BA CityFlyer Overview

BA CityFlyer was created as a subsidiary of British Airways to operate out of London City Airport. With about 5 million passengers a year it’s London’s 5th busiest airport. But also London’s most central airport, located just 21 minutes by train from the financial hub of Canary Wharf. British Airways have this helpful page about the Embraer E190 they use on all flights.

There are a few things that make London City Airport (LCY) pretty unique compared to most other airports in the world. Firstly the short 1,500m runway, surrounding water and tall buildings mean aircraft need to be able to operate a steep 5.5 degree landing and be capable of short takeoffs/landings. That means pilots need special certification to fly here. And aircraft need to be certified and tested before they’re allowed to operate here. The largest aircraft allowed at LCY is the Airbus A318, though most commonly you’ll see the Embraer E190, ATR 72, Dash 8 and Airbus A220-100.

The limited space also means the airport terminal is on the cramped side. In many places it feels more like a shed than an airport, and you’ll have to use stairs to board every flight, no jet bridges here. Again, due to the small size, there’s basically nothing to do inside the terminal. With just a few cafes and small shops and limited seating available. There’s not even a lounge here. Luckily, security is very efficient so you should be safe arriving an hour or so before your flight to avoid waiting for too long.

Belfast City Airport

Although a relatively small city of 350,000 people, Belfast actually has two airport. And one is much better than the other. Today I was flying out of George Best Belfast City Airport (named after the famous football player). As you can see from the below picture, this airport is just 5 minutes from the city centre. Meanwhile the larger Belfast International Airport is much further away, and much worse from what I’ve heard. So I definitely recommend you look to book a flight to Belfast City Airport. Below are a few major stats for each:

Inside the airport you won’t find much. Just a few cafes, a small duty free and a small lounge which we briefly visited. But the airport is extremely efficient. There was no queue at security and we were pretty much straight through to departures. Our plane arrived on time and we started boarding after an extremely quick 20 minutes turnaround. So basically, it’s a small but very efficient and functional airport.

The Plane & Seat

BA CityFlyer use the Brazilian-made Embraer E190 on all their routes. Incidentally one of the safest aircraft in the world, the E190 is perfectly suited to BA CityFlyer and London City Airport. It can operate on very short runways, is relatively quiet and has it’s own set of stairs. That makes it very useful for operating at smaller airports like Belfast City. Today’s aircraft was an 11 year old model registered G-LCAE. With just 98 seats in a 2-2 configuration, it’s a pretty small aircraft. Though it feels surprisingly spacious and has the massive bonus of not having any middle seats.

The best feature however is definitely the generous legroom. I’m not exactly sure how much as various sources differ, but the consensus seems to be that there is 33″ of seat pitch. That is great and allows 4″ more legroom than British Airways A320 family aircraft. So if you have long legs then BA CityFlyer’s seats are a very good option. The only downside that comes from using such a small plane is the ceiling height, which is low. I’m just 5′ 6″ and even I hit my head on the ceiling, so if you’re taller then watch out.

Service & Food

Service on board today’s flight good from what I saw. Though it was so short I didn’t really interact with cabin crew at all. But I can’t fault anything throughout the whole experience. Getting to the airport was very quick, security had no queue, the airport was comfortable, the flight boarded on time and we arrived early. And then at the end we quickly disembarked and I was in central London within 30 minutes of stepping off the plane.

Final Thoughts

Overall I’m very impressed with BA CityFlyer’s economy class and think it’s one of the best economy products in Europe. The 2-2 configuration means no awkward middle seat, and you get loads of legroom. The snack service is also nice to have, especially with the choice of drinks. Lastly, the whole experience was seamless. From taking a 5 minute bus to the airport, walking straight through security and straight onto the plane. I guess that’s the advantage of such a small airport like Belfast City. Then London City Airport itself is also great. We arrived early, and after a short walk were straight on the DLR to central London. Just a very comfortable and efficient service all around.

It must be said though that the extra comfort and efficiency of BA CityFlyer does come at an extra cost. The return flight from Heathrow to Belfast can be as low as £115 with British Airways (admittedly at very inconvenient times). Meanwhile the cheapest return flight from London City cost £140. I think that’s worth it, especially if you live in East London. But the price decision depends on the person.

More from me…

Please feel free to check out other related posts I’ve written:

• British Airways A319 Economy Review – London Heathrow to Belfast City
• Singapore Airlines Fantastic Regional Business – Saigon to Singapore on a 787-10
• Singapore Airlines Economy from London to Singapore – As Good as People Say?

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