So many times I hear people say lots of negatives about BA which most of the time is fair comment, yet when I look around at the other airlines and the complaints against them they all seem to have a good share of the same faults. I have the past couple of years used BA only as I am one of those people that likes to fly with more than just a cabin bag for luggage, it hit me hard though when they changed to having to pay for meals or snacks and finding out it was just very basic snacks. It is really worth considering BA in terms of value when you compare the extra charges on many of the cheap flights.
Food on planes has never been amazing, unless you are flying first class! I really always enjoyed the little extras that came with BA, a newspaper, a bar and the meals or sandwiches , it passed the time it made me feel comfortable. When the changes came into place I started to price other airlines to see what was out there, the super cheap Easyjet and Ryanair and a list of others I looked at all wanted to charge me for my luggage, charge me for my seat selection, ( on BA with executive membership I can pick my seat 24 hours before flying) in fact it felt like everything incurred extra charges!
On my flight to Rome in 2016 I was offered the chance to upgrade using my Avios points I had collected, we upgraded to Club Europe which is classed as business, that has forever spoilt me now, from the moment we arrived at the airport the experience was wonderful. Separate speedy check in and fast track through security and customs then on to the wonderful BA lounges that are great, really good food and really good drinks, the places are clean and comfortable, lots of space and people working there are very nice. At check in you are called to board first which is lovely, on the European flights the seats are no bigger but the fact is you have the 3 seats to yourselves with a table top coving one seat and it just feels right.
On take off we were given warm flannels to rub our hands before they brought the menus round, then drinks before our food came, the food was good! We both really enjoyed it, people at the other side of us stayed on Champagne the whole flight and seemed to really enjoy it. I had a gin and tonic first then wine with dinner and that was enough for me, I loved having cheese and crackers and a lovely coffee after, all served on china with stainless steel cutlery .The service from the team was also excellent and we felt looked after. This was a great way to begin our week in Rome and we knew we had the same to look forward to flying back.
I now find when booking with BA I book through there holiday section and I click premium when it comes to selecting holidays which means your Club Europe seats are included in your holiday price, you then have a selection of hotels that they book with, I saw some very good deals depending on the type of hotel you like to stay in and of course the location, we could not book the same Hotel in Rome for the price we payed with BA it was an excellent deal. I did lots of price comparisons . I arrived feeling relaxed for a good holiday instead of arriving stressed and uncomfortable. No worries about the amount of luggage I like to take as the allowance is huge, BA is the right choice for me. I spoke to other people on the flight they felt that you received good value, and loved the luggage allowance from flying Club Europe and although the seats are no bigger with no extra space it feels a world apart from economy .
I do have to clarify though when flying transatlantic if you upgrade to premium economy , you do get a similar level of service but we did not feel it was not as good as Club Europe and feel you would need to take the big leap to Club World for the full service and hope your bank balance can cope .
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