A basic journey - review of British Airways Domestic Economy during Covid-19
Airline
Aircraft
Class
Flight date
Duration
Cost
Euro Traveller - Economy
02-10-2020
1h25m
GBP 126 including baggage
After being impressed by the British Airways lounge at Heathrow, it was time to head towards the departure gate. Today's flight, and the one on our return from Belfast, was a very basic one between two British cities more akin to a shuttle service than anything else. This flight was actually my first UK domestic flight of any kind so I've little to compare it to but some of the procedural elements are common with international departures.
Boarding was relatively quick and effective onto the plane. At the time, boarding was completed by calling row groups on the plane from rear to front - meaning we boarded first as we sat all the way at the back of the aircraft. Recently, British Airways has begun to reimplement pre-Covid group boarding methods, meaning rear to front boarding will now end. Hopefully this will mean I can finally get some more use of my British Airways status on my next flight with the airline.
Cabin crew greeted passengers upon stepping foot onto the plane, handing across a clear plastic bag including:
- hand hygiene gel
- santising wipe
I was surprised that this pack didn't include an extra face mask. This seems to be a slight cost cutting measure on actual protection for individuals. Some evidence has shown that after around 4 hours should be replaced to ensure they do not become too moist and ineffectual (UK Government - NERVTAG). Four hours is likely to be around the time elapsed since an individual travelled from home and most travellers are unlikely to be carrying spare masks. Although this is likely to be less of an issue on a short domestic flight, these same kits are handed out to intra-European and long-haul flights - which seems to be a big misstep from BA in terms of health protection measures. The cabin crew encourage people to wipe down the arm rests and tray tables at the seat using the provided sanitising wipe - although I would also hope that the airline is investing in comprehensive cleaning also, not just relying on passengers. For comparison, European budget airlines appear to not hand out anything whilst full service airlines are providing these types of kits which include a face mask:
The seat itself is what we have all come to expect from travel in Europe - nothing special, slightly uncomfortable, minimal legroom and no extras like in-flight entertainment. The seats are quite smart looking clad in a dark black faux leather, which also makes it easier to clean during the pandemic, and are emblazoned with the British Airways "speedmark" logo at the top making it clear which airline you are travelling on. Some of British Airways' newer or recently refurbished narrow body aircraft feature USB charging points to connect your device to, alas that wasn't to be the case on this journey. Suffice to say during this time of the pandemic, the seat experience on my journey to Manchester on National Express coaches was probably better - although British Airways does get you there far quicker!
The one final, lasting change that the pandemic has bought about is the re-introduction of free food on board. It's not much, only a packet of crisps, mini pretzel snack and a bottle of water, but this is more than the airline offered prior to April 2020. This is a positive step for customers and does provide a small differentiator to budget airlines - even if its not much to eat. Initially the free food was introduced to allow some offering whilst their buy on board range was temporarily withdrawn but British Airways plan to maintain this free offer into the future. Since I travelled in October, passengers can also buy additional food and drinks if they wish - allowing passengers to top up on the free food provided.
The journey itself was actually pretty uneventful - little turbulence, standard crew offering and little else to say. Once we landed in Edinburgh, departing was done from front to back in row groups - and none of the franticness that happened pre-Covid (whichI hope will be relegated to the past). This journey was very basic and didn't have much luxury, but it was great being back in the air again and having that feeling of flight after a year of being without it. If you're looking for a reliable service and a dependable airline for domestic service, you can't go wrong with British Airways.
Have you flown during the pandemic? How did you find it? Let us know in the comments!