The Over 30 Girly's Edit

This was my first time flying with BA, both on Club World and Club Euro. It was also my first time having such different experiences on all four of our legs. To be honest, I had very low expectations of BA before the trip. Watching various YouTube reviews of their Club World, as well as numerous negative comments about BA as an airline on several online platforms, I knew I was in for a “trip”. Little did I know, I was really in for a “trip”.

The good

As I mentioned, I have seen so many negative comments about their A380 business class seat layout and configuration that I was certain our aircraft would be swapped on the day of departure. We would have been stuck with the Ying and Yang seat layout, climbing over strangers or having strangers climb over us to use the restroom mid-flight. The airplane God must have heard me enough that we got to fly the newer B787 there and B777 back, and we had our own pod with a door to close! First impressions were very good. A clean aircraft, sleek design, tons of storage, a very spacious seat, a plush pillow, and a mattress pad. Champagne was flowing, a warm towel was given out during boarding, the menu looking not too bad, a not terrible delay despite a confusing boarding process, and a very well-done safety video was shown – everything was off to a good start.

At this point in the flight, things were great. Well, the crew was not the most friendly or warm, but they did their job. Getting the order and bringing the food out correctly, the service was not anything to rave about, but it was efficient. Within an hour and a half, I was done with the main meal service, skipped the dessert (as always), brushed my teeth, set up my bed, and went on my way, trying to catch a few hours of sleep. We couldn’t close the door, though, until they unlocked it after the meal service, which was fine. I didn’t think the door added that much more privacy to what we already had. Having it closed made the entire sleep more cozy, I guess.

The second meal service was also fine. The food on both services was actually delicious, no complaints.

We landed at London Heathrow, continuing to our second leg of the trip to reach Zurich. For those unfamiliar with business class seats on intra-Europe flights, they are essentially economy seats with the middle seat blocked. Given the flight was only one hour and fifteen minutes, this was not a problem for us. They did serve breakfast on this short flight, which is a step better than the regional flights within America. And, to be fair, the crew on this short flight was very friendly and happy.

Our flight back from Zurich to London was also non-eventful; it was a short flight, with friendly service, and lunch was served. All good here.

The Not-So-Good

Here comes the confusion: the second (and last) leg from London to Seattle.

First of all, the British Airways lounge in T5/ A gates was way too overcrowded. People kept coming in, but the number of people who had to leave to balance the flow was not enough. We had an overheated lounge with no air inside or outside seating. London experienced the heat wave that week as well, and oh boy, I could not wait to leave the lounge that fast before, even with our four or five hours of layover. Our gate ended up in B gates, so we took our time to shop around and made our way to B gates. To our pleasant surprise, there was an empty and quiet lounge where we could rest for a short bit before boarding.

Lucky for us, we’d gotten to fly B777 this time, meaning a newer seat configuration, and that was music to my ears. I was so exhausted at this time that I just wanted a comfy seat and bed to doze off for a bit. The seat was similar here, perhaps a tad bit larger in storage space compared to the B787. My happy heart did a little dance because I thought I could now sit back and enjoy the flight back home.

Oh, how silly I was. Up until this point, besides some little things here and there, BA wasn’t honestly that bad. How could everyone make it so miserable?! I was convinced because most routes may still have had the old configuration, which was unfortunate. However, now I get it. The second that the door was closed for takeoff, the service was also checked at the door. Here are some examples:

1. I went to the restroom once the seatbelt sign was turned off and came back to find that everyone had been handed a warm towel. I didn’t. I’d hoped someone would come back to give me one, because we all know that a warm towel truly starts the in-flight experience, no? No one came by to give me one, and they knew I didn’t have one, as a flight attendant walked down the hall to collect the used towels, they just skipped right past my seat.
2. Both my husband and I ordered the same drink (Gin Zing), but somehow they got it mixed up. The flight attendant had no idea who ordered it, went up to my stepson’s seat, looked at him, deemed that he couldn’t possibly be served with alcohol (thank god), went to me and then walked one step further to stand between my seat and my husband’s seat, asking who ordered the Gin Zing. We said we both did, she gave it to my husband, and disappeared. He obviously gave me the drink first and eventually got his, but it was just WTH. The drink was already watered down by the time I had it, too.
3. The main meal service took three hours from takeoff to when I ate the starter. The food was boring, and the main course had little to no taste. When I was done (skipped the dessert), all I truly wanted was to go to sleep. At that point, we had six hours left on our journey, meaning I could only get three hours of sleep, if that.
4. The door was locked from closing, period. Again, I didn’t mind having the door open, even when I was sleeping. In fact, I did my bed, put the phone and iPad away, and went to sleep. Some time later, I was woken up not by the sound of the doors in the entire BC cabin being unlocked, but by the flight attendant opening one of my seat’s storage and closing it?! I had no idea what had happened or why; I was so hazy that I became extremely cranky from being woken up and went back to sleep. Not too long after, the entire BC cabin had its doors unlocked and closed off for every seat. God forbid a girl wants to sleep in peace.
5. Why lock the door even after takeoff, or taxi, and while we were airborne??!!
6. How did they take three whole hours to serve the first meal, and an eternity to then unlock the doors?
7. Why did no one smile?
8. How did it go from “woah I can totally do BA Club World on this route” to me texting my husband during the flight, “what the hell is going on”?

Unfortunately for me, between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways who both offer routes from SEA to LHR, this new Club World has far surpassed VA’s seats to the point that I would take the horrible customer service from the BA crew, and forgo the friendly, and fun crew of VA, along with their amazing Upper Class perks at London Heathrow and the perfect BC lounge. Just you wait, as soon as Virgin Atlantic refits their plans to Seattle with the new business class seats, just you wait…

In all honesty, the crew on that flight may have had a bad day. Short-staffed? Things got mixed up with the caterer? Who knows. I genuinely want them to do well because of their availability, as well as their role in connecting U.S. routes to many other European countries. We’ll be flying them again to London in a few months, so I’ll report back on their service then.

Have you flown British Airways? If yes, what was your experience? Comment below!