British Airways

[route101]

Does anyone know with regards to the allocation of the A321s on domestic routes? I don't see them listed when booking a flight. Are they rostered at short notice on domestic flights?

 

[Watershed]

Does anyone know with regards to the allocation of the A321s on domestic routes? I don't see them listed when booking a flight. Are they rostered at short notice on domestic flights?

Individual aircraft type allocations are shown on Google Flights, amongst other places. They do sometimes change nearer to the departure time though, and sometimes even on the day (for example if one flight is cancelled, another may be "upgauged").

 

[Cross City]

Bring back the old a320-100s(the ones with the bare wing, no winglets or sharklets), the cabin in those was very comfy when first delivered.

 

[Acfb]

I just did a return from London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda and back in economy. We arrived early on both occasions, the food was fine as were the staff. The 777 on the way out felt a little tired but the A350 on the way back was good.

I'd score things slightly down on luggage delivery, it was painfully slow on the way back, but I guess that will be as much a BAA issue as anything.

I did pay for emergency exit seats so I had lots and lots of legroom and I consider this a smarter option than going premium economy.

Another bonus was our return flight headed east over Alaska and Greenland, resulting in fantastic views of the Northern Lights.

So my BA experience was vastly improved than my last trip to the US, when on the return leg my partner's pre-ordered email in premium economy consisted of an apple and a banana. O kid you not!

I've just been to Japan as well a few weeks ago. Flew EDI-LHR-HND. Flew JAL outbound in premium economy (on the 777-300) and back with BA also in premium economy (on the 787). The BA flight was two hours late on the way out to LHR which was annoying as we had to get to T3 although the bus was quite quick from T5 to T3.

The JAL flight on the way out was wonderful and flew south of Russia. The BA flight on the way back was really exhausting though (even with plenty of leg room sitting by the wing) even though the service was good and went over North America instead which took at least an hour longer.

 

[gazthomas]

@Acfb like you we found the return flight east over Alaska and Greenland tiring despite the excitement of the Northern Lights. I wonder if this was due to our bodies expecting to return westwards. You wouldn't think just an extra hour or two would create such jet leg!

 

[DanNCL]

Does anyone know with regards to the allocation of the A321s on domestic routes? I don't see them listed when booking a flight. Are they rostered at short notice on domestic flights?

Think they might show as 32Q.

 

[RailWonderer]

Check the seat map. If it has only two seats in the last row then it’s not one of the ex BMI aircraft, likewise if it has row 13 it’s not one of the ex BMI aircraft.

I had G-EUPD last year, the oldest remaining Airbus in the BA fleet (and the last one left from before 2000), despite its age the Pinnacle seated cabin was in good condition.

The refurb won’t be Pinnacle seating but rather the brand new cabin that’s currently only fitted to the most recent delivery of NEOs, specifically G-TTNV/NW/NX/NY/NZ, G-TTSA, and G-TNED/EE

It had three so it was an ex-BMI one but I missed it anyway and took a far nicer Norwegian 737, with a free upgrade to the front row, so far nicer. BA does do nicer coffee though, unlike the Starbucks instant you get on Norwegian. I'm less and less a fan of BA with Heathrow being so delayed with constant long queues to take off and holding patterns to land, added to the slow security.

 

[WizCastro197]

Does anyone know if just G-YMMx 777s placed on Gatwick-Cancun flights and therefore is not serviced by G-VIIx?

 

[Watershed]

Does anyone know if just G-YMMx 777s placed on Gatwick-Cancun flights and therefore is not serviced by G-VIIx?

It really depends on the flight in question - you need to look at the seatmap and reconcile this with the layout shown on the likes of Aerolopa (which is much more accurate than Seatguru or other sites). But in brief terms, if it has a row 16 in premium economy it's scheduled to be operated with a G-VIIx aircraft, otherwise it's scheduled to operate with a G-YMMx aircraft.

Of course on the day, things can always change and since BA is quite short of serviceable long-haul aircraft at the moment, substitutions are a daily occurrence.

 

[Ted633]

Does anyone know if just G-YMMx 777s placed on Gatwick-Cancun flights and therefore is not serviced by G-VIIx?

The YMMx are the much preferred type on the Cancun run as it's a longer flight. The YMMx series have crew rests fitted, which is beneficial to have as it extends crew duty time.
The Gatwick 777 fleet has not been in a good way recently though, so anything is possible!

