Flying British Airways. Economy. What's it like?

[casualbiker]

I usually fly Eva or Qatar from Bkk to Heathrow. This year because my employer left the booking late it seems it's British Airway's. Looked on the net and it seems economy is a bit cramped. Could anyone who has flown with them recently advise please. Thanks Al

[krisb]

It's not bad the one time I have flown with them.

No where near the service level of Singapore Air.

[casualbiker]

Umm I know !

I like Qatar decent enough airline.

I'm a bit on the large size so the size of the seat matters.

Edited February 25, 2015 by casualbiker

[wprime]

It's pretty lousy, that being said there's nothing really worth complaining about - they offer everything you'd expect from a full service economy product and nothing more.

When BA did SYD-BKK, they oversold their economy cabin more than other the major carriers, so if you were a high level frequent flyer with them (One World Emerald equivalent) 80% of the time you got upgraded to WT+ or Club World. Not sure how much this applies to other routes.

Keep in mind I haven't flown with them in about 2 years so things may have changed.

[seasia]

I flew with them 3 times last year, 2 were BKK- LON, LON- BKK, free upgrade to Economy + on the latter

One MIL- LON economy.

No complaints from me

I`m going to book between 2 - 6 flights with them this year.

N.B I`m fairly small so don`t need lots of space.

Service was good.

Terminal 5 HTR which is their hub is horrible, truly so IMO, hated it.

I do also fly EVA and like them .

[daveAustin]

Good enough for the money. They were coming up cheaper than anyone else fairly recently and are direct of course. Seats are a bit tight but you can always get one by the emerg exits. I think T5 is fine - modern and easy enough to get through. Others might disagree but I always enjoy the down to earth cabin crew; big difference to some of the snobbishness of other airlines. Differs from flight to flight though I guess.

[SantiSuk]

Good value these days in the direct flight class. Used them for 3 return journeys Bkk to Lhr in 2014. I prefer aisle seats and have no difficulty getting one close to front thru online check - in as long as I do it say 20 to 24 hours b4 flight.

The Arab airlines are excellent but I will pay up to 150 gbp more to fly direct. That's why I have found myself using BA last year whereas for several years previous my flights were exclusively transiting thru some desert shed.

BA's food is marginally less good than the best Arab offering but the IFE on BA is now equivalent (better for English eg comedy if you are a Brit). I prefer the sang froid of the BA ladies and gay guys to the superficial attractions of the polyglot and inconsistent young crews on the Mid East flights.

I fly cattle class btw. Business may be different.

Edited February 25, 2015 by SantiSuk

[Chivas]

If you're 5' 8" or under its not too bad but if you're 6 foot plus or generally big you're going to be standing at the back for a lot of the flight.

Ignore Seat Guru (unless they have updated) its 31" pitch and that is small

[smokie36]

Get an aisle seat and take some snacks with you.

Its not bad really....better if you can sleep part of the way but I will guess it will be busy given the current competitive prices.

[baboon]

Good enough for the money. They were coming up cheaper than anyone else fairly recently and are direct of course. Seats are a bit tight but you can always get one by the emerg exits. I think T5 is fine - modern and easy enough to get through. Others might disagree but I always enjoy the down to earth cabin crew; big difference to some of the snobbishness of other airlines. Differs from flight to flight though I guess.

I agree. At least in T5 you can buy a paper, a packet of snout and a bottle of Lucozade easily enough, which is what you want as opposed to a Rolex encrusted camel saddle or a new Porsche with Hermes seatbelts. As for the seats, fly the Emirates 777 then come back and tell me BA are cramped - 3-3-3 on BA, 3-4-3 on Emirates - get a middle seat and you are sitting with your arms above your head all night...

[slightlychilled]

In economy BA has a seat pitch of 34". As EVA has only 33" and Qatar 32"-34" depending on which flight you take, I don't see how BA can be termed "cramped" by comparison.

[casualbiker]

I found their website interesting concerning luggage. Seemingly you get 23 kg hold luggage AND 23 kg cabin luggage plus a personal bag..

