Decrepit planes, poor business class layout designed to maximize revenue, no decent movie selection.
The to flight was excellent but the return flight the seats seemed not cushioning enough.
⭐ British Airways Review — A Journey of Highs, Lows, and Lessons ⭐ I recently flew Business Class round-trip from Boston to Mumbai with British Airways, and my experience was a tale of two extremes — from disappointment to exceptional service, and then back to inconsistency. Boston → London: A Surprisingly Poor Start My journey began on a disappointing note. On a 6-hour Business Class flight, I was surprised to discover that there wasn’t a single proper vegetarian meal option available. I was offered a few bakery items only after repeatedly requesting something to eat. The flight attendant shrugged, offered no solution, and eventually — quite literally — threw some bread at me after much delay. This was not only disheartening, it was extremely surprising given my wonderful Business Class experience with BA last year. I stepped off that flight genuinely hungry and had to make a mad dash to the lounge just to get a proper meal. London → Mumbai: A Complete Turnaround The next sector restored my faith in British Airways. The entire crew was warm, welcoming, attentive, and genuinely caring. A special shoutout to Phiroze and the entire team serving the Business Class cabin — their professionalism, hospitality, and thoughtful service were extraordinary. They truly embodied what makes British Airways a global leader, and I am deeply grateful for the experience they provided. This is the BA I know and love. Mumbai → London: A Strange Meal Schedule This sector was generally fine, but the meal timing was puzzling. Lunch at 10:30 AM — for a Business cabin — felt unusual, and most passengers, including myself, barely touched it. The rest of the service was smooth, but the scheduling definitely needs a rethink. London → Boston: Mixed Experience Again The flight itself was decent, but the Business Lounge at Heathrow for this leg was a letdown. Arrived during lunch hours: no hot vegetarian options available Lounge area: dirty dishes everywhere Even after politely alerting the staff, the dishes were ignored and left uncleared For a premium cabin passenger — and at one of the world’s busiest international hubs — this was disappointing. Overall Impression My journey with British Airways felt inconsistent — two great sectors sandwiched between two that fell short of the BA standard. When BA is good, it is world-class. When it misses, the gap is noticeable. I genuinely hope the airline takes this feedback as constructive insight. I continue to believe in British Airways, and I commend the outstanding crew on the London → Mumbai sector — they were the highlight of my entire trip. With a little more focus on vegetarian meal availability, lounge service, and consistency across crews, BA can ensure every Business Class passenger experiences the premium journey they promise.
1. The website didn’t allow me to checkin from London as I have Bangladesh passport with US permanent resident card. This pushed me to sit with my wife in the middle of two aisle seats, terrible experience! 2. BA should allow within 24 hours to checkin with other passport holders to choose better seats. A 2nd verification of travel documents can be done at the desk about immigration status. 3. Food options were poor for vegetarian passengers, try to introduce healthy options avoiding carb-dense food ingredients.
The flight was good. It arrived at Heathrow on time but then there was no transport to take us to the terminal. We sat on the plane for an hour waiting for a bus. I will avoid Heathrow if possible in future. The crew were very apologetic.
They sat my 2 year old in the seat behind me, separate from myself and my 5 year-old daughter. When I asked them to fix it they told me to speak to the gate agent in London. When I asked in London they told me to talk to the cabin crew. Then a “Supervisor” stuck us in row 39 at the back of the plane when we were originally sitting in row 25/26. They ran out of food which was gross anyway, and the entertain didn’t work the first hour of the flight. Overall terrible experience.
Flight was delayed for 2h. Announcements were poor and I was given 1 biscuit and a bottle of water as consolation. Not happy.
The gate at London Gatwick had confusing signs for the different zones and the staff seemed harried because people didn't know when it was their turn to come to the desk. Plus, with there were too many carry-on bag travelers, myself included. The charge scheme for checking bags is frustrating. If you travel light, you want the freedom to leave as soon as you deplane. When you are forced to gate-check your bag simply because the flight is fully booked, you lose whatever time you'd hoped to save because you're still stuck waiting for your bag to come off the conveyor belt.
We arrived late to London, and consequently were 5 min. late to be allowed through security for our next flight. Even though dozens of people missed the same flight, BA did not radio ahead to hold open security for an extra 5-10 min. to allow people to get on the flight. This caused an additional 6 hour delay in London after waiting over an hour in Customer Service to get rebooked. They did not have enough staff on hand to help people in a timely manner. Not at all happy with the BA's customer care or customer service.
Easy boarding, very friendly crew, short flight so no entertainment… needed cc for all food and drink purchases…. clean and on time … that is all that mattered… so overall very good.