An event I am aware of recently involved a non-crew rest fitted 777 operating a Vancouver run. Flight was delayed enough to put the crew out of time. The only way the flight was able to operate was to downgrade all passengers in the business class seats in the front portion of the aircraft and use those seats as a crew rest.

 

[Butts]

Even Exit Rows are getting smaller than they used to be -sweet spot has got to be row 2 on an E190.

 

[najaB]

Even Exit Rows are getting smaller than they used to be -sweet spot has got to be row 2 on an E190.

It would be interesting to see some actual hard figures on that, given that the width of exit rows is set by regulations.

 

[Huntergreed]

Even Exit Rows are getting smaller than they used to be -sweet spot has got to be row 2 on an E190.

I had a flight down from Glasgow to City this evening, was very lucky to get 2 C and D all to myself!

Legroom and space was phenomenal, as was the salmon and grain salad!

My first time doing the eastbound into city, what an approach!!

 

[Butts]

It would be interesting to see some actual hard figures on that, given that the width of exit rows is set by regulations.

Just compare A319 with A320 .

There is probably a. minimum but no maximum ?

I had a flight down from Glasgow to City this evening, was very lucky to get 2 C and D all to myself!

Legroom and space was phenomenal, as was the salmon and grain salad!

My first time doing the eastbound into city, what an approach!!

Best seats in the house on the "Train Slayer"

 

[najaB]

Just compare A319 with A320 .

Well that makes sense. The minimum width depends on the number of passengers - all things being equal, bigger plane = wider exit rows.

 

[nlogax]

I had a flight down from Glasgow to City this evening, was very lucky to get 2 C and D all to myself!

Legroom and space was phenomenal, as was the salmon and grain salad!

My first time doing the eastbound into city, what an approach!!

For me the salmon salad is a regular highlight of that route. I always go for it!

 

[RailWonderer]

I had a flight down from Glasgow to City this evening, was very lucky to get 2 C and D all to myself!

Legroom and space was phenomenal, as was the salmon and grain salad!

My first time doing the eastbound into city, what an approach!!

I bet the passengers are all wolfing it down given how short those domestic shuttles are. Nice seat though, I was last sat in 2F on a Norwegian 737 on the front row and it was better than exit rows.

 

[cactustwirly]

It really depends on the flight in question - you need to look at the seatmap and reconcile this with the layout shown on the likes of Aerolopa (which is much more accurate than Seatguru or other sites). But in brief terms, if it has a row 16 in premium economy it's scheduled to be operated with a G-VIIx aircraft, otherwise it's scheduled to operate with a G-YMMx aircraft.

Of course on the day, things can always change and since BA is quite short of serviceable long-haul aircraft at the moment, substitutions are a daily occurrence.

Interesting I always thought it was just an engine difference.
The VIIx have GE and YMMx have RR engines

 

[AndrewE]

Some friends should have flown home from Salzburg last week but their BA flight was cancelled and they were told to come back the next day... It seems that quite a few BA flights are being cancelled at the moment, I guessed it might be because planes had been commandeered for a Lebanon evacuation, but I was told tha BA have a problem with RR engines at the moment.
If so I'm not surprised we haven't heard about it in the mainstream media (Share price implications and all that) but I did just find https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...llations-787-rolls-royce-engine-b2628291.html

British Airways has scrapped more long-haul flights after a shortage of engine parts has grounded planes.
Thousands of passengers’ travel plans will be affected after the carrier was forced to cancel a string of flights on Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets.

The carrier has halted the launch of services to Malaysia, halved the number of flights to Qatar and suspended routes between Gatwick and New York JFK amid a shortage of replacement engine parts.

BA said it was forced into the measures because of wear and tear to the Trent 1000 engines that power its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets.
Supply chain issues have left engine manufacturers Rolls-Royce unable to supply enough spare parts to keep the planes running.
...
The airline has admitted it does not believe the issue will be resolved quickly, but said most customers will be offered a same-day flight with BA or a partner airline.

Not in our friends' case!

 

[Iskra]

On a similar note, my parents recently booked a hotel at Manchester airport for an early BA flight to Heathrow, before an Air Canada flight to Vancouver. BA cancelled the flight the night before so my parents, who had already checked into their hotel and paid for airport parking, were then left driving to Heathrow that same evening and checking into a new hotel late at night and paying for car parking again. The original itinerary was booked by a travel agent, and there are apparently no agreements between BA and Air Canada, so BA are refusing to re-imburse the additional costs incurred, as they offered a later flight which wouldn’t have made the connection (and then the cruise at Vancouver). Needless to say, apart from one that is already booked, my parents won’t be relying on BA for domestic flights ever again.