[slightlychilled]

I found their website interesting concerning luggage. Seemingly you get 23 kg hold luggage AND 23 kg cabin luggage plus a personal bag..

LOL don't forget to look at the size dimensions allowed. Good luck fitting 23kg within those limits - gold bars maybe ??

[Chivas]

In economy BA has a seat pitch of 34". As EVA has only 33" and Qatar 32"-34" depending on which flight you take, I don't see how BA can be termed "cramped" by comparison.

31" Buddy...........Its cramped and very tight (doesnt matter what version of the 777 you put in they are all 31")

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Boeing_777-200.php

[casualbiker]

Chivas. I want real peoples views not web ideas. I can get them.. But thanks.

[Chivas]

Chivas. I want real peoples views not web ideas. I can get them.. But thanks.

Ok well I'll tell you more..........I flew over 50 returns on BA as brother of Staff (cheap tickets) whilst they ran the 747 on the route......The seats were small but at £90 a return ticket no complaints

But at 31" even smaller on a 777 that they operate now, if you're bigger than what I suggested earlier in thread you're going to be standing at the back for long periods.

Obviously get an aisle anyway which always helps as you can turn sideways a bit at quiet times

That Sir is a real people view......

[casualbiker]

Chivas. I want real peoples views not web ideas. I can get them.. But thanks.

Ok well I'll tell you more..........I flew over 50 returns on BA as brother of Staff (cheap tickets) whilst they ran the 747 on the route......The seats were small but at £90 a return ticket no complaints

But at 31" even smaller on a 777 that they operate now, if you're bigger than what I suggested earlier in thread you're going to be standing at the back for long periods.

Obviously get an aisle anyway which always helps as you can turn sideways a bit at quiet times

That Sir is a real people view......

Thanks. When was the last time you flew with them !

[Chivas]

Chivas. I want real peoples views not web ideas. I can get them.. But thanks.

Ok well I'll tell you more..........I flew over 50 returns on BA as brother of Staff (cheap tickets) whilst they ran the 747 on the route......The seats were small but at £90 a return ticket no complaints

But at 31" even smaller on a 777 that they operate now, if you're bigger than what I suggested earlier in thread you're going to be standing at the back for long periods.

Obviously get an aisle anyway which always helps as you can turn sideways a bit at quiet times

That Sir is a real people view......

Thanks. When was the last time you flew with them !

Jeez go yourself into seat guru........!!

It doesnt matter if I flew in 1975 or 2015 its still 31" pitch !!!

British Airways BA009/10 is on a 777 all of which varients are 31" pitch in World Traveller........

Check in early and try and get an Exit Seat or an aisle at worst......!!

[ToneG]

The last few years I've flown with EVA. They have great arrival times in BKK (about 4.00pm) and back to London arriving about 7.00 pm.

The other great thing is you can book your seat for free 100 days before flying. I like the aisle so if you book on the central block right next to a couple already booked you never get disturbed the whole flight.

[slightlychilled]

At £90 return for staff tickets that was quite some time ago !!

It doesn't really matter though, 31",32",33" or even 34" a 12 hour journey is never ever going to be comfortable so unless you have some flyer miles to trade for an upgrade into Business you just need to grin and bear it

[casualbiker]

At £90 return for staff tickets that was quite some time ago !!

It doesn't really matter though, 31",32",33" or even 34" a 12 hour journey is never ever going to be comfortable so unless you have some flyer miles to trade for an upgrade into Business you just need to grin and bear it

But 34 is more comfortable than 31

[KittenKong]

It's not the seat pitch that bothers me it's the width and the hardness.

I flew with BA in economy on a 747 before they replaced it and the trip was fine (ok, it was helped by the fact that the seat next to me was empty).

But the replacement plane had seats a good couple of inches narrower and as hard as nails. My backside was numb after about 30 minutes and I told myself "never again".

So now I fly the best value business class flight I can find (generally only about double the cost of economy BA, if you hunt around), which gets me a lie flat seat about double the width of an economy one. I wear shorts and a t-shirt on the flight too, which I find goes well with the champagne.

