British Airways review & opinions

NEWS: British Airways has scrapped most inflight meals in economy around Europe.

Once the world's favourite airline, that tag is slipping a bit. However BA can still claim its crown as one of the biggest and (normally) most professional of airlines. Flying to many of the places you want to go, there is a Frequent Flyer scheme with some great perks (although with hard to obtain status benefits) and is often reguarded as world standard airline.

Recently BA has had a big drive to get people into Business or First, while at the same time as waving goodbye to many of historical routes. It has removed most of it's domestic routes (which has caused it to be named London Airways by some detractors). It has also seen BMED (born as British Mediterranean) sold on to bmi, and other franchises have even ended up in the hands of Easyjet. As a result, it is much harder to get on a BA flight from London Gatwick, or to many destinations around the Med or in the middle East.

British Airways has also created a subsidiary airline cleed 'OpenSkies' to fly daily between Paris, Amsterdam, and New York. It is the first time BA has flown to the US from European airports outside the UK, and shows the airline taking advantage of the Open Skies agreement which opens up the transatlantic market from March. It uses Boeing 757, which have been taken from the mainline fleet. These initially few as three class planes, but are now being converted to two class, with the economy cabin scrapped due to low passenger numbers.

British Airways Classes, Seats and Fleet

Club Europe seats on an 767

NEWS: British Airways are now imposing a T-10 rule for boarding on all flights from LHR. Passengers must be on board the plane at 10 minutes before the published takeoff time, or they will be refused access to the plane. BA's stated aim is to push back the plane at 5 minutes before the published time.
British Airways has a vast, complicated, fleet of just about every plane that is flying today, with two classes of travel for Europe (Euro Traveller and Club Europe), and four for the rest of the world (World Traveller, World Traveller Plus, Club World and First).

Around Europe most of the planes, particularly the A320 variants, have a variable ammount of Business (Club Europe) seating, with a moving curtain depending on how many people want to sit up the front. The seats are also pretty much the same, except for Club seats on the left in A320, where the three seats are squeezed into two larger ones, thanks to a moveable armrest. Euro Traveller (ET, or Economy) gives you a normal seat pitch of 31 inches, and that's the same for Club Europe (CE, or Business). The only exception is on the few remaining 767s, which do have special business class seats.

747 Economy seats

Long Haul BA in 747s and 777s has World Traveller (WT, or Economy) with a fairly standard seat having a pitch of 31 inches. The new premium economy product is called World Traveller Plus (often refered to as WTP or WT+) which goes up to 38 inches, and feels much more comfortable. If you ask for the bulkhead seats in WTP you get even more legroom, and a video screen which folds out from

Club Europe seats on an A320

your seat. Many passengers mistake this for the old Business class seat - it is not, but it comes close, and for those on a budget makes extreem long haul (such as to Australia) much more bearable. True, the seat doesn't fold into a bed, but it's the best you'll get for the money.

The new Club World (CW or Business Class (on, in the industry, NCW)) gets a seat which is BA's much touted (nay infamous) flat bed - it 73 inches long, and really does go completely flat, so you can get a decent nights sleep. At the top of the classes is of course First, which has not only a seat which goes flat, a pitch of 78 inches, but also a sort of cubby hole into which you can curl up & remain very private.

BA have now revamped Club World, and some aircraft now fly with New Club World (NGCW, or New Generation Club World, in BA's complex terminology). This is more an evolution of the flat bed princible. It is still laid out in alternate rows of forward and backward facing seats, but it does seem more comfortable, with armrests that side into the body of the seat, a sliding glass screen between seats, and a Z-frame bed that means you can lie semi-upright. There is a better larder to raid overnight, and AVOD.

BA Boeing 747-400

British Airways has a fleet of 56 747-400s, which operate most of the Asia & Japan routes, plus the big American ones, along with South Africa, the Far East and Australia. These are the jumbos with a big bubble on top behind the cockpit - all of the 747-200 classics (with a small bubble) were scrapped at the end of 2001.

Seating over 400, there are three seating configurations, which can be distinguished by the number of Club World (or J-Class) seats, and adding into the mix, some aircraft also have the new variant of Club World and AVOD.

BA 747-400 at London LHR

On four class planes that have been revamped, World Traveller Plus is being moved to the second cabin, between First and Club World. This causes immense problems with WT+ passengers disembarking at some locations before Business Class passengers, and they also tend to raid the Club World Larder.

First in five rows of 1+2+1. Seats 1A & 1K are highly prized, thanks to the almost forward facing view through the front windows, and they are very private, but if VIPs are expected onboard, BA tend to throw normal passengers out of the these seats - so booking these seats via MMB doesn't always work. If you sit in the First cabin you also get the delight of a "loo with a view" - the toilets are large, with a couple of windows. A button by the window makes it frost it, giving privacy at 37,000 feet.

British Airways 747 Latest Club World

New Club World (Business Class) extends from row 13 to 14, then (past the galleys) from row 17 to 20 with flat beds in a 2+4 formation, and upstairs with 6 rows of 2+2. Children are not often seated upstairs so can be quieter - but this isn't guaranteed. 62K is the best seat going - a window emergency exit, and in the middle of the cabin so furthest away from the bathrooms and the galley, so therefore the quietest, and you can get out without climbing over anyone. 62A is not however so great - you end up with the passenger in 63B staring at you. Other passengers vote for 64K on day flights, but in 64A you will keep on being disturbed by people "raiding the larder", and rustling crisp packets.

British Airways 747 World Traveller Plus

The older and most common variant has just 4 rows of World Traveller Plus from 28 to 31, with 28B and 28J the most highly prised - these seats are on their own (a row of one!), in an exit row with lots of legroom - but the window is a long way away. There is a small plastic table here which belongs to "your" seat, however passengers in row 29 are wont to nab it. Quietly dumping their stuff on the floor helps to maintain possession. From rows 33 to 53 are World Traveller, with row 33 a bulkhead at the start of the small mini cabin, and row 39 & 40 bulkheads for the main cabin. At this row 39HJK has slightly less legroom then row 40 ABC.

British Airways 747 World Traveller Plus cabin

There are two variants of the British Airways Boeing 747-400 with older club world. The one known as the high J planes with 70 Club World seats, with a small mini-cabin of two rows of Club from row 13 to 14, then (past the galleys & the stairs) from row 17 to 20 with flat beds in a 2+4 formation, and upstairs with 6 rows of 2+2. The variant with less Business class seats (the Mid-J) has only 52 seats in business.

British Airways 747 World Traveller row 33

The latest version of the 747-400s is the one with the latest version of New Generation Club World (known as NGCW). This has the business class section mid-ships, with First in the nose, then WT+, Business class, then WP in the tail. The highly unusual layout of a four-class plane, with expensive seats behind cheaper economy seats was mainly caused by the existing location of the galleys in the 747s. It can cause chaos as disembarking, with economy passengers holding up those in the business class seat, and the WT+ passengers also tend to raid the larder in Business class. These planes were originally known as the "low J" variant (with few business class seats) and have AVOD in all classes.

British Airways 747 World Traveller Cabin

BA Boeing 777-200

British Airways has 45 Boeing 777-200s with a similar range and route capability to the 747-400. Principally they are used for Middle East and Gulf destinations, as well as some smaller tourist destinations, like Barbados, and a few of the smaller American locations, such as Philadelphia.

BA 777 Old version, New Club World

Increasingly they are also to be found on some JFK flight, and even one of the variants of the Sydney routes.

There are two variants of the 777. There are just three planes that have the four class version, with 17 First seats, and are mainly used to the middle East and occasionally New York. These planes have the small IFE TV screens. All the other 777s are three class, but there is a slight difference between the version used at Heathrow (with a crew rest position at row 4) and at Gatwick.

There are 4 rows of First, with many passengers prefering row 2 - row 1 is right by the bathroom. These seats are the standard big armchair seats, with lots of what looks like walnut wood strip on the seats (although, in fact, it is plastic). BA likes to call these the "Demi-cabin" in the sky". You get an ottoman to put your legs on, and you can use this to have someone join you while you dine. It goes into a flat 6'6" bed. On 777s that haven't had the AVOD upgrade, there is a small tape player in the armrest, or the crew will provide you with a DVD player.

Club World runs from row 10 to 15, with the standard 2+4+2 format, that has alternate lines of seats facing each other.

British Airways 777 World Traveller Plus row 21

World Traveller Plus features 8 abreast seating and a 38" pitch. It is in row 21 to 25, in a 2+4+2 format. Row 21 seats are great, with a fold out video screen - but alas are the "screamer" or bassinet seats. If you sit here, there is a danger you could be sitting next to someone with a baby. All seats have at seat power.

British Airways 777 First Class seat

Row 26 to row 40 are the normal World Traveller seats - here, avoid row 40 which is right in front of the noisy rear galley. There is only one row of emergency exit seats, in row 26, and these are highly desired - only the middle seats here are bassinet seats. You do however have to sit facing a member of the cabin crew, which some passengers find annoying.

The first row in each cabin is normally held back for Silvers & Golds, but you can select them at online checkin.

British Airways 777 World Traveller Cabin

BA 767-300 ER

You'll have to be lucky, or unlucky, to get on a 767 - there aren't many in BA's fleet.

British Airways have 21 of the 767-300 ERs in the fleet. There are two variants - a European version, and an Intercontinental version.

Thin but with a twin isle, it feels a bit odd, particularly the two that are in European formation, with just two cabins.

BA 767 economy the highly sought after row 27

Here there is a separate Club cabin at the front, with Club Europe seats that have a pitch of 34 inches, and are in a 2+2+2 layout. Behind this is a long Economy cabin with a pitch of 31 inches. Beware that row 13 and 14 are missing windows. Row 27 is the emergency exit, and while the seats here are a bit thinner (because of the table in the armrest) the extra legroom is a definate plus, along with having a proper window, although you do get the crew sitting directly opposite you. If you are forced into sitting in economy, these are the seats to have.

BA 767 Club Europe middle seats

The European 767s alternate between Athens, Moscow, plus rather oddly, Prague and Dusseldorf. This is mainly due to BA having to tack on an extra rosta to maximise crew hours - plus, loads to DUS are often very heavy. Occasionally if there are a lot of bookings in economy, a curtain appears in the Club Europe cabin, and it is divided, with the middle seats split into 3. Economy Passengers holding status in the Executive Club are normally moved to this special economy and bit cabin when this happens.

BA 767 at LHR - still with old style tailfin

The other 767s in World formation seem a bit more modern (particularly the 767 which was based in Manchester for the JFK flights which became the first 767 with AV on demand - this aircraft is now at Gatwick) with flat beds in Club World configured in 2+2+2. Oddly these planes have a forward facing window seat in Club World, and as such, 1A is highly sought after and offers a little extra legroom to boot. 4K is also very good, though some find the window seats a little claustrophobic owing to the smaller 767 cabin. There is World Traveller Plus seating, configured 2+2+2, and is much more spacious than the WT+ cabins in the 747s. World Traveller has a 31 inch pitch.

BA 767 economy the rear cabin

When you first get on board, you may be forgiven for thinking that they are rather elderly planes, and the rather 1980s feel. Infact the first arrived at BA in 1990, and the rest are about 10 years old, so they aren't that bad. BA have also spent a fortune refurnishing these planes, and most are now operating as what staff members call "Dusked" versions.

It may seem odd that BA persist in using, and indeed have just Dusked, it's 767 fleet. However BA are the only major 767 operator in the world with Rolls Royce engines (it means that the engines are the same as on the 747 fleet), and that means their resale value is very low. Hence they will serve out their retirement with BA for some time to come.

BA 737 (737-400, 737-500, 737-300)

Beware of these - they are flown mainly on short haul European and UK domestic routes, and a lot of seats have a pitch of just 30 inches. Seating 147 they can get quite cramped. There are 12 737-300 (seating 126), 2 737-500 (which seat only 110), and 33 the 737-400s. Much of a muchness, they are pretty dull and boring.

British Airways Airbus A320 / A319

Airbus A319/A320s operate some of the smaller domestic flights, and most of the short hops around Europe.

Nice, pleasant quiet planes, the A320s are a joy (there are 13 in the fleet), while the A319 seats 129 (of which BA has 25), but is a short stubby plane, and bounces around a bit. The A320 seats 150, feels much more comfortable, and is often found on flights to middle Europe.

If you sit in the row behind the curtain, A and C are the widened seat, even in economy. This row is normally held back for Silvers & Golds, but you can select them at online checkin.

On all Airbus 319/320/321 the middle seat is usually about 2 inches wider than the aisle or window seats. Airbus uses this as a marketing advantage against Boeing 737.

BA Bae RJ-100

Very pretty planes, these are great for taking photographs out of the window, because the wings will never get in the way. Uniquely for a modern airliner, the wings are strapped to the top of the fuselage, and have four very tiny engines underneath. Used where ever there's a short runway, seat pitch for everyone is 32 inches, and they seat 110.

Avoid row 9 on these planes, where there is a blanker instead of the window.

BA Dash 8-Q300

BA Embraer & Dash 8 at Manchester

These small overwing prop planes in the fleet give a great ground view, but its very noisy, scary on touchdown (after all - you can see the wheels hitting the tarmac) and are very weight sensitive.

Note that the overhead lockers on this plane are only 4 inches high, so your "carry on" case won't. Row 11 is the emergency exit, with quite a lot more space.

BA Entertainment - Omnia

Video screen in WT+

British Airway's inflight entertainment system is called Omnia, and is pretty standard across the fleet. All longhaul British Airways aircraft feature seatback TV screens. On most planes including almost all 747s, there is AVOD, or Audio Video on demand.

On planes without AVOD there are 18 video channels in economy, WTP and above, plus a moving map, and 16 radio channels (which noone listens to, but which are quite good. There is even a dedicated business radio channel). They are, alas, all mono. There are however now noise reducing headsets in First.

Omnia video games

If you travel in any cabin other than basic economy (so that means World Traveller Plus and above) there are video games you can play. They are pretty basic and slow loading, but there are 20 or so to try.

Most seatback video screens are a good 4 inches across, WTP bulkhead seats are 5 inches, Club World comes in at 7.

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If you watch the skymap as you enter or leave London, Stansted appears to be 40 miles out of position. This is actually a small village in Kent - not the UK's third largest airport. It appeared on the maps for years, and was well commented on by passegers, before being noted in the media as an error, although it's believed that the creator of the map was unaware of the significance.

Skymap rolling map with Stansted

World Traveller Plus 777 handset & screen

There are three different entertainment products on British Airways flights. There is a Mainscreen offering with overhead TV, Seatback video on longhaul flights in all classes, and AVOD or Audio Video on demand on most modern aircraft.

There is no entertainment on most European flights, except for those in Band 4 (such as to Athens, Moscow, Tel Aviv & Istanbul). For these longer band 4 flights films are shown on the overhead TVs after a run of the BBC News and Bloomberg's business update. Beware though that if you sit in the front row of the 767 you will have to squint at a tiny screen only 2 inches across.

AVOD touchscreen

On lounghaul flights with just normal seatback video, the entertainment system starts off as soon as the plane has reached cruising altitude. Then on channel 1 there is BBC World News, which is a dedicated version just for BA, 20 minutes long, and which is very good. It is sent from TV Centre to LHR at 10.45am every morning - so catch a flight before midday, and you'll watch yesterdays news. Meanwhile on channel 2 there is a 10 minute trailer which runs through most of the other film offerings.

The films then start after 20 minutes, and the cycle then repeats itself at 10 minutes after the duration of the longest film - you can find out what it is from the length of films in the inflight magazine. Before the films start you get a one minute countdown on the screen.

Economy headphones in the Amenity kit

747-400 AVOD armrest

Finally, on most modern planes including almost all 747s, there is AVOD, or Audio Video on demand, where you can select from a dozen or so short films plus 30 or so comedies and short documentaries. You can stop and start these on demand. There is only a small controller in the armrest that can cycle through the mainstream films on a loop if you wish, otherwise you press the screen itself which has a pop up box with play, rewind and fast forward buttons. To see the moving map you have to exit out of the film, but if you then reenter it, it will ask if you want to continue where you left off, or start from the beginning.

World Traveller Plus headphones

Headphones vary according to class. In economy you get very basic headsets with an overhead band and a 3.5mm jack. In World Traveller Plus there are BA's famous "enhanced" headsets, which are actually more comfortable headphones than those in basic economy, with much bigger cans, even if the audio playback is the same. Again, they use a 3.5mm jack.

British Airways Inflight Magazine - Highlife

Highlife - the inflight magazine

British Airway's inflight magazine is called Highlife - and sets the standard by which others hope to achieve. The marketing is subtle, the articles on travelling are interesting, and it will keep you going for at least a couple of hours.

