I flew on a British Airways Airbus A320 for $195. It's definitely better than flying budget, but I can see why the airline is spending $9 billion on upgrades.
Pete Syme
- British Airways is rolling out a new short-haul interior as part of its $9 billion transformation.
- I flew from Edinburgh to London to see what the current cabin is like.
Back in 2006, British Airways was named the world's best airline by Skytrax, but its reputation has since declined.
In March, the UK flag carrier announced a $9 billion plan to turn things around. That included overhauling its IT system and continuing retrofits on its Airbus A380 jets — but perhaps the main change is a new cabin design for its short-haul flights.
One A321neo with the new seats is already in the skies. After seeing them in person at the March press event, I wanted to see how they compare to the old version, so I took a trip on an older BA plane in late May.
I definitely thought the flight was better than that of a budget airline, but it also wasn't perfect. BA can feel dated and inconsistent, but this makes me excited for the updates because they seem to solve lots of problems.
In March, British Airways unveiled its new short-haul interior as part of a $9 billion transformation after years of slumping popularity.
The new interior will feature on eight A320neo and A321neo jets, one of which is already in service.
I took a BA flight from Edinburgh to London Heathrow last month to check out the flag carrier's short-haul interior before the update is fully rolled out.
The booking process was quick to get through, although the website can be a bit glitchy. IT updates were another part of the transformation announcement.
My flight cost £153 ($195) but this was a last minute booking. Tickets a month in advance start at £87 ($111) at the time of writing.
That could be a similar price to easyJet depending on the time of day. With a larger carry-on allowance, access to Heathrow Airport, and a frequent-flyer program, I think it's a reasonable price. Add-ons are also cheaper — I paid £5 ($6.40) to pick an aisle seat.
As everyone boarded, I was slightly disappointed that the flight attendants didn't say hello to me.
In my view, a friendly greeting is an important, and easy, step to make passengers feel welcomed onto their flight. During a recent trip to compare Europe's three main budget airlines, easyJet's staff were the only ones to greet me, which gave the airline a big boost in my eyes.
Although as I found my seat, there was a very friendly flight attendant making conversation with passengers.
I think one of BA's main problems is inconsistency — some of its crew are incredibly welcoming and attentive, but others can seem disinterested.
After sitting at the gate for 15 minutes, the pilot announced that we had missed our takeoff slot because there was a discrepancy with the hold luggage. However, I appreciated his calm demeanor and enthusiasm for making up time during the flight.
We took off 47 minutes after our scheduled departure time, but only landed 28 minutes late.
Shortly after takeoff, the flight attendants offered everyone a bottle of water and a small bag of either peanuts or cookies.
Of course this isn't particularly uncommon, but it was a nice reminder that I was flying on a legacy carrier compared to my budget airline reviews the month before. Plus, the cookies were good!
The ability to recline was also a helpful feature that you wouldn't find on budget airlines flying the same route.
The seatback is pretty nondescript, but I found the tray table was spacious.
The upcoming design is similar, but note the USB-A and USB-C ports on the left.
I think that's a major improvement over the current layout, where two USB-A sockets are awkwardly situated down between seats.
At first, there was no power to the sockets and the passenger next to me had to ask the flight attendant, but they were polite and handled it well.
The leather seat was comfortable, but the legroom was a disappointment. It measures 30 inches, yet even at 5 foot 9, I felt somewhat cramped.
You would get a little more legroom in the new interior as there's more space inset beneath the tray table.
All the extra legroom seats are in business class, which BA calls Club Europe. Like most European carriers, it's the same seat design, except the middle seat is blocked off.
I thought the black-and-gray color scheme was a bit dull and stuffy. But the new version, in navy with red stitching, looks far more modern and gives some needed brightness.
The navy and red is suppose to evoke the British flag, but it also looks similar to a Delta Air Lines cabin.
I also checked out the aft bathroom which had plenty of space.
It had a BA-branded bottle of hand wash and moisturiser. Although the sink area was limited.
There wasn't any in flight entertainment but I was happy to read a novel on the 1 hour and 7 minute flight.
We touched down in sunny London 28 minutes behind schedule. Another benefit of BA versus budget carriers is the use of Heathrow Airport, the capital's largest hub with the most transport links.
There wasn't much to complain about on my flight beside the delay. But I think the new design will help boost BA's reputation. It would be ideal if it could be rolled out on more than just the new eight jets.
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