 

[Snow1964]

BA is also short of big long haul planes, due to (very) late delivery of planes that were to replace the 747s (which were withdrawn early when covid stopped travel), it ordered 18 (and 24 options) of Boeing 777-9 (also known as 777-X) which were originally to be delivered 2022-2024 and now not expected until at least 2027-2029 (and certification of the plane keeps slipping, and latest is apparently awaiting a fix to thrust linkages) so could be even later (if 777-X ever makes it into passenger service).

That is why it has been looking at the 6 ex Malaysia A380s (now stored at Chateauroux, France and reconfiguring it's own 12 to give 18 upgraded identical aircraft.

British Airways has now received its 18 A350-1000s which Seat 331 (in 3 class: no first, 56 business, 56 Prem econ, 219 economy) which are now second biggest in size in BA fleet

The 787-10s seat 256 (8 first, 48 business, 35 pr ec, 165 economy)
The 777-300 seat 256 (8 first, 76 business, 40 pr ec, 132 economy)

 

[TravelDream]

The original itinerary was booked by a travel agent, and there are apparently no agreements between BA and Air Canada, so BA are refusing to re-imburse the additional costs incurred

I think this is a buyer beware post.

Airlines only have responsibility to get you to your destination/ give EU261 style compensation if your itinerary is on a single ticket. This is quite different to rail where multiple tickets can make one journey.

Any agreement between airlines is irrelevant. If I book a BA flight from Newcastle to Heathrow and then a separate BA flight from Heathrow to New York JFK and, let's say, the NCL flight is delayed, BA have no responsibility to get me to New York, provide hotels or even refund my ticket as they were on two separate tickets.

Some travel insurance products will cover this as long as the connection time is reasonable.. My advice for them would have been to get good travel insurance and ensure plenty of time for the connection.

Perhaps the travel agent should also be liable if they didn't make it clear that your parents were on two separate tickets.

 

[Iskra]

I think this is a buyer beware post.

Airlines only have responsibility to get you to your destination/ give EU261 style compensation if your itinerary is on a single ticket. This is quite different to rail where multiple tickets can make one journey.

Any agreement between airlines is irrelevant. If I book a BA flight from Newcastle to Heathrow and then a separate BA flight from Heathrow to New York JFK and, let's say, the NCL flight is delayed, BA have no responsibility to get me to New York, provide hotels or even refund my ticket as they were on two separate tickets.

Some travel insurance products will cover this as long as the connection time is reasonable.. My advice for them would have been to get good travel insurance and ensure plenty of time for the connection.

Perhaps the travel agent should also be liable if they didn't make it clear that your parents were on two separate tickets.

I agree, and I’ve provided advice on future bookings to them and I don’t think they are going to be bothering with domestic connecting flights again. They use the same travel agents frequently, but all the flights are clearly done for cost rather than convenience, so I think they will be booking their own flights in the future.

 

[Ted633]

BA is also short of big long haul planes, due to (very) late delivery of planes that were to replace the 747s (which were withdrawn early when covid stopped travel), it ordered 18 (and 24 options) of Boeing 777-9 (also known as 777-X) which were originally to be delivered 2022-2024 and now not expected until at least 2027-2029 (and certification of the plane keeps slipping, and latest is apparently awaiting a fix to thrust linkages) so could be even later (if 777-X ever makes it into passenger service).

That is why it has been looking at the 6 ex Malaysia A380s (now stored at Chateauroux, France and reconfiguring it's own 12 to give 18 upgraded identical aircraft.

British Airways has now received its 18 A350-1000s which Seat 331 (in 3 class: no first, 56 business, 56 Prem econ, 219 economy) which are now second biggest in size in BA fleet

The 787-10s seat 256 (8 first, 48 business, 35 pr ec, 165 economy)
The 777-300 seat 256 (8 first, 76 business, 40 pr ec, 132 economy)

BA operates a schedule to the aircraft it already has. The 777x delay has nothing to do with current delays.
General reliability hasn't been great recently, the storage of the A380's during COVID didn't really do them any good.
Issues with the 787 RR engines has compounded reliability issues, meaning the 777 fleet has had to take up the slack. This in turn has meant that the 777 fleet is now starting to struggle as it is being flown very hard and maintenance is due more often. A lot of the 777-200 fleet are now beyond 25 years old and are starting to show their age from a mechanical point of view.
BA have converted their last few -10 on order to be GenX powered due to the Rolls issues.

