British Airways review (Geneva to London Heathrow, March 2008)

British Airways A319: Copyright Navjot Singh

British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates fullinternational and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 148 destinations around the world with a fleet of 245 aircraft. 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 codeshare and franchise partners, British Airways flies to more than 300 destinations worldwide.

Route: Geneva to London Heathrow 

Departure date and time of flight: 17:25pm on the 21st March 2008

Flight Number: BA733

Flight duration: 1h 50m (Includes a 20 minutes hold over Biggin Hill)

Class: Business Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A319

Punctuality of the flight: 

The flight departed on time from Geneva International, but (as always) had to hold for around 20 minutes over Biggin Hill in the South East of London before landing at Heathrow. The view at night time is amazing. Clear views of the traffic jams on the M25, as well as Canary Wharf and other landmarks look stunning at night time. Heathrow is such a busy airport that flights have to stack up at four main points around London- Biggin Hill (SE London), Lambourne (NE London), Bovingdon (NW London) or Ockham (SW London).   

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check- in staff and any issues:

No check-in issues. Everything goes perfectly smoothly at Geneva Airport. Just like the rest of the Swiss culture- everything is on time and in an orderly manner. No hustle and bustle.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service: 

Standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca-cola, and wine. Champagne was also offered along with caviar.

Comments regarding the first meal: 

For dinner the main course consisted of a honey roasted cold chicken breast pieces blended in neatly with freshly cut lettuce and other salad. The meal was scrumptious. Creaser salad dressing was provided.

To accompany the main dish the air hostess brought along a basket with a selection of breads- I went for the sesame seed bread. Freshly squeezed orange juice was provided. To top it all up was a “sticky toffee” provided by Thornton’s chocolates.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal- this also consisted of wine and champagne.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

Though a short flight, passengers in Business Class were open to go to the galley and choose from a selection of fine roasted bread and a selection of drinks.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

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

Improvements that could be made: 

This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine.

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 from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior is a standard 3-3 for Economy Class, and 2-2 configuration for Business Class passengers. The Business and Economy Class seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways).

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best):10

Champagne service- British Airways: Copyright Navjot Singh

British Airways - Geneva to London Heathrow 21st March 2008- Copyright Navjot Singh

With the UN WHO HQ based in Geneva, it wasn't the first time I had shared a flight with Ms. Chen. She is a serious source of inspiration: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh