Good Service, efficient & friendly (British Airways in general)

Member Name: baileybird

Product:	British Airways in general
Date:	22/08/09 (163 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Terminal 5 only catering to BA customers is a bonus. It is extremely easy to navigate.

Disadvantages: Can't prebook seats until 24hrs before flight, can't check baggage until 3hrs prior to flight.

My family & I flew to Boston, MA from London Heathrow using BA earlier this year. Normally we fly with Virgin Atlantic; we had used the BA service a few years ago and wasn't that impressed. However after hearing positive comments from others that had flown recently we decided to use the service as the price was the same as Virgin and the timings were better.

We checked in online 24hrs before and picked our seats. I was a bit disappointed with this as with Virgin you are able to choose the seating at the time of booking. However we were able to sit in the seats we normally choose, so no problems.

The taxi dropped us off at the airport 4hrs prior to the flight. I wasn't aware that we couldn't check our luggage until 3hrs prior to the flight, as we can with Virgin. I know that 4hrs may seem excessive, but I enjoy the airport experience and know that the M25 can be a real pain. So we had to wait an hour to check in, however there are several cafes and restaurants prior to the departure lounge to make use of in terminal 5, so we were able to wait comfortably.

I found terminal 5 to be extremely easy to navigate. The fact that you can watch the planes through the windows makes the time go very quickly. The whole experience was a breeze.

At the gate there is plenty of seating as well as a bar to get drinks (soft or alcoholic). The queuing system for the gate was easy and very quick.

Once on board (economy), the staff were very helpful & friendly. The food and service was good and the entertainment catered for all ages, meaning that my family each had plenty to watch or listen too.

The return journey was just as uneventful (ideal for a plane journey) with the service and staff as good as on the way out.

We were the first plane of the day to land, meaning that we (& all our luggage) were with our taxi driver only 25 minutes after landing.

We were very impressed with British Airways and Terminal 5. I would definitely fly with them again - in fact other members of my family have already booked their next flight for October!

Summary: Good airline, efficient staff, friendly service.