Traveller, bon viveur, wine lover and computer professional
Traveller, bon viveur, wine lover and computer professional
Member since:11.02.2001
Reviews:26
Members who trust:7
British Midland are my airline of choice. Thats firstly based on the service I get from them and secondly because I belong to their frequent flyer programme. I have been flying with them for ten years, from the time when they were a small óne class´ airline till now when they have just undergone a major relaunch as a transatlantic operator with the name british midland bmi.
The levels of service experienced depend on the route and the class of travel. Flying the 25 minute journey from London to Leeds you cannot expect the same food service as the longer London Amsterdam route. And whether you get a hot meal or sandwiches depends on the time of day. I have flown many of their routes over the years, from the London Leeds one, through code-shares operated by other airlines,
frequent euro flights and even a charter flight to Turkey. And maybe soon I´ll try their transatlantic service.
For a number of years I held a silver frequent flyer card but was downgraded to basic blue last year because I hadn´t flown enough with them..
So I blue wavy livery and the irritating lower case name british midland bmi. What does bmi stand for? The airline says it doesn´t stand for anything, but I reckon international is a good bet for the i, and they'll gradually drop the british midland part becoming just bmi.
Check-in was instant, I was given my seat choice and told the flight was delayed by 25 minutes. No worries; I had a business class ticket so could enjoy the pleasant lounge for a few minutes longer.
A major advantage of a business class ticket at Heathrow is the Fast Path security line, where you bypass the creeping queue and go through a dedicated business class scanner.
British Midland has two lounges in Terminal 1. One for Diamond Club Sliver and Gold members and the other for business class. I´ve been in both and prefer the Diamond Club lounge as being quieter, but my Blue card meant I used the business class lounge by gate 14. This is on two levels and is well stocked with a self serve bar, hot drinks, soft drinks and nut, fruit and nibbles. There is a business area and a smoking area and it overlooks planes on the apron. I helped myself to a Sunday newspaper from the stack, tried a glass of their wine of the month and relaxed on a sofa.
When I boarded the aeroplane they took my coat and hanged it in a wardrobe - it was returned to me as we landed. A stack of Sunday Expresses were at the door for all passengers to take from, and business class passengers were also offered a selection of Dutch and British newspapers.
There was full bar service. I had a small bottle of Champagne - my favourite airline drink and the food tray had a fresh fruit salad, some sandwiches and a pot of clotted cream and Baxters strawberry jam to go with a hot fruit scone. (Drinks are free in both classes, free Champagne is available only in business class)
The aeroplane used for this flight was an Airbus A310. I find the engine noise on Airbusses to be much loader than the comparable Boeing, but being seated at the front of the cabin, ahead of the engines the noise was not noticeable except during takeoff. Seating configuration was 2-3 and as no-one was in the seat next to me there was ample room.
The earth was completely blanketed with low lying thick cloud in whorls. I love sitting in a plane looking down with a glass of Champagne in my hand and wondered once again on this modern miracle as the plane descended down to the cloud level, now taking on the yellow and gold colours of the setting sun.
I like British Midland and they are my airline of choice. That is not to say that some flights are better than other or some crews give better service than other . Sometimes - too often - flights are delayed, but that is par for the course on all airlines flying the congested UK and European routes and out of the control of the airline.
Whether the transition to the new british midland bmi will make things even better - I don´t know. Personally I preferred it when it was a small one class airline. But small airlines don't survive. Well done BM for slugging out with the big boys, surviving and winning.
I have flown with them a few times and have lways found them to be very helpful, you have covered the standards of their services very well here thanks Squidget ;o)
From_The_Continent 21.03.2001 02:18
I just read all your ops upon Keith's recommendation. They are very informative and interesting. At the middle of the night I'm a bit too tired to leave a longer and more detailed comment, but I will come back for more. I see we share a lot of the same lifestyle.
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Advantages: bmi Workers are polite. That's the only positive thing I can say about bmi. Disadvantages: The disadvantages are stated in the title and thoroughly explained in the review body.
Advantages: Star Alliance Member, Fantastic Airfares, Value for Money, Friendly Airline, Relatively new fleet Disadvantages: Reliability on domestic routes
Mar 20th, 2001
very helpful by (93%):
helpful by (7%):
