BA993 TXL-LHR 25 MAR 12 (ECONOMY)

Hello everyone. I recently completed my first BA flight in over 4 years and the first using T5 and thought I would share my observations, both good and bad.

The flight was Berlin Tegel - LHR. I used 4,500 Avios and about £13 for a saver reward to LHR. (Outbound was with EasyJet).

100% of my long haul flying (twice a year) is with Virgin in Premium (only 3 trips in Upper so far), and I'm normally a LCC man for EU flights, so this was an opportunity to check out what I'd heard is a revitalised BA.

Booking - dead easy, all online and very slick. Miles better than VS' website which is a pig for doing anything but a simple point-to-point flight paid with cash.

Check-In - my GF at home checked me in online at T-24 as I didn't have wi-fi. Later I downloaded my BP for seat 5A to my iPhone, it recognised I was already checked in and up popped the BP. Very impressive and not offered on any airline I've used before.

Airport - for someone who hates massive walks and queuing Tegel is a dream. Curb to gate in about 20 paces via security which took all of 5 minutes. Shame it's closing in June.

Boarding - a bit disorganised as there were no row-by-row or priority calls, just all in one go. I'd have been miffed if I was in ET or a Gold/Silver. Picked up a free newspaper which was nice. The crewmember at the door welcomed me by name which was a first on any airline, ever. Impressive.

Seat - for a European Economy seat, 5A was superb. Plenty of legroom and no 'B' seat so plenty of space to stretch out.

Crew - quite friendly if not chatty in the VS way. Solid. The snack was quite tasty and I enjoyed a couple of free beverages. All free which are a novelty compared to an LCC.

Flight - about 90 minutes long, totally smooth and cloudless all the way. Stunning views as we circled at Lambourne and then flew over North London, before turning left over Marlow for landing on 9L.

T5 - a bit of a mixed bag. We were held on the taxiway for nigh-on 20 minutes after landing as gate A19 had an aircraft on it. This was very frustrating, but must have been even more so for those with connections. The captain gave regular PA updates and was at the door on disembarking which was a nice touch. Immigration queue was 'OK' by LHR standards, perhaps a 10 minute wait. Easily found my GF who was waiting at Costa to collect me. Architecturally T5 is a dream compared to T3, although the VS Clubhouse and Private Security Lane would take some beating.

So, I would say that BA has come on strong since I last used them (LGW-FCO and back), and they've definitely given me food for thought when it comes to future travel plans. The wider network and Avios programme are attractive.

If they would get rid of the stingy seat-reservation fees, roll-out the new PE seat across the fleet and give CW passengers some of the amenities that you get on VS such as a proper duvet, then that would really make me think.

Interesting TR, thanks Clarkeysntfc.

I totally agree with the comments re route network and AVOIS system - I have my second longhaul booked with BA in a year this Oct, and there's every likelihood that I'll not look back other than to use my FC miles if I ever get the chance.

Thank you for the TR.

Super TR I also have noticed a resurgence in the quality of the BA flights I have taken in the last year. The good news is, my last return flight with VS was pretty good too

Will be interesting to see if one becomes more consistently better than the other