I’m in a love-hate relationship with British Airways. There… I said it. Aside from the fact that their cabin crew can be the nicest in the sky or the meanest, I always get off a BA flight feeling good or terrible.
I generally love short-haul flights
This is where British Airways shines. Not only do they have nice cabins, a new fleet and more legroom than most carriers, but the free meal/snack/drink service (depending on the length of the flight) always puts me in a good mood. Generally, I find the quality of food in both Business Class (Club Europe) and Economy (Euro Traveler) to be excellent. On a shorter flight, you can expect a sandwich/afternoon tea in ET and a full meal in CE.
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- Club World Meal
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- Economy Sandwich
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- Legroom
Long-haul however…
It’s no secret that BA lags way behind its competitors in long-haul hard product. Their Business Class (Club World) is plain weird and makes you feel like a sardine in a tin, and their First Class seat is similar to leading airlines’ Business Class offerings, perhaps with a touch more legroom. In my experience, you can only expect a good meal/sleep in First, setting you back a small fortune. Add in the fact that most of their planes don’t have WiFi, and that’s a definite deal-breaker.
BA Business Class looks classy but it’s 7/8-across, making it very cramped
Air-miles
What’s even more strange is that most of my air-miles are saved up with them. You’d have thought I’d have a better idea than to save up my miles with such a variable airline, but the truth is I don’t have much choice other than British Airways. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Americans have it easy! With a huge array of cards and airlines to choose from, racking up miles is child’s play. But in the UK, we’re pretty much limited to one airline. Granted, it could be worse, like my buddy The Flight Detective, who doesn’t have a single credit card to churn miles on in Ireland, but my situation’s still not ideal. To be fair, their frequent flyer program (BAEC) is pretty good, but I often still find myself a bit dejected I don’t have any other choice.
Final Thoughts
British Airways on a good day is great. Their BAEC program is still one of the best in my opinion, but I’m always disappointed by their hard product. Their soft product is also so variable that you never know what to expect when you board. It seems like British Airways is a lot like British weather!
What are your thoughts on BA?
Let us know down below!
