British Airways Reviews 

16,605
•
TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

1.6

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 2,372 reviews, most reviewers were let down by their experience overall. Many customers frequently struggled with poor customer service, enduring excessively long phone queues, unhelpful digital assistants, and frustrating responses when attempting to resolve urgent booking issues. Travelers also expressed deep frustration regarding unexpected extra costs required for seat selections, rigid ticketing policies, and disappointing onboard food options. The minority of people were satisfied with attentive staff members who provided kind, patient, and efficient assistance during difficult travel moments. Some reviewers appreciated when polite employees went genuinely above and beyond to handle unexpected disruptions smoothly and make passengers feel exceptionally comfortable.

What people talk about most

Service

People report negative experiences with service, pointing to severe issues such as overbooked flights, long... See more

Customer service

Customers consistently note negative experiences with customer service, highlighting prolonged phone wait... See more

Staff

Reviewers highlight mixed experiences with staff, as some customers report rude, dismissive, and... See more

Booking process

Users describe profound frustration with the booking process, highlighting system errors that make... See more

Price

Clients share negative opinions on price, expressing widespread dissatisfaction with excessive fares, hidden... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Pathetic!! An hours delay announced just before boarding! Why can’t these flights get checked for smooth/safe operations and not announce last minute servicing😒 Also, the special meals on a previous... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

I was on your flight from accra to heathrow first week in September 2026, and the food was so bad, may l know why about 70% of your passengers are african but you don't bother to consider serving bot... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Very disappointed. I flew to LA recently and I found the onboard customer service very poor. Unfriendly stuff, disgusting meals and no kindness whatsoever. I definitely won’t fly with them again. Not... See more

Company replied

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Our daughters suitcase was lost on 4th Sept. Three days later we were informed they had found it and we’re preparing it to ship to us. 4 days later and still no suitcase, the trail went cold. Lots... See more


Company details

  1. Airline

Written by the company

Book flights to London and New York with British Airways. BA, the full service airline, offer low airfares and hotels in holiday destinations around the world.


Contact info

1.6

Bad

TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

17K reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

No recent history of asking for reviews

This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative

Replied to 4% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

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1.6

All reviews

(16,605)

2,536 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very easy to talk via WhatsApp which I…

Very easy to talk via WhatsApp which I prefer to waiting on hold. I've had a few quires and the staff were very polite and helpful.

15 September 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from British Airways

Hi Kim, thank you for sharing your experience with us. We're delighted to hear that you found WhatsApp a convenient way to contact us and that our team was polite and helpful in assisting with your queries.

We appreciate your comments, and if you need anything further, please don't hesitate to get back in touch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Agent listened to the issues we…

Agent listened to the issues we experienced with both the BA app & the 800#. We communicated thru WhatsApp and agent was courteous and solved our procurement of seats.

15 September 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from British Airways

Hi, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're very sorry for the issues you experienced with our app and contact centre. It's great to hear that our colleague was able to assist you via WhatsApp and help secure your seats. If you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to get back in touch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

A delayed response but helpful and kind

It took a while to get a response but when I did it was fairly helpful. When Charlotte stepped in to the WhatsApp chat she really helped and eliminated the building worry I was experiencing. I’m very grateful to her for the help she gave me and the kind tone in her messages.

21 August 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from British Airways

Hi Dionne, thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We're very sorry it took longer than expected for us to respond to your WhatsApp message.

We're delighted to hear that once you connected with Charlotte, she was able to provide the support and reassurance you needed. It's lovely to hear that her kind approach made such a positive difference. We'll be sure to share your appreciation with her.

If there's anything else we can help with, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The worst experience

The worst experience. Waiting more than an hour on a phone, the guy who answered the phone, couldn't understand my request because was from India. How its possible to support the European market if you cant understand? Why do you pay them?

14 September 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Our allegations

Our allegations
British Airways — where is the compassion?
Our family contacted BA after a relative was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We explained the circumstances, the importance of the trip and asked whether BA could offer any special consideration or assistance.
The response was deeply disappointing. BA would not offer any meaningful help or special arrangement.

What made this particularly upsetting was the impression left with us that our family’s circumstances were of little importance unless there was money to be made from them. At a time when we were dealing with a serious and potentially life-limiting illness, we expected at least some humanity and compassion. We did not get it.

