I have used British Airways on a number of occasions and first off, I must say that it is definitely my preferred airline. The most recent was when I travelled to Germany as a Euro Traveller on a past CityFlyer service.(Previously an independent airline until BA bought it a few years ago). I flew from London Heathrow to Zurich (Switzerland) and caught the train into Germany. I returned by flying from Frankfurt to London Heathrow. You may ask why such a strange route. Well, other than the fun of using, what I felt to be extensive travel, there didn't appear to be any returning flights from Zurich.
I think that was a result of the planes flying back to Heathrow by an indirect route. It didn't bother me too much since the cost stayed the same and I got to see 2 different airports. The planes were generally on time. I cannot recall the outbound flight having any problems, and the return flight had a 10-15 minute delay as a previous passenger had lost his laptop computer and they were kindly looking for it. I don't think they found it though. Both flights arrived in good time, and didn't have any problems.
The flights themselves were relaxing. Although people complain about being crammed into economy seats, I found it rather spacious. This was probably aided by the fact there were few other passengers. I had the whole row and almost the whole compartment to myself (a total of about 5 passengers in economy including myself). This had other benefits besides the extra space. The service given was more personal and quicker. The food was very good, as with all other BA flights I've made, and I was even given a free bag of spirits as a gift from the attendants! That really made my day! As a result I have decided to use them more often even though they can be slightly more expensive.
The other benefits I see British Airways of having, is that they keep a very good (if not extremely good) safety conscious policy. I was surprised to find they contain recorders which review all major technical devices on the plane which they use to diagnose and highlight potential problems. This is far more than many (most) other airlines, many of which only have a Black Box and cockpit voice recorder and limit the information they collect about their planes to 7 pieces of information. I really do feel confident when flying British Airways and will definitely fly them again.
Other information which you may not be aware of is their code sharing system. You may find that if you book a British Airways flight, with a British Airways flight number (that's a flight number which has the abbreviation BA at the begining) it isn't actually flown by British Airways and can be another partner airline. This is because the flight has more than one number and British Airways uses one of them to extend their networks. When this happens you may find the service of a lesser but certainly different, quality . What's more, you usually have to pay a premium of £20 or £30, maybe more without realising. I have noticed this with many CrossAir flights from London to Basel. The British Airways coded flights cost £20-£30 more than the CrossAir coded flights (abbreviated LX), even though they are exactly the same flights. All you get is easier baggage transfer and ticket purchasing, together with the ability to earn BA Club Miles (a type of frequent flyer mile). However, BA miles (different from Club Miles), can also be earned by collecting miles with the partner airline and then transferring them. The only loss is Club Miles, which give you access to different lounges and as such, aren't a great deal of importance.
The only problem I have experienced with the British Airways Frequent Flyer Program is joining. They don't allow persons under 18 years of age unless apart of a family scheme which you can't use as an individual. This did annoy me for sometime since I have travelled a lot as an individual under the age of 18, however, I did learn that my flights wouldn't be credited anyhow, since they were purchased at Student Prices. Since then however I have decided that lower prices are just as worthwhile as collecting airmiles, but overall saftey is key. As such, I still regard British Airways as number one.
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Please read the whole opinoion before making a comment like you did. The opinion is clear decribing my flight from Heathrow to Zurich and Frankfurt to Heathrow. There is nothing here about the aircraft not being operated or own by BA.
Later the opinion does talk about codesharing - where a flight has 2 flight numbers and is operated by another airline. In the case given, the airline also owned the aircraft - this was CrossAir. Please actually read the whole review before critising it.
NESMA 18.03.2001 16:18
I think you'll find I am correct and am trying to contact you. However this is not a discussion board so I won't say anymore here.
danieletheridge 17.03.2001 09:07
I'm rating you lower for making this mistake. I suggest you research before writing, like I do.
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Feb 22nd, 2001
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