caramelized Onions, Peppers,
Aroz de Gandules,
Yellow Plaintains

Roasted Tomato Salsa, Guacamole, Pico De Gallo

FINALE
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, Vanilla Sea Salt
Double Chocolate Brownie

It was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere in the Lounge and the tables were regularly cleared, giving a very positive view.

BOARDING We were advised that the flight would be delayed by 10 minutes, and on time the announcement was made to advise that the flight was boarding. We just had to take the lift down to Gate C33 and were quickly processed via the priority lane.

THE SEAT Once on board everyone took their seats quickly. BA used the Boeing 777-200ER (Aircraft Number G-YMMP) on this route which has the 4 classes. I was offered a choice of champagne, water or orange juice at this time.

The plane pushed back slightly late at 22.00 local time and was airborne within 10 minutes. Before we departed, the crew handed out menus, head phones and wash bags.

As this as post 1st December 2012, the new rules that meant that all of those passengers without foldaway screens could watch the IVOD system immediately but they had to see the BA supplied headphones.

In terms of the seat, BA offers the front facing and rear facing combination which could be awkward when travelling alone as another person is sat almost opposite you. I was in seat 12A and fortunately the chap in 12B was ready to sleep. I was pleased with the choice of seat as it meant that once the divider screen went up, it was very private. It did though mean that when I got up from my seat, I had to step over the passenger in 13B.

Once the seatbelt signs were extinguished, the crew came around to see what we wanted from the menu which was as follows.

MENU The menu offered the following:

Main: Maple and pecan-crusted free-range breast of chicken on a salad of romaine lettuce, sun dried cherries and Gala apples served with maple vinaigrette.

Artisan ravioli filled with Woolwich goat’s cheese and asparagus in a wild mushroom cream sauce and vine-ripened tomato confit.

Desert: Chocolate cake; Chocolates.

Alternatively may we suggest hot chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies.

Wine and Champagne: Taittinger Brut Reserve NV Champagne.

Le G de Chateau Guiraud 2011, Bordeaux Blanc Sec

Reata Chardonnay 2010, Carneros, California

Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2010, Domaine Font de Michelle

Byron Pinot Noir 2010 Santa Barbara County

Having eaten in the Lounge, I just had a glass of champagne and then reclined the seat and went to sleep. I do like the Club seat with the space offered and the compartments to store personal items. However, it is only 6 feet long, and as I am 6’4”, it did get a little uncomfortable at times. However, I did sleep quite well and came around when the lights came on about 90 minutes before the scheduled landing.

Breakfast was served before landing and comprised of:
Chilled fruit juice. A morning boost drink of orange juice, carrot and ginger root. Fruit yoghurt. Warm bacon roll served with tomato ketchup. A selection of assorted breakfast pastries.

This was an excellent flight, with a friendly crew. Unlike the outbound flight, the entertainment system was on demand and I watched an Olympic documentary before we landed.

ARRIVAL The flight arrived about 20 minutes late, and we were then parked at a remote stand near to 5C. It took a little time for the stairs to arrive but eventually we disembarked and boarded a bus to take us to Terminal 5.

There was then a short walk from the aircraft to Passport Control. I used the self-service desk and there was no queue. By the time I cleared immigration, my suitcase had already appeared on the baggage carousel. An excellent service by Terminal 5.

VERDICT A very functional, friendly and very professional service by BA. I will definitely use the Sleeper Service again.

peterandrew62 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A319 (17/12/2012 07:26)

Arrived after staying at the near by Sofitel as this was an early flight and would have meant an early start from North London.

Check in no problem, headed for the galleries lounge for light breakfast of juice, pan au chocolat and tea. Knew the gate meant being bused off stand, but got on board ok.

Apologies from captain for delay as steps couldn't be moved and needed a tug, but off within 10 minutes, then a long taxi to run way past a group of 380's (QF, SQ & EK). Vegy meal was a vegan offering, but was a tasty group of vegies, with tea.

Polite staff and short flight saw us still land 10 minutes early into ZRH. No problems with bags and immigration

peterandrew62 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A319 (17/12/2012 07:19)

Had checked in on line & arrived 2 hours ahead, to receive boarding pass & check in bags.

Immigration & security check, was delayed behind a spanish women who seemed to be in a hurry, but was duly carefully checked by the security team. After buying chocolate headed to the DNAta lounge, good selection of drinks and snacks.

Boarding route a bit up and down, but on board ok. Push back about 5 minutes early, Snack was a fruit platter, but vegy orders not known about, however having seen the spare as the current tasteless tofu which the partner received, opted for the fruit platter and a selection from the bakery which was fine.

Usual pommery champagne and a good cotes de Gascogne white wine. Landed 10 minutes early near security, immigration busy and directed away from fast track. Bags arrived wit no problem. CSD very polite and pleasant.

EugeneLeahy2 flew British Airways First, on a B747-400 High J (14/12/2012 22:05)

Flew from LHR to DME today. Early start since we were on the 0835.

First check was great, fast track security was a farce. With three empty x-rays at regular security the member of staff sent us to one of 3 queues of 4/ 5 people in the fast track. Being naughty we ignored directions, but seriously, surely this should be dealt with automatically.

Concorde Room lovely as ever.

Annoying to depart from T5C, but compensation was quick boarding and separate jetway for J/F which I haven't had before at LHR....common sense.

Lovely crew covered all the bases from accompaniment to seat to addressing us by name. As people often say, a good BA crew is second to none.....(and a bad one.......).

Food, entertainment, seat, etc, great as ever. We're hoping for a repeat on the return!

Johnm99 flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 High J (13/12/2012 03:18)

The Class is for some reason listed as Club World London City - it is not - this is a 747 with a large Club World Section.
These seats are OK, but not as good as the pods in Air Canada. Not long enough to lie flat on for a 6'1" person. Could not lie on my stomach without banging into the ends. Seats are also extremely low and awkward to get in and out of when flat if you are tall. Not particularly comfortable for sitting either. Service was rather indifferent, food not bad, did feel like I was part of an (expensive) assembly line.

peterandrew62 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (10/12/2012 18:11)

Arrived from coach at airport, had book in on light, but were changed to 1a and 1c, so were pleased.

After shopping headed to lounge, for a few snacks. Went to gate to find delay of 20 minutes to departure, boarded and apologies from capt Margaret.

Push back just after 7pm and short taxi and air borne soon afterwards. Mostly male crew served aperitifs, then dinner a vegy curry (very good)' a few wines then stacked over Lhr landed about 30 minutes late, bags arrived ok, a good flight despite the delays.

peterandrew62 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (10/12/2012 18:04)

Checked in on line and had 2 together with friend in same row on opposite side. Bag drop efficient, found the lounge in t3' enjoyed the soup and a nice glass of white, then headed for the gate.

As this was T3 it was the large gate area with buses to the stand. Queued for about 10 minutes and was one of the last on board (why don't they use 2 sets of steps to speed things up).

Drinks then afternoon tea was served. Unfortunately as a Vegy meal was given tofu in a salad along with the fruit and scone (why a vegy sandwich wasn't possible don't know e.g. Cheese or egg).

Good cote de gascogne white and pleasant crew, arrived promptly despite leaving about 10 minutes late. Overall good flight.

sandrahegarty flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B767-300 (07/12/2012 23:05)

We travelled London to Nassau return in World Traveller Plus. We chose to pay the extra because we wanted larger seats and more space. The seats were ok but we have travelled Premium Economy on Virgin and there really is no comparison particularly as Virgin is a fraction of the price but they dont fly direct to Nassau.

The only difference apart from the seats and more space is that you get a much better meal, although going out we had plastic cutlery. Because you are closer to the door you do get off quicker but your luggage comes at the same time as economy luggage. I can`t complain about any aspect of the journey but the price is extortionate for what you get.

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a B737-400 (06/12/2012 14:07)

I checked in for this early flight to Glasgow at the dedicated premium desks in Gatwick North. Unusually for me, I had not checked in online as this facility was not available in Tunis, from where I had travelled the previous evening. There was no queue and I quickly left my suitcase and received a boarding card.

The Premium Lane was not open so I joined the short queue for the main security facility and was through in under 5 minutes. From there, it was up to the First Lounge for a breakfast of fruit and a bacon baguette, together with plenty of coffee. The Lounge was relatively quiet and a relaxing space.

I headed for gate 55C relatively early - not many people there and we were called forward about 5 minutes later. Indeed, the plane was only about 20% full and we were fully boarded early, for which the captain thanked us all!! I was in 2C and seemed to be the only passenger in front of about Row 6!!

Push back was on time and we were soon airborne, heading north, this despite very low temperatures at Gatwick. I declined the breakfast, having enjoyed by earlier food and confined myself to OJ and coffee.

We landed in a very dreach Glasgow a few minutes early. My suitcase, while not first, was off quickly and I was soon on my way into the office.

TominScotland flew British Airways Club Europe, on a B737-400 (05/12/2012 22:44)

I took a taxi to Tunis Airport for my flight back to Gatwick. No airside outlets at the airport accept Tunisian Dinar so my taxi driver had a big smile on his face as I paid him double the fare (all of 10 Euro) to lighten my pockets. Check-in was open even though I was very early and I was able to drop my bag and pick up my boarding pass to Gatwick quickly. I checked my bag to Gatwick only as the timing of this flight meant that a night in a Gatwick hotel beckoned before I could connect north.

There were no queues at Passport Control and Security was cursory. I made my way to the Tuniaair Lounge which BA use. It reminded me of many evenings waiting for flights in Tehran - comfortable but sombre with very limited food and beverage options. Still it was a good space to wait for the flight. I had noted that the inbound flight was due 30 minutes early so was hopeful for an on-time departure. Indeed, we were called to the gate some 45 minutes early, walked straight onto the aircraft and were fully boarded within 15 minutes and were on our way immediately. The flight was very empty and, interestingly, the Economy section appeared to divide according to passport - no UK landing cards were handed out in the front rows where many passengers requested them towards the rear. Odd.....

I was in 11C, an emergency exit seat which gives very generous legroom with a free seat to my left. Service began soon after take off and consisted of a tasty wrap and drinks. There was no second drinks service on the flight but tax free goods were offered during the flight.

Despite a strong head wind, we landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule and parked at a gate on Pier 6 which meant a very long walk to a virtually deserted Immigration Hall. Bags came through quickly although my Priority Tag did not mean mine came first by any means. However, I was soon out and headed for the Sofitel in North Terminal.

FormerlyDoS flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A319 (05/12/2012 04:07)

A one hour hop from London to Lyon, departing from T1.

Having checked in online, with hand luggage only, I used the fast track lounge and thought the charming person manning the entrance (who couldn't be bothered to reply to my greeting) was going to kick off because my Club Europe boarding pass did not say 'fast track', but he seemed to bite his tongue and let me through.

The security queue was short, but there was a backlog of trays after the scanner, making it difficult to retrieve bags, with 3 staff standing looking the other way and chatting - useless service.

The bmi lounge was always been a decent place to kill an hour or two and still is, in fact BA have added to the soup offering on the Agas and there was a vegetarian and a classic lasagne, both of which I tried and both of which were tasty. Others have commented on the limited selection of drinks compared to T5, but as I was just on water, couldn't really comment other than saying there looked to be a number of different spirit and wine bottles on the self service bar.

The FIDS said 'gate will open at 1630', but at 1635 this message was still displayed and with a notional 10 minutes to boarding time (and if they boarded on time, only a short time after to final call) I asked the front desk and was informed that it was gate 21. By the time I got to gate 21, the FIDS announced gate 17, so back I went, to find it was not set up with a premium lane; however, the gate staff called people requiring assistance, then CE, BAEC cards etc and there was no mad rush by the passengers, very civilised.

As I was in row 1, I got on board very early to stow my small Rimowa suitcase and laptop bag, noting that CE was rammed (three rows only) and everyone's hand luggage just fitted in, not always the case.

The flight was crewed by ladies wearing 'Thunderbirds are Go' hats, so I guess it was mixed fleet, but the CSM (male) was less frenetic than the on previous flights and without the hats one could have thought it was EF. The service level was very good, with the CSM working CE very efficiently on a rather short flight.

I didn't try the salad on offer, as I had eaten the lasagne and frankly I was glad this was the case, as my neighbour remarked that his tasted like a 'plate of weeds', but I can't vouch for whether this was really the case - but it did look like one, the presentation had lots of improvement opportunities.

The aircraft had the space saver seats and I have to say that these are on a par with the infamous Lufthansa NEK thrones, which are designed by sadists wishing to inflict the maximum discomfort in the shortest available time. The BA version lacks thigh support, is hard and just generally looks like a Ryanair seat. I found the seat starting to become irksome after about half and hour, was fed up of it after three quarters and very glad that I got off after an hour.

The captain made some PAs that gave us all the info we needed, without going on for too long and soon we arrived at St Expury in light snow.

In summary, the Heathrow experience was normal, you cannot fault it for consistency, it is nearly always awful in T1, with the lounge an oasis of calm by comparison to the rest of the place, the flight did what it needed to, but was pretty average in hard product, with service and we got there without. For the one way cost of £416.05, it was a little underwhelming.

Immigration at Lyon was fast and pleasant and I got upgraded from booked my mini economy car to a Citroen C4 turbo diesel automatic, which proved to be one of the nicer cars I have hired in recent years, so a nice end to the day.

beavington flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A319 (04/12/2012 23:11)

This was an early morning flight to Munich from T5.

Checked in online so went straight through to security which was quick. Got there just before the morning rush and just as a new machine opened up so no queue.

Boarded from A18 which was fairly fast and efficient.

Flight departed on time. Crew and service were good as usual. Breakfast was a croissant with egg and tomato.

A bit of turbulence coming into land through some snow in Munich otherwise a good flight.

AntonyMercer flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (04/12/2012 19:11)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS I checked in on-line for this flight via the BA website 24 hours before the scheduled departure and selected the aisle seat 13J in Club World and printed out my boarding pass.

I had one bag to check in when I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 at lunchtime on this Friday, and there were several Club desks open so was checked in in a matter of seconds. I then proceeded to the Fast-Track Security Channel and removed my laptop from my bag.

Along with several other bags, mine was selected to be searched. Apparently it was a random selection but it took nearly 45 minutes before I was able to proceed to the Lounge. Fortunately, I had left plenty of time, but this is surely an unacceptable amount of time. I did feed this back at the time using the cards available. Some other passengers who were rushing for their flights were much more vocal!

THE LOUNGE I then made my way to the BA Galleries South Lounge. This is one of my favourite lounges with plenty of space, great food offerings and a superb selection of drinks. I requested a glass of champagne and sipped this with a salad. Free Wi-Fi is available with the password displayed on the departure screens.

With about an hour before the scheduled departure, I noticed on the afore-mentioned screen that the flight to Toronto would be departing from Gate B46. I therefore made my way down to the Transit which provided a very fast means of transporting to Terminal 5B. When I arrived, the screens displayed ‘Please Wait’ so I went to the Galleries Lounge here and was offered another glass of champagne before the flight changed status to ‘Boarding’.

BOARDING No announcements are made in the lounge but there are plenty of screens to keep you updated. At 16.00 the screen advised to go to Gate 46 which was a few minutes’ walk down from the Lounge.

There was a separate section for First and Club World passengers and I went down the escalator to be greeted by another search of my bag. Fortunately this was much quicker than the first check and I then made my way on board. There was a separate entrance for First Class passengers so I made my way to the other entrance for the remaining passengers. I was warmly greeted by the CSD who was very friendly throughout the flight.

THE SEAT Once on board everyone took their seats quickly. BA used the Boeing 777-200ER (Aircraft Number G-VIIN) on this route which has the 4 classes. I was offered a choice of champagne, water or orange juice at this time.

The plane pushed back on time at 16.30 and was airborne within 20 minutes which I thought was really good for a Friday afternoon. Before the seat-belt signs were extinguished, the crew handed out menus and wash bags. They then served drinks with a bag of mixed nuts and took the dinner orders. It seemed that everyone received their first choices.

In terms of the seat, BA offers the front facing and rear facing combination which could be awkward when travelling alone as another person is sat almost opposite you. I was in seat 13J and fortunately the chap in 13K was quite normal and chatty. I hope he felt the same of me! I was pleased with the choice of seat, especially as 12K was vacant so I did not have anyone stepping over me to reach the aisle. I do like the Club seat though with the space offered and the compartments to store personal items.

MENU The menu offered the following:
Starters
• Crayfish, fennel and lime tian with roasted pepper dressing, or
• Halloumi cheese and pomegranate with little gem and rocket served with lemon crème fraiche dressing.
Salad
• Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette.
Main
• Fillet of Charolais beef with parsley and Parmesan topping, potato rissoles, sautéed peppers, broad beans and carrots; or
• Seabass with lemon butter sauce, saffron turned potatoes, mint pea puree and roasted cherry tomatoe on the vine; or
• Potato gnocchi with sage sauce and butternut squash with ricotta; or
• Chilled main course salad of roasted corn-fed Cajun chicken with beetroot, char-grilled mango and sesame seeds with lemon vinaigrette.
Desert
• Bartlett pear tart with mascarpone cream; or
• Shropshire Blue and Normandy Camembert cheese served with fig compote and biscuits; or
• A selection of fruit; and
• Chocolates.

Afternoon Tea was served about 90 minutes before landing and comprised of:
• An individual selection of sandwiches featuring prawn mayonnaise, chicken with rocket and Double Gloucester cheese with slow-roasted tomatoes.
• Plain or fruit scones served warm with clotted cream and strawberry preserves.

Wine and Champagne
• Taittinger Brut Reserve NV Champagne
• Pouilly-Fume 2011, Domaine
• Aquinas Chardonnay 2010, Napa Valley
• Chateau Sigognac 2009, Medoc, Bordeaux
• Byron Pinot Noir 2010 Santa Barbara County

This was an excellent flight, with a superb crew. The only disappointment was that the entertainment system was on a loop rather than on demand which meant I did not use it. Even the map kept on breaking up with the screen going blank. Fortunately, I had my own iPAD so this did not spoil the enjoyment of the flight.

ARRIVAL The flight arrived about 30 minutes early, though there was a medical emergency which meant that a lady was moved off the plane in a wheel chair by the paramedics before we could disembark. However, this was all managed very calmly and we arrived early it had little impact.

There was a long walk from the aircraft to Passport Control and a further wait of around 20 minutes to be seen. By the time I cleared immigration, my suitcase had already appeared on the baggage carousel.

VERDICT A punctual, and very professional, friendly service by BA. I will definitely use them again.

SBingham flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a B767-300 (European config.) (03/12/2012 21:42)

Food terrible. Had seat 12b front of economy but small screen not working working so no in flight movie. these 767s really need a major overhaul or retired. BA should be ashamed of the service and standard of food in economy.

SBingham flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (03/12/2012 21:38)

Lounge at Heathrow was good but staff are hard to find. Flight left on time and service ok but food not what you would expect for the fare. No in flight entertainment. Arrived on time and bags through quickly

Henryp1 flew British Airways First, on a B777-300ER (03/12/2012 15:03)

Dubai to London mid afternoon flight, terminal 1. The plane may have been a 777-200, apologies not too sure. New 1st class cabin.

Checkin a little challenging as poor queue control and no signage for First class. Took about 15 minutes and efficient nice I had reached the counter.

The Terraces lounge at Dubai is small and looks nice, but lacks facilities. The lavatories are very basic open cubicles giving no sense of privacy. Not particularly clean, and not odour free. There are no shower facilities here, so I opted to use the shower suites at the airport hotel on the upper floors of the terminal. Very good value at around US 14. Very clean and well equipped.

The BA lounge had very limited food available, a few rolls and savouries, numerous passengers were taking plates stacked up high with crisps. I had a small chicken salad roll, knowing that I would be able to eat perfectly well once on board. A nice selection of drinks and teas were available.

The flight was called and it was a long walk to the one end of the terminal to get to gate 9. Boarding was reasonably busy and limited assistance from the ground staff. However, once I entered the air bridge to door 1, I sensed a feeling of calm.

Welcomed on board and escorted to my seat 1A, and assisted to get settled. The premium cabins were full and there had been several upgrades into the 1st cabin.

An apology was made as there were no duvets available as they had not been loaded in London. The heavy blankets from club world were given out. While these are functional, they do not have the same comfort as a duvet. Drinks were served and it was a welcome to be a nicely chilled glass of champagne.

I asked to dine straight after takeoff although I was asked what time would I like to eat. Service was faultless from the crew and I elected to have a very tasty chicken and rice dish after a beetroot marinated smoked salmon starter,and finished with a bread and butter pudding. Overall it was a very appealing menu with a good selection.

Following which I changed into my sleeper suit and slept for a good three hours. After watching part. F a film on the IFE, I ad a small afternoon tea. This was nice especially the cakes.

Leaning into Heathrow was ahead of schedule and baggage appeared quickly.

A very nice flight with BA 1st, not the best , but a very helpful and friendly crew.

Henryp1 flew British Airways First, on a B747-400 Mid J (03/12/2012 13:08)

Saturday lunchtime departure to Dubai from T5. 1st check in deserted with all staff congregated around a single counter in deep discussion. Swift checkin process and through security and into the CCR. Generally feels relaxing and I would normally use a cabana, although on this occasion the booking had not been made. The CCR felt very crowded as did the terrace with many passengers.

A late breakfast was enjoyable but service was so slow and disorganised. But in a way this did not matter as we had so much to chat about. A little shopping in the terminal and then a return to the CCR for tea prior to boarding.

Boarding occurred via a packed bus journey with standing room only. Thankfully once up the stairs I was escorted to my seat 1A. Despite the cabin wardrobe being very close, once it had been used there was no further disturbance other than by myself. A very close proximity to 1K allows chatting easy without disturbing other passengers. This was new first and the seat was clean and comfortable, I do appreciate the individual wardrobe both for my bag and jacket. The only aspect I dislike is the lack of the independent foot rest control.

Crew and service were excellent and lunch good. After changing had a very good 2 hours sleep to be woken for tea prior to landing.

Overall a very good flight and intuitive service from a well established crew. Well done BA. But I do think that I prefer the original 1st as somehow the cabin feels and looks more spacious.

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a B737-400 (02/12/2012 18:44)

I flew from Gatwick North Terminal to Tunis on a venerable 737-400. I had transfered from my BA domestic flight from Glasgow which requires going landside before returning through the Premium Lane (note: no Fast Track at Gatwick!!!) to departures where I made my way to the BA First Lounge.

This is a pleasent enough place with good food options but relatively small and it was busy this Sunday morning. I settled down to do some work and to enjoy a bacon baguette.

I headed to gate 105 in good time, over the magnificent bridge to Pier 6. Both down escalators at the far end were out of order, causing mild chaos. Nobody seemed to be working on them despite signs that they were undergoing urgent maintenance.

I waited near the gate as announcements were made about a short delay due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft. The pilots arrived some time later, arousing cyncial comments that it was they (rather than the aircraft) that was late!!

Priority boarding was called and, despite being near the front of the queue, I was forced sideways but the determined rush of a group of passengers which included a well-known former BBC reporter.

I followed them on board meekly and made my way to 11C, an emergency exit seat three rows behind the curtain. The seat offers good leg room but the head rest was hanging low and loose. I asked for assistance from the flight attendant who, with some reluctance, set about sorting out the problem. This particular FA gave the strong feeling throughout the flight that she would rather be elsewhere, perhaps, going by her accent, working as a chalet girl in Verbier???

Seat sorted and fellow passengers aboard, we set off some 20 minutes behind schedule and took off soon after. The flight was relatively uneventful. Service in Economy was a chicken wrap and drinks - reasonable fare. Even though this was a flight of almost 3 hours, no second drinks service was offered. However, the duty free trolley did come through towards the end of the flight and landing cards were handed out - they looked like a generic BA landing card for Arabic speaking countries which i have not seen before.

We landed about 20 minutes late and were at the gate quite quickly. Immigration was very swift and I headed to the luggage carousel where my case, despite priority tagging, as one of the last to emerge - a common moan among travellers. When my case did emerge, I was able to exit quickly, change some money and head off to my hotel in a taxi.

All in all a mixed experience, disappointing in that the cabin crew were not really focused on their charges. Last week, on a very busy flight from Geneva, the Purser made a point of greeting Gold Card holders. On this flight, with about 60% of seats taken and a much longer flight, there was no recognition offered. Disappointing.

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A321 (27/11/2012 20:27)

This flight was from Geneva to Heathrow. I arrived early for my flight, tried to collect my boarding passes from the multi-airline machine in the terminal but it would only deliver one of the two needed so approached a desk. Problem was sorted and a fast track sticker added to the boarding pass. I then headed towards a very busy and slow security where my fast track sticker did not work so had to join the masses!!

Once through I headed upstairs to the tranquil surroundings of the BA Lounge - simple but well appointed with comfortable seating and tasty snacks.

I headed reasonably promptly to the non-Shengen B gates and arrived just as priority boarding commenced. I was aboard quickly and headed for my seat in the first row of economy (11C), one of the squeezed seats with a gap between the two seats - a good choice as the 3-3 commences in row 12. My neighbour blatently ignored requests not to use electronic equipment but, then, none of the cabin staff pulled him up.....

We pushed back on time and then proceeded to taxi down the Rhone valley, halfway to Lyon before eventually taking off some 25 minutes later - not the norm for Geneva.

Service of a wrap and drinks commenced soon after take off and was followed by tax free items. because of high winds at Heathrow, we were put on hold for about 20 minutes before a very bumpy landing brought us down and straight into T5. I was quickly off and headed through Passport Control (empty) and security to the First Lounge to wait for my next flight.

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A320 (26/11/2012 09:44)

I joined this flight from Heathrow to Geneva from the BA First Lounge after a quick bite of lunch. Departure was from gate 10, one of the bus gates, and the rather shambolic premium line still allowed me to catch the first bus and board quickly to find my seat.

10D is an emergency exit seat but without any real tangible seat benefits but early boarding meant no problems with my hand luggage on what was a very full flight. The route has a high level of Business Class demand so I was seated in the second of the Economy rows behind the curtain.

It was a relief to board on time, given that most short-haul flights appeared to be delayed because of high winds at Heathrow. We pushed back on time and after a taxi and queue, took off about 30 minutes after scheduled departure time. Service was standard - another cup of reasonable coffee on offer - and we handed bang on schedule into a wet and mild Geneva. BA gates mean a bit of a walk via the tunnel to the exit but i was landside within 15 minutes of touchdown and headed for my train.

Good service all round and delighted to be on time!!

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A320 (26/11/2012 09:33)

I arrived early at Glasgow Airport for this flight to London, in view of poor weather conditions in the London area and the threat of delays. As it happened, no delays were showing and things looked good as the inbound had arrived on time so I made my way through Security reasonably quickly and headed for the Lounge. This was relatively peaceful and I enjoyed a coffee before we were called to board early (about 30 minutes before scheduled departure). I was seated in 3C and was able to stow my luggage without any problems.

The flight appeared to be quite full for a Sunday morning. Once we were all aboard, the captain came on to tell us that strong cross winds at Heathrow were creating delays for inbound aircraft and that our departure slot had been put back an hour. This did not look like a problem for me, given my connection time but a number of folk were clearly concerned at how this might impact on their travel plans. The cabin crew appeared to be very helpful and made every effort to reassure passengers. I was able to get my laptop out and do an hour's useful work.

In the end, we pushed back 45 minutes late and took off ten minutes later. The flight itself was uneventful - coffee and snacks served promptly - and then an additional 20 minute hold over London so that, in the end, we landed about 50 minutes late. We disembarked quickly into T5 and I looked, with trepidation, at the monitor for connecting flights. Amazingly, amid all the delays posted, my connection to Geneva was still on time so just time for a quick dash to the First Lounge and a spot of lunch......

FormerlyDoS flew British Airways Club World, on a B767-300 (26/11/2012 06:12)

Needing to get to Jeddah, from Scandinavia, the only route available that offered a full day's work was Via LHR T5.5C and the departure was from the next gate, but this necessitated clearing security in T5B, which is not as joined up as it could be.

The T5C pier reminds me of the Ryanair pier at STN, being perfectly functional, but quite basic. Refreshments were available via the coffee shop, by showing boarding pass, but did not meet my expectations of what travelling on an expensive premium ticket should provide, since there was not enough time to go to the T5B lounge and get settled, but the 25 minutes in a basic environment was not very pleasant.

On boarding, I noticed the 767 had not yet been refurbished in Club World, but in contrast to some recent flights with BA, the aircraft was in very good internal condition and the only sign of wear was some chafing on the divider fan between the pair of seats and this was not noticeable.

For some reason, the cabin crew forgot about me (possibly because I was in 4K, a great private seat) and I was not offered a drink or an amenity pack and when I eventually caught the eye of a crew member, the response was a little chilly; there is an old saying that one should not hang one's hat, until the strength of the hook is tested and the female FA failed this test initially and then over compensated with profuse apologies for what was not really a big deal, that could be fixed in 30 seconds.

Jeddah is a difficult overnight flight, as it is not particularly long and if one has to work the next day (as I did), then it is important to sleep as much as possible, so I did not eat or drink and managed to get nearly 5 hours on the original 'dusk' bed, which is still a competitive product and much better than the contemporary offers from LH or OS. I appreciated that the crew respected my request to be awoken at the last minute.

For that reason, I can't comment on the overall service or F&B.

People complain (me included) about crew 'elephant walking' on BA flights, but I was either so fast asleep that it did not disturb me or this crew was light footed.

In conclusion, this flight achieved was I needed it to achieve, i.e. it got me to destination safely and on time, with a decent sleep.

trusman flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A321 (25/11/2012 04:54)

I arrived at the airport with only 15 mins to go until check in closed due to my bus from the office breaking down and having to wait for the next one!

After the long walk from the bus terminal i arrived at terminal 3 and went straight to one of the self service machines and got my boarding pass with about 5 mins to spare but as I had a bag to drop (only because it had liquids in) I went to the bag drop desks but both of these were occupied with passengers checking in copious amounts of baggage (one couple with 5 bags! 3 of them were over 27kgs!) However one of the BA meet/greeters noticed me anxiously waiting and called me over to one of the desks not in use and kindly accepted my bag which I thought was great customer service!

By the time I was through security boarding was just starting to be called for so I headed straight to the gate. After getting my boarding pass checked I was annoyed to see that there were no complimentary newspapers as this is what I had planned to read on the flight. I was welcomed back by name by the CSD which is always a nice touch and headed to my seat 28D for this short flight.

Very warm and sincere welcome by both the captain and the CSD over the PA and the captain told us to expect a fairly long hold over London this evening of around 15mins due to the airport being very busy. Before long we were pushing back 5 mins ahead of schedule.

After take off the crew began the service which consisted of a complimentary bar and drinks service with a choice of snacks from a basket. These were; a selection of mixed nuts, a small packet of ready salted crisps or a packet of 2 chocolate biscuits. It had been a stressful afternoon so i opted for a Whiskey and coke and some nuts. There is no in-flight entertainment on BA short haul just the moving map from the overhead screens and as i had no newspaper i decided to have a quick read of the Highlife magazine! However both this and the moving map i found refreshingly entertaining.

As one of the cabin crew passed through collecting the rubbish I asked her if it would be possible to get another drink and she kindly brought me one as soon as she had finished collecting the rubbish as well as another packet of nuts which I hadn't asked for or expected which I found a really nice touch.

After a shorter than expected hold of over 6 or 7 mins the seatbelt signs were switched on and we started our decent landing 10 mins ahead of schedule on one of the domestic gates. I was in the baggage hall within 5 mins of the seatbelt signs being switched off and after a few minuets wait by the baggage carousel my bag was the first one out of the hatch and I was on the tube and home within an hour of landing.

Overall this was one of the best flights I've had in a while and although the nice points I have mentioned may seem trivial but sometimes its the smaller nicer things customer service staff do that really do enhance your experience with them and stay loyal to that company! BA is always my choice of airline as I find that they are consistent and have an excellent service as well as an excellent frequency of flights.

GordyUK flew British Airways First, on a B747-400 Mid J (22/11/2012 14:48)

Rating this fairly is really hard because i was already annoyed at having to take an 8 minute bus in stifling heat to get to the C gates for T5, only to board an old heap of junk. Two things i loathe about this aircraft - Mid J with WT+ constantly coming through the curtain and old First which is knackered (i'd post photos if i could - it was torn/bashed up)

Despite all of that, the crew turned this misery around. They could not have been more helpful, the food was excquisite, and for all its age, the seat was still actually fairly comfortable. The lack of power meant nothing able to be charged though and the IFE was so bad, i wanted to go back to Club. Instead i just watched movies on my ipad

We landed on time, luggae was not given priority (this is LAX though so we expect that).

Overall, the crew, as usual, made this flight great. BA really need to pull their finger out with these tired old planes and get them refurbished. One CSD told me each one takes 3 months to change 1 cabin!? seriously!!!

GordyUK flew British Airways First, on a B777-200 (Four class) (22/11/2012 14:39)

It was a surprise to get "new first" on this route but a really pleasant one. What a difference from old tired First. We went down to the aircraft thinking we were early but they had already called First pax so we joined the CW crowd. We weren't seated as the poor crew member on the door had been left on her own. no matter..

I've only ever been on BA 747s so it was nice to see the 777 layout. Seat 2e/f were great although the distance between for speaking is much further than in old first so no more whispering :0

Take off was prompt, hot towels, kir royales and warm nuts duly served. Into PJs then dinner service - all of it faultless. Great selection of movies although i fell asleep after 1 film.. this is the firm time i've ever fallen asleep on a plane!. It felt like minutes before the blue hue was replaced by the yellow morning glow. Great breakfast and landed 30 mins early.. shame the outgoing plane sat on our space for 25 mins.

Even the luggage was given its priority and out first, which never happens. The only thing i could fault, and its scraping the barrel, is that the cabin was too hot for sleeping.

simonlawslondon flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (21/11/2012 21:19)

I flew BA73 Club to Abu Dhabi on 16th November.

I am lucky enough to be able to use the Gold Lounge at Terminal 5 which continues to provide a comforting environment. Whilst not as glitzy and overstated as the Virgin Club House the selection of drinks and buffet style food is excellent and of high quality. They use top of the range spirits and very nice white and pink vintage champagnes.
On boarding the flight I was greeted by name and this was used throughout the service process I think this is an important touch for the regular traveller.

The lunch menu demonstrates their 'new' experience. It delivered what was on the tin, simple but carefully prepared food which is close to reasonable restaurant food. The main course sea bass with al dente full colour vegetables was a delight. Either they have got the design right for 39,000 feet or someone has at last taught the cabin attendants how to use convector ovens. A minor gripe if you over chill a seafood starter it will have a blandish taste. The vanilla and raspberry desert was a minor triumph. BA is now sensible in reducing its wine menu but giving ample choice - no longer the past where at least 1/3 of the offer was in fact not on offer.

Afternoon tea is a bit of a waste of space rather poor sandwiches pre packed. For the price of Club either don't bother or present something that at least looks better than yesterdays offer in M&S
I think they have a new entertainment system - very easy to negotiate with all current functionality and a good selection

As always the service in BA is courteous and professional - engaging if you want it to be reserved if thats your preference. They are the best team in the sky. On this occasion they did unload the Priority Bags first something that is still hit and miss

I flew to NYC in August with Virgin Upper, the first time for 6 years as I have always preferred British Airways. The experience confirmed my preference. The Club House, interior design of the planes and 'brand' of the cabin crew may appeal to those with little colour in their life but quite frankly: average food, poorly manufactured seats and staff who imagine they are in that churlish advert are not for me.

peterandrew62 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a B767-300 (European config.) (21/11/2012 18:53)

Straight forward check in and boarding well controlled, but then it was one of the worst club europe experiences to date. Seated in rear 3 row section, no cabin crew visible, so no jackets taken and no help for passengers, 2 passengers in wrong seats, dealt with this ourselves. Push back prompt and take off not long after.

Service painfully slow. The economy crew had finished pre-meal drinks service before we got ours despite being fewer passengers, same with meal, economy was finished before we were served in club. Asked the CSD to speak with me when convenient. Her hands were shaking, tried to be polite when she returned. I asked if there had been a medical emergency as the service was painfully slow, she explained she was a member of crew down and was also monitoring another member of staff. I explained about how no one had been in our section for boarding and how no jackets were taken until after take off.

She apologised and drinks arrived afterwards. Remainder of flight uneventful, but crew member hadn't labelled a jacket correctly and asked us whose it was, wasn't my size! Fairly inept crew, who didn't seem to work well together.

Very poor experience, wrote in, nothing a month later, filled out an e form and resent letter, got a reply and a voucher, which I've used. Haven't experienced anything this bad in club europe previously.

Tidmtrax flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A320 (21/11/2012 17:52)

BA A320 Econ BLQ - LHR

Check in now downstairs at BLQ as they are rebuilding, it appears that if you are flying Ryanair you have your own east terminal connected to the main terminal via a rather dangerous looking road train (the sort of thing that takes you along the seafront to admire the view) Consisting of two carriages with plastic sheets at the windows and pulled by a van disguised as a train. Ryanair like to keep the costs to a minimum.

Boarding pass in hand through a very quiet security and into the departure area, BA flights and in fact all flights outside of Italy then have to go through a passport control area to get to the boarding gates.

