British Air
 

Hi everyone, my husband and I are flying to germany nonstop on British Air.We will be flying on a 747-400. Does anyone know how the leg room is on these planes? How is the service,food? I tried their we-site.

Tina, I haven't flown many other airlines to Europe, so I don't know how leg room compares to other carriers. I do know that BA keeps you pretty well entertained--newsreels, Tv shows, movies, practically non-stop. Besides dinner and breakfast, there will be snacks (ice cream bars tend to be a favorite), and lots of juice and water gets handed out. I think you'll be pretty happy with that. I'm glad you're going nonstop. I prefer to do it that way--once you're done, you're done.

From any destination in the US, if you fly BA (British Airways, not British Air), you must stop and change planes in London. BA must fly through its home base, which is London.

BA has really small seats and not much leg room, about the smallest in the business except for the real discount airlines like Ryanair. I've seen stats several places that say it is 31" seat pitch and 17-1/4" seat width on their 747s. I just flew one in June and they were really really small, however, that's about the same as some other major carriers, I guess (like Air France). I just booked a ticket on them next week because of a fairly good deal (and I was going to London, Virgin was no better) and chose a flight that was a 767 because I read they have a little more seat space on those planes. Their web site is a little secretive about that, as I recall, I had to get the information some other place. Service and food was okay, I guess, although some of their staff at Heathrow seemed a bit snappish.

Tina, we flew BA on the old 747 five yrs. ago and then last year on the new 747.<BR><BR>Believe it or not we liked the old 747 for the legroom which really is not that much but we were so cramped in the new 747 that it felt as though they put more seats into that plane. I'm sure that's not the case-it just felt tight. The food was also better in the years past. Service was not professional - my son had an airsick accident and the steward refused to dispose of the bag for us. Can you imagine?

Flew BA from Heathrow to Milan. They lost my luggage which is a problem in itself. While I can understand this happens, it was frustrating to try to find a "live" person with any answers. They told me a lot of "BS" (luggage will be there in the morning, etc, never called back as they said they would, and never told me I should go and get some clothes. Also gave me a number to call that was out of service. Kept me thinking the luggage was on the way. Finally 3 days later it arrived after we went to the airport to find it ourselves. The plane was fine, a bit bumpier both going and returning compared to American airlines (Heathrow to NYC) less legroom and just decent snacks. Still haven't heard from their customer relations dept so the jury is till out on them.<BR><BR>Denise

Does anyone know if the 777s have more room than the 747s? What about BA's<BR>economy-plus seating? How much better is that?

BeWARE of their TIGHTLY ENFORCED five kg limit on carry-on bags.<BR><BR>I don't remember anything else good or bad about flying them (in 1999), JFK to LHR.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

The 777 didn't seem to have anymore room per person than the 747 - it's a bigger plane, so they just add extra seats to fly more people.<BR><BR>I flew BAB a year ago, food's not as good as it used to be, but as a whole it's a better flight than other airlines provide. Only fly steerage, so I can't compare their first class to others.<BR><BR>Maybe there's an economy class out there with significantly better leg room and seat width, but I've never found it. I'm a small to average size woman and every seat gives me barely 3" leeway and absolutely no room for my legs. DON'T EVER sit in the row in front of the movie screen; sure, lots of leg room, but everyone uses it to cross over to the other aisle so you constantly get kicked, stepped on, bumped...after the 35th "oh sorry", the extra leg room loses its appeal.<BR><BR>

Economy is fine but small similar to ALL airlines these days. Traveller Plus (their extra leg-room economy) is just that... and a big help for my 6'2" husband (but depends on whether you want to pay the extra cost). I find the food and service on BA to be far superior to United.

Flown British Air many times. Leg room seems about the same as other carriers, but thought food and service better than most.

I used them last month and I thought it was the worst overseas airline that I have flown. There are three classes with British Air. Business-Economy-and steerage(Elvira-I also use your term)In steerage,it is absolutely miserable-I'm six feet tall.<BR>As mentioned earlier, you must fly thru London to get to the rest of Europe.<BR>If you think Atlanta or Northwest's Detroit terminals are bad, you ain't seen nothing yet. On our outbound flight, the walk to our next gate was more than a mile! We were then reqired to wait under a departure screen for about 30 minutes until they could decide our departure gate.<BR>Coming back,we had to take a bus from our arriving terminal to (Terminial 4 I believe) about a 3 mile ride. Once there, We were made to wait at an unmarked gate. After another 20 minutes, we were then herded back onto another bus and driven about another 2 miles unto the Tarmac. All this time, there was no one around to give us direction unless you asked.<BR>BA,IMHO has a I don't care attitude that goes along with their refusal to answer their telephone.<BR>

What Bill mentions about the chaos in the terminal-Heathrow for us-was unbelievable. And this was before 9/11. After we disembarked at Heathrow to catch our flight home, we had to walk a ways and then line up to what we though would be to get to the gate and the end of it. But after we lined up we were herded with tons of other passengers to one central escalator that was to go down to the buses to take us to the connecting flight terminal. But as there were so many people they had to limit the number going down the escalator. Finally after what seemed like an eternity we finally made it down the escalator and then had to board the buses. My family consisted of five people and so we had to make sure all of us were on the same bus so as to not be split up in all the commotion. <BR><BR>I don't know how I forgot about this part of our trip. Maybe because it was so horrendous I put it out of mind. <BR><BR><BR><BR>

Genny,<BR>We went thru this exact thing twice-Changing terminals and going to the Tarmac!

Unfortunately, Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world... I've had nightmare transfers at Heathrow, Gatwick, CdG, JFK, O'Hare, LAX, DIA, San Diego. The fun part is never the airport/airline - unless you are upgraded to 1st ;-).

They have a pompeous attitude...<BR><BR>I am flying with them this week. When I booked the ticket several weeks ago, I asked for an aisle seat. I was given one of those obscene middle seats between 2 strangers.<BR><BR>I called them and explained I had a medical condition which required me to have an aisle seat for easy access to the lavatory. Now I know that they don't pre-assign all the seats. There are seats left for check in. The piece of garbage explained she could not make an exception. The computer would not allow it. I asked for a supervisor who also gave me the same lie and babbled something about fairness to all pax. I told the witch that she as a supervisor had the code to unlock the seats.<BR><BR>All she said was they would put my request in the computer but that I would have to arrive at check in extra early to get what I need.<BR><BR>Is this anyway to run an airline?

xxx, This is the standard way that seat allocation is done in the UK. Can I suggest that if you HAVE to have a certain seat, that you pay the extra to travel 1st, or business class ... or do what they say, and turn up early, like the rest of us have the option to do.

I've seen charts that the BA seats are an inch wider on the 777s (18.25"), which is pretty good. Here is one chart on seat width<BR>http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:Bq-iHV7WUu0C:www.cheapflights.co.uk/misc/legroom_report.html+%22seat+pitch%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8<BR><BR>Here's a chart on seat pitch which doesn't designate by plane type:<BR><BR>http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:Bq-iHV7WUu0C:www.cheapflights.co.uk/misc/legroom_report.html+%22seat+pitch%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8<BR><BR>Here's a pretty good chart designating airlines by seat pitch (all of the sites I've seen imply BA designates the same seat pitch on various planes)<BR><BR>http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:QSxjJAxWl1MC:www.geocities.com/profemery/entertainment/legroom.html+%22seat+pitch%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8<BR><BR>I like their designation of 29" pitch as "circus midget chair" which is true. <BR>Here's another good chart on comparative seat size and features on BA's flights<BR>http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:xlt1PXnEM60C:www.travelleronline.co m/planner/airnews.shtml+%22british+airways%22+767+seat+pitch &hl=en&ie=UTF-8<BR><BR>and here's yet another where I found the comparison between their new 767s and others:<BR><BR>http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:i6G666Y-BXIC:www.extratall.co.uk/news_cramped_seats_can_kill.htm+%22british+airways %22+767+seat+pitch&hl=en&ie=UTF-8<BR><BR>Anyway, I mainly choose by price and times, but when it's a tossup, I do consider seat size as with those small spaces, I think an inch makes a big difference, myself. On the other hand, I don't care that much about service unless they really botch things up, because the seat comfort is what affects my flight the most. I don't really care at all about food, I don't look at flying as a dining experience.

Cheapflights.co.uk says BA's 747s use 17.25" (wide) x 31" (pitch - row spacing) seats, just about the max Boeing will stuff into that plane. It says their 777s use 18.25" seats, a big difference on a 6-10 hr. flight. (Their premium coach seats are 38" apart.) The BA website says they're reconfiguring all their long haul equipment for "more comfort" by the end of the summer. Wanna bet?

xxx, that's pretty muchthe way seats are allocated in the US also.<BR><BR>Genny, Heathrow, and other British airports, have been dealing with the terrorist IRA for a long time before 9/11.

Hey Martha,<BR>Smell Me!!<BR>I had a similar seating experince and when quetioned they told me first come first served! Is an 11 month advance reservation first enough??<BR>No one is attacking your country-just your pompous airline.<BR>

Maybe it's different in other countries, but here you do not reserve a particular seat... an 11 month (or any amount of time in advance) reservation only guarantees you a seat - not seat 10c, or whatever it is you are desperate for. Most airlines (and not just UK based ones) will generally prioritise you with a doctor's letter, so maybe you could try that next time.<BR><BR>Oh, and ... a) I'm not British, I just live here: b) I wasn't having a go at you, just stating facts, so it would be nice if you didn't retaliate with such force; and c) I never fly BA - I think their service is poor, and their flights overpriced- I'd always use another airline if there was one flying the same route.<BR>

BA has really gone downhill in the past 5 years. The last 3 times I've flown them, the flights have all been badly overheated and the restrooms have smelled worse than an outhouse. BA also does very little to assist you if you miss a connection, even if it was their fault (mechanical failure). The last time I flew with them was their last chance. I'm sticking with United and Virgin.

We flew British Air and they were fine. The food was actually good going over (we requested low cholestral meals and got seabass out of Seattle), but only so-so coming back. The service was fine and the planes were on schedule. I'd fly them again.

In my experience B.A. don't pre-allocate seats on their transatlantic services but I've always been able to put in a request for a window seat when checking in for New York and they've always found one for me. I have had no problems with the food or the service. Heathrow Airport, the world's busiest international airport, reached its full capacity sometime ago but plans are now afoot to build a fifth terminal and perhaps more runways. I can't see what the problem is in being bussed out to the airplane. I've seen that happening everywhere in the world. If you feel that walking to your gate is diffcult for you, you can always arrange for one of these cute little buggies with the flashing lights on top to take you there.

Between United and BA... BA wins without even trying. I can't tell you how many nightmare United stories I have... Just a random sample: After a year and a half, I'm still sending them faxes asking them for a refund on a ticket (I changed flights, and they were too busy at the desk in the small airport to issue me a refund so asked me to go through the central United "customer service" department). Or how about the time I paid for a fully flexible economy ticket from London to Denver(not cheap!) and was put in the middle of the middle row at the back of the flight. I'm talking third in a row of five! And I'm a premier member on United, and had requested an aisle seat in advance. Or how about the fact that if even if I fly business class between NY and LA on United, I cannot use the United lounge! (Whereas being a silver member of BA, I can use their lounges anywhere in the world, even if I'm not flying BA!) Not to mention the time United was delayed in their flight so I missed my connecting overseas flight (with BA) but United did absolutely nothing to help, and the ground staff were terribly rude to me when I asked them for help, as in "where should I go, whom should I talk to", whereas when I went over to BA, they went out of their way to walk me around to the various desks I needed to go to in order to get re-routed. (Bear in mind that Denver is the United hub, and the BA people had to stay late to help me as they were closing down after their international flight left). Shall I continue? <BR><BR>Also, since 9/11, United service/planes seem to have gotten worse, not surprisingly, given their extremely precarious financial condition. <BR><BR>I do have some BA stories, too, but if I were to put all my horrible airline stories on a list, the United one would be much longer and weightier than almost any other airline that I fly. <BR><BR>Between BA and Virgin, in economy not too much difference any more, for a while Virgin was miles better. In Business class, Virgin has probably slightly better service, even though BA now has the lie-down beds on most of its routes (sadly not the Denver-London route yet). But BA has better routing for the most of the flights I need to take, so... <BR> <BR>I suppose going back to the original posting, the following holds true for no matter what airline you fly: Economy class is not comfortable and has little or no leg room. Order a special meal to get something edible. Bring your own earplugs. <BR><BR>No matter what class you fly, be happy that you take off and then land safely in your destination... at the end of the day, that is what makes for a good flight. <BR>

Thank you everyone for all your replys. They sure d not reassure me on the comfort level. Since we have flown to Europe before but never on BA I was wishing for better service and leg room.I guess it was ust a dream though!

God, what a bunch of wusses and BIG BABIES you all are.... ooohhh the lady on the check in desk was mean to me,,, oooooh we had to all go up down an escalator to get to our flight.... ooooohhh the B.A. sales lady I spoke to on the phone didn't offer to come on over and lick my boots....oooohh we had to get walk across the tarmac to get to the airplane...:You are passing thru one of the biggest airports in the world and flying with one of the biggest airlines in the world.. do them both a favor and SHUT THE HELL UP AND GROW UP.

LarryLamb,<BR>Do you feel better now??

BA is pretty cramped. I try to stick with AA if at all possible with their new seat configuarations which give more legroom. Since you have your tix - suggest trying to get a bulkhead or emergency row - also I think its either a 2-5-2 or 3-4-3 config in economy - suggest you see how full the flight is and of possible try to see if you can block a middle seat..do you have status?

Whenever somebody lies to me or tries to take advantage of me or does not deliver to me what I have a right to insist upon, then I am never going to take it.<BR><BR>Airlines rely on people putting up with their lies, their half truths, their failures to provide service on people acting like lambs being led to the slaughter. When they pull that garbage on me, I immediately insist on speaking to a supervisor and on almost every occassion, if I had kept quiet, I would have been bumped or otherwise unfailry been taken advantage of. <BR><BR>One time in Las Vegas several years ago, upon checking in for my American West flight, I was told that since I had been listed as a no show for my original flight, my return flight reservation had been cancelled and that unfortunately the flight was totally booked but they would put me on the first available flight.<BR><BR>I told them that was a crock of you know what and began yelling and cursing and demanding to see a supervisor. This supervisor told me the same thing. I demanded to see the tariff regulations that listed the priorities for boarding. I show her the ticket which clearly indicated HK. I told her that if she didn't enter the override code onto the computer and put me on my flight, I would call the police and charge them with breach of contract.<BR><BR>Guess what....she did it. If I had quietly taken their crap, I would never have gotten on the flight.<BR><BR>Airlines rely on people taking this garbage in order to enforce crowd control. It is up to you to stand up for your rights and demand to see a supervisor to get what you deserve.<BR><BR>If you are treated badly or unfairly, what is so terrible about sticking up for what you are due?