British Airways - Overnight Flights
 

I'll be taking an overnight flight into Heathrow and I assume I'll be in the cheapest class. If I'm not in an aisle seat, and I need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, will I need to wake people up in order to get past them? Or is there enough room to step over their legs if I'm not too klutzy? Does it just depend on the flight? (My face is turning red even as I write this!)

I would have emailed BA, but I can't find a "Contact Us" on their site. Any suggestions?

If you're flying coach there is no possible way to get past other adults into the isle. If you're above about 5'6" your knees will be jammed into the back of the reclined seat in front of you - so yes everyone else will have to move when you get up.

What I;ve found is the most efficient (assuming you're seated with strangers) is to simply use the potty when the others in my row do - often right after the movie ends - unless there's a special reason to do otherwise.

Get an aisle seat. Once people stretch out and put their tray down, even if there were enough room with them sitting up, awake with their tray up, there won't be after take off.

I know from recent experience that BA does not make it easy to get a seat assignment ahead of time, but TRY (beg, plead) for an aisle seat. Get a note from your doctor if necessary.

There is *not* room to get over the person next to you, unless you are both very very tiny & you are limber enough to climb on the arm rests!

An unspoken rule, as mentioned above, is that each person in the row takes a turn & goes to the restroom when any one of you gets up.

Having said that, I've had good experiences in overnight flights (Seattle/Heathrow) with BA over the years. Food is fine, service OK, those little seatback TV screens are a lifesaver, etc.

And even in First where the aisle seat can stretch out I had to wake the poor man up to get over him. So, if it is so, it is so--you may have to wake someone up. We were flying coach a couple of years ago and were in the second row from the bulkhead. The folks in front of us put their seatbacks back to the hilt. There was absolutely NO way I could get out of my seat without pulling on the back of theirs. Man, dirty looks--and I was not one bit sorry. Their seat back was in my chest!!

I agree that you should try to secure an aisle seat if at all possible. (Airlines don't preassign all seats, so if you check-in early enough on departure there's a decent chance you can get one). If not, the buddy system with the bathroom goes into effect. When one person in the aisle makes that move, everyone else gets up to take care of business.

Gretchen- Hey, that was me last month, same situation. 2nd row from bulkhead, fortunately on the aisle, but the guy in front of me fully reclined his bulkhead seat pretty much the entire trip (9 hours!). I am normally very polite but was not sorry when i accidentally slammed my tray up or pulled the seat back to stand up! I'm glad you mentioned this because I don't remember ever having the seat in front of me quite so totally in my lap!!

Hi nanray, sorry to break the news to you but BA's cattle class is horrid. To me, it's one of the worst! If you can do it, get an aisle seat as you will definitely have to wake up your seatmate to get out of your row.
Don't wait for him/her to use the bathroom and follow. I find some people actually can 'hold it' for extended hours-not sure how but I can't.:-)

Helpful hint of the day: DEPENDS!

Thanks to everyone for your help. I'll talk to my travel agent about getting an aisle seat, and if it doesn't work out, at least I'll know what to expect.

The very idea of an overnight flight without an aisle seat is enough to precipitate a panic attack for me. I don't know what it is about flying, but I require frequent trips to the bathroom. The only person more miserable than I would be the person sitting next to me who had to let me out every half hour.

Marilyn, you and I. I will not make a reservation for a long trip unless I have a reserved seat on the aisle.
Although, to tell you the truth, my problem is "while waiting to board, after passing security". Isn't life full of joys?

Marilyn~ we agree again! And besides making a bathroom walk every 1/2 hour, something about an aisle seat fools my mind into less a sense of claustrophobia than window, or heaven forbid middle seats do.

When I first board the plane I can't *believe* how small the seats are, a few hours later I'm used to it, 9 hours later it practically feels like home!

For Nanray~ regarding the comment above <BA's cattle class is horrid> I'd like to disagree. The seating is tight, yes... but beyond that I find it an enjoyable flight. The food is good w/ dinner and breakfast included, the service is efficient, free wine & alcohol throughout, juice & water always available on trays in the galley, free headphones for music & individual seatback TV screens showing continuous movies and programs on many channels, pillows, blankets, eyeshades, socks, etc. provided.

Maybe I'm "easy" or somehow naive but this is my method of choice to get to Europe (well until I can afford those great laydown seats up front anyway!).

If memory serves, nanray, you're flying from Washington DC. If so, maye a call to BA to see if you can get on the daytime departure instead of the overnight. Many people who've done both swear by the daytime flights as being less jet-lad inducing, plus you can go to bed on arrival, rather than trying to pretend your're sleeping through meals, movies, seatbelt dingers, and all that. I'd also check on your flight details - BA use both 777s and 747s IAD-LHR; the chances of an aisle seat may improve depending on which you're on.

Otherwise, if you're in a middle seat, just apologise to the person on the aisle, and the people in front of you, about potential disturbances.

Or else eyeball the World Traveler Plus cabin when you come on board and mention to the FA that you'd like to be seated so that you can get to the loo because of a "problem." They might not upgrade you, but they might upgrade a solo coach traveler on the aisle and give you that seat.

While no coach seat is comfortable, BA's 777's are a bit more spacious than the 747's. But there is no practical way to get out of the center or window seat without disturbing the person next to you.

Don't worry too much about it. Everyone knows it's a long flight and you'll have to use the loo at least once during the flight. The person on the aisle and the window will have to go, too. So make a trip when they go (even if it's to just get up and stretch.) And try to go before everyone settles in for the night.

I can usually make it to London on two loo-breaks. One after dinner and one in the morning. :)

BA has the tightest configuration in coach, bar non, of any we have done. However, they do have a few special seats (priced between coach and business) on some flights (can't remember what they are called which are a reasonable alternate, but more pricy.

We're using a travel agent so I'll throw all this at her. From what y'all tell me, she's probably had this question come up many times before. Thanks again.

Maybe we're getting jaded, but we flew from Heathrow to Seattle last summer Business in BA and I must say, not what it used to be...seats were sort of wearing...some didn't fold right, dinner and meals were only 'so so' and they advertise you can 'raid our larder' anytime you want..so I went to 'raid the larder'...ha ha...only one tired piece of cheese cake and a couple of packs of bisquets...did have good music and films, though. We always try to go Business on BA, even tho it is a luxury, as we had so many terrible experiences in coach...that left us exhausted and PO'd the entire next day...if you can afford it, it is decidedly worth it.

I can't comment on the Business Class amenities on BA, but I, too, have noticed a decline in coach (World Traveler) over the years as well.

I remember how impressed I was with BA on my first flight several years ago. Every year, I notice little cut-backs. I guess that's just what's happening to the industry as a whole. At least they aren't charging extra for meals yet. :|

Try to get an isle seat if at all possible. I learned that the hard way big time. First trip to London, BA. Have never flown that distance in my life. Check in at SFO. Nice man says, "how about a window seat" and I chirp "oh how nice"! On plane..three seats across. I have window, brother in the middle, and a very nice lady from Santa Rosa going over to check on her house outside London. Lady has two bottles of wine with dinner, pops a handful of pills, and lights out. In the words of the beloved Inspecter Cleusou..a BIMB couldn't have gotten her awake!!!!!! That was one miserable flight. Of course, sometime in there it occured to me "what's with the window"??!!! It's NIGHT stupid!!!!! That was my "stupid human trick" for THAT year. So, next trip, on United, got an isle seat. My travel agent was able to get us assigned seats. I had an isle sitting in front of brother and SIL and they had the two seats behind me, my brother on the isle and SIL next to him. Made the trip sooooo much better. Call your travel agent and see what he/she can do for you.