Flight boarded a little late as the incoming flight had been delayed at Heathrow. Having travelled this route on a regular basis over the years (it used to be via LGW now another Easyjet route) it always amazes me that the CE passengers and premium card holders make a rush to get on the bus first, only for the rest of the passengers to follow, and get off in front of them. CC was all male and although not in CE I could see that the two CC up front collected jackets helped with baggage and did what the outgoing crew should have been doing. Departure was at 1915 a little later then the 1855 schedule.

Uneventful flight (the best type) and service was provided about 20 minutes after take-off.

Consisted of Savoury Wraps, Chicken or Mozzarella, I chose the Mozzarella along with what appeared to be everyone else around. Not much taste but I was hungry.

Aircraft was another A320 but a little bit worn around the edges, rear toilet was certainly cleaner then the outbound but still not nice.

Should have touched down at 19.55 and it appeared that we would make it until the 1st Officer came on the tannoy and announced heavy traffic and we had joined a queue to land. Touchdown was about 15 minutes later and a short taxi to one of the C Gates.

Mad scrum to get off and head for the transit, our arrival coincided with several other flights and we all became sardines on the platform, train arrives everyone on the platform wants to get on this train, impossible, doors open and close several times as bags, coats etc. trigger the sensors, a few people by the door then get off doors close and we are off.

Immigration queues were outside of the zigzag area and almost to the corridor; quick assessment told me to stand in the normal queue not the biometric one. Good choice as it was only a 20 minute shuffle through to be allowed in to the UK. I watched the even slower Biometric shuffle and there was very little movement in the 20 minutes.
Back to the Business parking via the POD without any problems.

A much better CC on this flight and they appeared “To Fly to Serve”

Tidmtrax flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (21/11/2012 17:47)

BA Airbus 320 CE LHR - BLQ

Arrived T5 Business car park at 1205 station B beckoned and I bounced in a very cold pod to T5.
Obtained boarding pass from self service machine and proceeded to Security south, refused entry along with tens of other people as it was closed, apparently it was to busy and could not cope with any more passengers!

Walked with what appeared to be the rest of T5 passengers to the north security and went straight through to the xray area. I was allocated line 7 and stood stationary for 5 minutes whilst a bag already in the xray machine did the hokie poky many times as various security staff looked at the screen and walked away. A comment was heard that it would be quicker to get it out and have a look inside with the offending passenger assisting to identify what was causing the problem. As you can imagine this did not go down well with the staff on duty. Finally through at 1240, got dressed and went into the scrum ahead.

Up to the lounge and surprised to see that although busy there were plenty of seats. Although there was plenty of discarded cups plates and food at most of them.

After some lunch, luke warm chicken stew and boiled rice I settled dow to wait for the 1500 departure to BLQ. Left the lounge at 1400 and made my way slowly to the B gates.

Departure was from B37 and boarding started at 1440 with the regular call for BA card holders and these travelling CE etc. Went through the fast track and got seated without any problem. Aircraft Airbus 320 and in relatively good order. Flight almost full with a couple of empty CE seats

CC upfront was one male one female, both very efficient at not helping passengers stowing bags etc. and no offer to hang coats or jackets. Not a problem for me but several passengers obviously wanting some assistance. Push back was on time but take off was delayed due to a line of 9 aircraft in front take off was at 1530.

Service started shortly after the seat belt sign was switched off and consisted of Afternoon tea!
Three finger sandwiches and a sweet treat plus warm scone, sandwiches felt as if they had been made several days ago and had nice crispy edges, a cheese and pickle, prawn mayonnaise and unfortunately I was not able to identify the third, although it looked to be some form of meat?
CC did follow this up with another round of drinks for those wanting one.

Toilet was the usual affair requiring a good deep clean and a new seat, I am always amazed that as they use a white/Cream seat (when new) they are allowed to get into such a state and that no one from BA management discuss this with the contract cleaners. It reminds me of those dreadful public toilets of years ago that smell of stale urine!
Rather a bouncy flight but very little of note except the Sandwiches!

Touch down on time and disembarked to a bus after 5 minutes waiting for the stairs. It is Italy.
All in all a pretty average flight, with a level of service that has become accepted as normal.

Bath_VIP flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A320 (21/11/2012 10:47)

Flew Manchester to Heathrow, departing at 1710. Booked a week before for £15+4500 avios.

I was travelling with hand baggage so I checked in on-line in the morning whilst sat in Starbucks in the city centre. I wanted my boarding pass sent to my mobile but noted that this requires the BA app to be installed on your phone. Looked into doing this but decided in the end, it was too much faff and so chose to pick up at the airport instead.

I caught the 1524 train from Manchester Oxford Road station and 20 minutes later arrived at the airport. I know from previous experience that the walk from the station to the terminal is a long one but getting to terminal 3 is especially convoluted! I was glad there was still some daylight as the thought of trying to do that at night is unpleasant for someone with my sight problems. Signage is poor, part of the path is outside with poor lighting and the whole walk is just not intuitive in terms of directions.

I picked up my boarding pass from the checkin kiosk without any issues and went straight to security. The queues were lengthy and very disheartening but as often happens to me at airports, someone saw my white cane and invited me into the priority lane. There were about 10 people in the queue but it was very slow moving. When it came to my turn, it appeared that security was very tight that day.

I have to say that the walk from security to the departures area was one of the worst I have experienced. I struggled to work out where to go next and had to ask for directions. The path is not intuitive, signage was rubbish and it seemed everyone was being funnelled into a narrow hallway which could easily get blocked up. Departures area was crowded but I found the food hall area OK and decided I had enough time to have a pizza before boarding as I hadn't had lunch that day.

One thing that greatly amused me was the Frequent Flyer lounges. I've never been in them but I could tell from the signage that they were above me and surrounded the glass cupola that formed the roof of the the food court. I could see that the lounges had desks against the cupola that people were sitting at working on their laptops. But do those people realise that if they spread their legs whilst sat at their desks, they are giving the masses below a full frontal view? A word of warning to you ladies using these lounges! If you are sat at these desks and going commando, please sure make you are wearing short skirts!

Boarding was on time and quick and I made my way to my seat 15D. The middle seat was free and we departed on time. I liked the fact that the plane had the overhead map screens which is unusual for a domestic flight. I found the seat a little more comfortable than the previous experience with a BA 737 but it was compromised by the guy in front of me who seemed to be able to press his seat back into me. I realised by sitting in the middle that I would be the last to be served drinks but service was efficient enough to serve me a diet coke just as we started our descent.

We arrived at our gate bang on time. Disembarking the plane, I managed to contrive to trip myself up over the door step and would have fallen flat on my face had the rather stout CSD not been making his way back to the door! His stomach proved a soft landing spot and prevented me from hurting myself. What had happened was the CSD was saying goodbye to the passengers and just before I reached him he decided he needed to leave the plane. Just as I was about to leave the plane he turned around and that action caused me to miss my step. For some reason, the airbridge floor was about 3 inches below the doorstep and I didn't realise this which is why I tripped up. Can't recall if this is normal practice for airbridges as most of my recent flying has been with Easyjet & FlyBe who don't use them.

This was the first time I had arrived at T5 on a domestic flight and I found the way out to be quite quick similar to the speed of exit one used to have in T1. I then caught the railair bus to Reading station and then the train back home to Bath.

All in all, the BA flight was good value for money. The short haul AVIOS redemptions are becoming useful options to me in my travel patterns and I will use these again.

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A319 (20/11/2012 18:27)

I joined this flight from T5 to Madrid from my earlier connection and enjoyed the ambience of the First Lounge before heading to Gate 15, shortly before boearding commenced. The flight was by no means full so boarding was relaxed via the Priority Lane. I was delighted to see that the aircraft was the much maligned Olympic celebration design which I have frequently seen but never flown on before - not that you noticed once aboard!!

I had pre-chosen 6C and was delighted to see that, even though this was the first row in Economy, the configuration was still the Club Europe 2-3 (with the min-seat between A and C, so plenty of room to organise myself for a working flight.

Push-back was on time but the taxi was long and slow so, once airborne, we were promised an arrival some 15 minutes behind schedule - a promise borne out in the event.

Service in economy was brisk - a tasty wrap, soft drinks and coffee and the time sped by while I enjoyed what seemed to be amble leg and working room to catch up with a few things on my laptop.

We arrived at Terminal 4S in Madrid after another long taxi and I was confronted by the challenge of no signs and no gate monitors - unless you knew that Iberia domestic flights connections went from Gates H, J and K, there was nothing at all to tell you. After asking in the Lounge, I made my way down endless escalaors to the connecting train and arrived at Passport Control, Security and into the departures area for my final flight.

TominScotland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A321 (20/11/2012 18:17)

I arrived early at Glasgow Airport for my 07.00 flight to Heathrow, hitting Security at the same time as it was swamped by Celtic fans en route to Lisbon. But the queues moved quickly and I headed for the BA Lounge, very crowned in anticipation of the first flights to three London airports. Breakfast options were cereals, toast, pastries and fruit - very different fare from that of the football supporters in the bar!! A cup of coffee and some fruit later, priority boarding was direct from the Lounge and I was soon settled into 2C, with virtually all other seats taken on a very busy flight.

We pushed back on time but endured what, for Glasgow, was a very slow taxi as three Lisbon-bound aircraft snuck in ahead of us. Hence we were airborne some 35 minutes after scheduled departure.

The Captain welcomed us aboard and, as is normal with BA, reminded us of the importance of safety, how seriously BA take safety matter and to listen carefully to the safety announcements. However, the automated safety announcement was not functioning so it was left a member of cabin crew to do it the old fashioned way. I don't think I have ever experienced such a badly delivered safety announcement - rushed and garbled by a non-native speaker reading from the script far, far too fast.

Despite the early hour, there was a fair amount of laughter mixed with surprise around me. The delivery reminded me of some of the worst examples from low cost airlies using foreign staff and should be of concern to BA as evidence of a real safety training failure. Because the flight was very busy, I did not have the opportunity to speak to the Purser in private but did mention it on my way through to the First Lounge before my next flight. The staff member on duty made the right noises, said he would pass the information on but made no effort to make a note of the flight or my name. Hence this post because I am not sure where else to raise this serious issue - advice anyone?

After that, the breakfast offering was an anticlimax but, in fact, the cooked vegetarian was excellent - a tasty Spanish omlette, spinach, mushrooms and tomato with the usual roll, OJ and coffee.

We landed without any hold just a couple of minutes late and disembarked straight into the domestic arrivals area.

A normal flight, a good breakfast but a disgrace of a cabin announcer who, incidently, proceeded to (I think) welcome us to London in a similar, incomprehensible manner.

trusman flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A319 (20/11/2012 04:44)

BA1404 A319 LHR-MAN 7.55pm

Got to the airport around 2 hours before departure and checked in. Check in staff very friendly as I checked in my bag and was through security within 10 mins! Heathrow terminal 5 as always a pleasure to be in! Boarding was called and I just sat and waited as I had my assigned seat and just a laptop bag for under the seat.

Friendly welcome on board however I could tell the crew were very busy trying to deal with all the hand baggage as every seat was taken on board. After take off a bar service began so I took advantage and had a couple of beers and a small packet of mixed nuts (other choices were small packet of ready salted crisps and 2 chocolate biscuits) whilst enjoying the conversation of the lady sat next to me. Seat belt signs were on just as the crew were handing out the last drinks and they efficiently cleared in the rubbish as they checked seatbelts.

Landed in Manchester a nice 2 mins early and as i was one of the last to disembarks my bag was already on the belt. Overall a very nice quick flight. BA still has to be the best domestic carrier with the free baggage allowance and free bar/snacks! Its actually an enjoyable oasis for half an hour after a days work and the frequent flight times are a massive bonus.

PatJordan flew British Airways UK Domestic, on a A320 (Domestic) (15/11/2012 21:07)

LHR-Manchester (UK Domestic)

Booking and check in

This was only my second British Airways flight for some time. Since BA ceased flying from Dublin, their schedule didn’t really meet my needs. However following IAG’s takeover of BMI, I was now a Gold member of the BA Executive Club, and was curious to see how the airline performed on this former BMI route. I needed to fly LHR to Manchester, and decided to have a look at what British Airways had to offer on this short route.

www.ba.com is an easy site to navigate and selecting a flight for my preferred date and time was no trouble. BA offer an advance check-in facility up to 24hours before travel, and complimentary seat selection to BAEC Gold card holders: I chose my preferred seat, which was 1D. Within a few minutes, I received my confirmation email.

I arrived at London Heathrow Terminal 5 just after 9.30am for my 3.20pm flight and proceeded straight to security. BAEC Gold allows use of the Fast track lane and I was airside within a minute.

Terminal 5 is vast, and is very bright and airy. There is a good range of shops and cafes, most of which are of a high quality.

