British Airways?

[Anonymous]

What's your experience with it been? This will be a flight from here to Asia with a layover at Heathrow.

Comfortable? Good service? Any tips I should be aware of?

[Anonymous]

Lots of back and forth to Heathrow and their coach seating is cozy, to put it nicely.

[Anonymous]

What class? They have one of the best business class services along with Virgin and Emirates.

[Anonymous]

You'll most likely be on an American Airlines flight to Heathrow. BA os fine, but I prefer Cathay Pacific or Singapore to Asia.

[Anonymous]

I flew BA in May and was very happy.

[Anonymous]

No absolutely don't do it.
The seats are ancient and need replacing - you can find reviews online from economy and premier economy class stating as much.

I am the ideal height and weight for the seats, but still I had the most horrendous back pain (I never get back pain) on an LA to London flight because all the springs in the seats were shot to hell.

And there is no leg room. Its just a horrible experience i will NEVER fly BA ever again.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the seats. Business is a flat seat, so that would be fine. Coach can be a bit tricker, but that's the case with every airline. Food is so-so. I have status with BA so I'm able to use the lounges and continue to fly them, but they aren't as posh as some of the new Asian carriers with cleaner planes and better service.

Is there a reason you are going BA? I ask because I've done Asia - DC several times and in both directions (Europe/Atlantic and Pacific/North America) and connecting through London is, by far, the most expensive connection you can make. The fees at Heathrow add hundreds if not thousands to the ticket price. You can fly cheaper through Paris, Amsterdam or Germany, and much much cheaper through Dubai. Going the other way you can go direct to Japan from DC or Korea and then hop to where you need to be.

[Anonymous]

If you're going to Asia Emirates or Qatar airways are usually cheaper and more reliable than BA from a quality perspective. Emirates is usually pretty good at allowing you to have a 1-2 day layover in Dubai at no extra cost and Dubai is an interesting city (sort of) but it does allow you to acclimatize to the time differences.

I fly BA a lot and sometimes it's great, other times it's uncomfortable. It really depends on the plane itself.

[Anonymous]

I have done BA business class to London from US, flat beds, great service, access to lounge. First class from London to US. Amazing. Easy access through security etc.

[Anonymous]

If you're paying yourself, keep in mind the taxes on BA out of LHR are crazy high.

I've never flown BA in coach, but J and F are fine and comfortable for what you're paying for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the seats. Business is a flat seat, so that would be fine. Coach can be a bit tricker, but that's the case with every airline. Food is so-so. I have status with BA so I'm able to use the lounges and continue to fly them, but they aren't as posh as some of the new Asian carriers with cleaner planes and better service.

Is there a reason you are going BA? I ask because I've done Asia - DC several times and in both directions (Europe/Atlantic and Pacific/North America) and connecting through London is, by far, the most expensive connection you can make. The fees at Heathrow add hundreds if not thousands to the ticket price. You can fly cheaper through Paris, Amsterdam or Germany, and much much cheaper through Dubai. Going the other way you can go direct to Japan from DC or Korea and then hop to where you need to be.

Agreed, going anywhere in Asia east of India the fastest route will be over the Pacific, not over the Atlantic. And, in general, service and quality on airlines goes Asian carriers > European carriers > American carriers. So depending on where you were going, I would fly on ANA to Tokyo and then pick up a connection to your final destination. Probably the best combination of speed, price and quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the seats. Business is a flat seat, so that would be fine. Coach can be a bit tricker, but that's the case with every airline. Food is so-so. I have status with BA so I'm able to use the lounges and continue to fly them, but they aren't as posh as some of the new Asian carriers with cleaner planes and better service.

Is there a reason you are going BA? I ask because I've done Asia - DC several times and in both directions (Europe/Atlantic and Pacific/North America) and connecting through London is, by far, the most expensive connection you can make. The fees at Heathrow add hundreds if not thousands to the ticket price. You can fly cheaper through Paris, Amsterdam or Germany, and much much cheaper through Dubai. Going the other way you can go direct to Japan from DC or Korea and then hop to where you need to be.

Agreed, going anywhere in Asia east of India the fastest route will be over the Pacific, not over the Atlantic. And, in general, service and quality on airlines goes Asian carriers > European carriers > American carriers. So depending on where you were going, I would fly on ANA to Tokyo and then pick up a connection to your final destination. Probably the best combination of speed, price and quality.

NP here. I also would suggest ANA. I go to Asia on a regular basis and they have excellent service, even if you're stuck in coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the seats. Business is a flat seat, so that would be fine. Coach can be a bit tricker, but that's the case with every airline. Food is so-so. I have status with BA so I'm able to use the lounges and continue to fly them, but they aren't as posh as some of the new Asian carriers with cleaner planes and better service.

Is there a reason you are going BA? I ask because I've done Asia - DC several times and in both directions (Europe/Atlantic and Pacific/North America) and connecting through London is, by far, the most expensive connection you can make. The fees at Heathrow add hundreds if not thousands to the ticket price. You can fly cheaper through Paris, Amsterdam or Germany, and much much cheaper through Dubai. Going the other way you can go direct to Japan from DC or Korea and then hop to where you need to be.

Agreed, going anywhere in Asia east of India the fastest route will be over the Pacific, not over the Atlantic. And, in general, service and quality on airlines goes Asian carriers > European carriers > American carriers. So depending on where you were going, I would fly on ANA to Tokyo and then pick up a connection to your final destination. Probably the best combination of speed, price and quality.

Korean Air also has a nonstop from Dulles to Seoul, again with lots of connections. Another good option with good quality. The one (general) exception to the rule about Asian carriers being better overall is the Chinese carriers, they don't have the best reputation. But ANA, Japan Airlines, Korean, Thai, Singapore, Malaysia, Cathay are all considered top notch.

And if you are going to somewhere in India or that general area you will probably do best going on one of the middle east carriers. Etihad, Emirates and Qatar all have flights out of Dulles.

[Anonymous]

Do you have to fly BA? Do you have FF accounts with any U.S. Carriers? I fly to South Asia often and either take LH thru Europe (the new business class with flat beds) or Qatar. BA tends to be the most expensive of the 3 which is why I fly it least often. As others have said, it can be great or crap, based on the individual plane age/condition.

[Anonymous]

Flew BA from bwi to Heathrow this summer. It was fine, but I was surprised how small and uncomfortable the seats were.