Feedback on Seattle Customs Experience and British Airways Experience

Thanks for your post! It sounds like you might have come in at one of the "S" gates? Did you have to go up and down the loooong escalators?

I hit Seattle Immigration (movement of people) and Customs (movement of goods) well in August too and managed with a very short transit time to make my flight to Spokane with time to make a comfort stop, lol. The GE kiosks were down and it was before the app was launched but the Immigration guy was so nice and quick, as opposed to the previous couple of times I've had thru there.

Note to others....if you have to make a comfort stop in a transit situation, use the bathrooms in the Immigration/customs area as there were many fewer people coming thru there than out on the concourse.

Too bad about your flight being delayed but glad for the folks the next day having a full crew!

Did you have the new Club Suite on your BA flight or was it the older product? I'm interested in your thoughts on why you thought Delta's product was a cut above BA's.

Sorry your BA flight experience was disappointing. Was it only because of the delayed departure? How late was your arrival? And how was the in flight experience? I'd also like to know if you had the Club World seats.

JC—that flight would have been BA49 which is a 787-10 with Club Suites, unless they had to swap equipment for some reason. We flew the outbound BA48 to LHR last month and it was very nice. My husband felt a little lonely though; I think he prefers the older yin-yang paired seats. We returned on Oct. 2 on the earlier flight (BA53) which is an unrefurbished 777, so he got his wish.

Pam, the BA flights do come in to the S terminal, like all international flights (except maybe some from Canada?). So you go up that long escalator, cross the sky ridge over the taxiway (high enough to let planes pass underneath) and then down to baggage claim and Immigration. Then you walk straight in to the main terminal (Concourse C I think without using that underground train between S gates and the main baggage claim.

This last trip was our first time with the baggage claim first, before immigration. We were first off the plane so had to wait 10-15 minutes for our checked bags before proceeding to Immigration. But there were no lines for the Global Entry kiosks, so that part went fairly quickly.

@Lola...when I came back in on a Delta flight the end of August we landed at an A gate which I love. I HATE those escalators especially with a carry on bag. My plan had been to look for an elevator because surely there must be one but I didn't have to. I was thru Immigration/Security and on to the concourse in short order. I wasn't sure where the BA flights landed. When I departed on the Delta flight it was an S gate.

Pam, there are elevators which are clearly marked, so don’t worry if you come in to the S gates.

Flight delays are a part of life these days. I have had several on-time flights from LHR to SEA on British Airways. I did have one frustrating delay. We arrived just 10 minutes short of the time period where they would have had to pay all the passengers compensation. I went from feeling frustrated over the delay to thinking, “ At this point, what is 10 minutes more….”

I have adjusted how I travel to relate to the new reality of flight delays. I always plan to arrive one day before any “must do” activities ( tours,cruises,appointments) and give myself an extra day cushion on returning home as well. When irregular operations happen they aren’t pleasant but at least I am not completely stressed out about missing something.

Pam, where was that Delta flight coming from, and how were you routed from the A gate to Immigration? Seems like one could just walk from the A gates directly into the main terminal. Or maybe they have certain A gates with a direct connection to the International terminal?

Edit: looking on Satellite view I can see how that works. The new International terminal is actually in the A concourse! That skybridge connects the S gates with the end of the A concourse. So it looks like they could route you directly to the International arrival area from gates A11, A13, and A21.

But I do not know how you would know the landing gate when you book your flight. Maybe Delta always uses those A gates for that flight? You could check your flight number on FlightAware to see.

Another edit: I see DL21 from Heathrow is scheduled to land at S15 today. Was that your flight?

Last July, we did the round trip Seattle to Heathrow. On the way over, we sat in United Premium Economy and on the way back BA Premium Economy. In my opinion, the United seats were more comfortable and a nicer experience. For instance, I’d rather have some yogurt and fruit rather than a hot pocket after 10 hours in the air. And yes, we did the endless escalators coming back, the grandkids thought it was really neat.

I’m sorry that most passengers felt like it was a bad decision for British Airways to make sure the next flight could takeoff and not strand several hundred passengers.

I bet if you were the passengers waiting those flight attendants so you’re plane could takeoff You would’ve thought this is a great decision.

And the jerk who told off the flight attendant, should’ve been met at your destination by British Airlines official, and told that this was his last British Airways flight, so he wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.

Lola, it was a flight from Amsterdam to Seattle. You are kept in a sterile hallway going from the gate to that first baggage claim area before the Immigration desks. I think we joined the area just after the long down escalator from S gates. I did not look because I was rushing to catch that Spokane flight.

Yes, I. And see on Satellite View how that would work. It looks like from those 3 A gates I mentioned, you must pass through the new International area. They probably had that in mind when they built the new International arrivals area, as they need more capacity for International arrivals. It would be too difficult to expand the S terminal.