Lounge

Due to a last minute change of arrangements, I found myself with several hours to kill before my flight, and I was looking forward to unwinding in the BA Lounge with my book.

My Gold Status meant I could use the BA First lounge in south end of T5. On approaching reception, I was warmly greeted and welcomed to the lounge.

It is a very large and impressive lounge with several seating areas, excellent views of the apron and a wide selection of international newspapers and magazines. There is a huge choice of seat types too: finding a comfortable spot is certainly not going to be an issue!

There is a business centre which offers complimentary internet access, fax and printing facilities. I took advantage of this to send a few emails, and printed a few documents which I needed to read.

There was a vast range of food on offer: savoury nibbles, Walkers cake slices and biscuits, cheese, crackers and a full bar service.

There is a dedicated champagne bar which had a choice of Bollinger Rose or Tattinger 2005. I had a couple of glasses of the latter and thoroughly enjoyed them!

As well as the aforementioned range of food, there is a hot buffet self service area. Up to noon, breakfast is available, with lunch after noon. Given my longer than planned visit, I was in a position to sample both meals, much to the detriment of my waistline!

The breakfast includes:

• Fresh fruit salad
• Fruit Coulis
• Breads, scones, pastries
• Cereals
• Yogurts
• Cheeses
• Cold meats
• Muffins
• Bacon
• Cumberland and Vegetarian sausage
• Scrambled egg
• Black Pudding
• Beans
• Mushrooms
• Herb potatoes
• Toast

The lunch menu included:

• Chicken Stew
• Mashed potato
• Beef ribs
• Mini Steak and Ale pies
• Extended range of cold meats and salads
• sandwiches

Additionally a number of items are available to order from a menu and are served on request. There are a number of very friendly attendants who regularly ask of there is anything further they can fetch.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the BA First lounge. However, as the time for my approached, I asked where the departure gate was in relation to the lounge. It was Gate 7, which is the opposite end of the terminal. There was a small delay in boarding, I decided to pay a fleeting visit to the Galleries lounge, which is just above Gate 7.

It is a large bright lounge with a variety of seat types, and good views of the apron. Even though the lounge was quite busy, getting a seat was not a problem. The range of newspapers & magazines was very good, and there was a number of computer terminals for those who had work commitments.

There is a surprisingly good range of food in Galleries:

• sandwiches
• salads
• two types of soup with a variety of bread rolls
• baked potato
• rice
• pasta with choice of sauces
• chilli
• crisps, savoury nibbles

There is also a full bar with a good choice of wines.

As I was only there for a few minutes, I limited myself to a glass of sparkling water. However this is a lounge in which one could quite happily spend an hour or two waiting for a flight.

Boarding

Boarding is through an airbridge and there is a dedicated queue for BAEC Silver & Gold members. Boarding began almost as soon as I arrived at the gate, and I was on board very quickly.

The Airbus 320 was immaculate and cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers. I was greeted, and on leaving the aircraft was thanked for my custom: a very nice touch indeed. The seats are upholstered in Navy blue leather. UK Domestic is a single class service and seats are configured 3-3 throughout the cabin. I had selected 1D which I particularly like at there is no seatback in front of me. Unlike Club Europe, the middle seats are occupied, and it was a very full flight.

Inflight

The Captain gave a brief welcome, apologised for the delayed departure, and details of flight times, followed by a safety video shown on a drop down screen. This later displayed ground speed, temperature, distance from destination, etc. We pushed back on time and were airborne quickly. The captain managed to make up the lost time, and we landed on schedule

Given the short flight time (45minutes) the service is basic but quite acceptable. There is a full bar service and a choice of crisps, nuts, etc.

Conclusion

A very impressive flight. Excellent service on board, magnificent lounge, good booking process and very good value for money. I truly enjoyed this BA flight. I was particularly pleased with the BA First lounge: having such a long layover in LHR was made quite bearable.

MichaelKerr flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A321 (09/11/2012 04:48)

My flight was the Wednesday morning from Heathrow Terminal 1 to Baku. The flight departed about 20 minutes later than scheduled due to replacement plane brought from hanger.
I have been using this route for seven years and without a doubt BA have got it right.

Greeted by a cheery and friendly cabin crew with a pre-flight champagne to get the journey started.
Food was excellent, the bar was as frequent as you wanted and the crew were very attentive.

I was in row eight in the single seat and could not have asked for better. The seat was comfortable and adjusted every way you could wish for as well as lumbar massage.

The entertainment was by way of a good sized widescreen TV that kept me occupied for the complete journey.

I was going to change to Turkish or Lufthansa for the journey because of the new flight times but the upgrade of the cabin has made me rethink and I will stay with BA.

SBingham flew British Airways Club Europe, on a B767-300 (European config.) (07/11/2012 23:29)

The 767's on this route are in desperate need of a refurbishment. In-flight entertainment is poor with no choice of movie and to add insult it was a children's animation. Crew great and attentive.
seats need updating. Arrived 20 mins early and bridge into main terminal so i was happy.

FrankKassen flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (02/11/2012 23:22)

My wife and I were traveling from Rome FCO to London Heathrow LHR to Chicago ORD traveling with British Airways. Our flight out of FCO was very good except for a very young baby traveling in Club Europe. The Baby was one seat over and one row behind us, but the baby crying filled the whole cabin. I did feel sorry for the parents as they did try to appease the baby, but it was not a pleasant flight experience. The in-flight service was very good.

Our connecting flight from LHR to ORD was only one hour + so we had a short experience at the BA lounge. It was very busy at 2 pm-14:00 hrs. Our flight out of LHR required a bus trip to the aircraft. No special consideration for Club World. When we boarded the aircraft we were offered a welcome beverage, we both accepted the champagne. The boarding went well and soon we took off.

Our seats were 11E and 11F in the middle section of Club World. We found the in flight service to be adequate, but not up to other airlines we have flown in business or first class. We were offered a menu and shortly thereafter an amenity kit.

The first offer of a beverage was well into the flight. Trying to get a refill was difficult. I am not sure if it was the location of our seats or the indifference of the flight attendants on this flight. I requested the signature beef as my main meal. Was I ever disappointed as the beef was very well done and had no flavor! During the meal we did not have an offer refill our wine selection. Other airlines we have flown have always offered another glass of wine for the meal service.

If you chose not to be disturbed during your flight I can highly recommend British Airways Club World. If you would like good in flight service I would suggest you try another carrier as my experience was not very good for this carrier. As an example my sport coat was not delivered to me until a minute before leaving the aircraft. It was like I was forgotten. In all fairness to the staff we did have a full cabin. We have had full cabins on American Airlines on this route in business and the in-flight service was better.

We have flown BA many times mostly in Europe and the service has been outstanding. The overseas service was OK, but not great as I was expecting. I hope my next flight on BA is better.

KeaneJohn flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (02/11/2012 07:00)

Quick and efficient bag drop and fast track security was actually fast with just one person in front of me. Had a mooch round the shops, bought a couple of things that I wanted and did a bit of lounge hopping.

First went into the American Airlines lounge. Basic and functiional, Great breakfast buffet, nice bacon rolls with mustard and sauces/ketchup available. Tasty coffee but lukewarm orange juice. Perfect sized fruit salad and yoghurt. Not many plug sockets around so headed off to BA Galleries lounge. A drinkable glass of fizz and an OJ and another bacon roll. This was hard and the bacon greasy. Also the pastries and muffins were under the heatlamps so dried out.

Flight called for boarding and heading to Prague was a bus from the infamouse gate 24. Lightly loaded CE Cabin (just 5 people) , Ontime departure, approx 20 min taxi before being airborne.

Nuts and drink service by great CSM followed a hot towel. Hot food options were beef stroganof or stuffed chicken. I chose the latter and it came with a pasta and roasted peppers. It was presented like any dish in a top restaurant would be. It tasted incredible with the chicken cooked just about perfect for the cabin.

Arrived about 5 minutes behind schedule and had to wait a few minutes for the gate to become available.

Prague had experienced quite heavy snow and the jetbridge had some at the entrance. Unfortunately I slipped on this and whilst I didn't injure myself I did fall onto my hand luggage damaging a few items. Baggage delivery for priority tagged luggage was again in the last wave of luggage.

Luggage is most definitely containerised for this route and it appears to come off in waves, transfer luggage first then the rest of the luggage. It really does defeat the object of being one of the first off the aircraft and using the E Gates for Passport Control if you have to wait 30 minutes for the bags to be delivered. BA don't seem to be able to address this issue and it really lets them down.

Tallinnman flew British Airways First, on a B747-400 Mid J (30/10/2012 10:09)

Bit of Background

I take 1 or 2 short duration, long haul golf breaks a year, with the flight making up part of the enjoyment. I’m definitely looking to make the most of the whole experience and this time was keen to sample BA’s New First product for the first time.

Choice of flights to Miami

I’d changed from the later 777 flight which was 80% New First to the earliest flight as on www.ftdashboard.net it appeared that this had now become a NF flight as 12 of the previous 15 flights had been NF.

Alas, as excellent as the website is it doesn’t predict the future and we were in an Old First 747 albeit with excellent seats in 1A and 1K.

Check in and security

Having travelled the day before into London from Northern Europe I’d left my golf clubs in left luggage before heading into town. On collecting the clubs it’s a bit of a schlep up to the departures level and the First check in at the far end of the terminal. Saw some of the new porters helping other guests who had arrived kerb side.

The First check in experience is no different to any of the other kiosks. You then are dispatched to deposit your golf bag at the nearby oversize luggage counter. Next time I’ll just use the nearest kiosk I come across in departures. Overall poor compared with other airlines as the clubs are used to a bit of pampering when they check in!

Usual debacle of Fast Track having a queue, in this case about 20 people and nearby normal lanes empty. Escaped the pen and walked 4 machines down to where there was no queue.

I’m quite tall so can possibly see this more clearly than other passengers but it does amaze me that people would rather wait in ‘fast track’ rather than join the 'plebs' in enjoying the ‘no queue track’.

Lounge and boarding.

Joined my golfing buddy already ensconed in the Concorde Room for breakfast. On every trip to US I look forward to Eggs Benedict stateside so thought I'd try them early doors - should've waited. Ordered some Grand Siècle at the bar which was kindly brought to us on the spacious and airy terrace with soothing views over the airport.

With the Wembley Stadium arch recognisable off to the left and planes taking off and landing, it is a great space to spend some time relaxing prior to boarding. As we were departing from a B gate we were up and at it 30 mins before scheduled departure.

Priority boarding was observed at the gate with a rushing group ahead sent back to join the other queue. There was only 1 jetway onto the aircraft so 20 or people ahead before I boarded and was escorted by a crew member ‘sans hat’ to 1A where I was surprised by the quality appearance of the seat ( last flew BA First 3 years ago and on that occasion the seat was particularly worn). The cabin was also very clean. A huge glass of champagne then arrived from the excellent host - think she had spotted I was not intending to work on the flight!

The CSD then introduced herself, offered menus, explained the ‘a la carte service’ and apologized as she was working in Club.

There was a 40 minute delay before departure with passengers ‘stuck in security' (probably fast track) then ‘sitting in the wrong seats’. No refill of champagne although I was asked what I would like to drink after take off.

Flight

During the flight some of the rougher edges of the old cabin became apparent but apart from TV screens and Avod it was not a problem. Finally departed 1 hour late after a long taxi to runway.

The cabin was full in first and hot (actually tepid) towels came round 15 mins after lift off with drinks 5 mins later with Row 1 served last.

A couple of glasses of the white wine set up an excellent start to the lunch with a rather good quality soufflésque soufflé. Unfortunately the beef that followed was well, very well done. It had arrived fairly quickly after finishing the starter. The potentially beautiful accompanying side dishes were also overcooked to make for a truly miserable effort.

As they served passengers from the back of the cabin on this flight I was worried I'd get the same poor main course experience as my last flight in the back row of First when they served from the front and unfortunately that proved to be the case.

We had a great crew who I felt were trying very hard but the menu is either too ambitious or the crew need more training. Could they maybe need more crew?

My first choice of dessert was said to have been not loaded however a super chocolate pud from Club was offered and again the crew made an effort by serving a small portion of the other First menu dessert when I joked about not having a clue what it was or how to pronounce its name.

