BRITISH AIRWAYS (London Heathrow Airport to Rotterdam), Airbus A320-200

British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 169 destinations around the world with a fleet of 273 aircraft (with 73 aircraft on order). British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, together with our code share and franchise partners, British Airways flies to more than 350 destinations worldwide.

Route: London Heathrow to Rotterdam 

Departure date and time of flight: 06:00am in January 2014

Flight Number: BA410

Flight duration: 1 hour 

Class: Economy Class (AKA: Euro Traveller)

IATA Callsign: Speedbird

Aircraft type: Airbus A320 (50 in fleet)

Aircraft registration: G-EUYO

First flight: 29th May 2013

Aircraft serial number: 5634

Aircraft engines: 2 x IAE V2527-A5

Punctuality of the flight: 

The flight was one of the first to leave Heathrow in the morning. The morning peak time for Heathrow is usually between 5 and 7 when long-haul flights (usually from the Far-East, America, and Africa) start arriving. During this period both runways may be used simultaneously for landings or take-offs, with only around a 50-second gap between one departing aircraft and the one behind it.

We departed from runway 27L on time, and landed around 10 minutes earlier than scheduled. Rotterdam is a tiny airport which hardly sees any traffic go through it. In fact it’s so tiny that planes don’t need to wait too long for turnarounds or taxi. By the time I had got to the city center in around 45 minutes after landing, our plane could be seen in the distance taking-off back to Heathrow again (the city of Rotterdam is equally tiny).      

Any baggage issues: 

I had no bags check in. European flights, such as this one, are normally used by commuters who hardly carry much luggage in the belly of the plane.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: 

No check in issues to report. For flights to Rotterdam, BA uses Heathrow’s Terminal 1 rather than Terminal 5.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service: 

Choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca-cola). 

Comments regarding the first meal: 

A cold croissant filled with bacon, cheese, and tomato. It would perhaps have tasted better if it were heated…without sounding too picky. Various snacks including chocolate biscuits and crisps were on offer with a choice of tea and coffee along with complimentary drinks (non-alcoholic).

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The A319 is part of the A320 series of aircraft are used by British Airways for their short to medium haul routes within Europe. The aircraft is used on routes from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior consists of a standard 3-3 for Economy Class and 2-2 configuration for Business Class passengers. The Business Class and Economy Class seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways).