putch29m

we're flying to heathrow from jfk on british airways. i've never flown BA before. i've heard nothing but positive comments. what has been your experiences?

suze

love 'em. i use them Seattle to London on their overnight whenever i go to Europe. they make it as comfortable as possible. good entertainment, decent food, reasonably attentive service, etc.

smallest seats in the sky & ugliest uniforms are the only negatives
;-)

Bloom

I like them too...
on the flight I took with them, I found the attendants to be very upbeat and friendly. The plane had the seats with those nifty little wings that pull fwd. for inclining your head to sleep, and they gave us a little care pkg. that contained a sleepmask, a little toothbrush/paste thingy, and a fresh pair of socks

Rastaguytoday

They are expanding their use of backwards facing seats. Currently the two middle seats in Business Class face backwards. Supposedly, this is to give you more room. What it actually does is allow them to put one extra seat per row in. I wasn't that fond of facing someone's feet.

I read recently that they are expanding the middle seat backwards concept to Economy class. Totally weird.

jelane

I fly BA to Europe three or four times a year and have always considered them to be an excellent airline. Their reward travel program is also great. I don't know how many of you out there take advantage of it but a couple of times a year they will honor many other reward programs and give you 50% more miles for points.

tzarinna

Good to hear.
I'm flying with them this Saturday.

jody

jelane..EXPLAIN!

amsdon

Had a good experience. Food was better than many. Flight attendants more personalble. Seats very small in economy.

In first class they had these nifty seats that looked like bathtubs for sleeping.

MoiIsInTheHouse

BA has nice planes, good food, etc. BUT be careful, because if you get a special fare or anything special with your fare, their website will make sure you Don't get it. It's a very buggy site, and the people who work for BA in the US (for customer service) are Not Helpful. In the UK, they are MUCH better.

jelane

For many years I have been using a Diners Club international for all my travel needs. British Airways partners with Diners Club and a couple of times a year I transfer my diners club points to my British Airway points and they give me two for one. I personally perfer diners club over my american express. Hope this explains.

h2otstr

BA is nice. Also you get you own bottle of wine (or 2) and don't forget to ask for Baileys for your after dinner coffee.

Dukey

I used them for flights to and from LHR last September and had no complaints.

As to those rear-facing seats. there seems to be some evidence that rear-facing seats may provide more safety in emergency and even crash situations.

walkinaround

>>>>>
As to those rear-facing seats. there seems to be some evidence that rear-facing seats may provide more safety in emergency and even crash situations.
>>>>>

several years ago i read that using rear facing seats is the safety improvement that would decrease injuries and deaths the most. out of all possible improvements, it is also one of the cheapest. at the time, this was seen as commercially undesirable due to the perceived preferences of passengers.

W9London

You can check-in on-line from 24hrs before the flight, with an option of choosing the seat. They share the same terminal as UA at JFK (Terminal 7).
You'll land at Terminal 4 at Heathrow.

BA transatlantic is ok if coach, very good if business. You're most likely to circle over London before landing due to chronic congestion at LHR slots, you might have a looooong walk from the gate to passport control, possibly wait some time for the luggage to come out. These are the only gripes but mostly for BAA (which operates LHR) not BA. Remember you get only ONE piece of carry-on for the flight OUT of LHR (1+1 for flights INTO LHR).

wally34949

When the U.S. airlines started charging $5 for alcohol in economy on flights to Europe, I joined the BA Executive Club. I've been very happy with them. Last year, I used 50,000 miles to fly to Berlin and this year, I used 30,000 miles to upgrade an Economy Plus ticket to Business Class, which has a flat bed.

In economy, expect small seats but a great selection of movies, good food and an after take-off drink from the bar and wine with meals. You should get a nice piece of pie, too. You can leave those $5 bills at home. One hour before arrival in London, expect a cold breakfast in a box that is actually quite good.

wally34949

Sorry, that was 60,000 for Berlin, 50,000 to London.

wally34949

No, I was right the right time. 50,000 to Berlin, but 60,000 to Spain, and Italy.

katek013

I fly BA to Greece each September with a stop-over in London on the way back. I have to say that compared with all of the other airlines I've flown, they are one of the best for customer service in the air.

A couple of years ago they left our luggage at LHR when we made our connection to Athens. Customer service was wonderful. They forwarded the bags on to the island where we were staying and even paid for our supplies needed (after we returned to the US) until our bags arrived.

One thing I would suggest though ... if you are flying out of LHR after a stay in the UK I would definitely be there at least 3-4 hours early for the flight. All international flights usually have to snake through the same line. On my last trip it took 2 1/2 hours to get to the ticket desk to check our bags. It then took almost an hour to get through security. By the time we got through we had only about 15-20 minutes before our flight. We literally ran to the gate and were one of the last to board.

The one complaint I have with BA is that if you purchase an economy ticket you DO NOT receive an frequent flyer miles.

poutine

We flew from Montreal to London, London to Paris, and back to Montreal on BA last summer. The planes were very comfortable, good entertainment, food was edible, and everything was on time.

BUT, on the way home BA decided not to load half the luggage from London to Montreal. Too much cargo. The luggage wasn't lost - BA knew exactly where everyone's bags were. There was a line of about 70 upset and hostile passengers waiting to file lost luggage reports. It took BA FOUR days to return our suitcase. Many of the passengers were just commencing their vacation, backpackers etc.... If I use BA again overseas, I will definitely try and do a carry on only vacation.

pavfec

We've flown BA between Montreal and London for all our trips to Europe in the past two years. Great service, good food even! Love the little packet (those socks are so warm!). They have seat-back screens and a good choice of entertainment. We've been very satisfied with them and will continue to use them if the price is right.