So your flight from Amsterdam was DL143, and today they arrived at S15. Maybe you just got lucky with that A gate!

I also had the Delta flight from Amsterdam to Seattle last June that thankfully pulled up to the A concourse! I get the dizzy/panic feeling with open heights, so I hate very long open escalators. Glad to hear there’s an elevator if I end up in the S gates on next year’s international trips.

And I, by contrast, I spite of my vertigo with heights, am much more comfortable on the open escalator than an enclosed elevator. I just stay focused on my husband’s back in front of me and don’t gaze all around.

Well, Lola, your husband will just have to get special dispensation from the authorities to meet Jean and me when we transit thru Seattle and ride the escalators in front of us!

And yes, I'd looked during July and early August to see which gate that AMS flight was arriving to and it was often the S gates so I'd prepared myself for it. The A gates are so much easier.

Not to hijack your thread wyattsaunt but earlier this month I used the Mobile Passport Control app at Seattle and it worked just like your Global Entry process. I didn't have any bags to pick up so I walked to the special MPS line and I was through in 3 minutes - even faster than the GE line (!) and much faster than regular passport control. For those who don't have GE, this is a great option if your return airport offers it. https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control

JC, we had Club World seats on BA. I was comparing them to our Polaris Business seats on United (not Delta). Polaris has apparently taken the place of First and Business on United transatlantic flights. It was a much more luxurious experience than Club World on BA. However, the BA flight still has a small first class section, so maybe IT is comparable to Polaris.
Our original BA flight was supposed to be on a 787 with the newer seat configuration, where you can’t sit next to your companion if you’re next to the window. They switched planes a few days beforehand to the older configuration where you’re facing you partner with the person by the window facing backward. It was fine; having experienced both now I really don’t have a preference, except to say that the man one row forward had to step over my foot rest. Good thing he was tall.

The differences between United Polaris and British Airways Club World: on United, we got a better amenities kit (Therabody) in a really nice looking small crossbody bag, which we actually used during the trip. The food and beverage service was more attentive and extensive on United. On BA, one glass of orange juice or champagne was offered upon being seated. The food was okay, on BA, (sorry, I can remember what we had on United), but each service took a long time to come around and there was little effort made between dinner and the second service to offer snacks or more water, etc. On the other hand, on BA, Club World had its own designated restrooms, meaning no waiting, whereas in United Polaris, we shared with Premium Economy. I guess the two are comparable, but I would give United Polaris the edge over British Airways. We didn’t get to try the BA lounge, but the Polaris lounge in Dulles was really swank.

CJean,
Our flight ended up only being 30 minutes late, so the pilot was able to make up half the time we had waited on the ground.
And, as another posted said, it was very bad behavior for that man to yell at the flight attendant, though we all felt pretty disrespected. Back at LHR, while we were waiting to take off, I overheard part of a conversation between two flight attendants. I heard, “If anyone asks, tell them….” Didn’t hear the rest. I guess we were glad if we had to wait, it was for 3 flight attendants and not some entitled VIP. Nevertheless, I think the pilot should have told us the actual reason for the delay. That might have helped quell the anger and frustration of many.

We had reservations for a BA flight from SEA to LHR, business class for 10/26 flight at around 1:15 or so. Around 4pm on the 25th the sent us a note apologizing that our flight departure was moving to 0525 the morning of the 26th! This was going to result in our arriving too late for our Rome connection resulting in losing 1 night in our splurge hotel. Luckily we contacted BA by phone and the woman we talked to booked us on AA, they often code-share, and we flew out at around 10pm the 25th. After making new connections we managed to get to our hotel in room just after midnight.
I wonder if this was all related?
Kelly

Maybe, but are you sure you have the dates correct? You say the flight was scheduled to depart SEA at 1:15 (pm) on the 26th. That would be the earlier of the two BA flights that day, BA52. You got notice the previous day that the flight would depart at 0525 on the 26th, which would have been earlier than scheduled, not later.

Did you mean to say the new time was 0525 on the 27th?

@ Wyattsaunt - I'm not surprised you felt a bit disappointed if you flew on the older BA configuration. The new Club Suite is a much better product and the seats are more akin to First Class. BA appears to be phasing out First Class on a number of routes but in all honesty I found that there's not much between the new Club Suite seats and the First Class ones.

I agree with you that service on BA is not great. It's not very attentive and far too often I find myself trying to get the attention of one of the cabin crew for a drink. No-one asks what time you'd like your meal, they want to get it out of the way in one go despite the claim from BA that you can choose to have your meal whenver you'd like.

Food on BA is generally better when departing from the UK, I guess there's less control over the food when using a third party in another country and I've found this is the case with all airlines I've flown.

It's a shame you didn't get to use the lounge at Heathrow as I would have liked to know how you thought it compared to the one in Dulles.