Another airline did offer our family help. That made the contrast with BA impossible to ignore. We will therefore be travelling with the other carrier and will be seeing New Order in Santiago in November.

This experience has completely changed our view of British Airways.

A company can talk about caring for its customers, but when a family facing stage 4 cancer asks for a little understanding and the answer is effectively “no”, those words ring rather hollow.

Our experience was that compassion came second and commercial considerations came first.

British Airways should be ashamed that a family in these circumstances was left feeling this way. For us, this wasn't simply about the price of a flight. It was about how a customer and their family were treated at an extraordinarily difficult time.

We will remember that — and we will spend our money elsewhere

15 September 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Don’t invest in BA First

Invested in First Class after a challenging year for us…Don’t! Only 8 passengers but suites not as good as Qatar or Cathay, no privacy door so light comes in to disturb sleep. Both starter and main course options not available, so much for à la carte and the experience; no wi fi; very disappointing ….have to wait for business class to get off before first class, so further back in immigration queue. No more corridor space than business class and lavatory same as business class so why pay £+2000 more ….???? Flight was BA 033 lhr to Jhl, 10.9.26

10 September 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very disappointing experience with…

Extremely disappointing experience with British Airways.

We boarded the aircraft only to discover that the plane had not even been fuelled and our bags had not been loaded. We were then left sitting on the runway for several hours before finally being able to continue our journey.

While British Airways did acknowledge the delay, there was no compensation offered, and more importantly, there was no follow-up afterwards to ask for passenger feedback or properly address what had happened.

I find it unacceptable that an experience like this can simply be treated as though it was business as usual once the flight is over. Passengers’ time matters, and when an airline causes this level of disruption, I would expect much better communication, accountability and customer care.

A very disappointing experience from British Airways, and certainly not the standard I would expect from a major airline.

5 September 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from British Airways

Hi Richard, thanks for taking the time to leave your review. We're keen to know more and have requested some further details from you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

BA didn't load a single piece of luggage

BA didn't load a single piece of checking luggage to a London to Hamburg flight, not one item. For 3 days they didn't communicate any info on its whereabouts, had to go to the airport in person and discover that it had all arrived the day before and was just left in the baggage area. 3 months later, they're still dragging their feet on costs incurred. Hopeless bunch, not a single member of BA in Germany. Fly Eurowings is my advice

24 June 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from British Airways

Hi Pmac, thank you for taking the time to reach out about this. We appreciate your patience since submitting your claim. Please be assured that this will be reviewed and our team will be in touch as soon as possible.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dishonest company

Dishonest company. They forced us to check in our hand luggage under the guise of there not being enough space in the overheads. The overheads were at 25% capacity when the flight actually took off. They just can't be bothered to optimise their systems.

At arrivals, I then had to wait 2 hours for my bag to arrive. All because of British Airways laziness.

14 September 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

A shocking experience — followed by an equally disappointing complaint response

Our family’s experience with British Airways following severe disruption to our Nassau–London journey on 21 August was appalling.

We were a family group of nine, including three children — one just two years old — elderly relatives and a family member who is PEG-fed and has specific medical needs.

After our aircraft returned to Nassau, what followed included hours of uncertainty and inadequate communication, children trying to sleep on the airport floor in the early hours, repeatedly having to ask for drinking water and food, long waits for luggage despite staff being made aware of medical circumstances, our family being split between hotels, unsuitable accommodation with no cot for our two-year-old, refreshment vouchers that didn’t work, and further difficulties after BA rerouted us via Charlotte.

We eventually arrived home approximately a day later than planned.

Things go wrong in aviation. I understand that. What I found unacceptable was the lack of care and communication when they did.

I subsequently submitted an extremely detailed formal complaint setting out 12 separate areas of concern and specifically asked BA to investigate each of them.

After waiting two weeks, BA’s response effectively addressed one issue — why our family had been split between hotels. I was told there wasn’t enough hotel availability and that the feedback had been passed to airport managers.

That was essentially it.

No substantive response to most of the welfare concerns I’d raised. No meaningful explanation of what investigation had taken place into them. No response to my request for goodwill redress for the customer-service failures.

