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British Airways?

I am considering flying to Italy on BA and was wondering what people thought. I will be flying with my daughter (7) and my husband. I have never flown internationally so I was just wondering how they were... quality, time, etc...

Posted by
901 posts

I like to fly BA because I feel like my vacation has already begun once I hear the pilot and cabin crew speak! BA's quality has definitely gone down in the past, say, ten years, but I would rather fly with them than with anyone else.

Posted by
808 posts

I am a fan of BA Crew! I find it interesting to sit back as a Passenger and watch other Flight Crews in action. You can't help but evaluate their level of professionalism when you are brothers and sisters in the same Industry.

I think BA Crews are among the most professional in the Sky today. I don't fly for them...but I would given the chance...They truly are an elite team, IMO.

Safe Skies,

F/A

Posted by
1455 posts

I really liked BA and also their competitor Virgin. Flying overseas I prefer using an international carrier than a domestic one (ie: United, Delta).

I would also dress your daugher in loose comfortable clothes. That way she wont feel constricted, and can sleep comforably as well.

Posted by
12172 posts

Michelle's advice is good.

Of my experiences BA is the best so far. It was marginally better for quality of food and service (I've flown several domestic carriers and they weren't bad, only slightly below BA).

I like to fly overnight and arrive in the morning. Check out the advice on what to bring on flights and techniques for sleeping on the plane.

Have a great time.

Posted by
16 posts

I booked a flight with BA a couple of months ago for a departure in mid-May. Just yesterday I was contacted about Heathrow (or BA, not sure where the orders came from) not allowing transfers with layovers of under 2 hrs because of the difficulties with Terminal 5. Our 1 hr, 55 min. layover just became a five hour one :)

Not too much of a hassle; fortunately we did not plan on doing anything too ambitious that first day in Milan. Just something to keep in mind. Good luck!

Posted by
487 posts

If you are flying BA consider upgrading to World Traveler Plus. We did that in 2005 and felt that the extra room was worth the money. I think it was $150 to $200 more per ticket. On our return we had a pleasant surprise, BA upgraded us to Club World! It was way beyond first or business class on any domestic airline and BA still has a level of service, first class, above Club World.

The only reason we haven't flown BA again is because we have to transfer in Chicago. Believe me, one trip with connections in Chicago was enough.

Posted by
5471 posts

Amanda, I've generally had good experiences on BA. However, I've never gone through LHR terminal 5 and hope that all the kinks are worked out before I have that experience. I've also read that they are delaying the transfer of some of their flights to terminal 5 due to some of the problems that they have been having.

One thing to check is that some of BA's connections to Italy fly out of Gatwick and some out of Heathrow. If you are connecting in London, make sure that you don't have to switch airports.

Posted by
215 posts

Flew BA to Italy a few months back. Last month
flew United to Germany. BA service and flight
much the better of the two.

Posted by
522 posts

I've only flown two airlines to Europe from the US: BA and US Airways. Although I'm pretty ho-hum about BA, it is far superior to US Airways (read: Horrible!).

I've been wanting to try some of the other Europe-based airlines but so far it hasn't worked out. Maybe if I discovered just how bad some of those competitors are I would appreciate BA more.

Posted by
7 posts

Thank you guys for the information, I feel really good about flying with them. I appreciate your input!