[Chivas]

At £90 return for staff tickets that was quite some time ago !!

It doesn't really matter though, 31",32",33" or even 34" a 12 hour journey is never ever going to be comfortable so unless you have some flyer miles to trade for an upgrade into Business you just need to grin and bear it

Think last was around 2001 from memory...........Cattle class expression came from British Airways Baggage Handlers originally. For £80-£90 return (standby) no one would ever complain about size of the seats obviously........If you stood at the back for 11 hours it was still worth it

[tw25rw]

In economy BA has a seat pitch of 34". As EVA has only 33" and Qatar 32"-34" depending on which flight you take, I don't see how BA can be termed "cramped" by comparison.

31" Buddy...........Its cramped and very tight (doesnt matter what version of the 777 you put in they are all 31")

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Boeing_777-200.php

Only one I know of with 34" in economy is Thai. I can just about bear that. Would rather fork out a bit more for EVA Elite though.

[casualbiker]

Unfortunately no choice. It's what's available at the right price.

Lost out on a good Emirates flight because they didn't order in time

[Chivas]

In economy BA has a seat pitch of 34". As EVA has only 33" and Qatar 32"-34" depending on which flight you take, I don't see how BA can be termed "cramped" by comparison.

31" Buddy...........Its cramped and very tight (doesnt matter what version of the 777 you put in they are all 31")

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Boeing_777-200.php

Only one I know of with 34" in economy is Thai. I can just about bear that. Would rather fork out a bit more for EVA Elite though.

Not for much longer though........when A380 starts in July down to 31-32" and lose another half inch for the annoying foot rest if you're tall

[slightlychilled]

At £90 return for staff tickets that was quite some time ago !!

It doesn't really matter though, 31",32",33" or even 34" a 12 hour journey is never ever going to be comfortable so unless you have some flyer miles to trade for an upgrade into Business you just need to grin and bear it

But 34 is more comfortable than 31

Cramped is cramped, I don't think degrees of crampness matter when you can't sleep in an upright position.

I appreciate Business tickets cost alot more but some people can only sleep horizontally.

[tw25rw]

At £90 return for staff tickets that was quite some time ago !!

It doesn't really matter though, 31",32",33" or even 34" a 12 hour journey is never ever going to be comfortable so unless you have some flyer miles to trade for an upgrade into Business you just need to grin and bear it

But 34 is more comfortable than 31

Cramped is cramped, I don't think degrees of crampness matter when you can't sleep in an upright position.

I appreciate Business tickets cost alot more but some people can only sleep horizontally.

I can kind of sleep in premium economy, but still need to catch up when I finally get to bed. These days I fly business on the overnight leg, the cost of which is offset by staying at the girlfriend's place. If I can only afford to fly economy, then I figure that I can't afford the holiday.

[Chivas]

At £90 return for staff tickets that was quite some time ago !!

It doesn't really matter though, 31",32",33" or even 34" a 12 hour journey is never ever going to be comfortable so unless you have some flyer miles to trade for an upgrade into Business you just need to grin and bear it

But 34 is more comfortable than 31

Cramped is cramped, I don't think degrees of crampness matter when you can't sleep in an upright position.

I appreciate Business tickets cost alot more but some people can only sleep horizontally.

. If I can only afford to fly economy, then I figure that I can't afford the holiday.

Ridiculous and insulting to the very high majority that fly Economy and are more than happy to do so. I'm 6'3" and have no issues.......

This difference between Biz and Economy from UK is around £1500 ish which covers an awful lot of entertainment

[SantiSuk]

+1 Chivas.

I could afford to fly first let alone biz, but I always think about value and utility in most larger purchases (not the same as being a cheapskate - I thought my 70 grand convertible Jag was great value in the UK, but never wanted to buy property in London where I worked!).

I would fly biz if it was about 400 quid premium on economy. I'm a 6 footer who has no problem getting at least 6 hours kip on almost any overnight economy flight after a couple of drams and provided I've got the eyeshades and earplugs. I guess those that can't sleep other than on a flat bed might attribute a higher premium as having value.

No shame in going cattle