Theres always a good guide on BAs fleet news, the routemaps actually bear some relation to the flight path you will take, and normally you'll find a featured pilot once a month describing the approaches he likes. It comes out once a month, and will always reliably be in your seatback pocket, as well as the lounges.

It also doubles up as the inflight film listings, which are sensibly laid out, at the back of the mag.

Copenhagen July 2004

Because BA has three different inflight entertainment systems, you have to check if you have an overhead, 8 or 12 channel system, and then go to the section for that - then see the twin pages for flights to or from the UK. The overhead system is called, logically enough, Mainscreen, and is now only on 757s (to Athens and Moscow) and the ancient 767s (to Tel Aviv, Detroit, and Manchester-JFK).

Shopping the World

There used to be variants of the magazine according to which TV system you had... no longer - you'll have to check the remote.

In First Class there is still another variant of the magazine, called "First View", and it lists all the DVDs in the video library.

Business Life for business class

>BA Business Class Magazine - Business Life

In Club (Business) and WTP, plus occasionally the seats in 737s which are interchangeable between classes, theres an unusual offshoot - Business Life.

I find it a bit dull, particularly the interview with Chief Execs of large companies, and articles on doing business abroad, but theres a good "how to spend it" section on how to waste your cash on loads of toys, and a pretty decent section on good business hotels.

BA Shopping Magazine - Shopping the World

There's yet another magazine taking up the seatback pocket (which is often so jammed you can't get any wine bottles in.

Shopping the world give 60 pages of shopping - and some of it is pretty good. You'll also get miles on your Executive Club card if you shop in the air. There are the usual duty-frees (priced at about half way between duty free on the ground and real world prices), perfume, watches, and some electronic toys. Alas anything outside the ordinary is unlikely to be carried on planes other than big 747s.

Economy Amenity kit: socks, eyeshade, toothbrush

BA Longhaul amenity kit

British Airways provides four different Amenity kits for the four different classes on board, These are normally sitting on your seat when you board the aircraft, although you may have to wait for them to be passed around in premium classes.

The colour of the eyeshades and socks has recently changed from light blue to dark blue.

World Traveller (Economy)

In economy you'll get an light, clear coloured pack containing eyeshades and a pair of socks, plus a strange round plastic container that forms the handle of a toothbrush and a miniture tube of toothpaste with just enough toothpaste for two brushes.

World Traveller Plus Amenity kit, with extra pen

World Traveller Plus (Premuim Economy)

British Airways make much of the fact that in Premium Economy you'll get an "enhanced" Amenity Kit. And to be fair you do - you get a pen and earplus. And it comes in a different coloured packet - dark blue, so the crew can tell the difference.

The World Traveller Plus amenity kit contains the same eyeshades and pair of socks as the usual economy one, plus a strange round plastic container that forms the handle of a toothbrush and a miniture tube of toothpaste with just enough toothpaste for two brushes. It's the early plus that make the difference: they are OK, and the pen is, well, after all, an OK ish pen with a BA swish up the side. The World Traveller Plus amenity kits are normally handed out the special premium headsets - make sure you get one, and not the usual economy ones.

Club / First

In first and club, you get the delight of much nicer socks, however the headphones are the same. There will also be a menu for dinner, and a winelist. Check out the small Moulton Brown bag - it contains your eyeshades, and half a dozen MB washbag products.

There are male and female bags.

You may still be lucky enough to get an old style (black) MB bag, which has a couple of extras - lip salve, and face protector, plus a razor, flannel - and a voucher for more MB goodies when you get back!

British Airways Luggage Allowance

British Airways has a pretty standard baggage allowance for each flight.

Cabin Bags: Economy Class passengers can take hand luggage of one bag weighing up to 7kgs / with no defined weight limit (although you must be able to lift it) into the cabin, business class can take two. They must be no larger than xx by yy. 23 x 36 x 56cm, (approx 9 x 14 x 22 inches). Rules on contents (such as liquids) apply.

Check in luggage: On all routes except to the United States economy class can check in one bag weighing 20kg, business class can check in two bags up to a total weight of 30kg, and First class can check in three bags up to 40kg. Routes to or via the United States have economy with one bag allowed to 32kg, business class with two bags (each 32kg max) and First Class with three bags (32kg max each bag).

Silver (and Star Alliance Silver) Frequent Flyers gain an extra 10kg checked in luggage allowance, Gold / Star Alliance Gold gains an extra 20kg of checked in luggage allowance (or one extra bag if via the US). This means that a Gold Frequent Flyer in First Class can check in three bags to 60kg, and carry on 14kg.

British Airways' website has details of exactly what you can take onto a flight.

British Airways Routes

NEWS: There has been a complex slot swap at LHR for BA & bmi. British Airways has bought 102 weekly take-off and landing slots from bmi for £30m. The slots will allow it to add eight more daily flights on top of its current schedule of about 270 - giving it a 41.4% share of the total Heathrow slots.
Meanwhile bmi has acquired control of BMED, which flies in BA colours. It operates to 17 medium-haul destinations in 16 countries around the Med. This means BA looses marketing and indirect access to about 100 weekly slots.

Airline schedules change regularly.

This information is intended as a guide, but for accurate timetables, please consult BA.

British Airways has undergone a massive contraction of it's routes. There are so many places no longer served by BA, they are impossible to list. Needless to say most of the domestic network has gone - except for London to Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and a few bits to Aberdeen, Newcastle and Belfast.

Around Europe the situation isn't quite so grim, but there are still plenty of places without a BA connection. BA has moved most of its routes to the Heathrow hub, and Gatwick is looking increasingly isolated, with just a few holiday routes.

On routes to Australia BA codeshare extensively. So check when booking - although it looks as if there are 4 direct flights a day to Sydney there are actually only two - one via Bangkok, and the other via Singapore. They leave within 50 minutes of each other in each direction, and meet up again, usually at parallel gates, 2 days later.

British Airways Frequent Flyer Scheme - the Executive Club

The Executive Club is British Airways's frequent flier programme, and is part of the OneWorld Alliance. 4,500,000 people are members.

It does have some good benefits, however it is hard to get status in this scheme, which is what many members want as it allows access to the lounges. When hunting for status, it is easier to join other Frequent Flyer schemes in the alliance, and put the points on those cards.

Joining is easy - there are plenty of forms at airports to apply - however it's not possible to join just by taking cheap economy flights. You must take at least one tier-point qualifying flight to join.

A constant complaint about the Executive Club (or BAEC) is that there are often long delays to get a card, and points often go missing.

BA A320 at LHR Terminal 1

BA operates a fairly normal "miles" and "point" system. You get miles for the journey you travel (plus a bonus for status or class) and Tier Points according the class of ticket, such as World Traveller (WT) or Club Europe (CE). BA miles will expire if there is no activity on your account for three years.

UK & Europe ET 20 (Y,B, H only), CE 40 Longhaul WT 60, WT+ 75, CW 120, First 180 Australia WT 110, WT+ 135, CW 220, First 330.

BA Tier Level points

To qualify for long haul Tier Points, each sector must be over 2000 miles long.

Useful loopholes are that if you travel to Australia, but with a stop over, it will count as two longhaul flights, so you will actually earn slightly more points than if booked as a one flight. Also BA operate some flights that do not originate, or travel to the UK. These, such as Doha to Bahrain, can cost as little as £300 in First, and earn 360 tier points. Quite a bargain, and a useful hike on the way to Silver.

A major downside is that only expensive Euro Traveller tickets (class Y, B or H) earn 20 Tier points. Cheap tickets earn nothing. You have a Membership Year which starts on the date your first joined, and each year your points reset to zero.

Earning Executive Club Miles

You get roughly one mile for each mile you fly, but with deductions for cheap tickets. In UK Domestic, Euro Traveller and World Traveller tickets with restrictions on changes (Ticket classes G, K, L, M, N, O, Q, R, S, V) you only get milesx0.25 - or a quarter of the number of miles. Flexible World Traveller tickets (Y, B, H, J) do not suffer this points degregation, and it is worth spending a few extra pounds, to get out of these ticket classes.

Melbourne Boeing 747

World Traveller Plus (WTP in W or T) earns 1.25 BA Miles, Club Europe or Club World (CE or CW in J, C, D, I) earns 1.5 BA Miles and First (F or A class tickets) earns 2xBA Miles.

There is a minimum earn on all flights of 500 miles, even if the flight is shorter, except for discount economy fares where the reward is 125 BA Miles. However Gold and Silvers get a bonus on top of this, which can actually be more than the 125 miles. Business class of course earn the "Cabin Bonus", of 50% extra miles, making 750 for a short hop.

On subsidiaries which trade as BA, you get full Executive Club miles and points. These airlines include BMED, British Airways CitiExpress, Comair, GB Airways, Loganair, Regional Air operated by Air Kenya and Sun-Air of Scandinavia.

London LHR Boeing 757, with 747 & 767 behind

You can also earn Miles on other airlines in the OneWorld Alliance, which include Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, LanChile, and Qantas at the same level as you would as if it was a BA flight, except if it is a cheap economy ticket. There are also tier points for these flights, with 20/40/60 points for flights less than 2000 miles, and double this for above 2000 (but not on cheap economy Qantas tickets, only on Y,B,H). If you live in Asia (excluding Japan) different partner airlines apply. Because of the class of service bonus, if you travel in a premium cabin on a flight that also has a codeshare as a BA flight, you will earn more flights if you book the flight as it's BA code, rather than from the operating airline.

For some Qantas flights you get virtually the same number miles if you put them on a BA card, but the Tier Points can be much better. For example if you fly from SYD-MEL on a BA flight number (such as BA7443) you earn 120 TPs in Business. The same flight with the QF number (QF443) only earns 40 TPs.

A major loophole is that you do earn miles on American Airlines, but not on TransAtlantic flights between the UK or Europe and the Americas (with the exception of the JFK-MAN codeshare). This is seen by many passengers as a strange gap, but was imposed by the regulators the last time BA & AA attempted to merge. You do of course earn normal miles & TPs on any AA route that is not TransAtlantic (for example if you are using a domestic YUP to earn a lot of TPs).

Another loophole is that there are no points or miles if you buy a cheap (restricted) economy ticket on another Oneworld member airline and try to claim them on BA. For this reason it is often worth joining Qantas, and putting point on that card - even cheap BA flights earn full Qantas points, which includes status - so status is often possible on Qantas with cheap fares which would earn nothing from BA. However be aware that there is now only a minimum 125 mileage earn on Qantas for cheap BA domestic flights, unlike basic Qantas domestics which earn 1000 miles. Discounted economy tickets also only earn x0.25 miles. However you do earn 10 Qantas Status points on these flights.

You can also earn miles on Alaska Airlines, JAL, American West, FlySn (previously Sabenna), and most recently of all you can also earn BA Miles with Malev Hungarian Airlines, BA's latest oneworld partner.

It is also possible to earn miles in other ways:
Tescos - For residents of the UK, you can also earn miles at Tesco. There is 1 Tesco Clubcard per £1 spent in the stores, and for every 250 Clubcard points earned you can collect 600 BA Miles. You can even rack up Tescos points for strange things like Breakdown cover, and car servicing, which is a great way to get a large number of points very quickly. To convert your points there is a paper form here or you can do it online at here by entering the numerical code from your clubcard voucher. Your BA account address must be the same as your Clubcard address. Tesco and BA used to do this automatically, but you can no longer sign up for this.

NEWS: Tesco are currently restricting point accumilation through their scheme. It is rumoured to have become too effective a way to collect miles after a notorious promo in 2003 that gave points for Champers, 2005 for beef (at a fantasic rate) and in 2006 for wine. Currently there are few promos, apart from slips given at the tills.

Cologne Airbus A319

Shell - There is 1 Shell pluspoint for every litre of fuel bought, then exchange 1,500 pluspoints for 1,000 BA Miles via www.shell.com NEWS: The Shell linkup is being closed, and BAEC members will soon no longer be able to earn miles at Shell.

Bizarely, you can now also earn BA Executive Club miles on a free redemption booking made with Airmiles. To do this, once you have made the Airmiles booking, use MMB and use the Add FF number option, before entering the number of your PNR. Alas they normally only book as the M/O class - which means you only earn discount economy miles, but occasionally you may get lucky and be booked in full Y. You can book Club tickets by calling Airmiles, but they work out ridiculously expensive.

You can now also purchase up to 15000 BA Miles per calendar year in increments of 1000 miles. 1000 is £31, while 15,000 miles is £255. This is quite expensive, but if you end up just short of a premium ticket, it can be worth it.

CIV score and the GGL

Most passengers will never have to tangle with this - but if you are a very frequent flyer you may obtain a CIV score. The CIV score is a number that BA allocate to you to indicate how important you are to them. A high number - and you'll get a lot of effort from BA to keep you sweet. A low number, and well, you're only a silver and will be treated as a normal pleb if things go wrong. Indeed, with a low score and gold and you'll still not get much attention. If you fly very frequently (say, weekly in Club to the US) you may just get up to a good enough CIV score to get up to the Gold Guest List. Information on this is in the Gold Frequent Flyer section.

Golds normally score from 39 to 99 on the CIV, with the score increasing each time you take a long haul flight in Club (it is calculated weekly).

To get your CIV score you need to you need to make a "Subject access request" in writing to the Data Protection Officer at BA. The simple process applies to UK nationals only - EU nationals can also apply although the process may be slower. Other nationals, such as from the US, can apply although these requests are treated as for information only, and may be refused. Alternatively on an inter-EU flight if you are a Gold you can ask to see the passenger manifest. After the Gold information against your name there is a number. This is your CIV score, but note that some crew will refuse to let you see the manifest - if this fails, try another crew.

Note that information about BA keeping this score is kept strictly confidential by BA. If you call BA and mention that you know about BA keeping a score on you they will deny it. BA have never publicly confirmed that the CIV score exists. However your CIV score will dramatically effect your BA experience if you fly so often on BA that your are a Gold at the Gold Guest List level.

Spending Miles

In economy a domestic flight costs 12,000 miles. From the UK to anywhere in Europe1 is also 12,000 miles, while Europe2 is 20,000, and Europe 3 is 25,000. The Middle East, Central Asia and West Africa comes in at 40,000. Central and South Africa, North America, the Caribbean, Central America, Hawaii and South Asia is 50,000, South America 70,000, the Far East 80,000 and the South West Pacific 100,000 miles.

Twin Otter at Glasgow - BA have some very small planes

Other classes are also available - World Traveller Plus (WT+) comes in at x1.5 Miles, Club World/Club Europe (Business Class) is x2 miles and First x3 miles. There are multiple free stopovers on redemption bookings. Miles only award tickets are flexible up to 24 hours before departure, but never after that point.

Part Cash Part Miles. A new variant for BA is that you can use some miles and some cash to fly. Tickets start at 9,000 plus £20 for domestic flights, to Australia for 70,000 plus £250. Alas, you can only fly in the cheap seats - for a better cabin or the pointy end, an upgrade using miles is the only option. Accordingly Part Cash Part Miles doesn't work out to be a very good deal.

Miles for Upgrades - MFU. It is now possible to upgrade a paid for booking using Executive Club points. Firstly, work out how many miles are needed for the journey in Economy. Use this number to calculate the upgrade on your ticket. But you must (oh yes, must, no ways around (here the upgrade can often) cost more than the CE ticket) be in the top tier of economy tickets, even shorthaul. So to upgrade from Euro Traveller (Y,B,H) to Club Europe x1miles for redemption is needed. From World Traveller (Y, B, H) to World Traveller Plus takes x0.5 points, and from World Traveller Plus (W, T) to Club World takes another x0.5. On the rare longhaul flights where flat beds are not available, you can also upgrade from World Traveller direct to Club World for x1 miles. The old bug that you can only upgrade your entire journey - not just one leg -

BA 757 at Edinburgh

unless only one leg has availability for upgrades has now been cured. You can book a one way, but you may have to argue with the exec club to get them to do this. However you do at least earn miles on the fare you purchased. The upgrade from WT+ to Club World is pretty much a bargain - for only 25,000 miles (and a ticket at about double the price of economy) you can travel in considerable comfort to Amercia, or for 50,000 to Australia. From America it is an even better deal, with BA WT+ seats sold at a trivial premium over normal WT seats. Be warned however that discounted tickets (that is not T, I or A class) but tickets that are sold as part of a special sale period (and appear with a big red 'D' next to the price on the website) are not permitted to be upgraded from WT+ to CW. Often reward seats do become available close to the date of the flight - sometimes at 2 weeks before, occasionally even a day before, so even if there is no reward availability when you book, you can still use MFU to move up a class later in the day. Alas the only way to find it out if the seats are there is to continually make dummy reward bookings on ba.com. As soon as it says there are tickets available, that means reward inventory has opened up. If you get really stuck you may only be able to use MFU for a one way upgrade - however it is possible to make two separate calls on separate days to MFU first one segment, then the other. Occasionally the Executive Club call centre refuses to do a one way upgrade, in which case just hang up and try another agent. Note that you can only MFU from or to your membership country. This rule used not to be enforced. Now it is.

