BA World Traveller
 

On May the 24th i am going with BA from LHR to JFK in World Traveller class. I have never flown long-haul with BA so could any-one please give me their opinions and reports of this. Also does any-one know when BA are going to refurbish the world traveller class seats and the IFE's? they both look pretty old and dated!

Im crew for BA longhaul.

IFE is in the process of being upgraded to AVOD standard along with the new Club World cabin. Now with over 120 longhaul aircraft in the fleet this will take some time although our optimistic management are under the impression that this will be completed by May 2008....wishful thinking I fear. So far I think about 9 or 10 747's have been completed and all the 767's now have AVOD on them (although they are not getting the new club world seats). It is very possible that you may have an AVOD fitted 747 on your flight.

As for the WT seats. I admit the seat fabrics could do with being replaced, they have the images from the Utopia schemes on them so are seriously out of date from a branding perspective. However you will find that the seats are actually rather comfy most of the time once you get over the seat pitch which as a 6ft tall bloke I myself have problems with.

Anything else you need to know just shout!

I regularly fly BA World Traveller between UK & India.
Check-in online at ba.com as this will let you select your seat. Tip - it will only let you check in 24 hours before your flight departure time, so try it at 23:59.
Check out SeatGuru
http://www.seatguru.com/index.php

for the good seats and try to bag them first.

I agree with Paddy - the WT seats are quite comfortable, however you can mitigate the lack of leg room by choosing your seat carefully. I particularly like the "ears" which fold down on the headrest, so that your sleeping head doesn't flop over onto your neighbour's shoulder. The foot rest, in my opinion, is not all that good an idea as when it is down, you can't stretch your legs under the seat in front and when it is up you continually crack your shins against it.
As a comparison, I flew Lufthansa on my last round trip due to the uncertainties at the time about the BA CC strike. I found the cabin service to be better than BA, the seat however, was less comfortable and the IFE dire! (no seat back screens and movies shown on 19" monitors on the ceiling.). No online check in was offered either, so I was stuck with what I was given.

Here's what others think of BA.
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/brit_awys.htm
Personally I always fly World Traveller Plus as a minimum but WT is okay if you are not to tall or too large. I usually find in-flight service with BA to be good. Qantas and SQ staff can be a bit over-attentive at times.

When reading self-reporting folks on line with, always bear in mind that people are more likely to report bad news than good news.

I agree with Paxboy but I have to say I find WT very poor these days. I used to travel alot with BA long haul but now would only use them in an emergency. The explanation is simple, the seat pitch is way too small for long haul travel. A great pity, BA service is generally good, their entertainment is good, food is fine, schedules good, safety excellent. Online checkin works well. But the seat pitch for an average 5'10" bloke such as myself is intolerable. I have flown with BA in its various guises man and boy since 1963 but now I will not. Once again, a pity, but there is plenty of safe choice out there to spend my employers money and my own money on. However, I hope you have good trip with them, it is a relatively short flight by long haul standards these days.

also do take into consideration virgin's upper class suit, can be viewed on www.v-flyer.com

In the last 4 months booked 4 long haul sectors with BA in WT+ and was upgraded on all 4, not a point collector myself, must be my smile. :}

Seems that they do quite often oversell that section and push people up into Club. Worth a try.

Brgd's

N1Vibes

In the 747s, the seat pitch is verging on inhuman, food is mediocre and service typically "OK" but nothing more, usually for an inflated ticket price. Not to be recommended, IMO; I found American far better on just about every count bar having to pay for alcohol.

BA are only really interested in their premium classes, so far as I can tell.

Are you serious????? No airline food is fine! it is all utter ****

Claridges is fine food :)

:hmm:

That'll be Gordon Ramsay at Claridges then? Soon to be found at Terminal 5 LHR by all accounts. :D

That would be

Really???

I just arrived at JFK yesterday in Club and the old IFE's plus the fabrics and fittings are poor and drab. However, the food was good what was dissapointing that having not travelled longhaul for over 7 years, other than the seats nothing much appears to have changed.

PAXboy said this:

I'm no shill for BA, but I've sent them no complaints - rather two complimentary letters (not emails), in the last three years - and these were flights to Australia.

As gdiphil pointed out, JFK is not that far. If you are happy with the price, take your flight on a positive note and anticipate what's ahead. You're not, I hope, going all that way just to watch a movie on the flight...

BOFH

:hmm:
Much regret that one cannot find the necessary article close to hand but am quite sure that somewhere it was writ that GR will open his first airport restaurant at T5.
Could be wrong of course? Perhaps a plot by BA to encourage pre flight grazing?:8
Incidentally, and for those fans of the gustatory delights of the man himself, the Hospital Road restaurant is, in one's opinion, rather better than the one at jolly old Claridges. Certainly the lunchtime crowd there is rather less Lebanese, as it were and, whilst being equally wealthy in a quieter sort of way, more amusing.:E

BOFH Sure, I certainly accept that. Overall, when I have read the torrent of abuse on those sites, I am left agog as to how I could have been on the same airlines for 40 years!

CC Who is 'GR' that might open a restaurant? Sorry if one should know who these fancy kitchen wallahs are but one has no idea which is which.

:D

Herewith some further information.

http://www.caterersearch.com/Article...terminal-5.htm