The cheese board was splendid and the wines available and served throughout all courses were top notch

Lunch menu was:

Starters

Smoked breast of Gressingham duck on a celeriac salad with apple jelly and blackberry dressing
Twice baked Parmesan and Gruyere soufflé and Caesar dressing
Leek and potato soup with smoked salmon and chives
Fresh seasonal salad with your choice of dressings

Main

Herefordshire fillet of beef with truffle and Madeira sauce, British wild mushrooms and roasted baby root vegetables
Roasted loin of lamb marinated in Moroccan spices and apricot and raisin couscous, roasted vegetables and mint tomato sauce
Nicoise salad with roasted breast of chicken and lemon basil dressing

Bistro selection
Cep Mushroom ravioli with spinach and sun dried tomatoes with garlic and thyme cream sauce
Grilled minute steak sandwich with horseradish relish on Manoucher bread served with vegetable crisps

Selection of biscuits
Selection of cheese and fruit

Dessert

White chocolate and passion-fruit cremeaux with mango foam
Apple Tarte Tatin with caramel sauce
Ice cream sundae

Cheese Plate
Coastal Cheddar, Fourme D’Ambert, Cornish Blue, Isle of Avalon
Fresh Fruit
Chocolates

Wine List

Champagne – Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle, France

White Wine
Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chateniere 2010, Burgundy, France
Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi Doc 2009, Stefano Antonucci, Santa Barbera, Italy
St.Supery Dollarhide Ranch Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Napa Valley, California, USA

Red Wine
Chateau De Fieuzal 2006, Grand Cru Classe Pesasc-Leognan, Bordeuax, France
Siduri Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir 2010, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Novy Syrah 2010, Sonoma County, California, USA

Dessert Wine - Chateau De Myrat 2002.2eme Grand Cru Classe Sauternes, Borsac, Bordeaux, France

Port – Warre’s 1992 Colheita Tawny Port

For some reason a lovely nap followed lunch from which I was slowly roused by the clinking of the serving of afternoon tea.

The clotted cream transfusion refreshed the parts the snooze hadn't and it was soon 45 mins to landing and a questionnaire to fill in.

Arrival

We landed approx. 1 hour late and with departure through the door between Economy Plus and Club we were always going to have a bit of a wait in the immigration hall. This was made painful by the large queue already in place when we got there after the considerable walk.

BA arrivals staff were wondering around making sure the date was on customs forms when 3 immigration desks with staff (there were 6 operating) at the far end weren’t being sent passengers and gave the impression they weren’t unduly aroused by the size of the queue. Words cannot describe the incompetence of the American queue marshalls who made a family of 5 (3 young children) wait extra long for a desk to become available.
I collected my lonely golf bag and made haste to the hotel.

Verdict

Guilty on a couple of counts. For the meal service would it not be wiser to offer items that are not so time sensitive e.g. beef short ribs instead of fillet. Many of their competitors have specially trained food preparation crew on their flights. On arrival of a delayed flight, could/should more be done for premium passengers. Heh, I’m prepared to wait my turn but also where possible, I’m willing to do what it takes to avoid hanging around, hence purchasing a ‘premium’ ticket.

I’m an easy to please passenger (full glass, full stomach) and the crew were excellent, the seat very comfortable and up until arrival, my ego was indeed nicely massaged. Was the differentiation with Business Class worth the extra cost? I think the jury is still out on that.

BarryHurch flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a B777-200 (Four class) (22/10/2012 08:40)

London to Muscat via Abu Dhabi 20/10/12.

I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 with little expectation for the flight as the seat map on the BA website showed I was supposed to be a on one of the older aircraft with no AVOD. Boarding was fine, sat at the gate for 10 minutes and boarded after the First, Club World and Gold/Silver Executive Club members and hopped on he bus to a remote stand. As we pulled up to the aircraft I noticed it said G-RAES which is one of the refurbished aircraft and my relief was immense.

Onboard the seat was very comfortable for sitting but for sleeping it was a little less comfortable but I made do. The entertainment was fantastic on a big touch screen, you could not be bored. There were four drinks services during the flight but if you wanted more you could just go to the galley. Food was the same old chicken tagine with a delicious chocolate and pear mousse which filled me up until just before Abu Dhabj where we were served with a chicken salad sandwich and a breakaway which just hit the spot.

The only niggle is the the legroom is a little tight after 8 hours in the air but it wasn't a major problem as I am not particularly fussy but overall it was a very good flight and I hope I get the same cabin on the return flight.

PeterRowland flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a B737-400 (19/10/2012 19:08)

The flight was delayed by over 2 hours, Aircraft was very worn with many of the seats damaged and tatty although they were comfortable. The snack provided was very poor a mozzarella and pesto roll. The drinks were quality items however the staff were unpleasant ignoring my wife when she gave our drinks order talking over her to ask me what I wanted.

Bath_VIP flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a B737-400 (19/10/2012 08:06)

Flew Gatwick to Glasgow departing at 2115. Checked in on-line with hand baggage only. First time I had redeemed Avios for a short haul flight and the cost was £15+4,500 avios.

The last time I flew from Gatwick must have been around 2004 so I was curious to see what had changed at the airport. I arrived by train from London Bridge where it is worth noting that the trains are actually 2 minutes faster and cheaper than the Gatwick express. Caught the transit to the North terminal where everything had completely changed. The most noticeable was the size of the check in area which must be 2 or 3 times what it used to be.

Security was quick due to the late hour and I had time to spend 20 minutes in the No. 1 traveller lounge using my Priority Pass. First time I have used this and my impressions were that it is impressive. Certainly made me want to come back there. A fruit salad & drink later, the flight was announced on the departures board and I walked down to the gate.

Like so many airlines, the boarding call was premature and everyone was hanging around for 10 minutes before boarding actually commenced. The flight was almost full and I was sat in seat 16D (which I had chosen on-line when checking in). I was surprised at the lack of legroom with the seat. I don't recall other BA flights I have taken in economy having legroom as bad as this so I wonder if this is an issue specific to the 737.

The plane itself was otherwise in good condition and service was efficient and appropriate to this kind of flight. Departure was a few minutes late and once airborne, I had a cup of tea. Only snacks were available rather than meals which was fine with me. Landed on time.

I was staying overnight at the Ramada hotel at Glasgow airport and the story of how I made my way there is a saga in itself!

beavington flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (17/10/2012 19:56)

Boarding from Heathrow Terminal 3 was by bus.....hurry up and build the D gates at T5 please!

Departure was on time

I always find the crews on BA friendly and professional.

Dodgy breakfast roll and coffee was served

Landed in Prague early and was quickly off the plane and on my way

andystock flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a Embraer 190 (16/10/2012 08:20)

Glasgow to London City on the E190. Long wait at security which is nothing new for Glasgow. Boarding quick and left on time. As usual for the BA E190 excellent leg room, 2 seats to myself. The cabin lighting looks smart of the E190 at night. Drinks service provided with a small snack. Landed 10 mins early and was sitting on the DLR train within 5 mins. I like how they exit from the front and back of the cabin at LCY.

BA Cityflyer one of the best ways to fly in the UK / Europe.

andystock flew British Airways World Traveller (economy), on a B747-400 Mid J (13/10/2012 10:06)

LHR to DXB on the 747 in WT. Check in and security easy and fast, boarding efficent from an empty 5B gate. Got a bulk row seat which had good leg room. Flight delayed 30 mins. IFE switched on and I had no AVOD yet other passengers had AVOD.

Therefore moved to the back of the cabin, row 55 next to the door and had 2 seats to myself. After moving the cc reset the system and it worked fine for the rest of the flight. Plenty of room to stretch out. Drinks served, went for a London Pride.

The meal was actually quite tasty with a drinkable Spanish white but there was no starter. Coffee served in a decent sized cup for once. Went to the gallay for some more wine a few times and the cc did a water and juice walk through.

A snackbox was served with a very nice chicken wrap, a small smoothie and choc plus tea and coffee.

Landed only 5 mins late into Dubai, then immigration at DXB was very slow waited 45 to get through. My suitcase had been removed from the belt and was by the side with a load of other cases.

Overall a fine flight, meal was lacking a starter but this was made up by the snackbox latter on. Much better flying on the old big bird (747) than an A330 or A340 in economy.

NTarrant flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A319 (03/10/2012 17:33)

Checked in online and downloaded my boarding pass to my Blackberry. No luggage to check in so arriving at Gatwick North it was straight to the Premium security.

Security:
No problems although it would be nice if the guys checking boarding passes gave a greeting and smile, although not an unpleasant experience. There were only two people in front of me and it was my turn by the time I had taken off my jacket.

Lounge
The BA First lounge was only about a quarter full if that, it was 0630. An attendant went by and I asked for a bacon roll which came by the time I had got a cup of tea and drunk a very nice berry smoothie. The roll had two good slices of bacon.

Boarding
I spotted the "boarding" come up on the screen and gathered my things and headed for gate 55E. On arrival they had just called for Club Europe, Gold and Silver passengers so joined the small queue and straight down to the aircraft.

The cabin crew member greeted me with a "hello sir", rather than by name. I was in seat 1F so not far to go and stowed my bag easily.

In-Flight
Push back was bang on time. Soon after take off breakfast was served. The tray contained a plate of fruit which 50% was melon, a carton of orange juice and the cooked breakfast of bacon, sausage, tomato, mushroom and scrambled egg. The bacon was very good as was the sausage and there was no grease.

Pastries were also served as was tea and coffee. After the tray was finished I was thinking that we didn't get any hot towels, then the Purser came out with hot towels, which I quite liked having after a meal.

Arrival
We arrived five minutes ahead of time and the first officer bid farewell to passengers as well as the other crew.

All in all a very pleasant flight.

SangFung flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 Mid J (28/09/2012 04:05)

Having access to the First Lounge at T5 was a privilege even though we have really 'earned' the status by sticking to BA and its OW partners over many years. The Champagne Bar was a joy to behold and to savour. Vintage champagne and top brand rose; what more does one desire? The Elemis Spa was an added bonus in the hustle and bustle of the poor pax down below. Boarding was painless although having to take the train to B terminal was a bit of a detour after a relaxing time in the lounge.

The Upper Deck was always the more desired section of Club, but beware, check your SeatPlan and book ahead. We chose 62J+K which offer the better access for both pax. E.g. my partner didn't have to climb over anyone to get in and out of his seat. The bed needs to be upgraded soon. It is not cushy enough for one's back and the flimsy blanket has to be updated since Virgin has upped the game, so to speak, with a real duvet!

Food was the worst part of the journey. As usual the Angus filet was cooked to death, and became chewy. This despite my asking for it to be left as uncooked as possible, knowing that the steak was already pre-grilled on the ground. No. It was just a piece of cardboard to be left alone - uneaten. The accompanying veggies were also too well done. The starter of gin and tonic cured salmon was superb! Champagne (Taittinger) was a good wash down with the poor meal. Overall the staff were very professional and attentive.

When I asked for a glossy she promptly went to the First Class to fetch me a House & Garden. The flight was a bit too hot for sleeping, so I woke up with a sweat in the middle of the night. I suppose it was in anticipation of the 'wintry' climate in Cape Town.

Disembarking was the usual nightmare, since we had to wait for F to go first, then Club on the main deck, then, horror horror, the WT+ people, BEFORE we could get off! BA must do something about this unfair procedure. Baggage arrived very promptly although as usual the African continent does not seem to recognise the Priority tags on luggage. Most pieces came out randomly. Still, no theft or breakage. A miracle.

Ian_from_HKG flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (27/09/2012 16:56)

Sixth leg in a seven-sector trip. This time, BA 139 from London to Mumbai in a B777 in Club World.

CHECK-IN, IMMIGRATION & SECURITY

I was dropped off in the middle of the T5 departure hall, but as all the check-in desks had queues, and since I wanted to check in rather a lot of luggage and to have it checked through to Hong Kong despite a very long layover (24.5 hours), I headed for the First check-in since I thought they would be more helpful and sympathetic. So it proved, although the attendant had to fight the system a bit to do the through-check for the bags. As one of them was a set of golf clubs, she directed me to the oversize baggage drop-off desk, where I had to wait for a few minutes but was served without an inordinate delay.

Fast-track immigration and security was pretty much par for the course, with morons waiting until they were right at the front and blocking access to the belts before removing jackets, belts, laptops, liquids and so forth, and repacking their bags. I know it isn't really the airport's fault that its customers are stupid, but perhaps the signs could be a bit better.

My bag had to be rescanned because I had a box full of chargers, adapters, cables and so on. Annoying, but then I was carrying even more than usual.

LOUNGE

Thence the unnecessarily long trudge to the South lounges where I used my oneworld emerald privileges to go to the First lounge, and headed for the Champagne Bar partly because I fancied some and partly because it is always one of the quietest parts of the lounge (I didn't have time to book a soa treatment). As noted by another forum poster, however - no champagne! Apparently it hadn't been delivered, but was available from the bar at the other end of the lounge, where they had Taittinger Millesime and Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle (apologies to purists for the lack f accents, I haven't worked out how to do that on the iPad yet). Normally I would have gone for the Taitty, but today my taste buds told me I wanted the LP. I had already breakfasted so skipped the food. BA still haven't worked out how to cook bacon so I didn't see this as too much of a loss.