I’ve now escalated the matter to senior leadership at British Airways and asked either for the complaint to be properly investigated or for BA to confirm its final position so I can pursue independent escalation.

For me, the most disappointing part isn’t that an aircraft developed a problem. It’s how we were looked after when it did — and how little ownership I’ve seen since.

21 August 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I am utterly disgusted.

I am utterly disgusted by the way BA is handling its 26 hour delayed flight BA 2238 from Trinidad to London. No accommodation, transport or meals were offered despite an email from BA saying that these were available. BA staff simply said its ‘it’s a pay and claim situation’ situation, which is very unsatisfactory indeed. Many passengers were left totally stranded.
Never in a long lifetime of international travel have I seen such a poor response from any airline, let alone one of the standing of BA.
I expect to be flown to London tomorrow on time, plus a full refund for the cancelled flight and full compensation for the emotional and psychological trauma experienced.
Moreover, trivial as it may seem by comparison, I was offered a voucher for 14.00$US to cover the initial 3 hour expected delay (which is now 26 hours). This voucher had to be accessed by downloading an app called Swiipr, a name unlikely to inspire confidence, given that swipe is a synonym for steal. I will not and never will download this app. Once downloaded, I was required to transfer the $14.00 to my mobile wallet. I do not use and never will use a mobile wallet, the very idea makes me cringe.
The horribly delayed flight will now hopefully arrive just a couple of hours before my onward flight with a different airline takes off. That connection is of course not covered by BA’s claims service, a service which is complicated, riddled with obstacles and intimidating, rather than helpful as BA claims.
All in all, the experience has been appalling and I hope other passengers (not customers) will complain in a like manner.

13 September 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Disgrace service/attitude to delay

1/5 - would give 0/5 if it were possible.

British Airways cancelled our original flight and then somehow rebooked my girlfriend and me onto completely different flights on different days.

After around 45 minutes on the phone, I eventually managed to get us moved onto the same flight. Despite us having already paid to sit together on the original booking, BA didn’t bother to reinstate our seats next to each other.

Because of the cancellation and rebooking, we lost our original train tickets and had to pay for replacement tickets, as well as an additional hotel near the airport.

Unfortunately, the replacement flight was no better. Boarding was painfully slow and disorganised, with seemingly no urgency at all. We weren’t even seated until after the aircraft was supposed to have departed.

We then arrived around 30 minutes later than the arrival time quoted by the pilot, which caused us to miss yet another train and pay for another replacement journey.

To finish things off, our hold luggage then took more than 40 minutes to arrive at baggage reclaim.

What should have been a straightforward journey became a complete disaster, involving cancelled flights, being separated onto different flights and different days, lost seat reservations, multiple replacement train tickets, an unexpected hotel stay, further delays and an excessive wait for baggage.

A significant amount of additional expense and inconvenience caused by BA’s handling of the journey from start to finish.

Absolutely appalling experience. I’ll also be submitting a claim for the additional expenses incurred.

11 September 2026
Unprompted review
British Airways logo

Reply from British Airways

Hi Lloyd, thank you for taking the time to let us know about your experience. We're sorry to hear about the service you received while travelling with us.

We'd recommend submitting your claim to our Customer Relations team here: ba.com/information/help-and-contacts/complaints-and-claims. The team will review your claim and experience in full and look at how they can resolve this for you.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

So sad that a brillant company has sunk so low!

I have used BA for both business and personal travel for many, many years but after my recent experience I give up! What used to be a brilliant and reliable airline is now awful. And they clearly do everything to avoid engaging with their customers. I lodged a complaint with them, ref 14730940, and when I go and check the status they have closed my case. They say they need more info but they don't say what and anyway why close it if you need more info. I tried calling and using their digital assistant (after 20 mins I am still 47th in the queue!). I also note they don't monitor/react to these reviews. Interesting tactic to ignore complaints in the hope they go away. I was part of the BA Future Labs but clearly box ticking exercise rather than a real wish to listen to your customers. Funnily enough my husband is due to book a trip this week for us and I've told him to avoid BA. So sad that a once excellent company has sunk so low.

