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British Airways Reviews

1.7 Rating 290 Reviews
16 %
of reviewers recommend British Airways
1.7
Based on 290 reviews
Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods
Own Driver, Courier
On-time Delivery
Greater than 8%
Customer Service
Communication Channels
Telephone, Live Chat, Email
Queries Resolved In
Over A Week
Customer Service
1.4 out of 5
Avg Email Response Time
29 minutes
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process
Difficult
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British Airways 1 star review on 31st May 2024
P FY
British Airways 1 star review on 31st May 2024
P FY
British Airways 1 star review on 9th May 2024
Laurie Carder
British Airways 1 star review on 7th October 2023
Stuart Cooke
British Airways 1 star review on 21st December 2022
Anonymous
British Airways 1 star review on 18th November 2022
T. Santoso
British Airways 1 star review on 18th November 2022
T. Santoso
22
Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
Dispite many online chats with unhelpful people and being advised i would get an email within a few days i am still waiting to hear from ba. Apparantly there is a complaint deparrment bur you cant talk to anyone and it seems that all emails are ignored too. My luggage was delayed on the 28th january although i got my luggage back no answer to my uploaded claim form and 10 weeks later still no contact from ba. I would definatly not recommend this airline.
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Posted 8 months ago
I flew many times with BA nd I am a member of the executive programme but will not fly anymore with them. Most of the time my flights are delayed, they force me to drop my luggage and EVERY time the luggage came back damaged or broken. Horrible customer service and no compensation. I will use all my Avios on my next flight and never fly anymore with BA. I do not recommend.
Helpful Report
Posted 8 months ago
Awful trip and awful customer service. We had a 13+ hr flight in December 23. We are pensioners and our son emigrated to Australia 2yrs ago, this was our first chance to see him and his family. My husband had also under gone a spinal op in the September, so we decided to use all of our savings and fly premium. The first thing I noticed was that the remote control for the TV didn't work, I told the stewardess, she replied, no, sometimes they don't, you will have to use the screen to watch TV etc. Then my husband tried to plug in his earphones but the socket was broken, which meant no TV for him at all. He was using his phone n ipod to keep him entertained for this very long flight, he tried to plug it in to charge it and the charging points were not working. By this time, I'd realised, if I pressed pause on a film and the tried to start it again, the film automatically went back to the start, we informed the staff and they tried various things but could not get any of it to work. Then the meals were served, we were given a menu with 2 mains on but when I asked for the chicken, I was told there wasn't any. I was so upset with the whole thing, I ended up crying and getting a migraine. The manager onthe plain got in touch with those on the ground n when we arrived in Singapore, we had an email each of a £20 E voucher, we were disgusted. I tried to take this further and email Ed I did not want a voucher, i wanted monetary compensation given all we had paid and what we received. They then offered £100 E voucher. By this time i felt like banging my head up the wall. I went back to customer services asking for my complaint to be upgraded to a manager and not to offer anymore E vouchers. This was all taking place during our break with our son, it was so upsetting. They have never contacted me again and have completely ignored me. Absolutely dreadful behaviour. Date of experience: 19 December 2023
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Posted 8 months ago
After 9 different flights in a week,British Airlines was by far the absolute worst. They would not let us check in early and told us we had to go to the counter once we reached London to pick seats. Once we arrived, the line was ridiculously long and after standing in it for 30 minutes, a staff member brought us to another line where we waited another 15 minutes and then they told us that they caused us to miss our flight. We lost a day of vacation because of their disorganization, stay away from this airline.
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Posted 9 months ago
Disgusting company, I need to cancel my booking due to major operation, and they will not refund me, avoid this tin pot company at all costs
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Posted 9 months ago
My experience with the staff today in Heathrow has been awesome. Special thanks to Kevin Moses who went extra miles to provide myself and my family adequate assistance and Jaz, the manager. They both really exceeded my expectations. Thank you.
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Posted 9 months ago
I recently had the misfortune of traveling with British Airways, and it was an absolute nightmare from start to finish. As a former cabin crew member myself, I am appalled by the lack of professionalism and responsibility shown by the airline. Our outbound flight was canceled due to a cabin crew shortage, an operational issue that is entirely the responsibility of British Airways. Yet, they treated it as if it were an act of God, showing a complete disregard for their passengers. We were rescheduled on 3 flights as opposed to 2 to arrive at our destination a day late, with no compensation or offer to extend our stay. This was not only inconvenient but also resulted in a loss of precious vacation time. The return journey was no better. Our flight was delayed multiple times for hours at Heathrow, with the final delay being 1 hour and 44 minutes after already being delayed for hours. This lack of transparency and honesty is unacceptable. They wouldn’t tell us why they were delayed and didn’t offer anything. They just made everyone wait for no reason. To add insult to injury, we were offered a mere £4.99 refund for non-functional Wi-Fi, which is a slap in the face considering the extent of our inconvenience. Rest assured, this amount and any other money will be spent on any company other than British Airways. It’s clear that British Airways is comfortable with lying, gaslighting, and stealing both time and money from its passengers. Their request for cooperation after such a debacle is laughable and embarrassing. I strongly advise anyone considering flying with British Airways to think again. There are plenty of other airlines that value their customers and provide the service and respect they deserve. Avoid British Airways at all costs!
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Posted 9 months ago
British Airways Website is down for few days. There are no back up systems provided to customers by a world class airline.
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Posted 10 months ago
Paid for business class travelling Cairo to London Heathrow but all I got was an economy sear. Only difference from economy is middle seat was vacant. Couldn't recline, no entertainment for the 5hr+ flight, uncomfortable seat and disgusting food. Put in a formal complaint 3 days ago and had no reply. BA's account on X is hacked. Got approached by scammers after posting there and even after flagging this to BA nothing done about it. Just disgusting. AVOID AVOID AVOID. Zero stars
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Posted 10 months ago
The staff on the flight were very nice and helpful but the food was horrible and uneditable, and there was little leg room in economy. The flight was from Heathrow to Vancouver last week which I travelled on. It was delayed for around 2 hours due to a medical emergency of a passenger on board which made me miss my connecting flight. BA refused to let me travel on their next flight as I had booked the onward flight with a different airline unless I paid them for the fare.I recognize it was not BA's fault of this medical emergency but it was definitely not mine either as I had given myself lots of time to get the connecting flight from Vancouver to Kelowna BC. I was on the trip to bring my 30 year old son's ashes back to Canada who died 3 weeks earlier suddenly but the BC ground staff in Vancouver couldn't care less how much stress I was in. I had to slept on the floor all night for hours despite I has assisted need which I had ordered in advance and got. I used to travel often with BA a number of years ago from the UK to Australia the service and food then were excellent. BA has went badly downhill although I recognize BA has at least at the moment, a good safety record which of course is very important.
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Posted 10 months ago
On flight BA to Johannesburg on 21/12/23 the hosting staff were the poorest I ve ever experienced,chatting amongst themselves being super lazy,having an almost superior arrogant attitude.Had to fly back via Air France,totally different,shame on you BA
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Posted 11 months ago
I used to fly British Airways all the time but a friend of mine recently had the worst customer experience with this airline and I must say it was quite shocking to hear of it and I’ll definitely be looking to avoid flying BA ever again. My friend had booked a Christmas trip for himself and his then partner to go home for the holidays and see his family. My friend paid for the flights, made the booking, and shared the booking with his then partner. The couple split up before the trip and the person with whom the booking was shared changed her flight to another date and somehow ended up cancelling my friend’s flight. My friend who had made the initial booking never received any notification of this or request to approve the cancellation of his ticket and only found out by logging in to check some flight details. The tickets had been non-refundable and at that point had doubled in price. BA did nothing to help. They traded his case between various customer service departments like a hot potato, and stated that questions he was asking about were all in the terms and conditions which they were not. It is simply not logical from a UX perspective that if you are the one who books the flights and pays for them, that the person you share your itinerary with can cancel your flight without any alert or notification to you to approve this. Trans-Atlantic flights are not cheap, and they’re even more expensive for the holidays. But when you’re going to see your family who you don’t see that often, these planned trips can be very precious. And not only can it be stressful to send a customer on a run-around with no resolution (not even AMEX could resolve this with the airline by the way) and respond to all things with canned language that is not helpful, you have absolutely no idea what kind of financial situation a person that this can happen to might be in and the burden it can create. Just place yourself in a position where you’ve already lost the investment into the flight to see your family (and you didn’t approve this loss), you’ve financed a trip for a now ex-partner, and if you do indeed want to proceed to see your family as planned you need to dish out an additional double the cost of your original ticket. Fortunately for my friend he is in a position where he could make this additional investment (not everyone might have this privilege). Yet even taking a screenshot of proof that he purchased a new ticket for very similar dates and really never intended or wanted the previous booking to be cancelled, BA still responded with cookie cutter responses that he had, in fact, cancelled his previous flight and there was nothing they could do. Shame on you, BA. I really enjoyed flying with you regularly but I must say I will never choose a BA flight ever again even if it is the cheapest option.
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Posted 1 year ago
I travelled from Ljubliana to Manchester with BA. The flight from Slovenia to London was pleasant and easy. It seems that modern, inefficient ways have yet to reach Slovenia. Every aspect of my flight from London to Manchester was appalling. I was shouted at by BA staff, I was told I had to give my hand luggage to the hold because I was only economy class and had to do what I was told. This same luggage was lost, I had to spend time reporting that at the airport, and I missed my train to my friend's house and had to spend £80 on a taxi. I was told my luggage would be at my friend's house by midday the next day. It wasn't. No word from BA about it. I finally called - it was obvious the airline had no clue where my luggage was. I gave some more information about what was in the bag, it was found a day later, and was told it should be delivered within a day or two. Of course it wasn't. By this time I have spent hours on the phone. I have left my friend's house by now, leaving the UK as I don't live here any more. My friend is going away, so I think I will update BA so they don't deliver when my friend isn't there. The operator tells me she has no idea where my luggage is - please call Manchester airport. I call three times. The first two times noone answers. The third time the line just goes dead. I asked to speak to the operator's manager. Not possible - obviously because too many people ask for this. The complaints procedure is some lenghty one which at this point I can't be bothered with. I still don't have my bag, and at this point really don't know if I will ever have it again. I certainly don't have the time or the mental capacity to spend more time attempting to find it. I repeat - appalling incompetence. UPDATE - finally after weeks of no communication, BA writes to me, telling me they can prove they put my bag on the plane, and that noone else took it in Manchester. Therefore it must have arrived, and been stolen in Manchester, and they are not responsible. Unbelievable from a formerly great airline.
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Posted 1 year ago
Everything possible that could go wrong went wrong. They are the worst airline I have ever used in my life. They cancelled my flight, then sent me on the wrong flight, and further delayes therefore they have any of my allergies, therefore I did not have a meal the entire overnight flight. They then lost my baggage and left me stranded in winter in South africa in the middle of nowhere in a safari park. I had to walk in winter in crocs in the safari and no coat or warm clothes, i got very ill. After the most expensive and wasted holiday of my life, they would not give me any refund or reimbursement for the ridiculous amount of unnecessary stress put on Me, and stated a vary vague email that did not even comment on most of the issues I had, only the flight cancellation. I am so disappointed and dissatisfied, after I thought BA was an accredited and good airline, I now would recommend no-one ever used this airline again, and get as far away from this company as possible
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Posted 1 year ago
A family of three, inclusive of their 10-month of baby, were the last to board on our flight from London to New York, on flight BA 185. They boarded and spent roughly 30 minutes running up and down the aisles, passing the baby around and creating major annoyances. The parents tried to store their child ON THE FLOOR of the flight, and even hit the baby when it started crying, as they were bringing her back up to the chair. After 35 minutes of back and forth with the crew, the crew agreed to let the parents place the 10-month old baby in bassinet, but in a different row from us, for the flight after take off and before landing. Throughout all of this, the wife is sitting looking aimlessly at her screen and not engaging with anyone, while the husband is being critical of everyone, screaming loudly, and acting arrogantly towards the flight staff. As the cabin is being prepared for take off, the husband, who is sitting next to me, turned and in a very alarming and manipulative way said: It is going to be better for you to switch seats. Because I didn’t have a first class or business ticket (due to lack of inventory), I resorted to paying extra money to reserve my seat. Hearing the husband ask me to switch from my aisle seat to the interior middle, and be in between the husband, wife, and 10-month old baby seemed like a joke, and I respectfully told him I’d like to remain in the seat that I was assigned. For the next 3 hours, the couple is loudly talking with each other. They had no concept of talking quietly as to not disturb their fellow passengers, and the stewardesses were not helpful in asking them to settle down. In addition to the loud conversations, the guests had no concept of personal space. The husband elbowed me countless times, slept on me, put his clothing on me, and even used the area under the seat in front of ME to put his feet. At a point during the flight, the baby woke up and began screaming. The wife was fixated on the map in her entertainment console and outwardly ignored the screaming baby while the husband was in the bathroom. Multiple passengers began looking around, trying to locate the parents to come sooth their child who is now screaming, as a few minutes had passed, when the father jumped out of the bathroom and began soothing the child again. The wife remained unbothered and once the child was finally calm, the father begins having a conversation with his wife over me and the man sitting infront of me, yelling at her for something. She passed him a pillow and he went to go and sleep ON the emergency exit lever. A flight attendant walked past, looked at him, and kept going despite the serious risk this could pose not only to him, but to everyone on the plane. Suddenly, the flight encountered turbulence which promoted the child to begin screaming. Again. The wife begins screaming over us to the husband to wake him up and get him to tend to the baby. He doesn’t answer her and the baby miraculously falls back asleep before our flight attendant returned and ask the couple to take the child off the bassinet due to turbulence. I get up to use the bathroom and find that the husband is sitting in my seat, trying to once again place the baby on the floor. Once the baby began crying, they brought her back up again to their lap. Throughout the flight, I had to stand up for the couple over 35 times. I was not able to sleep at all due to the constant screaming, crying, loud talking, and constant movement to appease the child and the parents. At one point, the flight attendant had to literally hand the baby over to the parents, over me and the man in front of me, because the couple refused to get up. In addition to this, there were two other small children in front of me, and one behind me. I was surrounded by very young children who spent the entire flight screaming and bothering those around them. There was a 15-minute period where the two kids in front of me were standing up, facing me and yelling, while changing the content of my TV screen multiple times. The young child behind me at one point didn’t know how to open the bathroom door and began screaming bloody murder. I fly for work multiple times a week across multiple airlines, have flown over 100,000 miles in 2023 alone, and I can confidently say that this was the worst flight experience I have ever had. Despite my multiple requests to switch seats, the flight attendants claimed there were no available options, even though there were visibly empty seats in my class. I upgraded my seat for a more comfortable experience, but the reality was far from British Airways' commitment to customer satisfaction, as ironically depicted in your onboard collateral. The entire flight, the entire crew was completely unbothered by my complaints or my experience. They did not once try to help me in the situation I was in, or offer any type of assistance with resolving the issue, despite the various options they had available to them. I would also be remiss to disregard the blatant disregard for safety displayed by the cabin crew. They allowed a 10-month old infant to be sat away from its parents, allowed a man to sleep on the emergency exit door and lever, and ignored a child being placed on the floor for flight travel.
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Posted 1 year ago
My holiday for next April for 14, my family. BA were informed on 6th October that one of my hotels will be closed for refurbishment. I have had to contact them, I have written and had no reply. I am paying around 60k for this holiday and this is how I am treated. I was told by an agent at BA I would be contacted at the end of November. This holiday took a lot of organising on our part to find the perfect hotels for the ages of our group. How this will be resolved I cannot imagine. I was also offered to cancel but I would lose my 6k deposit. If you read the ABTA guidelines state that an alternative or a refund must be made “without undue delay”. The timeframe that I have verbally been given is unacceptable. A reply to my complaint BA would be nice at this stage. I have been saving for years for this holiday to take all my family away for my birthday and I cannot tell you how upset I feel that it has been thrown in to chaos. I am even thinking I would like to delay this for one year rather than accept an alternative.
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Posted 1 year ago
Delighted to share our recent travel experience with British Airways! Set off extremely excited on October 7th from Cork Airport for our week in Mumbai. Flight from Cork was on time and we arrived in Heathrow with plenty of time to explore T5. Upon reaching Heathrow Terminal 5 for our 5pm Mumbai flight, we observed a challenging noteworthy situation at the boarding gate, where a couple had encountered difficulties on the flight before ours. The couple missed their flight, stemming from their lounge overstay (too many wines at a guess). They were extremely rude to the lady at the boarding desk however , despite the testing circumstances, the BA employee remained composed and handled the situation with grace. Something I found difficult witnessing the situation myself. During our boarding process, a visa complication arose for my husband, requiring swift action. This same lady assisted my husband and whilst it was an extremely worrying time for us her calm and kind manner helped in the situation. Although due to an error (one number out on visa) my husband was unable to board and our holiday dreams dashed, this lady's kind demeanour and at times witty attitude alleviated the situation, and for that, we are sincerely grateful. The real standout occurred at the ticketing desk when we had to rebook (hopefully we can get babysitters again!) to Ms. A Khan and Ms. N Barry at the ticketing desk, who demonstrated unparalleled professionalism, empathy and care in rebooking our tickets. Facing the disruption of our holiday plans our moods had soured however their efforts made a significant difference, turning a challenging situation into a positive experience. To be honest the 3 ladies (Didn't get the other ladies name) at the ticketing desk were by any measure simply the best customer focused employees I have ever encountered. Their empathy, professionalism and customer focus displayed the type of employees that any company would be blessed to have working for them. It says alot about British airways that every employee we met that day from boarding gate, ticketing desk, baggage (issues with finding bag after it had to be removed from plane), was absolutely exceptional and went out of their way, above and beyond to turn what was a very disappointing circumstance into a bearable one. Looking forward to our rescheduled flight in October with optimism (still scrambling for replacement babysitters lol!) , hoping for smooth travels and encountering the same friendly faces at British Airways. Thank you to the entire staff for their dedication and outstanding customer service! 🌟✈ #Professionalism #CustomerServiceExcellence #BritishAirwaysExperience
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Posted 1 year ago
BA didn’t bother to load many passenger luggage onto plane so as to not miss their take of time slot after plane was late. BA central baggage tracking team lied about bags having been on our plane and that we should have just waited longer at the carousel despite passengers’ AirTags clearly showing luggage left at take-off airport and other BA staff confirming that some luggage trolleys were left behind. Then BA doesn’t take any responsibility for baggage once it dumps it into the hands irresponsible courier company who claims that the bag was delivered to me yet it wasn’t and the hotel’s CCTV has no video of anyone with any bag, let alone mine, showing up attempting to deliver it. Carrier claims to have called my phone, yet my phone did not log the call nor a voicemail. Calling BA refers me to the courier’s phone number and they don’t answer even when I stay on hold for the full 29 minutes before they disconnect the call. Still haven’t received my bag. I wonder if I will or if I’ll get some other imaginary delivery and then what!?
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Posted 1 year ago
Would give zero if I could. We upgraded to World Traveller Plus for a flight from Cape Town to London. One of the seats wouldn't recline. It was broken. They offered us no alternative during the flight. After, British Airways would offer no compensation claiming that a reclining seat was a bonus not a feature. Absolutely dreadful.
British Airways 1 star review on 7th October 2023
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Posted 1 year ago
British airways site told me booking was unsuccessful so i then booked on Expedia (Still BA flight), only to find out a week later that BA had booked and charged me. I have been trying for about 6 weeks to get my money back as its their site that screwed up. I have even contacted the CEO, Sean Doyle, who hasn't even had the decency to respond
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Posted 1 year ago
British Airways is rated 1.7 based on 290 reviews