Another advantage of the Champagne bar is that is is close to the customer service desk (who were most helpful about the champagne shortage issue). I realised I was leaving for the dreaded C gates so asked what time I should leave the lounge, and rechecked near the time I had been told to leave. Normally their estimates are slight conservative (and rightly so) but this time they proved wildly conservative and it took me less than half the time to get there than I was told, so I followed up on a top tip given by our resident BA fan, VintageKrug, and headed to Starbucks to get some champagne.

They didn't have any. However, in compensation they offered me two quarter bottles of white wine. Lest anyone think I am a total lush, I should mention that I had these earmarked for my brief stay in Mumbai, not for immediate consumption! I am finishing this report off in my hotel room in Mumbai, where my onward flight leaves in a little under four hours, and I still have one of them!

BOARDING & TAKE-OFF

Shortly afterwards, the gate opened, and I boarded swiftly through the premium lane. Although I had tried to obtain one of the extra-legroom window seats I had been unsuccessful, so I was glad to see the cabin was half empty and was able to move to one of the last row rearward-facing centre seats. Normally I would avoid these like the plague when travelling alone but with no passenger on either side I was very happy. I could spread out onto the neighbouring rearward-facing seat, I didn't have to worry about disturbing an aisle-side neighbour when being served, and I still had the extra legroom. However, the crew did have an annoying habit of cutting through here to switch aisles and several times I was disturbed by them knocking my feet on the way through.

Pre-flight drinks were served and refills were offered by a very smiley and friendly crew.

IN-FLIGHT

Drinks were offered soon after take-off, and orders taken for dinner. Being at the back of the cabin, mine was one of the last orders to be taken. Rather to my astonishment, two of the crew stood right in front of me (in the area where they cut across the aisles) and discussed who should be given the bad news that they did not have enough of the requested dishes. With a certain inevitability, I was told that my starter choice was not available. I was somewhat irritated by this, but kept my cool and (while I am sure my irritation showed) asked how the decision was made (knowing full well, since they had had the conversation in my earshot).

I was told first that it was completely random, and then that of course although it was random Gold card holders got priority as did other frequent fliers, and at this point interjected that as an emerald oneworld member I considered myself part of that group. Not quite a DYKWIA moment, but I did know I was being fobbed off. Fortunately (for my temper) the FA was extremely sympathetic, asked me to write in and complain and explained that this situation - loading insufficient selections - was extremely common and that it put the crew in a very difficult position. We had a very interesting chat on the subject and formed quite a rapport.

I politely asked if there was anything available from the First cabin (knowing this was unlikely because First passengers can dine on demand and so they need to hold options back). A few minutes later she returned to say another passenger had agreed to swap starters with me. I would have felt bad about this, normally, but it happened so quickly that I am fairly sure that the "passenger" involved was in fact another crew member. Also, since nearly all the options included cheese (which in some forms can make me really rather ill) I really wanted to have something I knew I could eat with safety! The rest of the meal was very good, and washed down with a very nice Chablis.

At this point I decided to delve into the IFE.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

VintageKrug, whose C-gates top tip I mention above, bangs on constantly about the consistency of the BA hard product. Imagine my disappointment, then, to discover that on a 9-hour flight in business class on a premium airline, there was no video on demand. This really is not, to my mind, acceptable in this day and age. In fairness, I have subsequently checked the BA site and they do say that this is being progressively fitted to their 777 fleet, but it was an unpleasant surprise. I also cannot imagine why this has not already been done. Black mark for BA here.

These issues aside, the flight was very pleasant. The crew, after these initial hiccoughs, were unfailingly pleasant and helpful.

ARRIVAL

My heart sank when, shortly before landing, one of the FAs asked me to contact their ground crew. This is never good. Disembarkation was orderly so I soon found the ground crew who told me that because my layover was more than 24 hours (it was precisely 24.5) my bags could not be transferred and I would have to collect them.

This was a blow as it meant I had to drag them around Mumbai. Apparently it was because CX, my onward carrier, refused to accept them due to the security risk of staying in Mumbai for an extra half an hour. I called Marco Polo Club who were not able to assist. Black mark for CX. The ground crew also asked to see my visa since they didn't believe I was transiting (which I wasn't, I simply wanted my bags checked through).

All this delayed my heading off for immigration, so I finally set off with a sense of resignation and expecting an enormous queue. However, the fast track lane for premium passengers was very short and I cleared immigration (without a word being spoken by the surly immigration officer despite my polite greetings) quite quickly. My bags came through reasonably quickly without so much of the bunfight I am used to in Mumbai, and the other security and customs checks were quick. Perhaps my karma was balancing out.

Next stop home to Hong Kong on CX, the final leg! I can't wait.

SUMMARY

Several disappointments but none of them really major bar one (my luggage not being transferred onto my connecting flight) which wasn't really BA's fault. However, several very avoidable niggles, a couple of which (champagne at the bar and shortage of food selections on board) smacked a little of cost-cutting.

These were offset by an unusually good crew, by and large, although the way they occupied my foot space - particularly when they were talking about who to refuse first choice food to and selecting me - was both irritating and unnecessary. Given that status was clearly a factor, it would have been nice if my alliance status had been acknowledged as it had been on AA where I was given complimentary drinks on a domestic economy flight because of my oneworld status.

beavington flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B777-200 (Four class) (25/09/2012 21:53)

Checkin and boarding in Philadelphia were really quick and efficient though I always wonder why Club World board first when all of World Traveller and World Traveler plus have to come through.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this plane had the brand new seating as on the 777-300. The new World Traveller plus seat is much more comfortable than the older one. I was in seat 23G in th middle of teh cabin and had an empty seat next to me.

Departure was on time and the crew were very welcoming and friendly.

The new Entertainment system is great with a huge range of films, tv programmes and radio. There are 2 USB ports to charge your phone/ipad or to watch your own content on the much larger screen

The overall service has improved a lot recently. The food was really tasty. I had the seared beef ( decidedly similar to the Beef fillet in the way out) which was tasty.

We arrived at Terminal 5 B gates more than 30 mins early. T5 was really efficient as usual and I was through border control and had my bag in about 15 minutes..

BartjanBschen flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 High J (22/09/2012 22:21)

Would like to talk about the service of BA! First of all they have the most unprofessional staff onboard I have ever seen, even worse then KLM and all American airlines and to be honest this does not help to give a positive feedback. Staff does not care about passengers that pay a lot of money for tickets and miss the true passion to work in a business class.

Something they cannot help is the most terrible food and wines BA is serving trying to safe money ! The issue is British people never complain so they can do anything they like. Had 6 flights with BA the last two months all in business and never ever seen so lousy tasteless food onboard a plane. Tried beef and pasta two times and returned the food immediately! Staff was honest to admit they also thought it was terrible and once even staff told me they hesitated to serve pasta to me......this is business class !!!

BA has good fares but avoid it when you expect service and good food!

KeaneJohn flew British Airways Euro Traveller, on a A319 (22/09/2012 20:23)

Short delay at priority check in. Just 2 staff on duty and quite a few people waiting. Very clinical process with disinterested staff member. Used Gatwick Premium security. Pretty impressive , better than the Virgin Atlantic dedicated security channel at Terminal 3. Only criticism is no preparation area. but through in just a couple of minutes without any problems.

Headed straight for the BA lounge, noticed that the gate for my flight would be available 25 minutes after STD. Asked at desk if this meant a delay and was told delay of approx 1 hr. Headed into lounge, good salad bar section, wide range of sandwiches and a well appointed bar. Fizz was an acquired taste don't know what it was. but served politely and efficiently.

Unexpected approximately 75 minutes before revised time of departure the First Office for the flight came into the lounge and introduced himself. Explained why the flight was delayed and confirmed our routing and weather conditions. Also said that the lounge staff were aware that I was on the flight and in the event that a replacement aircraft was sourced (which was being looked into) flight would be brought foward. A most welcome initiative. I asked the lounge staff if this was new policy and was told that this was just a proactive flight deck crew. Pretty impressive.

Flight came up for boarding on the screens but lounge staff said wait 10 more minutes and head to the gate slowly. Did as they suggested and was horrified to come out of the lounge to see GATE CLOSED on the boards in the main departure lounge. Breaking into a sweat and a sprint got to the gate (55D) to see everybody waiting. Boarding staff said that this was Gatwick Airport's fault and the cabin crew had gone out of hours so a new crew were being sourced. Short wait at the gate before wheelchairs were boarded then prority boarding announcement.

Boarding formalities completed quickly and push back fairly quickly. Amazing cabin crew completed the service in a short while. Aircraft cabin was 2/3rd full.

Second bar service for passengers that wanted and cabin lockdown 10 minutes before landing. First office at door to bid farewells to passengers and bags delivered within 7 minutes of landing.

All in all an exceptional service considering the 1 hour delay to the flight. I am guessing the people without lounge access did not have as good an experience from the noises heard in flight and at baggage reclaim.

beavington flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B777-200 (Four class) (19/09/2012 02:05)

Got a free upgrade to World Traveller Plus at check-in which was great. No queues at Terminal 5 which was as efficient as ever. Really friendly check-in staff.

Boarding was quick from C gates. Why is it I always get stopped for what was a pretty poor extra security check, he barely looked in my bag and did not even discover there was a laptop in there!

Service on board was good with a friendly crew.

The improved food is a real bonus and a big improvement. I had the Beef Fillet which was really tasty and well cooked.

Crew made plenty of rounds with drinks/juice/water through out the flight.

TominScotland flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-300ER (11/09/2012 16:12)

I joined this flight from Narita to Heathrow after transiting froma previous international flight. The JAL First Lounge, closest to the departure gate of all oneworld lounges, is fine but not spectacular. Indeed, the food choice, Japanese and Western, is limited and uninteresting for breakfast.

The flight was called in the lounge and I went downstairs to gate 72, about 5 minutes away. I was ticketed in World Traveller+ but was pleased to receive an upgrade to 12G when I boarded via the Premium line. I found my seat and settled into my centre block, aisle seat, with plenty of privacy. Storage is not great for things you might need on th flight and the overall feel is quite tight but the 777-300 looked bright and new.

We pushed back on time but had a very lone taxi before take off. Service began soon after we were airborne, a decent choice for lunch with drinks. Packet nuts are a bit tacky for this class of service. The beef was tender and well presented.

Western cabin crew were somewhat forced jocular and Japanese staff very polite and helpful. After lunch, I settled into some work and then watched a couple of movies before sleeping. The second meal service commenced somehwere over northern Norway and, again, was tasy and well presented.

We landed ahead of schedule and were off the plane after a bit of a delay. There were no queues at Immigration as I made my way upstairs for my final flight.

sph1977 flew British Airways Club World, on a B747-400 High J (08/09/2012 07:43)

Having arrived into T5 from Brussels, the fast track immigration channel was working well but the security line was a disaster (as usual) and it took around 20 minutes to clear the fast track.

I went to the lounge, which is very nice at T5 with a great selection of food and drinks available. I stayed for around half an hour and then headed down to the C pier (where there is no lounge - why?) to wait for boarding.

Boarding: both Fast Track and the normal channel were boarded at the same time. This seemed to irk one of my fellow passengers but I was happy with the boarding process, which was speedy. My seat was at the window on the upper deck, however, I agreed to swap to the front left aisle seat to allow a couple to sit together. The purser informed me that the front washroom was out of service, which made it quiet. A shame he didn't tell the rest of the cabin!

Departure: Was around an hour late because of a problem with the APU. We were kept well informed (other than that they had switched on the IFE system!). Drinks were served throughout the delay and we departed swiftly when the fault was fixed. There was also a problem with water leaking from the a/c and I had to insist that one of the crew make an effort to dry it, which eventually it did.

Seat/Cabin: Club World is comfortable and spacious and unusually for a BA747 - clean!

Flight: I had the salmon and beef fillet and watched a film whilst dining. The food was tasty and well presented. The crew continued to top up my sparkling water without being prompted, which was a nice touch. After dinner, adjusted my seat to flat and settled down for the night. I always find the CW seats very comfortable for sleeping and had around 5-6 hours of good quality sleep. Breakfast was served and this was fruit salad and a delicious full english.

Arrival: Unfortunately, we had to go around due to an earlier flight not exiting the runway in time but we did manage to make up some time. Immigration was slow, with no fast track for premium passengers. Baggage was reasonably quick for a full 747 and even though my bags were not tagged as priority (thanks Brussels check in who had 'run out'), it didn't make much difference in the end anyway.

sph1977 flew British Airways Club Europe, on a A320 (08/09/2012 07:28)

Brussels to Heathrow.

