We recently flew British Airways BA031 from London Heathrow to Hong Kong. This was the first leg of our Hong Kong, Bali and Singapore vacation. The flight time was 12+ hours.
We arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 in good time. Check-in was very quick, as was security. This surprised us given that it was right in the middle of the school summer holidays – a pleasant surprise! Knowing we had a long flight ahead of us, we spent most of our ‘airport time’ walking around and trying out nearly every perfume and aftershave in Duty Free (my teenagers are very much into the expensive brands at the moment!) We kept an eye on the boards for BA031 and were called to gate on time. When we arrived they were ready to start boarding. So we can’t fault Heathrow for their efficiency.
Seats
We paid in advance to reserve our four Economy (World Traveller) seats, choosing rows 43 and 44, seats J and K in each. These are right at the very back of the wide-bodied Boeing 777 plane, where the seat configuration has changed from 3-4-3 to 2-4-2. The aisle was wider and it felt all around more roomier.
The benefits of these seats on BA031 are that you are closest to the bathroom so can be more opportune as opposed to queuing to use them. And row 44 reclines into no laps – a bonus!
Service
Having flown in Economy quite a bit, one frustration we’ve encountered across many airlines is the lack of food options by the time the trolley reaches your row. “Chicken, beef or pasta?” “Oh sorry, we only have pasta left”. However on THIS flight we were served first! They actually had chicken available for us to choose!
Food and drink
Soon after our early evening flight was airborne we were served drinks and a snack. Alcohol was an option, but we all opted for juice and soda.
The main meal – in honesty – was one of the better airplane meals we’ve had in years (not just in Economy either). It consisted of:
- A bread roll that was lovely and fresh; no signs of being frozen, served with a pat of Welsh Shirgar butter
- A vibrant green fresh pea, tomato and feta salad
- Chicken in an oyster sauce with okra and sticky rice
- Jacobs Crackers with Croxton Manor cheddar cheese
- British apple and blackberry crumble with custard dessert
- Harrogate still water
- Cutlery (with optional chopsticks)
Alas no photos as we ate the lot!
Shortly after the meal service we were offered tea or coffee. Seriously – we rarely eat airline food. But this was actually rather good!
It wasn’t long before the plane was put into ‘night mode’ – but first we had a rather stunning sunset to admire before the blinds went down …
Entertainment
The USB charging port didn’t work on one of the chairs – always a frustration. Luckily I had my charging block in my bag, so we were ok.
As this was predominantly a night flight, I managed to watch a movie before (attempting to) sleep. I picked ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The only other thing I kept referring to throughout the flight was the sky map, to see where we were, how far we had to go and places we were flying over.
Night comfort
This is always going to be a challenge in any Economy seat. However, we all did manage some sleep … some of us more successfully than others. The cabin temperature wasn’t overly warm – quite cool actually. I sleep better in cooler temperatures, so was quite happy! I did develop a dry throat as the journey went on though.
The seats had minimal recline, as expected, and no footrest. The window seats felt wider due to the gap between the seat and the window and it is probably for this reason that Millie and me has the most sleep (we had the windows). Millie also benefited from using her shoebill stork travel companion as a pillow!
Toby and Huw, on the aisle seats, didn’t fare quite so well. The flight was also very turbulent – not news-worthy extreme – but constant mini rollercoaster for good pockets of time.
I looked around the cabin throughout the 7 hours when the cabin lighting was dimmed for night. Most people were managing to sleep. Others were watching movies. Even the babies in arms were snoozing!
With 2 hours left until landing, the lights switched to daytime mode and we heard the clattering of metal trays in the galley behind us signalling breakfast time.
Breakfast
Again, it was a decent meal – two in the same flight (unheard of!)
Breakfast consisted of:
- Tea or coffee and juice
- A pot of fresh fruit (pineapple, melon, and grapes – correction, grape singular)
- A hot “Full English’ that was a sausage with beans, scrambled egg with mushrooms and a grilled tomato
- A chocolate chip muffin
Again, everything tasted fresh – no complaints. It might not have looked amazingly appetising, but it was quite tasty.
Once the Trays had been taken away, we had just one hour until landing.
Final thoughts
A 12+ hour flight, through the night, in Economy is never a joy. But flight BA031 really didn’t feel too bad. I’m pleased we reserved the seats we did as the space and positioning made us more comfortable.
The staff were extremely friendly and attentive – we haven’t experienced this level of politeness for quite some time.
I won’t go so far as to say it was an enjoyable flight – it’s an awfully long time to be sitting still. And we departed the plane in need of some fresh air, a shower and a better sleep. But the time did pass reasonably quickly – it didn’t drag, and this was a blessing.
We then headed to our hotel to regroup, refresh and plan our three days exploring Hong Kong!
I’ve been on long flights with British Airways, and they weren’t bad at all. As you said, long flights are far from enjoyable but they do all they can to make the experience comfortable.
It sounds like you had an excellent experience. I’ve been on some long flights that were absolute stinkers, so I’m very pleased to hear this.
That sounds like the airline for me. I’ve heard great things about British Airways, and it usually sounds a lot like this post.
The food sounds pretty good for plane food! I don’t think I’ve ever flown on a plane for that long – what a wild ride.
It sounds like you had a really smooth experience from the airport and right the way through the flight. It is great that you managed to get a decent choice of food. I haven’t flown long haul in a while – this sounds great!
London Heathrow airport looks like it has so many facilities. Hope you’ve had a great time during your vacation!