It is possible to Redeem Miles Online with the BA Executive club. Oddly, sometimes miles are not deducted for these flights. This also sometimes happens with online Miles for Upgrades.

You can also redeem miles with other Oneworld Airlines and partners, at pretty much the same level as for BA, with Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Lan Chile, Lan Peru, Qantas, Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL), SN Brussels Airlines, and American Airlines. However if two or more oneworld airlines (or three, including British Airways) are used, a miles per miles calculation comes into play.

Executive Club Silver Level

Silver Level Executive club welcome pack

Silver is equivalent to One World Sapphire Level. It can be achieved at 600 tier points in your membership year, or 400 if you are a resident of mainland Europe. You must take at least four Tier Point qualifying flights operated by British Airways within your membership year to achieve or retain Silver Tier.

It is hard work to get here, but worth it as you get access to all of BA's lounges (with a guest as well), even when you're travelling economy. The same benefits apply to all Oneworld airlines, so you can get access to a lounge when on economy. You can also checkin in the Business Class desks. Executive Club Silver members earn a bonus of 25% BA Miles on British Airways and Qantas, which is in addition to the cabin bonus.

A major problem with this card is that although it is One World Sapphire, it is also Silver in colour. Most Oneworld Silver cards are at the Ruby level, and Ruby does not give lounge access. You may need to ask lounge staff to look up the access rights for Sapphire cards.

On getting to this level your Tier Points reset to zero, ready for the long haul to Gold, and your tier year resets to this date. There is a nasty trick that any points over the 600 level are lost, and it's impossible to get them back.

BA 747s racked up at LHR Terminal 4

Executive Club Gold Level

Gold Level Executive club welcome pack

Gold is equivalent to One World Emerald Level. It can be achieved at 1500 tier points in your membership year, or 800 in mainland Europe (quite a bargain). This is known among frequent flyers as the "Eurocheat".

Normally it is virtually impossible to get to this level unless you travel on a very regular basis in Club World - it'll take 3 trips in First to Australia to get here. This is very much the Gold Standard of Frequent Flyer Tiers, because it is such hard work to achieve it, and it generally respected worlwide as one of the hardest Frequent Flyer cards to obtain.

You get access to the BA First or Terraces lounges (with a guest), even when you aren't travelling on a BA or Oneworld flight (no guest if it's not a BA flight). This is called "Open Doors access", and also applies to Qantas lounges. And seeing how ropey some other airlines lounges are, it can be well worth while nipping into a BA one - and you even get access to the Arrivals lounges. You are also more likely to get an operational upgrade if the plane is overbooked in your booked class, although this rarely happens.

Golds get an additional "special" Gold availability for premium award seats. Golds can opt to pay 200% of the normal redemption amount for a seat even if no redemption buckets are available. (Note that this cannot be combined with other offers suchs as Amex 2-4-1 or GUF2).

Newspapers will be on the airbridge, except at LGW

At 2500 and again at 3500 tier points (2000 for European members), a BA gold member earns one upgrade voucher. They allow the upgrade of the member and one person to the next cabin for a return trip on any BA flight and can be used on any ticket, even cheap economy tickets.

Finally, if you get over 3500 points, and have a very high SIV score, but are not considered commercially important enough for Premier status you will be given access to the Gold Guest List. This is not advertised. Here you are given a personal number to call BA if you have problems, and you are moved ahead of the seating queues if you have problems with obtaining your normal seat (for example 1A) on a flight. You can also book one trip per year at normal redemption rates even if there is no redemption availability, and provided the relevant fare bucket is available (A/D/I/T) and when no other GGL has done the same on the same flight. The GGL is very useful, and perks at this level should be used with discression.

Executive Club Premier Level

Premier is an invitation only level, with just above a thousand Premiers worldwide. You can't get to it by flying, instead Premier is awarded to people that BA consider are important, and each new Premier has to be approved by the board.

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, the terrace and bar

BA business lounges - The Terraces & Galleries lounges

NEWS: British Airways are to change the name of the Terraces Lounge concept, and call revamped lounges "Galleries".

British Airway's Business Class and First lounges are some of the best of any airline - at least for atmosphere. Get into one, and you won't want to leave - indeed the staff sometimes report that people miss their flights in the cosy world that is a BA Terraces Lounge. They are kind of like the lobby of a good hotel, with a plentiful supply of drinks (although food can sometimes be a bit lacking), different areas to sit in (quiet and working areas, squashy armchairs and dining tables) great bathrooms, free magazines, often with TVs and internet access.

You can get in with a Business Class (Club Europe or Club World) ticket, or with Silver or Gold British Airways Executive Club Cards. For domestic lounges you can often get in with a fully flexible domestic ticket. Oddly, you can also buy access to the QantasClub, which permits access to BA lounges.

At three lounges there is a Spa. A delight to enjoy, you can get a 10 minute circulation therapy, a shiatswe massage, a steam and shower suites, and a "face the world" colour bar. They are open to people travelling First, club world and BA Premiers and Golds. Other oneworld emeralds, silvers, and people travelling in club Europe are not entitled to a treatment, however on a Silver card you can normally get access to the showers.

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, the gold bar

BA have some different themes for their Lounge products:

BA Terraces sandwiches

Galleries Lounges These are the new lounges, with an uprated bar, and trendier seating. These feature a long thin bar with a curved end, over which is some fancy sparkling artwork.

Terraces Lounges These are the old outstation product, and try and resemble a good sitting room mixed with a pleasanty middle class garden in Surrey. There are different areas with sofas to lounge around on, the classic blue tiled curvey bar with a trough for wine and bar stools. And initially most perplexingly, wooden garden chairs on stone floors around fountains. Incongurous, and yet this idea of the outside meeting inside is very calming and works well. Terraces Lounges are open to Club, Oneworld emerald and sapphire passengers, and Qantas club members.

Lounge Pavillions These are the giant lounges at BA's main hubs. A more businesslike lounge, there will be plenty of desks and generally internet access. The World Wine Bar in these lounges is vast, with a dozen or so to try. There may also be a Library and Quiet Area (at LHR and JFK only), plus a free travel spa (longhaul LHR T1 & T4 and JFK only).

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, the spirit bar

Executive Club These are the old lounges, and are rapidly being replaced. They are rather old and tired.

First. These are the top quality lounges, with vastly better spirits, and often food that is better than the snacks in the Terraces Lounges. Think deep leather armchairs, a full service bar, a canapé service between 1700 and 1900, and bottles of Champagne. You get the lovely perk of pre-flight dining with waiter service, from LHR (from 8pm), JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington, Toronto, Chicago, and Boston. The First lounges are open to people travelling first class, Golds, and Oneworld emerald passengers. Oneworld emeralds are allowed one guest.

Concorde Room. Travelling in First? Then at LHR Teminal 5 the Concorde Room awaits. Definately the elite, the Concorde Room and First lounge have the same snack menu, but booze is slightly better in The Room. The big difference is the pre-flight dining, and it always seems more peaceful. The First lounge can sometimes get really very busy indeed (although when you are at this sort of elite level, another passenger is hassle indeed).

LHR Terminal 5 South Galleries, breakfast

Arrivals Lounges. At London Heathrow, Gatwick, and Johannesburg there are arrivals lounges.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries Club South, spirit bar

Around Europe dedicated lounges for BA can be found at Amsterdam (Open 0600-2100), Athens (0530-2030), Berlin (0600-2030), Brussels, Budapest (0730-1600), Cologne (0530-1100 and 1600-1900), Copenhagen (0600-2030), Dusseldorf (0530-2100), Frankfurt (0600-2230), Geneva (0600-2015), Hamburg (open 0530-2030, no access to Club Europe), Istanbul (0645-1900), Munich, Milan-Malpensa (0600-2000), and Milan-Linate (0600-2000).

In America there are dedicated BA lounges at Atlanta, Barbados, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York (JFK), Philladelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

In Africa & Asia BA have dedicated lounges at Cape Town, Dubai, Johannesburg, and Mumbai (Bombay - no opendoor access for Gold members).

London LHR Lounges

NEWS: British Airways are slowly closing lounges around Heathrow, as they move their operations to Terminal 5. Terminal 1 has shut, and Terminal 4 Gate 10 is closed. From May 2009 there will be a brand new Galleries Departure lounge at Terminal 3. This will be a communal lounge with First, Club World, Club Europe, Gold and Silver Executive Club members all lumped together. It'll have a similar feel to the Galleries in Terminal 5. Passengers arriving from Australia, Singapore or Bangkok will be able make use of the American Airlines Arrivals Lounge with 29 showers, hot breakfasts and a pressing service.
Heathrow is BA's main hub, and with the introduction of Terminal 5, most of the flights fly from this terminal. Accordingly, the are lots of lounges there. There are also some flights from Terminal 3 (the Spanish and Australian stuff), so BA will be opening a lounge there.

LHR Terminal 5 South Galleries, overlooking the Gordon Ramsey restaurant

LHR Terminal 5 Lounges

After Security Open 0500-2230
British Airways has moved into it's new home at London's Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5. The new lounges are called the Galleries, and include the Main Galleries Club (for Club World & Silver) with a Food Court, terrace viewing area and bar, and two "Silver" Bars. A Mini Galleries Club at the northern end of the terminal (mainly for Club Europe travelling shorthaul & domestic) and the Satellite Galleries Club in the T5 Satellite. There is a Galleries First (for Gold Executive Club members) with a Champagne Bar, "Gold" Bar and Wine Gallery, and Concorde Room (for First class pasengers) with Cocktail Bar, Private dining area, private cabanas and terrace. There is also an arrivals lounge.

South Galleries complex, Heathrow Terminal 5

South Gallery, Mid level When you start your day lounge hopping at Heathrow, you need to first of all make your way to the central complex of lounges, at the southern part of the terminal. After checkin (there is only a special checkin for First and Gold card holders - all others much use the machines) and security, it is a bit of a trek. Go down the escalator and follow the signs to Galleries South, then up the escalator, and turn right. You are now at the middle of the lounge complex. The Concorde room is on the right, the Travelex and Spa are ahead of you, while the First lounge is on the left, and the Galleries for Business and Silver are up another escalator.

Galleries First Heathrow Terminal 5

South Gallery, Mid level Open 0500-2230 First class, Gold Executive Club members & oneWorld Emeralds

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, the Gold bar

Contrary to expectations, the First Galleries is designed for passengers with a Gold executive card - genuine First Class passengers are accommodated in the Concorde lounge (with access via the hidden white door after Security South). The First lounge itself is on the lower level of the lounge complex, at the South side of the building. There are twin desks as you go in - and then you pass the two famous statues of the "horse with the lamp". If you need to know what this is, you have not got a First Class ticket.

The lounge is lovely. It is underneath the Southern Galleries lounge, on the South side of the airport. Do take the time to explore, because there are several bars, and a hidden area down a corridor, plus the famous terrace viewing area and bar. The best impression is the stunning view to the southern LHR runway.

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, terrace & bar

Starting in the main area of the lounge, as you walk in, there is the main rectangular box that has neat, comfortable, armchairs separated by glass panels. Contemporary British Artist Christopher Pearson has created several pieces for the Galleries. These laser etched glass panels were inspired by the four seasons, and describe the growing circle of the English Oak tree. If you walk over to the left and through the double doors, you are on the famous First terrace, where you can relax in white smooth leather couches with a glass of champagne. There are two highly prized sun loungers here, right by the door, with a great view, which has to be my favoured place in any of BA's lounges. There is also a fireplace on the terrace, with some very comfortable sofas.

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, refectory

Back in the body of the lounge, down one arm (back behind you as you go in) is the Refectory & Deli. Prepared to be a little bit disappointed about the offered choice of meals, because there is no remarkable difference to the Galleries business lounges. Indeed, compared with the former Terminal 1 First Class lounge food is poor. It seems, BA twigged that most of the people in First were infact on Gold cards - so they've moved real first class passengers to the Concorde room, with accordingly better food. Down the Refectory arm (oh, it is so public school) there are three fridges and the main food galley at the bottom. Here you can get a bacon or mushroom roll til Midday, and then either pick at the salad bar, or order from the Menu. If you call over a waitress you can be offered Soup, Ceaser salad, Pasta, Pies, panini, or tarts with veggies.

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, the Gold bar

There are several bars. The main bar is part of the Wine Gallery, in the centre of the main section overlooking the Southern Runway. Here there are several wines, but they are noticably a bit poorer than of late, with a couple of midling whites and a dodgy red. Meanwhile the Gold Bar (for all those Gold executive club members flying on cheap economy tickets) is to the right of the main section. Here, there are the spirits (on the far wall) with 14 different spirits. Johnnie Walker red (no Blue alas - that's now only in the Concorde lounge) is there, plus Tia Maria, Campari, Southern Comfort, JD, Bacardi, Smirnoff, Martini, and London gin.

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, the wine bar

The Champagne Bar is tucked away up the corridor to the side (bear right and right again), and is a small intimate space, with small tables around high padded walls, plus sparkling Swarkoski chrystals, but the choice of champagne is restricted to an adequate premium white and rosé blend. There is also the Terrace Bar, on the terrage, overlooking the shops, but oddly here you only get a choice of beer - and it's just BA's standard selection of Carlsberg, Heiniken, London Pride and Newcastle Brown.

LHR Terminal 5 First lounge, W+EZ

There is a Coffee House near the Champagne bar, with pretty good variants of coffee - all machine made of course.

The Work and Entertainment Zone (called W+EZ)is tucked away up the corridor to the side (bear right and right again), then left at the Champagne bar. There are 44 computers in the lounge, racked around the walls, and a photocopier in the middle of it. There are also a couple of plasma TVs (showing CNN and the BBC News Channel) next to the screens with departure information. There is free-wifi in the lounge, and several racks of newspapers with a full selection of the UK's daily papers. Magazines are much better in First than upstairs in Biz, with Conde Nast traveller and Wallpaper among the selection.

A Kids Zone (designed by El Ultimo Grito) is tucked away past the refectory, offering toys and games for the under fives. There are 20 shower suites beside the Elemis travel spa, outside the lounge.

Galleries Club South Heathrow Terminal 5 (Main business class lounge)

South Gallery, Top level Open 0500-2230 Club World, Silver Executive Club members & oneWorld Sapphire

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries South, the Silver bar

This lounge is found up the escalators from the intermediate Spa and First level. Turn right and you'll go through the ticket office style desk. This lounge is the main business class lounge, above the First lounge, and it has a great view of the Southern runway. It is however not as big as you'd think - in business a lot of passengers are Gold card holders, so they'd be downstairs. The Galleries Club gets sofa type benches, as opposed to the armchairs in First, but other than that the differences between First and Club aren't as big as they were at Terminal 1 or 4.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries South, sofas

Imagine the lounge as one big rectangle, into which you come in half way along, opposite the food section. There are good newspaper racks here. On the left is the main seating area, with posters from BA's past. On the right hand side of the arm there are more seats, in long benches, in a lovely shade of brown - definately a bit retro, but looking a bit dated. However here there is a good view of the main terminal shops, and the Gordon Ramsey restaurant in the distance.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries Club South

There is one main Silver bar in the middle of the lounge on the left. It has BA's new signature of a long thin bar with curved round ends - the wine is in the central trough. Against the far wall are six fridges, containing Carlsberg, Heiniken, London Pride and Newcastle Brown, and 13 types of sprits are on the wall. The chairs at the bar are notorious uncomfortable. There is also a wine bar next to the food section, with idential wines to that in the Silver bar, in six silver buckets.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries South, salad bar

Food is in the Chef's Theatre, where you can see the food as it's being prepared in the kitchen, but alas you can't order it. You are stuck with what is on the buffet, but in the mornings it's quite good with bacon rolls and crossants, while by 11am there is a full salad bar.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries South, the coffee house

There is a cinema on the left hand side of the lounge, with very comfy seats, and usually it is deserted meaning you can flick the telly onto whatever you want. Past this there is a good coffee house.

There is one main newspaper rack, with pretty much every paper you'd expect in the UK, and some international ones. There are however few magazines.

Elemis Travel Spa

South Gallery, Mid level Open 0500-2230 There are full spa facilities in Terminal 5. Sadly no longer Moulton Brown, it's now Elemis which takes over the mantle of providing soothing and pampering. And in some style too, with everything from simple showers, to "intensely" (sic) relaxing massage chairs, massages and a range of treatments. Just ask for the menu of what's on offer. There is even the Spa bar, offering products to keep you feeling great throughout your flight, including tailored prescriptions.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries North, the Silver bar

Galleries Club North Heathrow Terminal 5 (Mini business class lounge)

North Gallery, Mid level Open 0500-2230 Club Europe, Gold & Silver Executive Club members & oneWorld Emerald & Saphires
This lounge is found, appropriately, at the other end of the terminal from the Galleries Club South. But your first task is actually to find it: if you are on the ground floor, you need to take the lift upstairs, and then find the small door on the right: signposting is particularly poor.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries North, Club Kitchen

Appropriately, this lounge is designed for passengers flying North on the few remaining BA domestic services to Scotland, plus for Club Europe travelling on the shorthaul network, and the domestic flights. As a result this lounge has many more Scottish and European newspapers than it's southern cousin, andthe wine and food selection can be marginally better. The major perk of this lounge is the Club Terrace overlooking the terminal below.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries North, entrance

The lounge is vaguely T shaped, with a long thin top of the T, that has a great view overlooking the Northern runway. As you enter, there are the newspaper and magazine racks, and then you walk past the coffee House, and the wine gallery, with the Club Kitchen on your right. If you turn right you'd go through the double doors to the Terrace. If you go left, there is the silver bar, another magaine rack (often fuller than the ones by the door) and the business centre at the end. This Work and Entertainment Zone (called W+EZ) has 12 brand new Internet computers, with headphones, all connected to one central printer, plus a photocopier and fax. There are sockets for European and US plugs, and a TV on the wall (normally on Bloomburg). Past this are the showers.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries North, W+EZ at the end

The one main Silver bar in the middle of the lounge, overlooking the Northern Runway. It has BA's new signature of a long thin bar with curved round ends - the wine is in the central trough, and the selection often has wines that are now in the Southern cousin. Against the far wall are six fridges, containing Carlsberg, Heiniken, London Pride and Newcastle Brown, and 17 types of sprits are on the wall. There is Gordon's Gin, Smirnoff vodka, Bacardi, Jack Daniels, VSOP, Johnnie Walker (Red), Jamesons, Southern comfort, Grouse, Glenlivett, Campari, Martini (2 types), Tia Maria, Drambuie, and Contreau. Port & Baileys is in the trough on the worktop, along with 5 types of juice and packets of nuts.

LHR Terminal 5 Galleries North, the Club Terrace

Food is in the Club Kitchen. The menu is painted on the wall, with Breakfast from 0530 to 1200. It's quite good with bacon rolls and crossants, yoghurt, and fruit salad. At 1200-1400 and 1700-1900 there are hot dishes, in the trays under the hot lamps. These can be quite good, with generally a chicken curry or some meaty pasta. From 1400-2200 there is soup, salad, cold meats and cheese.

Satellite Galleries Club, Heathrow Terminal 5B Satellite

5B Satellite, top level Open 0500-2230 First, Club World, Gold & Silver Executive Club members
If you are exhausted after the long train ride from the main terminal, you can stop off here for a drink, before catching your flight from the satellite.

Galleries Arrivals

First, Club World, and Gold Executive Club members
As you leave Terminal 5, you need to turn left, and go up the escalator to get to the Arrivals lounge. This is only for passengers in First, Club World, or Gold Executive Club members.

There is a Buffet Breakfast Bar, where you can see the food as it's being prepared in the kitchen, the Breakfast Room, exclusively for FIRST passengers, an Elemis Travel Spa with treatments designed for those who've been on a plane for 8 hours or more, a Hydrotherapy area with 94 shower rooms, of which there are three types: full body jet, steam shower and deluxe massage. There will also be a suit pressing. In the cabanas, there are new Infinity Bathrooms where the water will continually rolls through the bath and over the sides to keep it clean and fresh. There are Internet computers, and newspapers.

LHR Terminal 1 Lounge Pavillion

Central shopping area Open 0500-2230
NEWS: This lounge is now CLOSED. This is hidden away in the corner of the main shopping area, and looks tiny - infact its vast. There is a wide curve of a desk, with the First/Gold lounge on the left, and Club/Silver on the right. There is even a sort of swinging supermarket style entrance gate, to regulate passengers in and out, due to the amount of traffic this lounge gets.

LHR Terminal 1 Terraces Lounge

LHR T1 Lounge Pavillion Entrance

Once inside, you can see how far back this lounge goes. Most people grab a seat next to the small food counter on the right, immediately after the door - but there are much quieter places to sit further down. As you walk down, on the left there is an area with a small TV, and racks of Internet computers, which are fast, modern - and actually work!

LHR T1 Lounge Spirits selection

Down the ramp on the left is a much bigger Widescreen TV, on on the right is BA's best World Wine Bar. You can sit at the bar, at which in the trough there are racks 8 white and 8 red wines, some of which are very good indeed. There are also two types of port in the trough, and the Baileys. Behind the bar are 32 types of spirits. In the fridges under the counter are cans of Stella, Grolsh, Newcastle Brown Ale, and Guinness, plus plenty of soft drinks and bottles of water.

LHR T1 Computer Centre

Food has recently been dramatically revamped in the lounge, in line with the other terraces at LHR. There is now a new Pizza-huit style fridge beside the World Wine Bar. There is breakfast with lots of fruit, yoghurt, and cerial in here until 1200. Then it turns into a salad bar, with three different types of pasta & salad, with rocket, cucumbers and tomatoes in the middle, while at the end are two buckets of hot soup, and rolls. Past the bar on the left, opposite the ticket desk, is the Larder. During the day there are just biscuits, packets of Walker's Fruit Cake, nuts, olives, and two types of cheese (cheddar and Leicester) with three types of cheese crackers. In the evening sandwiches appear here, which are often left for a while thanks to the excellent salad bar.

LHR T1 the upper balcony

Past the food on the left is a quiet area, while on the right is a garden and fountain. Not one of BA's best efforts, the pictures of the trees are decidedly tacky. There is also another small bar (with a carpet that makes your mind boggle - if it isn't already from all the G&Ts!) here. Keep on walking - the lounges best kept secret is on the balcony on top of the ticket desk. Here are some open skylights - the only natural light in the lounge - a bar (not as impressive as the World Wine Bar down below) and small snack area, along with all the types of seating. It is normally very quiet here, as children under 12 are forbidden, and even some regular travellers don't know where to find it.

LHR T1 Lounge Pavillion World Wine Bar

Dotted around the lounge are strands with newspapers - there is normally a selection of each of the main UK papers - but only a few of each, and a couple of very poor magazines. By the TV there is a stand with international papers - which you can take onto your flight - and finally, right by the door, is the Moulton Brown Spa.

LHR Terminal 1 First Lounge

LHR T1 First Lounge Champagne Bar

NEWS: This lounge is now CLOSED. This lounge is absolutely superb, and counts as one of the best at any airport anywhere in the world. And compared with some of the horrors that can lurk in Heathrow, it is a haven of peace, quiet, and tranquilty. Except that is when a minor musician called Snoop turns up.

You have to go through a kind of double airlock to get here. You have your ticket checked on the main entrance, and then once past the shop and spa, once again by the dragon on a small desk that keeps out the rifraf from Club. This person is reponsible for calling flights, and one of the staff members likes to spice up their announcements with chatty comendy speaches: this can seem a bit odd, and jars with the generally nature of the lounge, which is very much upmarket old money hotel.

LHR T1 First Lounge

As you go in you can turn right at the curved leather seat bench, and head to the dining room, at the end of which is the food & soft drinks bar, with a self pour bar on the opposite side, and behind the bar pillar is the champaigne bar. Further left is a cloakroom for leaving bags and coats.

LHR T1 First Lounge bar

If you'd gone left at the entrance you'll pass the business centre, and then a much larger food and drink bar behind a glass wall. On the left is a smoking room (with TV), the unique mobile (Handy / Cell) Free room, and then a large area at the far end with a big widescreen Freeview TV. Normally this is left on BBC News24. Unlike it's opposite number in Terminal 4, the Terminal 1 lounge is big, airy, and with plenty of space to stretch out, and a genuinely pleasant place to spend a few hours.

LHR T1 First Lounge far end

Food, as you'd expect, is top-notch here. In the mornings there is a good breakfast, with lots of cerial, toast, jamb, crossants, pastries, and - the delight of many travellers - bacon rolls with ketchup. These go down very well with champers before early morning flights. You can however order from the menus on the tables. The is everything from a full fry up in the mornings, to lots of pasta and salad in the afternoon. There is even a cream tea. Just grab a passing waitress and tell her what you are after.

LHR T1 First Lounge food

The Bar only represents a step up from the Terraces. There are the usual four types of beer in the fridge, and free pour spirits at both of the bars (but Johnnie Walker Blue has now been removed). However for wine and champers the Champagne bar (open from 0600) is a delight. This wonderful circular bar can get pretty busy - actually, packed to the rafters - in the evening. Alas champers has gone downhill rapidly lately. It serves only Piper Heidseck Monopole and a marginally better guest champagne. Wine is much better, with at least 4 good bottles of white and red.

There are two good newspaper racks, with all the daily papers, but only a few magazines. The six fast modern internet computers work well, and there is a fax, printer, and twin (240/120v) power sockets in the business centre. There is the usual expensive BA Openzone wifi throughout the lounge, although at the far end of the Champagne bar you can just about get the Wifi from the Lufthansa lounge.

LHR Terminal 4 Gate 1 Terraces Lounge

Near gate 1 Open 0500-2230
The LHR Terminal 4 lounge is one of the biggest BA has - and it gets most of the traffic. It is right by gate 1, and you have to walk up a long ramp before getting to the two counters where your ticket or card is checked. Rumour has it that there is such a long walk to let the people on the desk size you up as you approach.

LHR T4-G1 Terraces lounge from the TV lobby

Once in, the lounge is on two levels, with two bars on each level, either side of the central column. The top floor is the best, with a long sundeck giving a good view of the runway. There is also a small TV side lobby, with a TV with Sky news. Alas in a rebuild in 2006 the "garden" area (with a twikling fountain) bit the dust. However upstairs there are now a few showers.

LHR T4-G1 Terraces lounge sundeck

The self service bar is stocked with a somewhat poorer selection than other lounges - at the 4 bar pods there are just 2 white and 2 red wines and about 30 types of spirits. There is a full selection of every type of beer BA have onboard and loads of soft drinks (all in small cans). There is the World Wine Bar on the upper level, with a better selection of wine, but it's still not up to level in T1.

LHR T4-G1 Terraces food bar

As for food, there is now a new servery on the top floor past the service desk. There is a chef which provides hot food to order. In the morning you'll get hot bacon rolls, or tomato and mushroom rolls. From 1200 there is hot soup, and a salad bar. From 1600 options include pasta, risotto and noodles. Out by the bar there are also sandwiches, with big trays, and the selection is good, all with labels indicating what they are. Impressively, the trays are replaced when they get empty - just as you would want.

There's a full selection of daily newspapers, but fewer foreign ones than in the Lounge Pavillion, and a few magazines, normally something like "Instyle".

LHR Terminal 4 Gate 10 Lounge Pavillion

Near gate 10 Open 0500-2230

LHR T4-G10 Terraces Lounge

NEWS: This lounge is now CLOSED. This is master lounge complex for all of BA's operations - at least, until Terminal 5 sees this place get the axe. It is vast, and you can pretty much spend all day in here exploring the various options. That is, if you didn't have a plane to catch. As you walk in it seems to be unstaffed, with just a solitary dragon on a podia - this person checks your boarding pass and shows you which facilities your ticket & status gives you access to. Straight ahead is the Concorde room, to the left is a new Internet Cafe, downstairs is the Moulton Brown suite & First lounge, while upstairs is the Terraces, with a nice curving staircase between them and the slowest lifts in the world.

LHR T4-G10 Terraces Lounge

LHR Terminal 4 Gate 10 Terraces Lounge

On the top floor is the main Terraces lounge, with four desks by the door (access desks on the left, ticket desk on the right). Despite it being the flagship lounge, this lounge is actually quite small (outstations like Dusseldorf are much bigger), and it can get packed. There is the usual fountain, right in the middle of the lounge, and a nice view of a small part of the apron from the sunloungers to the right of the array by the windows.

LHR T4-G10 Terraces Lounge

Computers are at the far end, and around the corner with fast internet connections. The bar is at the other end, with a vast array of spirits, but only 6 reds and 6 whites in the World Wine bar.

LHR T4-G10 Terraces Lounge

Food is in the Pizza Hut style fridge by the bar. In the early mornings it is loaded with grapefruit, fruit salad, and yoghuts. Toast and cerial is on the end of the counter. Later in the day it turned into a salad bar. The mixed rocket is great, there is a lovely mushroom thing, nice coleslaw, plenty of tomatos & cuecumbers. All in all, this new features is not a bad addition. Soup is there too, with hot rolls, but for real hot food you need to walk to the Gate 1 lounge.

In the cellar is the Molton Brown Travel Spa. A delight to enjoy, you can get a 10 minute circulation therapy, a shiatswe massage, a steam and shower suites, and a Molton Brown "face the world" colour bar.

LHR Terminal 4 Gate 10 First Lounge

LHR T4-G10 First BA Lounge, the bar area at the far end

NEWS: This lounge is now CLOSED. On the bottom floor is the First lounge. Sometimes its not always the wisest thing to do to pop in here - as the Terraces can be emptier, and there is now hot food upstairs. But lets face it, the Terraces gets packed too, particularly when most of the flights to the US are leaving one after the other... so really, you might as well head to the First lounge where, if you can fight your way to a seat, you can enjoy some decent champers and more upmarket food.

LHR T4-G10 First BA Lounge

The First lounge has a bar at the far end on the right, with two types of Champagne in buckets in the trough. Sadly, the champers is Monopole. There are half a dozen wines in here, some of which are very good indeed. In the square boxroom on the right there is the spirits collections. Johnnie Walker blue has been axed, but there is still Red and Gold, plus most of the same spirits as from the Terraces.

LHR T4-G10 First BA Lounge

Food is pretty good in the First lounge. There is now a fridge with salads in it, plus some ham and beef slices. It has breakfast in the morning, but you might be better ordering from the menus at the tables. This lists the speciality of the First lounge - bacon baguettes. Which go down very well with a glass of champers for the flights at the crack of sparrows. Also on the menu are some fine pasta dishes and soups. There is a full at seat afternoon tea and canapes service between 17:00 and 19:00.

LHR T4-G10 First BA Lounge food

The newspaper rack is also marginally better than upstairs, particularly for overseas papers. There are frequently copies of the SMH and the Age that are just left untouched. There are no computers in the first lounge.

LHR Domestic Terraces Lounge downstairs

LHR Terminal 1 Domestic Terraces Lounge

Main corridor, opposite the newsagent Open 0530-2100
NEWS: This lounge is now CLOSED. This lounge is big. I mean, really big. When you first stick your head around the door, you won't realise just how mind boggling big it really is. It's on two floors, and has an escalator linking the two, although this puts an annoying rumble throughout the whole lounge.

LHR Domestic Terraces Lounge

When you first enter the place seems a lot smaller - there is a bar to one side, and 8 computers plus a fax on the left. Under the arch to the right is a long thin room with what passes for a library, and another bar at the far end. Upstairs is much more fun. It's quite a lot darker, and has the usual fountain gurgling away in the middle.

LHR Domestic Terraces Lounge, the large upstairs area

The World Wine Bar is downstairs, and you can sit at the bar, which has BA's full selection of 8 white and 8 red wines. There is alas no port or Baileys here. Behind the bar are 20 types of spirits. In the fridges under the counter are cans of Stella, Grolsh, Newcastle Brown Ale, and Guinness, plus plenty of soft drinks and bottles of water. There are two further bars downstairs & upstairs, each with a full selection of beer, but fewer wines.

LHR Domestic Terraces Lounge

Food is upstairs, and has mainly just biscuits, packets of Walker's Fruit Cake, olives, and two types of cheese (cheddar and Leicester) with two types of cheese crackers, and packets of crisps. From 12 till 2pm, and from 5pm, sandwiches and yogurts appear. Occasionally in the morning there are bacon rolls.

As well as access for the usual Silver and Gold Executive Club members, passengers with a fully flexible Domestic ticket can get in.

LGW terraces upstairs

London Gatwick (LGW) Lounges

North Terminal, after security Open 0515-2230
NEWS: Euro-Traveller passergers are currently being offfered the chance to upgrade to Club Europe for £59. This offer gives access to the Terraces Lounge.
At LGW BA operate out of the North Terminal, which has a FastTrack security lane for passengers who have access to the lounges - however to use it, you must get a FastTrack sticker, which is not offered if you check in Online or at the Machines. The lounge complex is on the extreem left of the Terminal as you walk in, past the shopping area. You can either walk straight ahead to the Terraces (Club) lounge, or go upstairs to the First lounge via the lift (which is very slow - if you are fit take the CIP stairs next to it).

Note that if you have a flight from a gate number 100 and above, it is a long walk over the bridge to your gate - however there is no return to the lounge, and as flights are often shown as "boarding" at half an hour to go, rather than when they actually are boarding, chances are you'll either have a mad run, or a long time to hang around at the gate.

London Gatwick (LGW) Terraces Lounge

North Terminal, lower & upper floors

LGW terraces breakfast

As you walk towards this lounge you'll pass a lift - this actually goes up the second level of the terraces, so you can go up to the top level, and use the separate reception desk there. This is opposite the entrace to the First lounge which BA still maintain at LGW, despite cutting back on the number of destinations that still have a First cabin.

The lounge itself is big, on two levels. Most people grab a seat close to the reception desk - however if you walk around you'll find much more space - and also an excellent view of the airport. The best view is actually from the staircase that blocks the view from much of the lounge - called the CIP (Commercially Important Passenger) staircase. There is also a large draft staircase by the business centre, that also runs out to other parts of the airport.

LGW terraces upstairs

The main bar is right by the desk on the lower level. It has one of BA's World Wine Bars, however it is slightly smaller than the one at LHR with only 6 white and 6 red wines. There are also two types of port in the trough, and the Baileys. Behind the bar is a mind boggling array of spirits. In the fridges under the counter are cans of Stella, Grolsh, Newcastle Brown Ale, and Guinness, plus plenty of soft drinks and bottles of water.

LGW downstairs bar

On the upper level there are two bars, one of which is styled as a cappochino bar. On the upper level there is also a garden and fountain.

Food has not had the BA makeover that LHR has had. There is breakfast with lots of fruit, yoghurt, and cerial in here until 1100. Later in the day are just biscuits, packets of Walker's Fruit Cake, nuts, olives, and two types of cheese (cheddar and Leicester) with three types of cheese crackers. In the evening there are some sandwiches although they tend to disappear very quickly.

London Gatwick Terraces lounge downstairs bar

Dotted around the lounge are strands with newspapers - there is normally a selection of each of the main UK papers - but only a few of each, and a couple of very poor magazines, although there are usually lots of Business Traveller magazines. By the door there is a stand with international papers - which you can take onto your flight.

On the ground floor there is a very small business centre with all of three computers. Getting access to one is often a struggle.

There is a shower suite of three showers available, and are well kept and clean, however this is not a true Moulton Brown spa.

London Gatwick (LGW) First Lounge

North Terminal, upper floor

London Gatwick First Lounge

This is a lovely quiet room away from the hubub that may be families departing on holiday with a bucket and spade in the Terraces next door. To in here you are an elite - if only because, LGW now has so few four-class planes with a First Class section any longer, virtually the entire room is made up of Gold card holders - and that means you can sometimes be the only one in here. Even the person guarding the lounge - on the desk as you go in - is very relaxed, and often glad of the company.

London Gatwick First Lounge

Facilities in this room are poorer than at LHR. There is no bar for example, and you have to pour drinks yourself. The drinks counter is on the righthand side of the bar bod. There will usually be a couple of bottles of Champagne, and a couple of red and whites, plus the usual beer in the fridge. Johnny Walker Blue Label makes an appearance in the well stocked spirits section.

London Gatwick First Lounge bar area

Food is also noticable poorer than in LHR, with just a selection of sandwiches and dips in the fridge. You can however ask the staff to serve you that staple of First Class travellers - a bacon butty. It goes well with a glass of champers in the morning.

Behind the reception desk are a couple of computers, however there is often a queue. If you really need to use a computer you may be better taking the short cut of walking through past the spa and the door to the toilets to the Terraces lounge - a route that bypasses the ticket & card checks.

Edinburgh Terraces Lounge

Edinburgh Terraces Lounge

Main Concourse, opposite gate 11 Open 0515-2030
This is quite a small lounge, and always seems to be incredibly busy with flights leaving to Gatwick and Heathrow on a regular basis. Chairs are hard to come by at these times - there are the usual different types, with a nice comfy sofa around the back wall. There is no view of the runway. There is now a new 'overflow' area, which also give some more open space - this is through the door to the left of the main reception desk - here there is a kind of patio area, surrounded by frosted glass, but in the main concourse.

Edinburgh Terraces Lounge

The Bar is very good, with the standard curved Terraces lounge type. The fridges have the usual beer selection, with Stella, Grolsh, and Newcastle. Plus, unusually, Irn Bru.

Edinburgh Terraces Lounge

Food is quite unusual, with plenty of Mango Chilli Kettle Chips and Walkers Shortbread throughout the day, and occasionally there is a cart containing sandwiches (including prawn and mayonnaise, plus smoked salmon). On it's arrival the lounge decends into chaos, and all the businessmen arrive and attack the cart!

There are two computers in what passes for a business centre, which also has a fax & printer. It's actually just a desk to the right of the main seating area, and not very private at all.

Glasgow Terraces Lounge

Glasgow Domestic Terraces Lounge

Near gate 18 Open 0500-2030
There are actually two lounges down the same pier at Glasgow: which all seems rather pointless, until you find out how small the main lounge is. It just takes a delay on the Gatwick & Heathrow flights for there to be a logjam, and not a single spare seat can be found.

Glasgow Terraces Lounge

The Bar is a non-standard straight bar, with some more unusual whiskys. The fridges have only the usual beer selection, with Stella, Grolsh, and Newcastle Brown Ale. There is a coffee machine on the bar top which does a mean latte.

Food is laid out on a small table to the right of the bar, and hsa lots of Kettle Chips and Walkers Shortbread throughout the day. Sandwiches appear at lunchtimes & the evening, and include some very cood ham & cheese ones, plus some chopped egg.

Glasgow Alternate Terraces Lounge

The ComBiz business centre is really funny - it is all of one computer stuffed into a tiny cupboard, right opposite the main desk, which means everyone at that desk can see what you are typing.

Glasgow Domestic Alternate Terraces Lounge

Near gate 16, opposite bmi lounge Open 0600-0800 weekdays
This is the overflow lounge, which is only really ever used on weekday mornings - and even then it is sometimes closed if there are light loads on the London flights.

Manchester Terraces Lounge

Terminal 3, up stairs near central rotundra Open 0500-2000

Manchester Terraces Lounge

The vast mother of a lounge in Manchester was actually the showpiece test lounge, when BA revamped the lounge concept back in 1998, and it still shows it's style - and size - today. It gives the impression of the airport being designed around it, which in all fairness it probably was. After you walk up the stairs from the main waiting hall beloew, the main feature strikes you - the huge circular central rotundra, around which the lounge is based. You can see all the way down into where the great unwashed wait for their flights, around the O8 bar. To kind of rub the point in, some of the bar stools are arranged looking into the main circular waitting hall.

Manchester computers at far end

There is also a long straight wall, which overlooks the runway, and it is along this wall that there are racks of sunlounges. Further along there are some rather uncomfortable leather sofas. Further around is the Combiz business centre, with plenty of desks, but only two rather ancient computers and a printer, and a meeting room table, which is part of the main lounge, and not very private, with a coffee machine near it. Going back to the main lounge the main World Wine Bar overlooks the circle, and is the usual Terraces curvey type with 4 whites, 4 reds, all the usual beers, and a special treat: Boddingtons - the Cream of Manchester.

Manchester Terraces

There is another bar over on the other side of the circle, but this is less well stocked. It is however near where the small portable TV is, which doubles up as the children's play area.

Food is equally good, with the usual slices of shortbread, plus breakfast (to 1130) and sandwiches (12-2, and 5-7pm) but these are very plain ham or cheese. There are chunks of cheddar in the fridge at all times.

There are several newspaper racks in the lounge, with a full selection of all the UK dailies, however despite the appearance of a library, there are no magazines.

Manchester Terraces Lounge bar overlooking Rotundra

Access to this lounge is given to Silver & Golds, plus those on a fully flexible ticket. If transfering flights, make sure you go upstairs when you disembark, and don't exit the terminal - otherwise you'll have to get back in again. Oddly, to do this, you end up having your photo taken if you are on UK to UK transfers.

Southampton Terraces Lounge

Landside, beside ticket desk Open 0600-2000

Southampton Terraces Lounge

To get into this broom cupboard that masquerades as the British Airways lounge, you need a code for the door - get this at checkin - and then walk back from checkin, don't go through security, and instead head to the left of the ticket desk - the tiny room is here. If you roll up the blinds, it has views over the taxi drop off area.

Unlike other BA domestic lounges, there is no access with a fully flexible ticket; instead there is only access to Club Europe, plus Gold & Silver members.

Southampton Terraces Lounge

The lounge is tiny - we're talking about 19 seats, and two leather sofas, around 5 tables. There are no showers or computers, although there is a desk with a high backed leather chair which does an impression of being the "Combiz" area. Up on the wall there is a tiny monitor with a list of departures, and beneath it a small TV, which has NTL cable, and a few channels - there is a printed list of these to the left of the TV. Under the TV is a computer which has a DVD player, and with a lot of tweaking, you can get it to play DVDs on the TV.

Southampton Terraces Lounge Bar

One delight is the Bar. No long curvey creation is this - it's in a high wooden cabinet. It is almost as fully stocked as any at Heathrow, with 24 types of spirits in free pour bottles. There is the usual Johnnie Walker, 3 Martinies, Tia Maria, Contreau, Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, Canadian Club whisky, Bacardi, and Gordon's Gin. On the worktop are two types of red wine, while under the spirit rack is the fridge, which has two bottles of white. In here there are also racks of the usual 4 types of BA beer.

To the left is a coffee dispenser. It's a bit of an odd one. Press the coffee/tea button, and a door pops out. Get a packet of what you want, and put it in upside down with the plastic lip in the catch, and close the door. Milk is in the fridge below.

Slightly further round there is a table with a few snacks. There is nothing special - just shortbread, kettle chips & fruit. By the door is a newspaper rack, with the Mail, Express, Independent & Times. There are very few copies, so by the end of the day, most of them may have walked.

When the time comes to take you flight, if you are Silver or Gold do take advantage of the fasttrack route through security.

Dusseldorf Terraces Lounge

Right after security Open 0530-2100

Dusseldorf Terraces Lounge

The route to this vast lounge (which is run by BA, but also sold onto Emirates and Swiss passengers) is via a small staircase to the right after the first set of security (there is a second set of metal detectors before the gates that BA uses, which are only occasionally used), at the top of which there is wide entrance desk with the unusually tame lounge dragons.

Dusseldorf Terraces Lounge

The actual lounge itself is huge - seemingly far larger than BA would ever need at this outpost, although the occasional conferences and Expos do generate a lot of premium travel that do just about fill up the lounge, particularly when the Manchester and Birmingham flights leave at the same times at the LHR ones. To the left as you go in is the probably the nicest place to sit - on the sunloungers looking through windows over the central gate area.

Ahead of this is the Winebar which has recently been reduce. Now there are only the usual BA stocks of 4 types of white, and 4 of red. There are now only 10 types of spirits behind the bar aren't bad either, although the Baileys is not chilled (unlike at LHR) but there is Bacardi, Sandemanm Martini, Campari, Smirnoff, Ballentines whisky, Remy Martini VSOP, and Beefeater Gin. There is are only two types of beer. Not even Alt Beer either, it is a rather tame German Pils, and Bitberger, in small glass bottles.

Dusseldorf Terraces Sunloungers

Dusseldorf World Wine Bar

Further round there is the usual Terraces Fountain around a garden court - which has recently been filled in as a garden. There is a small Food Counter. The lounge now has some food in the mornings. True, it's just a tray of sandwiches (German Sausage on white bread) sitting on a tray by the world wine bar, but it's a better offering than there was. There are also strange long strips of Edam cheese, on a stick, in plastic wrapping. There are also cold snacks including apples, biscuits, nuts, crisps, cakes. There is no warm food. On the wine bar are two bowls of olives - one black, the other red. Round at the back next to the smoking area is another bar, with a much better coffee machine, and a stack of different types of tea bags, but no alcohol.

At the back there is a quiet area, next to the book cases, and several desks with banks of telephones, but no computers or internet access.

Dusseldorf The Top End bar

Newspapers are on two racks, with just the Guardian, Express and Mail from the UK (and in the mornings, just yesterdays papers) but with plenty of German papers, and a couple of German magazines, like Stern. All in all, it is a pretty good and relaxing lounge, but one that can make you feel pretty lonely sitting there on your own.

Hamburg British Airways Terraces Lounge

Terminal 2, Level 2, Schengen area after security Open 0500-2330.
In the smart new Hamburg airport, BA's lounge is on the upper walkway - which you won't find unless you know where to look. As you pass through security look for the small door on the right hand side. There is a small sign above it marked "lounges". Go through the door and up the small rather squalid stairs, or take the very slow lift. BA's lounge is near the Lufthansa one, at the far end of the long corridor, past the generic airport lounge and through the big glass door on the right.

Hamburg Terraces Lounge

Getting in is the major problem at this lounge - even a full fare Club Europe ticket won't get you in. Instead you need status with the Executive Club - either Silver or Gold. Partly due to this, the generic airport lounge does a roaring trade in selling entry (at ˆ17 a go).

The reason for this selectiveness is that the lounge is very small - it can really only take about 20 people. Still, it does an OK job, and has a huge picture window with a view of the airport apron. There is even an outdoor observation terrace, which alas has been shut for security reasons (although the Lufthansa one next door is still open).

Food is just the usual biscuits and nuts, while the bar is somewhat more impressive, with plenty of wine and spirits. There are no loos or showers in the lounge - instead there are communal ones in the corridor outside.

Cologne Terraces Lounge

Cologne British Airways Terraces Lounge

Bottom floor, behind stairs Open 0530-1100 & 1300-1900 (unstaffed 1530-1715)
NEWS: This lounge is closing shortly The Koln/Bonn lounge is half the size of the Dusseldorf lounge (appropriately, considering it gets half the number of flights), this lounge is in a strange location, hidden in the sub-basement that is used for some schengen flights where you are bussed from the gate to aircraft. UK flights actually depart from the non-Schengen area (past another security check) at the other end of the terminal.

Cologne Terraces Lounge bar

Access is via the glass lift that goes right into the heart of the lounge, next to the central desk - although you can also take the stairs, and double back into the lounge. Instead of a view outside - it has a view of the bus arrival staircase through some impressively large windows. People tend to stand here and gorp - so there are now some pretty ineffective wooden screens.

This is a very standard Terraces lounge, with a fountain at one end, with four sunloungers (oddly, facing inwards into the lounge). There is one standard curved World Wine Bar, which you can sit at, with 4 white and 3 red wines, plus a long rack of (free-pour) spirits, and in the fridges under the counter are bottles of Becks (but no cans), plus plenty of cans of soft drinks. There is also a pretty nifty coffee machine.

Cologne Terraces Lounge

The food is very standard, with small cold snacks including apples, biscuits, nuts, and crisps. In the strange silver pots on the bar are jars of olives.

Cologne Terraces Lounge

There are no computers, but there is free Wifi Internet, and six desk booths with phones. There are two newspapers racks, with three copies of each of the usual UK papers (Times, Guardian, FT, Express and Mail) from the UK (not for early morning flights) and plenty of German papers.

Berlin British Airways Terraces Lounge

First floor, Before Security Open 0600-2030 (Sat 1930)
As befits the new capital, the Berlin Tegel lounge has recently had a makeover, turning it into a lovely terraces style, above the main shopping isle of the airport

Berlin Terraces lounge

terminal. The terminal itself is a 1960s concrete classic, in a large circle - with checkin desk beside each gate for the aircraft. Make sure you go to the lounge before security, and only head to the gate as your aircraft is called: after security there are no facilites. Thankfully the lounge dragons call each flight just as they are boarding, rather than their scheduled time. To get to this lounge, head up the concrete spiral stairs above the coffee stall - which is some way from the ticket office, checkin and gate that BA use, on the opposite side of the circle.

Berlin Terraces lounge bar

The lounge itself is pretty small - smaler even than the now closed lounge in Cologne - and so it can get pretty crowded with B list Berlin celebrities and politicians. However it boasts all the facilities you'd expect in a Terraces, with a fountain and sunloungers, a couple of big stiff backed armchairs, and a large curved world wine bar. It also has a great view over the low-cost terminal and the apron. Above the bar is a small TV, with just domestic German channels.

Berlin Terraces lounge bar

Once past the desk is the World Winebar with the standard BA stocks of 4 types of white, and 4 of red. On the worktop is an icebucket with champers - alas of Lufthansa origin. The 16 types of spirits behind the bar aren't bad either, although the Baileys is not chilled (unlike at LHR) and there is a full selection of beer, with the 4 standard BA types in cans, and bottles of Erdinger (both the Wheat and the Clear types). There are even logoed glasses. A coffee machine, and a stack of different types of tea bags completes the choices.

Berlin Terraces lounge bar

Food has recently been downgraded. Now there are only nuts, cheese twizzles, and small cakes in a plastic wrapping. In the fridge there are strange long strips of Edam cheese, on a stick, in plastic wrapping, and there are some biscuits next to it.

Opposite the bar is the usual Terraces Fountain around a garden court - with very loud tweety birds.

Berlin Terraces lounge

At the back there is a quiet area, overlooking the car park, and further back there is a smoking room and a special VIP room, which is normally closed.

Overlooking the low cost terminal there are several desks, but no computers or internet. One bad point is that there are no toilets or showers in the lounge - you have to go all the way downstairs, then into the basement, via the concrete stairwell. If you do this, don't leave your luggage in the lounge - thefts have been increasing.

Newspapers are on a table by the fountain, with a full selection of most of the UK's papers including the Guardian, Times, Express and Mail from the UK (and in the mornings, just yesterdays papers). There also a few German papers.

Amsterdam British Airways Terraces Lounge

Lounge 40, D pier, above Lounge 2 Open 0600-2100
Finding this lounge is a bit of a struggle, because there isn't a single sign in this vast airport indicating where it is. It's a fair treck from the checking desks or gate usually used by BA. Once through security, go left through passport control into the D wing, and head for lounge 2 (lounge in this case meaning vast holding area) up

Amsterdam The main Terraces lounge

as far as the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol (On the Holland Boulevard, in the area beyond passport control between the E and F Pier). Go up the stairs here, passing the two generic lounges, and past the KLM lounge. Up the corridor at the far end is the door to what Amsterdam calls "Lounge 40" - the Terraces.

So why make the long journey? In a word - the Food. This lounge is notorious for one attraction. Cup-a-soup. There is a soup dispenser, with plenty of variety, and the soup is actually really good. Also there are sandwiches on silver platter - the salmon ones are really good (but get them when they come out, otherwise they curl up at the edges). There are bowls of chocolate biscuits, and even some special biscuits to have with your coffee. Cheese makes an appearance, with lots of Gouda and Edam, plus the obligatory biscuits for it to go on. Bags of crips are in a basket on the worktop. There are even a couple of different types of olives, and lots of fruit. All in all, it makes a nice change from the usual BA offerings.

Amsterdam Terraces lounge

The lounge itself is split into 3 sections. Behind the entrance desk is the smoking area. The main body of the lounge is in the centre, with a long bar, while at the far end is a quiet room, that also has the usual 4 sunloungers, and a large desk. The view from here is a the best, with a small part of the runway visable, however even here the view is obscured by parts of the building. There are no computers or toilets in the lounge.

Amsterdam the bar

The bar in the main room is not the usual Terraces type, and there are just 2 types of red on the counter, and 2 whites in ice buckets (which rarely get changed, so the white is often quite warm). There are 9 spirits in large free-pour bottles on the shelf (Bacardi, Beefeater gin, Campari, Baileys, VSOP, Smirnoff vodka, and 3 types of whisky). There are two large glass jars, one with tomato, and the other with orange juice, while under the counter is a rack with plenty of cans of mixers (and coke in larger cans). Ice and lemon are in buckets on the top.

Amsterdam The quiet room

This lounge has the delight of the usual Netherlands "tamping" stick, with a flat end which you can use to squeeze your lemon while it's in the G&T - a lovely invention I've only ever seen in Amsterdam. There is only one beer available here - Heiniken. There is another bar in the quiet area, with a smaller selection.

Newspapers are on a rack by the door, with all of the UK papers, and one copy of the dutch ones. There are a few magazines, however these are mostly American. The JAL lounge around the corner offers some extra delights if you fancy going on a lounge crawl.

Brussels Terraces lounge

Concourse B, 4th floor Open 0600-2200

Brussels the bar

The newly refurbished Terraces lounge at Brussels airport is designed as a showcase for BA's new lounge concept. And it's gorgeous. Swish, clean, modern, and large enough so it never gets crowded, with great views of the gates where your plane is parked. It may seem surprising that there is even any requirement for a lounge on such a short route (indeed, you're likely to spend longer in here that on the aircraft) but BA pack in customers on flights 5 times a day - and most of them are in the expensive seats.

Brussels food - afternoon salad

The redesign adds stunning features including the Blue bar with a glittering chandelier, on the left after you go in. There are a couple of bottles of red and white wine on the counter top. Further around the spirits are lined up above fridges which hold a great array of beer. There are bottles of Guinness, Bass, Leffe Blonde, hoegaarden, and Bellevue Kriek cherry beer. Plus, sadly, cans of Stella. There are two nut machines here - twist the knob, and a handful of nuts come out of one, while you get strange nibbly bits out of the other.

Brussels food hall

Further around - past the fabulous furnishings, and the artwork collection (look at that leafy murral on the wall - it is actually art) - there is a Coffee machine, and what is described as a Food Hall. In the morning there is quite a decent breakfast, but by lunchtime it turns into a salad bar with lots of cauliflower, cuecumber, tomatoes, gerkins, olives, several different types of dips. Above the dining tables is a plasma TV screens - which is often on the BBC.

Brussels Terraces lounge

At the end of the room there is a well-equipped Business Centre with fast, modern, PCs with internet access, a photocopier and a fax. There are two more computers at the other end of the room (under the architectural models of Brussels airport), and throughout there is Wifi broadband access.

Frankfurt Terraces lounge

Termial 2, via lift at Gate D8 Open 0600-1930

Frankfurt terraces lounge right side

Congratulations if you find this lounge. It is a seroiusly agrivating struggle, due to the lack of any signs in the airport announcing its location, but it is ultimately worth it. After checkin - in the new basement pavilion of Terminal 2 - go through security (don't use the Business Fasttrack - where everyone is searched manually. This is very slow) turn right and go to the far end of the D concourse. Turn left at the JAL lounge, and head to the lift hidden behind the pillar where there is the first sign annoucing that it goes down to the BA lounge.

Frankfurt lounge bar

The lounge is split into two, with the divider at the small entrance desk. Both sides are absolutely idential, although that on the right is a little bigger. They both have a small dining room section oposite the bar & servery, then three banks of the usual Terraces blue squasy armchairs. It's pretty big, so apart from in the afternoon (when 3 flights leave for LHR between half 2 and 3.30) it never seems very crowded. The view on one side is of the staff car park security gates, but then on the other its just of a light well. Take your pick of dull. This might be why there is almost permanent piped music in the lounge, generally of stering waltzes and German Umpah bands. It is many things, but relaxing it is not.

Frankfurt terraces lounge left side

The bar is good for wine, with two decent whites in wine coolers - and Sparkling Resilng (one of the few BA lounges to still have any sparkling wine) plus two reds on the counter top. There is however only Becks beer, and even soft drinks seem to be either Fanta, Coke, Tonic, or Ginger ale in mini cans. There is however apple & tomato juice in jugs. Spirits are very poor, with just an unchilled Baileys, Campari, Ballentines Whisky, Gordon's Gin, and an unknown Russian vodka.

Frankfurt lounge bar

Food wise there are slices of fruit cake, a plate of biscuits, and the usual German lounge strips of cheese on a stick. There is also a plate of what looks like bird seed.

There are all the usual UK national Newspapers, plus a fair few of the German ones, and a good selection of all the Traveller type magazines. There are no computers, however there is wifi from T-Mobile - but at €6 for 3 hours.

Around the back is a corridor with pretty palacial loos that links the two sides, however the other corridor with display booths is normally locked up, and used to store the junk of BA employees. The Cathay Pacific lounge at the other end of the terminal (used by Qantas) has computers so it may be worth the long hike up here (past the Malaysian and Emirates lounges).

Athens Terraces lounge

By gate A11, after passport, before security Open 0530-2030

Athens terraces lounge

At the remote outpost in Athens it's a delight to find that there is a small but full equipted Terraces. Compared the smoggy overpriced hell that can be the city, its lovely and welcoming. Unusually it's after passport control, and before security. Head all the way down the shopping arcade, and it's after the vast Olympic lounge, and before the Swissport lounge. Past the reception desk - which is the only way of finding out about flight departures (there are no screens in the lounge) there are large windows - alas, overlooking an office block, not the runway - a bar on the left, comfy seats around a fountain on the right, some sunloungers, computers on the far right, and a small smoking room. There are no toilet or shower facilities.

Athens terraces lounge

The Bar is pretty good, with a full selection of Spirits including Gordon's Gin, Regal, Baileys, Grand Marnier, JW Red, Smirnoff, and two types of Oozo. Cans of Amstel & Heiniken are in the fridge. Alas, there is only one type of red & White wine (bad Greek ones) in the round holes in the bar top. There are jugs of Orange & Tomato Juice, and a coffee machine. Newspapers are in the rack to the left of the bar, and there is a full selection of Greek papers, but only the Daily Mail from the UK. To the left of the bar is a Television, normally left on BBC World. It is alas high up in a cabinet in the wall, and as such watching it can be a right pain - only the high seats at the bar give a decent view. Anywhere else and you'll get a permanent crink in your kneck.

Athens terraces lounge bar

Food isn't great, but is at least there. A couple of hours before each flight a tray of rolls is put out, with ham, cheese (Brie), salami, and, very oddly, pesto & tomato options.

Athens terraces lounge combiz

The Combiz business center is really just a couple of desks at the far end of the room, There are two computers which are pretty slow (press Enter to get past the password login screens) a fax & photocopier. There are also four desks where you can plug in a laptop.

In the lounge there is a glass cabinet with lots of duty free items for sale. There is everything from Oozo to little models of the Pathenon, and even JW Blue.

Milan-Malpensa Terraces lounge

After security, by gate B24, up escalator Open 0600-1655

Milan Terraces lounge

Compared to the dourness of Malpensa (the airport is rather like a grim shopping centre in the middle of fields) and the horrors of checkin (the BA checkin is in a drafty hall, past some grim extra security checks) the lounge is a delight. Head all the way down the B concourse after the non-schengen passport checks, then up the escalator. The lounge can suffer from overcrowding, as it is used by JAL, Singapore, Qatar, Delta, Emirates, and even FlyBE.

Milan Terraces lounge

When this lot is departing in the morning, space is at a premium, and yet the lounge is half the size it was. The nice part - which overlooked the runway - has been removed, and now there is just a blank wall at the entrance to the washrooms where you used to walk through. Now the only windows overlook the grim checkin area. Still, the lounge is still pretty big, with plenty of sofas, the usual terraces fountain at the far end, and plenty of reading lights. Alas every one of these lights has had their bulbs removed as an economy measure.

Milan Terraces lounge bar

There is one long curvy bar. In the trough is the sparkling Pinot, plus a rather grim white. Next to it on the worktop is the red, normally a Chianti. In the fridge there are cans of Tuborg, Spugen, and bottles of Becks. At one end of the bar - with shot glasses - are bottles of Ballantines, Red Label, Averna, and Molinari. Chilled vodka, Martini and gin are in the trough.

Milan Terraces lounge bar

Food is a bit variable. On the worktop there is a heated cabinet with pizza slices and mini bruchetta (which really suffer at the end of the day) while on the curvy bar there are three trays of sandwiches and crossants, plus tubs of olives, curkins, and crips.

There are two newspaper racks (one bar the door, the other in the far corner of the lounge) with most of the UK's broadsheets, and some of the Italian press. Past the fountain there are four work desks, but no computers. Wifi is BT Openzone.

Geneva Terraces lounge

Mezzanine Level, after passport control, before security Open 0600-last flight

Geneva Terraces lounge

This is a pretty small room which gets very busy during the winter season, and is decorated in the old Terraces style. You enter after passport control, and pass the small smoking room on the left hand side, and the reception desk.

There is the usual parasol, a fountain, and a decent view through full height windows.

Food as you'd expect is pretty basic, with just crisps and olives.

There is a good bar at the far end of the lounge, with a couple of white and red wines, plus the usual beers. Champagne is stocked, but not advertised. You have to ask the bar staff specifically for this, and they will bring you a glass (but not the bottle).

There are no showers or toilets: instead you have to use the facilities outside, accross the hall, which are pretty hidden.

There is wireless Internet access plus 3 fast, new, internet connected computers.

New York JFK British Airways Lounges

Terminal Four, up escalator after security Open 0600-2145
At New York, British Airways have a half share in their own terminal (the other half belonging to United), which makes for a much quieter experience on the ground. Checkin has two ranks of desks for the riffraff, and on the left is a separate area for business. Behind this is the area for First and Golds, who have their own security checkpoint that leads to the Concorde Room. Everyone else has to go through the main security, then if you double back up the small escalator (which also leads to the United lounge) there is a reception desk for the BA lounge at the top. First (Golds, and one world Emerald) is on the left, Business (and Silvers) are on the right.

New York JFK First lounge

First Class New York JFK British Airways Lounge

This takes the form of a long thin room, with a bar on the right as you go in, a kind of light central area, with windows overlooking a flat roof, and then at the back a thin corridor with computers and a small window overlooking the check in area. There are plenty of chairs, however only those up against the near wall are the big squashy arm chairs with footstalls. The other ones nearer the centre of the lounge are lighter, if a trifle harder. Oddly, there are some more formal dining chairs by the door, however since the food is generally pretty poor in the lounge, these get little use, other than for those who put their laptops on them.

New York JFK First lounge bar

The bar may be small, but it is a noticeable step up from the business side, in that it has champagne, typically of the Piper Heidsieck variety. There are also three types of white in the trough, and three reds on the worktop. There is the same beer as in business under the counter though, and no other spirits.

New York JFK First lounge

Food is slightly better in First, with trays of sandwiches that are actually pretty good. Other than that, it's a question of bags of crisps, olives, and cheese and biscuits. There are also some apples, closely wrapped in cling film, in the American style. Notices give stern warnings about the penalties if you take these onto a flight. For serious pre-flight dining you have to nip over to the business side.

New York JFK First lounge computers

Newspapers are on a rack by the bar, and are refreshed as soon as the first flight of the day from the UK gets in. There are plenty of Telegraphs, Mails, and Times. There are also all the usual New York papers. Computers are by the window at the far end of the lounge. There are all of three, plus a printer. They are neither particularly fast nor impressive, but have an OK net connection. At busy times though there may be a queue to get on one.

Business Class New York JFK British Airways Terraces Lounge

The business lounge is an old fashioned Terraces. It was cutting edge back in 2001, but is getting decidedly worn around the edges by now. A revamp is planned, to bring it up to the standard of the

New York JFK Terraces lounge

galleries. There is a strange sort of pre-lounge lounge on the right as you enter, which is kept dark and supposed to be a kind of quiet area, however as everyone walks past it and its wide open, it is neither quiet nor private and acts really like a kind of overspill section.

The main lounge as you enter has the food ahead of you, computers on the right, then as you carry on down this arm there is a kind of library and quiet area, with the spa at the far end. Going back to the bridge of the U, there is the usual tinkling fountain ahead of you, the a bar on the left, the Club World dining room straight ahead, and then on the right another bar and racks of seating. The windows here overlook checkin, and then right at the far end is a small window - the only natural light in the lounge. However the lounge still manages to be bright and airy, even if it is such a busy place it isn't all that relaxing.

New York JFK Terraces lounge

The two Bar areas are pretty much the same, with bottles of beer, including Bud, Coors Light, Bass, Heineken and Stella below the worktop. There are jugs of juice on top, and a couple of white and red wines. Spirits has the usual BA range of Jonny Walker Black label, Southern Comfort, Camparis, Glenlivet, Jamesons, Martini, Bacardi, Gery Goose Vodka, Brambuie, Tia Maria, Baileys and contreau.

New York JFK Terraces lounge

Food really isn't brilliant. In the mornings there are croissants and cereal, and then in the lull before the rush of evening flights these are replaced by crisps and nuts, slabs of cheese in plastic packets, and breadsticks. There are also packets of soup. For better dining before your flight, which means you can maximise sleep on board, head to the Club World pre-flight dining room. Here there is a full sit down meal, or grab something such as a very good salad from the buffet. Alas, it is not available if you get in with an Executive Club card, as opposed to a Club World ticket.

New York JFK Terraces lounge food

Newspapers are on a rack by the door, along with magazines such as Wallpaper and Business Traveller. There is usual more quantity - and quality - here than on the First side. Computers can be hard to come by. There are just half a dozen, often with a queue to get on one, set around the rather nice wood panelled screens. Behind this is the library area, and then further on is the Spa. Here you can get 15 minute treatments and massages, along with a shower.

Philadelphia British Airways Terraces Lounge

Terminal A-East, by gate A12 Open 1600-2145

Philadelphia terraces lounge

There is a full, dedicated BA lounge at Philadelphia, offering separate First areas, and a pre-flight dining room. It's a shame, then, that the whole lounge complex is such a desolate rambling hole in a distant obscure part of the airport.

Even finding the lounge is a problem. From security (use the fast track line if you can - you'll get a sticker on your boarding pass showing entitlement) walk straight ahead down the long terminal wing. At the far end is a lift on the right hand side (hidden behind a pillar). In the lift is a small sign above one of the buttons saying "British Airways". Press this, and you'll go down to the basement, looking rather like a hospital corridor. Turn left, and half way along the corridor are two reception desks - one for First, one for the Terraces. The Terraces in turn splits - to the right of the desk is Club World pre-flight dining room (no access for Golds or Silvers - you only get in with a First or Club ticket). To the left is the main part of the lounge. This goes round in a U shape, with a large island bar in the first half, and a small worktop with food on it further round. As you continue there is a large TV, which always seems to be on far too loud, and at the far end the bathrooms (but no showers). The windows are at tarmac level - so you get a nice view of your plane's nosewheel, plus the distant New Jersey oil plants.

Philadelphia terraces lounge

There are two glass boxes in the lounge, which look like smoking rooms, but actually are non-smoking too, and just contain the usual comfy armchairs. In the one around the corner, there is a photocopier, but there are no computers.

Philadelphia the bar

Food is fairly basic - in the main part of the lounge there are just sandwiches or bags of crisps, plus some fruit (oddly, wrapped in cling film) and packets of shortbread. The Club World Dining Room is where the buffet dinner is served, and you can expect a pretty decent spread of something like shrimp curry, mushroom ravioli, salmon and rice. There is a reasonably good mixed green salad, with cherry tomatoes, carrot shreds, fresh mozzarella balls, etc. Desert gives you a cheese plate, cheesecake, and fruit. It's quiet decent, so if you get in on status rather than with a Club ticket, it's worth trying to nip in anyway - the people on the main desk also have to service the First side, so you can wait until they switch, and then nip across into the dining room.

Philadelphia terraces lounge

The Bar looks bad, but is up to the standard of most Terraces. There are a dozen spirits on the worktop, and nice trays with lemon slices and cherries etc. There are two white and two red wines at the back, with a description of what the wines are on a menu sitting on the table closest to the bar. In the steel fridge under the bar are bottles of 6 types of beer in bottles; Guinness, Harp, Corrona, Cider, Heiniken, and Boston lager. There are also full sized cans of Bloody Mary mix.

Behind the bar is a rack with a dozen or so newspapers on it; there are usually copies of all the UK dailies, plus a couple of American ones like the USA today.

Johannesburg British Airways Terraces Lounge

Johannesburg British Airways Terraces Lounge

Airside, 2nd floor. Open 0600-2230
This is a joint Terraces and First lounge, and as such the furniture is a little better than the normal terraces offering, however the food is just the same as normal. It's very clean, with friendly staff. There are eye-popping carpets, and a small glassed in smoking room. There are good big windows with views out over the planes, however as the two daily flights to Heathrow leave late in the evening, you won't get much of a sunny view. It can also get quite crowded, with the two flights leaving an hour and a half apart, and just before the first flight leaves it can get very busy.

Johannesburg the bar

The World Wine Bar is the usual curvey Terraces style, but with blank panels instead of the usual tiled front. All the wine is South African, in buckets in the trough in the middle of the bar, and they do a fabulous bubbly called Villiera. The Beer is also South African, with Guinness, Castle, Windhoek and Hansa (which comes from Joburg) all in cans, in the fridges under the counter plus plenty of soft drinks and bottles of water. Be warned that none of the drinks are refreshed after the first flight leaves, and if you are on the second flight you may find most of the beer, and all of the wine, has been drunk by passengers on the first flight.

Johannesburg the tea bar

Food is nothing special, with packets of crisps and doritos. On the worktop is some fruit, two different types of biscuits, and a large square bowl of black olives. There are rather nasty rolls sealed in plastic

Johannesburg British Airways Terraces Lounge

packets, with either ham or cheese.

There are just two computers, both with very slow internet access. There is a newspaper racks, with three copies of each of the usual UK papers (Times, Guardian, FT, Express and Mail) from the UK and plenty of South African papers.

To get to the louge, Immediately after security, bear right towards a lift and staircase on that wall. Go up to the second floor (which is well signposted). The BA lounge is on the same floor as the SA and Premier lounges.

Hong Kong BA business lounge - balcony seats

Hong Kong British Airways Terraces Lounge

Airside, Level 7, turn right directly after Immigration. Open 0700-last departure

Hong Kong business lounge bar

The Hong Kong lounge is sparklingly new. It is up high - on the top level of the airport - and has a balcony overlooking those less fortunate than you below. Technically it is a joint lounges with Qantas, but BA branding dominates. The First lounge is accessed by walking through the Terraces lounge. Furniture is standard corporate BA. There are 8 computers (each with their own printer, and using Qantas IT), and all the UK newspapers. The showers are particularly good (at the far end of the L, around the corner, and left again).

Hong Kong British Airways business lounge

For the bar, BA could have done better. There is just one, at the end of the L shaped section, and it has just 5 spirits, while beer is just Heiniken, Fosters, Guinness and Singa. There are also two rather naff reds and a couple of OK whites.

Hong Kong business lounge

Food is however pretty good with a decent selection including lots of wraps, dips, sandwiches, rolls, lots of cheese, biscuits, nuts, and a bowl of fruit (don't take this onto your flight).

Bangkok British Airways Lounges

Airside, Departures level 3, Concourse G near Gates 1-5. Open 1300-0030(biz) 1300-1800(First)

Bangkok BA FIRST lounge bar

BA maintains both a First and a Business Class lounges at the new Bangkok airport. These are joint lounges with Qantas, but unlike at Singapore, BA branding dominates. The First (on the left) and Terraces (on the Right) lounges are totally separate, and there is no direct contact between them. Finding the lounges can be a problem: head under the main shopping centre after security, and read the sign by the Priority Pass lounge.

Bangkok British Airways First Lounge

Bangkok BA FIRST lounge

This is a delightful lounge, and it's a real pleasure to be in this brand new space. It is alas quite tiny, and shuts early (however the business side is open much longer). BA Gold members using this lounge under Open Doors access are, oddly, permitted access to the First side. The outside windows aren't much, but there are good views down the terminal.

Bangkok BA FIRST lounge food

The Bar is absolutely superb. It's at the far end of the lounge. Champers is Moet, along with 2 good Aussie whites, and 4 decent reds (normally french). There are 18 different types of free pour spirts, including Johnnie Walker Blue. Food is equally good, with decent salads and soup. Computers are in the L shaped space at the far end of the lounge, with 5 band new PCs.

Bangkok BA FIRST lounge

There is a good selection of UK and Aussie newspapers. Showers are at the far end of the lounge. One downside is that annoying lift music plays throughout the lounge.

Singapore British Airways / Qantas Lounges

Terminal 1, left after Immigration, up the escalator. Open 0525-0030
BA maintains both a First and a Business Class lounges at Sinagapore. These are joint lounges with Qantas , and on the business side Qantas branding dominates, although on the First side there is little branding as the lounge is so old and tired. When you are up the escalator, you can turn left (by the frankly naff Thai lounge) to go to the Business lounge, or go straight on to head to the First lounge.

Singapore British Airways Business lounge (Qantas Club)

Singapore Qantas Club / BA business lounge bar

The Qantas Club that BA uses in Singapore got a revamp in 2004, and is now on a par any Qantas lounges in the world (if only the same could be said for the First section). It cost £4m, and was revamped by the Australian-based architectural and interior design firm, Woods Bagot.

With a fresh, new, innovative design featuring contemporary and stylish furniture and fittings, the lounge is nearly three times larger than the old BA one, with a seating capacity for 400. It's vast, overlooking the main checkin / landside area. There are two long bars. The one on the left is the funkiest, with bar managers who will make up cocktails for you. On the right its self serve only. Food is the usual Qantas mix of salads and sandwiches, plus a hot soup. There is free Wifi, and plenty of computers, with a long rack of them on the right on a long shelf, or near the bar, in cubby holes (which have their own printers).

Further details are in the Qantas page.

Singapore British Airways First Lounge

Singapore British Airways FIRST Lounge

The British Airways First lounge at Singapore is woeful. It is straight out of the 70s, with little attention to detail, or even style. It is rather like going into a 1970s hotel lobby. There is even an authentic musty smell. Seats are leather with a metal frame, while the bars have a top of a cracked marble. Food is actually worse than on the business side, although the drinks are a little better. The is a view on the left overlooking the main checkin area, but other than a few orchids growing in a line in the middle of the lounge, that's about it.

Singapore British Airways FIRST Lounge

If you want a computer, you should definately head over to the Business. In First there are just 5 rather slow computers (each with their own printer) hidden behind the plywood screen in the middle of the lounge.

Singapore British Airways FIRST Lounge

There are three bars. The main one is on the left as you go in. Here there are 10 free pour spirits (Gordons, Black Label, JD, VSOP, Smirnoff Red, Bacardi, Campari, etc). Beer is just Tiger or Carlsberg. The only bottle of champers in the lounge is also here. There is a smaller bar at the far end, with a smaller selection of drinks. In the middle of the lounge is a vast white table, which is the smallest of the bars. This has a trough running down the middle of it, in which are a couple of bottles of wine. However sitting at this bar is often the most sociable, as people will come up and chat. It's also one of the few places to spead out a broadsheet newspaper.

Singapore Cold pizza at BA lounge

Food is pretty poor. There are 4 glass bottles of nibbles & nuts. On the round food bar by the door there is some salad, and in hot tray there are a couple of different types of pizza.

At least the lounge has a good selection of newspapers with all of the main UK papers, and all the Australian ones, on a rack in the middle of the lounge.

Tokio Narita British Airways (NWA) Lounge

Tokio Narita contract (NWA) lounge

Airside, opposite gate 14, 2nd floor. Open 0900-2230
This lounge used to be a dediated BA Terraces lounge, and despite its small size, it did the job well. However recently BA have sold the space to Northwest Airlines, who have created a large new lounge for all the Skyteam airlines. Exceptionally unusually, normal BA Terraces access rules apply, which means there is full Open Doors access for Gold BAEC members, and access on an economy ticket for those with a Silver card. You will be offered a lounge invitiaiton at check in. You don't need it to get in, but it is well worth while taking it, because finding the lounge without is a nightmare. There is not a single sign in the airport pointing towards the lounge. Instead, head to gate 14, and find the tiny lift hidden in the alcove in the opposite wall, and then press the button for the Air France lounge. At the top is the lounge checkin: The large plasma screen behind the desk shows a BA logo in the mornings, and a NWA logo in the afternoon (theoretically, to avoid confusion, although few are convinced). The lounge opens on the dot of 9am.

Tokio Narita British Airways (NWA) Lounge

The brand new lounge is clean, lovely, with lots of light, plenty of pine, white walls, and windows that look right over the gates used by BA. Also overlooking the gates are the computers, which are ranged about the windows. These are Macs, and and again are brand new, although the location can be a bit distracting. On the raised area there are some vast white leather armchairs which are fantastic for a snooze - the red ones on the lower lever are rather more uncomfortable.

Tokio Narita British Airways (NWA) Lounge food

There is just one bar with the food area infront of it, on the left hand side are you go in. There are 2 beer taps (including Sapporro) but alas, unlike the rest of the lounges at Narita, no beer machines, 8 spirits in free pour bottles, 2 reds on the worktop, and 3 whites plus a Sake in coolers lining a trough on the island bar. There is a great soft drinks machine (if you can read Japanese), and a coffee machine too.

Tokio Narita British Airways (NWA) Lounge

Food is great, with a good selection throughout the day. From the time of the first BA flights, there is breakfast, with cerial (such as cornflakes, in weird Japanese packets) & muffins. Then lunch appears by about 1pm, with 2 types of soup, with pots of salad in plastic cups, and sandwiches which are really yummy. By mid afternoon there are cakes & pastries.

Tokio Narita British Airways (NWA) Lounge bar

Around the lounge there are 3 plasma TVs jointly showing departure times, and also a TV programme: one has CNN, another a Japanese station, and the third a rolling advert for NWA.

Oddly, newspapers and magazines are very poor. There are copies of Time on a small coffee table by the front desk, and that's about it. The bathrooms and showers (three) are down a long thin corridor at the far end (left) of the lounge.

Down this corridor there are eight telephones (which are rather cheap and nasty, almost as a hasty design), which are often unused.

Dublin Anna Livia contract lounge

Airside, 2nd floor, left after security Open 0600-1900

Dublin Anna Livia lounge

This lounge used to just be used by Flybe, but now that Aer Lingus has been thrown out of OneWorld, BA use this lounge for its flights to LGW, while for all other flights to LHR on Aer Lingus codeshares with BA status you must use the decidedly more spacious Gold Circle Lounge.

You go up the stairs, and turn right where the bmi lounge is on the left. The lounge has recently had a revamp, and is smaller than it was, which means the lounge is rammed with furniture. It gets very busy when the Finnair (which also use the lounge) flights are leaving in the evening. There is a large dining table, four or five seating areas, and TV high up on the wall. There is an OK view of the runways from the seating area by reception. The loos are outside the lounge, and shared with bmi. You need a doorcode, obtainable from reception.

Dublin Anna Livia lounge

There is one bar, directly infront of you as you go in. There are cans of Guinness, Heiniken and Bud. The wine is poor - one white in the fridge and one red on the counter. If you want champers it is an eye watering €25 for a mini bottle. Spirits are on optics, with Cork Dry Gin, Bacardi, Conac, Jamesons and Vodka. In the fridge are mini cans of Tonic, Fanta, Coke and Diet Coke.

Dublin Anna Livia lounge - the bar

There is a Bewley's coffee machine.

Food is poor, however there are hot scones in the evening. The butter is in the mini fridge on the right of the coutner - along with slabs of cheddar. There are 4 types of crackers, a bowl of other biscuits, and the lovely Elite Chocolate Kimberleys. There is also a bowl of rather manky fruit and Walker's crisps.

Dublin Anna Livia lounge

Around the far corner there are three free internet computers in the business centre and a photocopier. No fax. Alcohol is banned in this area. Newspapers are on a rack by the door - where the reception can keep an eye on you. All the papers have a large sticker stateing that they cannot be removed from the lounge.

If you have access to this lounge you also have access to fasttrack at Dublin. From the BA checkin desks walk all the way to the other end of the terminal, find the small hidden fasttrack queue hidden by all the blokes in shellsuits, convince the guard you should be allowed though, and then once through walk all the way to the other end of the terminal where the lounge is again. You may decide not to bother. The lounge closes strictly on the dot of seven, even if your flight is delayed.

Toulouse Blagnac contract lounge "Salon VIP La Croix Du Sud"

Airside, Shengen Area, 2nd floor, after security Open 0615-2100

Toulouse Salon La Croix Du Sud

The lounge at Toulouse Blagnac is pretty dire, as Airport Lounges go. It not even operate by a separate company, but is instead part of the council run airport. It's spent a fortune on natty logoed cups - and little to go in them. Rather like Blagnac itself, which is a tiny rural airport, which would be ignored normally if it didn't have the really big guns of the airport world calling in for the vast airbus factory opposite the tiny terminal.

If you are on the Gatwick flights, finding this lounge is a bit of a struggle (as is check in, thanks to the ex-Easyjet staff who now man the counter). Go to the far end of hall C, around the makeshift barriers, all the way back, past security, and then in the tiny holding area before passport control go left, left again, up the concrete stairs with no signs, along the walkway with a plywood door halfway along. At the far end is a sign saying Salon VIP La Croix Du Sud You have reached a haven of peace, because noone else can find it. It is known by the ex-pat locals as the Crock of Sudds.

Toulouse Salon La Croix Du Sud

The lounge is a tiny little box of a place. The only lounge at the airport, it takes in everyone from Priority Pass to BA executive club members, to the French Frequent Fliers. As is the normal format for contract lounges, you walk in half way through to a lounge that has two halves: but each side is idential. On each side there are identical rather hard armchars, around three tables. Each side has one computer with free internet access, and a very odd French keyboard, on a worktop on one side of the room.

