Your experience with British Airways please, good or bad?

[Jillpie]

We're flying to Spain this Spring, using BA, from Boston to Heathrow, then on to Madrid. Thumbs up or thumbs down on service, comfort? I've never flown them before.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I have flown BA SFO-Europe almost exclusively for over 20 years. Overall the service is excellent, they rarely cancel fights, and the food and beverages (including alcohol) is complimentary. Movie selection is fair (Virgin has much better entertainment).

However, BA charges a pretty penny to assign your seats more than 24 hours in advance so bear that in mind when add up the cost. First checked bag per person is free, second is $100 I think. You can carry on one bag (up to 22'') and a personal item free.

 

[Jillpie]

I have flown BA SFO-Europe almost exclusively for over 20 years. Overall the service is excellent, they rarely cancel fights, and the food and beverages (including alcohol) is complimentary. Movie selection is fair (Virgin has much better entertainment).

However, BA charges a pretty penny to assign your seats more than 24 hours in advance so bear that in mind when add up the cost. First checked bag per person is free, second is $100 I think. You can carry on one bag (up to 22'') and a personal item free.

Thank you, so helpful. We are going with my husbands company and our seats have already been assigned, is that typical?

 

[Huff]

I flew BA only once non stop from Phoenix to London and back. Excellent service the entire trip. This was about 5 years ago and on the return trip they gave free wine, mostly French wines which were pretty good for free!

The only issue we had was at BA check in at Heathrow. I have never seen such long lines in my life. I'd guess several 1000 people all waiting. Reminded me of a Disney line! We were at the back of the line which I'd say could easily have taken over an hour. With a stroke of luck, a security agent plucked us out of line saying we were subject to a random security check. They took us to a small room where they opened all our luggage, took a quick look and sent us on our way. We were done in 5 minutes and on our way to our flight.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

They are okay; I've flown them a couple of times. They are one of the few airlines of which I am aware which guarantees a child will be seated with at least one adult in your party. They also allow you to make advanced seat assignments for free if you are traveling with a lap infant (under age 2).

OP - it's possible your husband's work paid for your seats. You can also reserve for free if you are a Bronze Member or above in BA's FF program.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I flew BA only once non stop from Phoenix to London and back. Excellent service the entire trip. This was about 5 years ago and on the return trip they gave free wine, mostly French wines which were pretty good for free!

The only issue we had was at BA check in at Heathrow. I have never seen such long lines in my life. I'd guess several 1000 people all waiting. Reminded me of a Disney line! We were at the back of the line which I'd say could easily have taken over an hour. With a stroke of luck, a security agent plucked us out of line saying we were subject to a random security check. They took us to a small room where they opened all our luggage, took a quick look and sent us on our way. We were done in 5 minutes and on our way to our flight.

I normally arrive 3 hours prior to my flight at Heathrow (if I have bags to check) I love the airport. If you are going out of T5, try Gordon Ramsey's Plane Food and get a to-go box. Comes in a reusable insulated slim container and the food is yummy. It must be eaten within 4 hours though, but it is way better than airplane food. There is also a caviar bar, duty free Harrods, bookstores, clothing stores, etc. Very easy to wile away an extra hour or so.

 

[Jillpie]

Thanks so much for the tips!