Today I’m reviewing British Airways Economy (Euro Flyer) on a short 1 hour flight from London Heathrow Airport to Belfast City Airport. I’ve had very mixed experiences with British Airways over the last few years, but I’ve pleased to say this was a success. We flew on one of their old Airbus A319-100 and despite its age the cabin/seats felt modern and clean. We got a small drink and snack service mid flight. And best of all we had an on time departure and managed to arrive in Belfast ahead of schedule. And please checkout my Youtube Review!
My Thoughts on British Airways
As mentioned above British Airways have been very erratic in recent years. First the rampant cost-cutting to stay competitive with budget airlines. Then add the effects of the Covid pandemic, laying off skilled staff and now finding themselves severely understaffed with poorly trained replacements. That doesn’t make for a very good combination, and 2022 especially was rough for British Airways passengers.
But from my experience today it seems they might have finally gotten their act together. Which is a good thing because they are one of my favourite airlines. And living in London they are the obvious choice for a trips. That being said, I’m trying out their long haul Airbus A350-1000 economy from Hong Kong to London soon so will see if they’re still good on long haul too.
London Heathrow Terminal 5 & the Flight to Belfast
I end up passing through Heathrow Airport quite a lot. I hear it gets a lot of complaints, but personally I like it a lot. Especially Terminal 5, the home of British Airways, which is probably the most impressive airport building in the UK, if not Europe. It is great for shopping, with a lot of food options. It’s also very good for plane spotting, with views of aircraft taxiing and landing/taking off depending on which end you are.
We were travelling over the new King’s Coronation weekend which was a national holiday in the UK. There also happened to be a strike at Heathrow the same day. So given these two facts I was prepared for a long and chaotic wait. Surprisingly though, despite the crowds, it was very efficient. We checked in online and were through security in about 10 minutes.
Our plane then went on to board ahead of schedule and amazingly we left exactly on time. That’s pretty rare at Heathrow Airport post-Covid, especially for British Airways. Thanks to that on time departure we actually arrived 15 minutes early at Belfast City Airport which is then just 5 minutes bus ride to the city centre. So overall I was very impressed with the efficiency of all aspects of today’s flight and airport experience.
The Plane & Seat
British Airways currently operate 20 Airbus A319-100s on short haul European & domestic routes. Today’s aircraft was 22.3 years old with registration G-EUPW. That makes it one of the older aircraft in British Airways fleet. But despite the age the cabin actually felt very fresh, clearly having been refurbished in recent years. And coincidently, this is the exact same A319-100 I flew to Geneva on back in Nov 2022. That flight was in Club Europe (Business), so click here to see that review too!
I think British Airways Euro Traveller Economy seat is one of the better ones in Europe. The itself is very comfy with surprisingly well cushioned and soft leather. They also have an adjustable leather headrest which can really help add comfort on longer flights. The only downside is the substandard legroom. With just 29″ seat pitch legroom is the same as easyJet.
Snacks & Service
In my experience British Airways cabin crew are always pretty good. Even in stressful 4 hour+ delays they’ve always stayed friendly and offered good service. Whilst some people might find the British Airways cabin crew a bit too casual I think it’s a good balance, especially in Economy Class. So on a tier list of airline service quality I would say British Airways is above average. Below an airline like Singapore Airlines (who I reviewed here from London to Singapore). But leagues ahead of budget carriers like Wizzair or easyJet (who I reviewed here from London to Glasgow).
And like many (but not all) flag carriers in Europe you’ll get a drink and snack service on board. In Business Class you’ll get a full meal too, which is usually pretty tasty from personal experience. But back to Economy Class, you’ll just get some water and a snack (usually a packet of crisps or sour cream pretzels like I got on this flight).
Interestingly though, our return flight with BA CityFlyer to London City Airport had a more luxurious offering. Instead of just water they also offered other soft drinks like coke, beer, wine and spirits. Whilst for the snack offering you could choose from a packet of crisps or chocolate brownie. Not a massive difference but is definitely a bit more generous than our flight today. I’ll be reviewing that flight soon so stay tuned!
Final Thoughts
I was very impressed with British Airways today. I flew with them about 6 times in 2022, and of those flights only one had no delays or issues. So to have such a flawless service that arrived early today was unexpected.
The seat is very comfortable and much better than budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair. Though if you’re tall you may struggle with the legroom. British Airways cabin crew also always seem to be very friendly and professional in my experience. There’s not much interaction on a short flight like this, but I still think they were good.
From a value perspective though it’s a bit harder to recommend British Airways. I bought this ticket as part of a flight + hotel package. So for two nights in Belfast at a 4 star hotel plus flights it cost £704 for two people. Now the hotel (AC Hotel by Marriott) cost a surprisingly high £200 per night if I were to book individually. I don’t think that hotel was worth the price but I’ll get to that in another review. That means the flight was £150 for the return per person. Checking easyJet for comparison you can fly for as cheap as £60 return. But that doesn’t include baggage or seat selection and would mean having to wake up at 3a.m for a 6a.m. flight. Adding baggage easyjet becomes £120 per person. So from that point of view, I think British Airways were a good deal here.
More from me…
Please feel free to check out other related posts I’ve written:
- Singapore Airlines Fantastic Regional Business – Saigon to Singapore on a 787-10
- Singapore Airlines Economy from London to Singapore – As Good as People Say?
- Vietnam Airlines Economy Refreshing Airbus A321 Trip Report
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- British Airways Card: You Receive 8,000 Avios after spending £1,000 in the first 3 months: https://americanexpress.com/en-gb/referral/fREDEG42lN?CPID=100503089