On other sides of the room is a fridge (in the wall) with the self sevice bar. In here are several good bottles of white, and quite exceptional champagne. There are also several beers, including Blanc and Kronenbourg. On the small bar counter there are a couple of bottles of red, and the self-serve spirit bar, which is pretty poor. There's a bottle of whisky, vodka, and a random spirit on optics screwed to the wall.

Food is amazingly poor, with just peanuts and biscuits. There are no newspapers, other than the local Toulouse freebie. There is also a coffee machine.

Cairo - Egyptair Business (contract) Lounge

After security, top floor. Open 0630-2200

Cairo Egyptair Business Lounge

The lounge in Cairo is a contract lounge - usually it is used by Egyptair, and it is one of the most extraordinary of pretty much any airline anywhere, if only for it's decoration. Alas, it is also dry. When you check in make sure you get an invite to the lounge (this also gets you 10% off your duty free). The lounge is hidden on the top floor of the terminal - take the lift up to where the coffee shop is, and then hand your invite over at the desk. The lounge itself if separated from the main part of the airport just a rope, so it really doesn't feel very special at all.

Cairo Egyptair Business Lounge

Egyptair has themed the areas of the lounge according to the countries it flies to, from the Paris lounge, to the English quarter. There are two main areas for the lounge - you can sit outside, under the modern glass ceiling, or there are the VIP rooms. These are extraordinary. They look like a French palace from the 17th century.

Cairo Egyptair Business Lounge

Food is pretty poor. There are a few pastries and sweetmeats, and bags of crisps. There are however plenty of flunkies running around, so if you ask for the crisps they are brought to you - on a bone china plate.

The lounge is dry, so there is no alcohol in the lounge - however you can pop down the unmarked back stairs to the bar in the main part of the terminal. Here, a beer costs 20 Egyptian pounds.

There are no computers or other facilities in the lounge, but there are a couple of TVs which are normally on CNN.

British Airways hints and tips

Special Fares

Watch out for BA's special offers. They normally come out on the 1st of September (sometimes October), the 1st of Jan, and the 1st of March. Here you can, for example, travel in the luxury of WTP to Australia for only £300 more than economy. Beware of the big red D on these flights that mean you cannot upgrade to Club World for love nor money. Not, that is, than you can ever find availability to some destinations.

BA 757 at LHR

Another good deal is the promotion so that if you book a full fare business ticket, you'll automatically get upgraded to first, if theres room available.

British Airways have some noticably cheap Club Europe (Business Class) fares from LGW. Bari is £129 (flights are only twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays). Vilnius is £188, (five times a week), Dublin is £154, Marseille £147, Krokow £148, Bologna £158, Naples £194, Turin £148, and Genoa £129 in Club.

It is sometimes worth booking British Airways tickets at AmericanAirlines.co.uk. The fares can be cheaper - but you won't then automatically be able to use the features of MMB to select a seat, or online checkin. However if you then give the MMB page your PNR from AA, the booking will then appear under MMB.

Winning at the points game

It can be quite hard to get up the tier levels of the BA Executive Club. Starting from scratch it is very hard to get to Silver level (which gets you into the lounges).

Q400 at Southampton

Many member of the British Airways Executive Club have discovered that one return in business (C) class on Iberia to Barcellona via Madrid comes in at around £210 in the winter (routed LHR-AGP-BCN-AGP-LHR) - and gets 160 points. It is a good start on the climb to Silver level, although it has been removed from the schedules this winter, as too many people were using it for just this trick.

Another good trick is to use American Airlines "YUP" fares. These are refundable economy tickets on AA that tickets into First class. Not only is it very flexible, it can be much cheaper than regular 1st prices on AA domestic. The best part is, it qualifies for First class tier points on BA. For example if you fly LAX-IAD return you get 360 tier points - and it normally only costs £440. Just make sure each sector is over 2000 miles long to qualify for long-haul tier points. YUP fares from JFK to HNL come in at around £780 and intelligent routing (eg. via SJC) can yield four A-class sectors of over 2000 miles which bring in 720 tier points. Obviously, you still

Boeing 747-400 at LHR

need your 4 BA sectors to qualify for silver, but if you combine this with a cheap off-season WT+ fare to do the Transatlantic hop you're looking at 870 points for about £1400 (and a trip to Hawai). If you book via via Expedia, choose first class and the cheapest fares on AA should be the YUP, but with some restrictions. There are some exceptions, such as the three class "Flagship Services" between JFK/LAX/SFO. These YUP fares ticket into business class, and only earn 120points each way and 125% mileage, while code shares with Alaska on the West Coast, will get you no tier points, even if the flight number is AA.

How to get a free upgrade

One of the common questions is "How do I get an upgrade on British Airways to Business or Club class?". Alas, getting upgraded to business class on British Airways really isn't that easy. The airline has the Western, rather than American, model for upgrades longhaul. Which is to say you'll only get an upgrade if your paid for class is full, and then upgrades are processed accordingly to a pecking order of elite frequent flyer status. You are very unlikely to ever get an upgrade unless you are at least an Emerald oneWorld member.

Firstly, it's pretty important to be part of the Executive Club. BA don't seem to take you seriously otherwise, even at blue level. However upgrades only seem to happen if the plane is full in economy, and you have purchased a full fare ticket (although occasionally you can get lucky with a discounted economy ticket). When BA are looking to move passengers from economy, the check in staff will first look at Gold Executive Club members, and then silver level, then at other Oneworld members at the equivalent levels. Note that this is different to the system used on American airlines, where passengers with Frequent Flyer status are upgraded if there is space in a premium class. Be warned that although at checkin other Oneworld member status is recognised, BA systems are quite primative - only QF and BA status shows up on the boarding pass stub that you keep, or on the passenger manifest! The Cabin Service Director gets a long list of those with status - but only BA and Qantas status shows up on this.

Service in Club - well worth it

If you plan in advance, book on the fullest possible routes (Friday evening is a good one) and make it clear you'll be happy to accept a place on the Vol-Off list (to be offloaded voluntarily) if you get cash and an upgrade on the next flight. You'll have to hang around the gate, and look keen. You'll get a £10 voucher if you're unsuccessful.

However if you can find something to complain about, do, and then ask if you can get on the "on-availability upgrade" list. Then make sure you're on the emptiest possible flight - if theres a spare seat in the front of the plane, you'll get it. Often customer relations (Media Services, or Special Services) will promise to put you on this list, but the check-in staff are so busy they won't notice. Make sure you point it out to them - for this reason it is vital to make you you do not use OLCI or the automatic machines. Instead go up to a manned desk. At LHR staff will often pick up a note about this from your PNR, however at some outstations you need to find the Duty Manager or Supervisor, because they do not add upgrade requests to the system and keep them on file instead.

If all else fails, you now will only get an upgrade by bugging at the Gate. Wait just by the gate, see if you can overhear a Club passenger "no-showing" and then ask if you can have their seat.

As always, my advice on dressing properly in how to get an upgrade applies.

How to get a cheaper upgrade

Of course there is one guaranteed way to ensure you get to sit in the comfy seats up the point end - pay for it.

However if you want to take a gamble, and yet you are willing to pay something - but not the full price - for your upgrade, you can upgrade at checkin or onboard. The exact procedure for this - and cost varies wildly according to airport, and outstation. Procedures, vary, as below, and you must know what you are asking for before you plan your flight. This is a rare procedure, and many checkin staff are not aware of it, either from the UK, and certainly not at outstations.

If you are flying shorthaul in Euro-Traveller on flights from London Gatwick on mainline BA services, upgrades are available at checkin for £59. You can sometimes also upgrade your flight before checkin via MMB and the upgrade option, however this is unreliable. If you upgrade via MMB you get full Tier Points, but not if you upgrade for £59 at LGW checkin. You will always gain lounge access. This is an incredible bargain. At an exceptionally limited number of outstations (like Dublin) to London Gatwick you will get a flyer offering upgrades for €75. These are even cheaper than those from LGW, but here again you do not earn any extra Tier points. This perk is about to be withdrawn due to shortages of cabin crew.

Europe ET->CE £100 ET->CE (ATH & TLV) £200 Longhaul WT->WTP £200 WTP->CW £600 WT->CW £750 Longhaul F CW->F £800 WT->F £1550

The cost of an onboard upgrade

If you are flying on BA's offshoot GB Airways, they offer upgrades at check in, to Club Europe at outstations on flights to London if you ask for it (although only 5 people per flight are offered this - normally Gold Executive Club members). At ALC, AGP, MPL, GIB & FAO it costs £60 per upgrade, while at TFS, RAK, PFO it is £75. All other flights are £100. (This is not available on the rare A321 flights to ALC, FAO, AGP, PFO or RAK). This is an absolute bargain, and should always be taken at all costs. It offers full lounge access, the Club Europe seat and meals, but no tier point and mile bonuses. If you are a complete cheapskate and insist on sitting in Euro Traveller, you can buy the right to sit at the doors 2 and 3 exit seats on the A321 for only £20, but it is a waste considering what else in on offer.

At checkin From the UK at LHR often they will direct you to the ticket office, which will result in you having to buy a new full revenue ticket - this is not what you want. Instead ask for the supervisor, who is aware of this procedure. These checkin upgrade tickets are a standard £150 for World Traveller to WT+ longhaul, and earn full miles & tier points, however there is a gamble that seats may not be available. You can also book these upgrades before travelling, and fare bucket (I, D, C) does not affect flexability, which then locks you in to those flights, and wipes out the previous flex. available (i.e £30.00 plus any fare difference) on the old economy ticket.

At checkin From the Americas there is an official airport upgrade program, which most staff know about. Absolutely no tier points nor class of service bonus is given, however Club World can be as little as US$400.

Onboard Upgrade The very rare blue slip & letter

Longhaul upgrades are now on offer from economy. One way upgrades on long haul flights to World Traveller Plus costs £150 each way, and fare bucket (I, D, C) does not affect flexability, which then locks you in to those flights, and wipes out the previous flex. available (i.e £30.00 plus any fare difference) on the old economy ticket. This is available before checkin on some flights, via the MMB screen.

Another route is to actually get on board, and then ask for the CSD (Cabin Service Director), for a paid for onboard upgrade. This is cheaper, but you need to get on in sufficient time, and the CSD will have to check that there is sufficient catering on board. Some crew are unaware of this process, as it is very rarely used. Ask them to check for a brown envelope marked "Voluntary Upgrade Pack". In it is a manual explaining the process, which starts with the memorable line "This process is only to be used as an absolute last resort when a passenger insists on, and pays for, a cabin over the one they have booked". You will be handed a BA form letter, explaining that you should have booked a better cabin to start with, and a blue upgrade slip. As this is processed as a duty free payment, you do not earn any extra tier points via this route, unless you retrospectively apply for them. Send your blue upgrade form into the Executive Club, and eventually you will earn the full miles and Tier points. However if you are using this trick, it is vital that you do not put your cheap economy flights onto a Qantas card - this will be picked up at the retrospective stage, and you will loose the upgraded points. Do not use this system if flying from Gatwick. Instead you should use the cheaper £59 upgrade (see above) which also gives lounge access.

Strike Season Catering Vouchers

The August dispute season

British Airways has a tradititional problem with Industrial Relations, which occasionally manifests itself in strike action. For the past three years, this has traditionally taken place in August. While only the very pesimistic would avoid flying at this time due to the possibility of action, it is wise to be aware of the problem.

However, if there is a problem, BA are very good at compensation for passengers. For example, if there is a catering dispute, BA will offer vouchers for food at the airport (£20 in Club Europe, £30 for Club World). Note that getting hold of this vouchers at remote outstations can be quite complicated, and you must hold out for your rights

If there is a baggage problem, passengers who are members of the Executive Club, are being offered 12,000 miles as compensation (or 25,000 for Silver members, 50,000 for Gold. This is raised to 100,000 for those that complain by letter).

BA will often waive restrictions on rebooking non-flexible tickets as well.

Premium checkin at LHR T1

Zone R is a completely separate area for BA's Premium Passengers and Oneworld Frequent Flyers who have international flights departing from Terminal 1. It's pretty hidden away, so if you don't know it's there, you won't find it. Walk towards the far end of the main check-in hall passing all the Aer Lingus, bmi and Cheap British Airways desks. Then head towards the right as if you are leaving the terminal, heading towards Terminal 2 and there is a small sign for Zone R.

It is a far better experience travel experience, with fast check in and a dedicated security check-point for the area which gets you airside and to the lounges quicker.

Stopovers

If you fancy a stopover, book it via the website. Typically you'll only pay the extra taxes for an extra departure - even if your "stopover" lasts months. Its a great way to get a round the world ticket for peanuts.

MMB Manage My Booking

Manage my Booking

British Airways now offer a feature to allow you to check, and change your booking online - so long as you booked it through BA.Com. This is Manage My Booking. You can also (via a convoluted process) add bookings made by Travel Agents.

Silver and Gold Executive Club members can also use MMB to reserve seats in advance, but other passengers cannot reserve seats until check-in. You do however get a chance to book seats at online checkin - 24 hours in advance of your first flight. For Club Europe there is no pre-seating on flights between London and Jersey or London and Dublin, and there is no pre-seating on CitiExpress services to Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Brussels, Jersey and Dublin.

To reserve a seat go to the Manage My Booking (MMB) section of BA's website by entering your reservation code and your surname, then click on reserve a seat. This page will take a long time to load if you are on a dialup modem. Then (counter-intuitively) click on the seat that is already reserved for you, before clicking on the seat you would like. It is well worth while doing this, as often BA will sometimes put ClubEurope passengers in the dreaded middle seat on the right.

If you use MMB to select seats, there are some seats which are actually available, but which are blocked. These are generally bulkhead or exit rows (where the checkin people like to actually make sure that you can really help in an emergency, and are able bodied).

Gold members of the Executive Club have a better choice of seats, with Golds able to pre-select Row 1 in Club Europe, and the front seats in First.

Online Checkin

BA 767 at Prague

You can checkin online for your flight up to 24hours before it departs. Infact, you can extend this time - and jump the queue to get the best seats. Travelling on a through ticket originating from a link flight to a main hub (such as EDI to LHR, before LHR to LAX) offers an added benefit when it comes to using online check in (OLCI).

You can check in for the subsequent connecting legs of a trip at the same time as OLCI opens for the first. The rule applies to all BA itineraries involving a connection purchased on a single ticket.

Note however you can only OLCI if your ticket number starts with 125 (BA Issued), and not 001 (AA issued).

Historical Franchies

A number of companies used to operate BA flights under a franchise: however these were all removed in 2007.

One has ended up in the hands of Easyjet. Gibraltar Airways was British registered as GB Airways. It was an A320 series operator. It flew of course to Gibraltar from Heathrow, along with Casablanca Tangiers and Marrakech, and to the central & eastern Mediterranean from Gatwick, including Alicante, Ibiza, Gran Canaria, Palma, Tenerife, and Dalaman in Turkey.

British Airways has now sold BA Connect, a year after launching it. It has been bought by Flybe. It was a low cost offshoot flying to airports around the UK - essentially the remnants of the franchise operations run by independent companies City Flyer Express and British Regional Airlines.

Other offshoots of BA included BMED, born as British Mediterranean in 1994 with a single A320, flying five times a week between London and Beirut. It is now the mid-haul section of bmi. It flew out of Gatwick, using eight Airbus A320, to 16 destinations, mainly in the Middle East and Central Asia.

British Airways website

BA's website is one of the best. But you'll need a pretty hot computer to run it. Slow loading (particularly on a dialup connection) it does however come packed with all the really useful stuff you need to know. Alas, it's a little buggy, and sometimes you want to swear at it - particularly with the latest revamp - which has some bits that just don't work.

One great feature when booking is you can see the fare in each direction, the lowest fare on that day out of the selection of flights, and fares for up to 7 days in each direction. So all the tedious research typing in a number of dates and times is gone. Alas, at one point you could see the entire month - this feature has now gone.

BA Tailfins LHR Terminal 1

The website keeps on undergoing continual revamps, and one of the latest is to let you book different class levels on different legs, so you can for example travel to SYD from LHR in World Traveller, and have WT+ on the LHR-SIN section. When you get to the final booking option you can click on the "upgrade each segment" link.

The UK section of the website will charge you for using a credit card - other "country" sites will not.

Address: www.britishairways.com
Information on Terrace's lounges
Information on the new terminal 5 Galleries lounges
Information on Club World
Information on Executive Club.
Information on Inflight entertainment.
Information on www.newclubworld.com, the latest variant of Business Class.

Note that all reviews and opinions on British Airways (BA) food, service, seats, planes, upgrades, Terraces & First Lounges, and the Executive Club Frequent Flyer scheme is soley at my judgement. No legal liability is accepted if you take my advice.