British Airways Flight review

Journey –  LHR to Manchester. I had a travel voucher from British Airways from a cancelled flight, so I decided to use it for a trip to Manchester. Rather than having to take the train, I wanted to try flying instead. I had booked through BA.com. This allowed me the option of selecting my seat for an extra £5 each way. It wasn’t something I wanted to do

Check in

I was issued a paper ticket through one of the self-service machines at Heathrow Terminal 5, and did not need to wait at the check-in line as I was only taking hand-luggage on board.

Security: there was an extra-long line for the security, partly due to it being half term. We were told several times that we couldn’t have liquids in our hand- luggage. After bagging my aftershave and toothpaste, I was surprised that my luggage was cordoned off. Apparently it was because I had a can of deodorant inside, I hadn’t thought that this would be problem.

At the gates: When it was time to board, we were led to an airport shuttle which drove up to the runway.

Getting on board: Boarding was done at the front of the plane.

Seating: I hadn’t booked my seat in advance. However, I had a middle row seat in between aisle and window. It was right at the back and definitely the worst seat on the airplane. The seat itself was a black leather upholstered airplane seat, so it was comfortable enough.

On board food service: no hot food was served to economy. However, we were given mineral water and a Kellogs cereal bar. It was better than nothing.

Cabin Crew – staff were talking at the back as I entered. However, they were happy to help with my enquiry about newspapers and magazines.

Anything else – the flight had some turbulence as the plane was not able to reach the correct height.

Arrival time – we arrived in Manchester 30 minutes later than scheduled. It was frustrating to say the least. Disembarking was very straightforward

Final comments

If I need to travel to Manchester at short notice, I think I’ll be more likely to take the train or bus. Taking the plane will be not much different in terms of the time spent travelling, especially when you include the time spent at the airport.