A pleasure to fly with (British Airways in general)

Member Name: kingseany

Product:	British Airways in general
Date:	27/12/05 (291 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice staff, free drinks, comfy, on time

Disadvantages: More expensive than Ryanair

I've flown with BA on many occasions in the past, but recently I've been taking advantage of the cheap, and often free flights given by Ryanair for short journeys. This last trip however, had to get us to Heathrow without delays (for an onward flight to Jamaica), so even though I'd had no major issues with Ryanair in the past, I opted for BA once again.

A return flight between Stockholm Arlanda and London Heathrow cost around £115 each including all taxes, and the fuel surcharge. The flights were booked well in advance from the website (http://www.britishairways.com). As is common these days, no tickets are issued, but you get a booking reference number which you quote on check in. There was a 10 minute change in departure time, and we were notified by email in advance.

Check-in was no problem. It's worth mentioning that they might ask to see the credit card you booked with, as well as the usual passport, for additional security. On this journey, we had a 23kg baggage allowance, in addition to the carry on, which they rarely weigh. We were asked which seats we preferred, your choice will obviously be more limited the later you check in.

Boarding was on time. We were greeted by the staff and shown to our seats, after we had picked up our choice of complimentary UK or Swedish newspaper. We were flying "Euro Traveller", and our seating area was half empty. Competition from the cheaper airlines are obviously taking their toll. Seats were clean though, and comfy, in flight magazines were also provided.

Take off was on time, and just minutes into the flight, breakfast was on it's way, along with hot or cold drinks. The complimentary bar was a welcome break from the Ryanair ripoff, and if you wanted a couple of beers or a double vodka as well as a cup of tea, it was no problem. The few children were given goodie bags to keep them occupied throughout the flight. A second round of drinks were offered later in the flight, which was only around 2 hours and passed very comfortably.

We found the staff extremely nice, what may have helped were that they weren't too stressed due to the few passengers on board. Still, they actually seemed to be enjoying the job, which was great.

The return journey was equally uneventful, although the meal offered was poor in comparison, due to caterer issues. Really though for such a short flight, it really didn't matter.

It really was a pleasure to fly with BA once (twice) more, and although they can't compete on price, they can provide a very good service with a smile.

Summary: A welcome break from Ryanair