Checkin: Disaster. Could not get near the Club Europe desk for the economy queue. I went and had a seat for half an hour and came back to find one of the check in agents trying to sort the queuing system. In that time, I observed all the other airlines round about with their clear queues. Eventually, I had to push past some of the rest of the line, something I really don't like doing. My bags were not priority tagged because they had 'run out'.

Security: My boarding pass allowed me through the fast track channel and I had cleared security within a few minutes.

Lounge: Very nice and tidy and very quiet. Worked for half an hour before the flight was called.

Boarding: Free for all. At the end of the boarding announcement 'Club Europe may board first'. Too late.

Onboard: I was seated in 1A, which was one of the non-convertable seats (which I find pretty uncomfortable). I prefer the seats that can be widened. The food was good, a tastly chicken salad. The flight arrived on time.

Arrival: I was guided through the fast track channel to my next flight, which made passport control very fast indeed for T5. That was only to hit the endless queues which are a feature of all channels at T5 security. Will they ever get their act together?

Fire the agents at Brussels please BA.

stevenson864 flew British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium economy), on a B777-200 (Three class) (07/09/2012 16:22)

One of the best flights we have been on, PremiumEconomy definitely worth it. Loads of room, only 12 of us a cabin for 24. Food was from the Business Class menu.
Only really minor point is that you have to use the toilets in Economy which was not that close. We were Not allowed to use the ones in Business Class, if had paid for Business Class I would not want other passengers trailing past to use the toilets.
Well done BA

1nfrequent flew British Airways Club World, on a B777-200 (Four class) (04/09/2012 19:44)

I flew Club World from ATL to LHR. It's another bit of a long review, but hopefully there will be points of use to people who (like me) don't fly CW a lot and wanted to know more about it.

BA's been moved to new concourse building F at Terminal 1 in Atlanta airport. Most of the concourse belongs to Delta (who've got 3 of the check in aisles), but it's easy to find BA on the furthest left hand side in aisle 5 (they're next to Air Canada, Trans Air and Lufthansa).

Because a friend of mine had to cancel a planned lunch, I arrived at the airport very early at around 2.30pm for a 9.20pm flight. The BA staff didn't arrive on the desks until about 3pm, which was a little frustrating because I'd checked in on-line the night before the flight through BA's website but had opted to pick up my boarding pass at the airport because my hotel charged for printing. Unfortunately there was no sign of any self-check in booths near the BA desks that would have at least enabled me to pick up the pass and then just wait to check in my suitcase and there doesn't look to be any plans to install any soon either.

It took the BA ground staff about 15 minutes to get the desks ready to start checking in passengers, by which time there were 3 passengers in line (including me). None of the staff attempted to explain to those of us in line how long it would take to finish the set up, which I found a little rude given that they could see us waiting and it would have taken nothing to just tell us how long it would be.

Saying that, they were a lot better with two passengers who were looking to purchase tickets for that night's flight - I didn't overhear the whole conversation but evidently the passengers had been given incorrect information, which the staff were doing their best to resolve.

I was the only person waiting to check into CW, which meant I was seen first. Notwithstanding what I said above, check in itself was really simple, the ground crew member was very helpful and friendly and put 2 priority labels on my suitcase. She also explained that the CW lounge in Concourse F was still being constructed, so I needed to go to concourse E to the current CW lounge. Apparently the new lounge isn't due to be completed until December 2012/January 2013, which is a shame although she was very enthusiastic about how it was coming together. She gave me a map showing the way to the existing lounge, explained how long it would probably take to get from there to the gate and also said that the lounge wouldn't open until 4.30pm.

By the time I cleared the TSA security checks I had about an hour to kill before the CW lounge opened. Concourse B's got an interesting mix of shops, including a decent duty free outlet with a good range of perfume and booze, a MAC make-up store (where I found the assistants to be really good - happy to let you try without pressuring you to buy), and a Mount Blanc store.

There was a food court with a Starbucks in Concourse F but I didn't really see anything there to tempt me and because the new BA CW lounge seems to be housed up there, there was some construction noise. Consequently I headed over to the E concourse, which had a wider range of food shops. Access to Concourse E is via either a mono-rail-type train (which takes 2 minutes) or you can walk it in about 7 minutes. I opted to walk because I needed the exercise. I ended up buying a diet coke from one of the small vendors and had a stroll around.

The CW lounge was open when I arrived just after 4.30pm and there were already a couple of other passengers there. The BA receptionist was very warm, very friendly and very welcoming. She gave me the wireless password for the lounge and encouraged me to help myself to the food and drink (something that was echoed by all of the staff members there).

The lounge itself was okay - the furniture was a little worn but there were plenty of chairs, a television pumping out CNN and a decent view of the airside part of the terminal (which is probably for me the best bit because you see all planes going in and out and getting ready for their flights). There were also a couple of computer terminals for anyone who didn't want to use their own laptops. To be honest, I got the feeling that it's all being maintained prior to the new look lounge being opened, but it was all fine for me.

There were plenty of drinks on offer, including bottles of white wine that was in an ice bucket, red wine, champagne, a range of beers (including some low alcohol beer) and a range of soft drinks, tea and coffee.

The snacks were fine if a little uninspiring - pre-packed cheddar and monterey jack cheese plus 3 types of cracker, water biscuits, fruit and packets of raisins. At about 6pm though the staff started to bring out trays of freshly made sandwiches and sliced up pitta bread with a dip. Given that I was planning on eating on the plane anyway, it was all okay and I just helped myself to pitta bread and cheese but if you don't want to eat on the flight, then my recommendation would be to check out the Concourse E food court and have your meal there.

At about 8.15pm I decided to head on over to the gate. This time I took the train and the total time from CW lounge to gate F27 was about 6 minutes (including the walking). There were a lot of passengers at the gate although there were still a lot of seats available.

A crowd had already begun to gather at the entrance to the gate (including some passengers with obvious mobility issues) but boarding didn't start for another 5 minutes. Priority was given to First and CW passengers plus BAEC Gold card holders. Unfortunately the crowd at the gate showed no signs of moving back from the gate entrance, despite repeated polite requests from the ground crew that they should do so. I don't think that the crew could have done more than they did, but I was a bit self-conscious about having to push past an old lady in a wheelchair in order to board the plane.

I'd pre-selected seat 10J, which is in the front row of the cabin. It's close to the toilets but there's no diagonal window seat (which means no risk of anyone trying and failing to climb over my legs while I'm asleep), there's enough of a gap to the cabin kitchen for the noise not to bother me and you actually get a little bit of extra space to store your stuff during the night as there's a gap between the bulk head and the window seat 10K.

The downside of the seat is that it's right next to the engines, so you need to use ear plugs if you're a light sleeper and there is always a risk of someone knocking against you when they're on their way to the toilet or kitchen. I was prepared to take that risk because in my experience, most people just sleep on the flight but it's something to bear in mind.

I was one of the first passengers on board so was able to watch everyone else. The cabin crew were quick to offer me a choice of champagne, buck's fizz or water and I went for the champagne, which was very drinkable. Boarding was pretty swift. Economy and Premium Economy didn't seem to me to be full, but CW didn't have a lot of seats left.

We pushed back from the gate at about 9pm and were in the air by 9.20pm. The pilot gave some information on the estimated flight time and warned that it might be bumpy over the Atlantic. The cabin lights were then switched off, meaning that if you wanted to read etc, then you had to switch on your reading light. The cabin crew then came around with menus amenity bags (which contained the normal socks, blindfold, ear plugs, toothbrush, toothpaste, Elemis face cream, eye cream, lip gloss and a facial wipe) and did another drinks run before taking orders.

The AVOD was turned on pretty promptly. The AVOD on this flight wasn't as sophisticated as the AVOD on my flight out to LAX and there wasn't nearly as much choice. Given that this was a night flight, it wasn't much of a bother but if you've had the better/newer one then you do notice the creaks more. In particular, on this flight control was through a touch screen interface, which I found slow to react to commands and often needed to be stabbed repeatedly to work. You can forward wind, pause and rewind but it was all more irritating than it needed to be. I ended up watching The Avengers for the umpteenth time (gotta love the Hulk), some episodes of The Big Bang Theory and an episode of CSI.

I chose as my starter the pork rilette with pickled vegetables and grilled toast. I thought this was a great dish actually, the pork wasn't greasy and had a good smoky flavour - if I was being picky then I could have done with more of the toast. As the alternative you could have tomato tartare with mozzarella pearlini and there was also fresh seasonal salad with vinagrette.

For the main meal, I went for the black truffle tortellini with chestnut sauce and roasted morel mushrooms. Having been disappointed with my meal on the flight out to LAX (which I've written about in a different review), I found this one to be a surprisingly good meal - a lot of flavour and filling without leaving you too full and although some of the pasta was very slightly burnt, for me it didn't detract from the whole. Dinner came with a choice of bread rolls, which weren't warm but were fine. Alternative main meal choices were:

- seared fillet of beef with balsamic and red piquillo pepper reduction, roasted fingerling potato mash, green beans and baby carrots; or

- breast of guinea hen with pommes dauphinoise and broccolini; or

- chilled main course salad of spice-crusted salmon on watercress with tangerines, baby fennel an toasted pecans.

I didn't pay any attention to who had the other options so don't know if they were any good or not.

I didn't have desert because neither option (lemon meringue pie or blue stilton and coulommiers cheeses with Crema de Membrillo) appealed. I was offered ice cream as an alternative but was too full for it so instead I finished off my kir royale.

I got so far as plugging in my laptop to do some work (power sockets can only be used if you've got a US/Continental plug adapter so don't put it in your suitcase) before deciding to get some sleep instead. The seat was really easy to convert into a bed (basically lower the footstool and press the horizontal position on the chair seat options - but there are instructions in the seat pocket if you want to check it out). I found the temperature in the cabin to be on the warm side so didn't use the blanket provided and had to peel off a couple of layers before settling down.

I'm 5' 4" so the length and width of the bed was fine for me. If you're over 6' I would imagine it's a bit more of a squeeze but I have to say that I didn't see anyone around me having problems and personally, I think it's a hell of a lot better than an economy seat. You'll need to put your seat belt on as you sleep so make sure that the belt's not so tight that you can't turn around.

I managed to get about 3 hours sleep, which is good for me but I'd have had more if the passenger in the window seat hadn't chosen to open their blind. I didn't have breakfast (which was a bacon roll that looked a bit too greasy for me or a selection of pastries) because I'd already decided to have a bigger breakfast at the BA arrivals lounge. Service was very swift though and was done and cleared away in about 30 minutes.

By this time the first officer came on to say that we'd started the descent into LHR and had about 40 minutes to go. He whittered on a bit about the weather, local time and sights out of the window. I know some people love that but it drives me barmy because the entertainment system is unavailable while he's speaking and I'd rather have finished my programme. As it happened, we had about 15 minutes before the AVOD was turned off and headsets collected.

The landing itself was incredibly smooth (my ears didn't pop once and I'm normally really sensitive) and we got to the gate really quickly. Thanks to my seat choice I was one of the first off the plane, straight after the first class passengers so was quickly through to passport control, which was busy but almost all of the booths were staffed and although a number of flights had landed at the same time, I was through in 5 minutes.

Baggage reclaim was likewise smooth and my suitcase was one of the first off. As a result I was done and out into the BA arrivals lounge within 30 minutes of disembarking. It was my first time there and I was fairly impressed. There was a good choice of breakfast foods (including a fry-up, toast and pastries and fruit) and there was juice, tea and coffee too. The staff were keeping the items stocked up quite efficiently and I was able to eat while reading a newspaper (of which there was a selection of British broadsheets and tabloids).

I would have been interested in trying a treatment at the Elemis spa but from the moment I walked in until the moment I left there was a notice up saying that the therapist was doing treatments so it wasn't possible to book one. I think that this is something that BA might want to look at with Elemis because it's clearly a popular facility but if there's no one there to manage bookings then people who want to take advantage of it can't. I wasn't too disappointed at the end of the day because I'd had a good treatment on the way out *but* it is advertised as part of the BA CW package and it's a simple thing to sort out.

All in all, I found this a good flight. I slept better than I do when in economy/premium economy and the food was good. I'm generally a fairly happy BA customer anyway as I think it's a reliable product and BA flies where I want to go.

Hope that's all of use.

1F

Tom.Large flew British Airways Club Europe (03/09/2012 16:30)

Amsterdam to Heathrow evening flight - quick, easy and good service