Pedantic point to your last paragraph, the A350 is BA's 3rd largest aircraft by number of pax. Some of the Gatwick 777 fleet is configured 32/52/252 to give a total of 336!

 

[RailWonderer]

BA operates a schedule to the aircraft it already has. The 777x delay has nothing to do with current delays.
General reliability hasn't been great recently, the storage of the A380's during COVID didn't really do them any good.
Issues with the 787 RR engines has compounded reliability issues, meaning the 777 fleet has had to take up the slack. This in turn has meant that the 777 fleet is now starting to struggle as it is being flown very hard and maintenance is due more often. A lot of the 777-200 fleet are now beyond 25 years old and are starting to show their age from a mechanical point of view.
BA have converted their last few -10 on order to be GenX powered due to the Rolls issues.

Pedantic point to your last paragraph, the A350 is BA's 3rd largest aircraft by number of pax. Some of the Gatwick 777 fleet is configured 32/52/252 to give a total of 336!

Yet BA is bolstering its US flight frequency come next year. They should be removing destinations and reducing frequencies to improve reliability, not operating to the very limit and having to cancel flights.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The original itinerary was booked by a travel agent, and there are apparently no agreements between BA and Air Canada, so BA are refusing to re-imburse the additional costs incurred

Definitely a buyer beware post.

I had a similar situation a couple of weeks ago heading to Hamburg. Through BA ticket but the IOM-LHR leg was on Loganair. Loganair flight was two hours late due to a technical issue meaning we were well inside the 90 minutes minimum connection time for T2-T5 when we arrived. There was a staff member at the foot of the stairs on arrival at Heathrow with a slip of paper telling us our new flight details; they'd automatically rebooked us whilst we were in the air. Just had to collect our new boarding passes at T5. The bags automatically followed us.

I honestly can't fault BA (or Loganair) for how it was handled.

 

[Ted633]

Yet BA is bolstering its US flight frequency come next year. They should be removing destinations and reducing frequencies to improve reliability, not operating to the very limit and having to cancel flights.

I'd expect they are hoping that the RR issues will be sorted by then (which isn't unreasonable)
Additional 787-10's are due as well with no retirements planned

 

[nlogax]

Slightly surreal experience last night into today. 10pm last night my connecting flight from GLA to LHR was binned, so BA auto-rebooked getting to Vegas via an overnight in London on Wednesday and then another connecting leg to AMS before a KLM flight to LAS on Thursday. Three days after I needed to be there. I will never understand how their rebooking system works.

Needless to say I didn't accept the new flights but spent a late hour on the phone to BA who simply brought forward my schedule..earlier connecting flight to LHR today and then Virgin Atlantic to LAS this evening.

Still managed to get into BA lounge at T3 even with a Virgin ticket, though obvs a BA booking overall. I'll have to call up for original route credit for Avios and TPs but honestly it's been easy if not a little knackering sorting it out.

Fwiw Premium Economy on Virgin is fine. Probably slightly nicer than BA WTP which is what I bought. This 787 feels a little tired but that's nothing different to experiences with BA.

 

[Butts]

Slightly surreal experience last night into today. 10pm last night my connecting flight from GLA to LHR was binned, so BA auto-rebooked getting to Vegas via an overnight in London on Wednesday and then another connecting leg to AMS before a KLM flight to LAS on Thursday. Three days after I needed to be there. I will never understand how their rebooking system works.

Needless to say I didn't accept the new flights but spent a late hour on the phone to BA who simply brought forward my schedule..earlier connecting flight to LHR today and then Virgin Atlantic to LAS this evening.

Still managed to get into BA lounge at T3 even with a Virgin ticket, though obvs a BA booking overall. I'll have to call up for original route credit for Avios and TPs but honestly it's been easy if not a little knackering sorting it out.

Fwiw Premium Economy on Virgin is fine. Probably slightly nicer than BA WTP which is what I bought. This 787 feels a little tired but that's nothing different to experiences with BA.

Wonder if you could have got into The Virgin Clubhouse with that ticket at T3.

Never been in it but it's supposed to be quite good ?

 

[nlogax]

Wonder if you could have got into The Virgin Clubhouse with that ticket at T3.

Never been in it but it's supposed to be quite good ?

Unlikely, I have no status with Virgin.