14 September 2026
Unprompted review
British Airways logo

Reply from British Airways

Hi Sally, we're sorry you're still waiting for a response to your complaint. If you've replied to the last email you received from us, please be assured that your case has been reopened. This will be reviewed and our team will be in touch as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

An Excellent Premium Economy Experience – BA049 Heathrow to Seattle

We recently flew British Airways BA049 from London Heathrow to Seattle in Premium Economy, seated in 31A and 31B, and came away genuinely impressed with the whole experience.

The comfort of the Premium Economy cabin was excellent. After taking many, many long-haul flights over the years, we really appreciated the extra space and the overall comfort throughout what is a long journey.

The food was also a real highlight. In particular, the pasta was absolutely beautiful, genuinely some of the best pasta we have tasted on an aircraft, which is not something we say lightly given the number of flights we have taken over the years. It was exceptionally good and a very pleasant surprise.

However, what really stood out and made this flight special was John, our cabin crew member.

John provided the kind of service that you remember long after the flight has finished. He was friendly, attentive, professional and genuinely interested in making sure we were comfortable and well looked after. Nothing felt forced or mechanical, his service was warm, natural and incredibly personable.

John is a real credit to British Airways. His attitude, attention to detail and genuine customer care are exactly what great airline service should be. He is an excellent example of how one member of crew can make a very positive difference to the overall passenger experience.

Interestingly, this flight has also changed our view of British Airways more broadly. After many years of flying predominantly with Virgin Atlantic, we have recently started using BA again. Virgin's decision to cancel its Companion Ticket seat rules has been a very disappointing move for us and, ultimately, has contributed to Virgin losing us as a customer.

Following this flight, and particularly the excellent service we received from John, British Airways is now very firmly back at the top of our list when choosing an airline.

BA049 was an excellent experience from start to finish, and John deserves particular recognition for the part he played in making it such a positive one.

British Airways should be proud to have people like John representing the airline. He is a credit to BA and a fantastic example of what outstanding customer service looks like.

Thank you, John, and thank you British Airways, we look forward to flying with you again.

11 September 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from British Airways

Thank you for taking the time to share such a thoughtful review of your journey to Seattle. We’re delighted that you enjoyed the comfort of our World Traveller Plus cabin, and it’s especially lovely to hear that the pasta proved such an unexpected highlight!

Your wonderful comments about John are a pleasure to read. The warm, attentive and genuinely personal service you’ve described is exactly the experience we want our colleagues to provide, and we’ll be delighted to ensure your recognition is shared with him and his manager.

We’re particularly pleased that this journey has brought British Airways firmly back to the top of your list. Thank you for choosing to fly with us again, we look forward to welcoming you on board for many more memorable journeys.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

If you are in London and in a position…

If you are in London and in a position where you have a business meeting at 21:30 in Glasgow and you need be there , you will have options. Car takes 8 hours to drive. , coach takes 9 hours, Train takes 3-4 hours and plane takes only 1 hour and 10 mins. Its a no brainer take a plane, like the BA8728 19:45 from London City Airport which gets you to Glasgow by 21:05 . You can even go Business Class . Then British airways delay the flight by one and half hours meaning the flight is going depart London at the time it was meant to touch down in Glasgow. Now im going to reach Glasgow at 22:13 by which time the meeting has ended. Meaning a wasted trip , wasted ticket, waste of time, and waste of money/ air miles. Another issue no smoking area at London City Airport even if they keep you in lounge for extra 90 mins. If you the option always choose the train especially if its business .
Just went to customer service desk where there were staff having a chit chat when they finished i asked why the delay, they said flight late in. Asked about compensation they said no then went back to chit chat . UPDATE: issue resolved by way of avios air miles refund for the flight. All parties happy 1 star to 4 star

13 September 2026
Unprompted review
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Reply from British Airways

Hi Simon, thank you for your review and for taking the time to speak with us. It was really helpful to better understand the impact the issues you experienced had on your travel plans.

We're pleased we had the opportunity to address your concerns and reach a resolution. If there's anything else we can help with, please don't hesitate to get back in touch.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Booked a return flight to New York but…

Booked a return flight to New York but were unable to add baggage to one of the flights as it was American Airlines (who were really helpful). I tried to resolve the issue regarding British Airways chat and the customer service member of staff just left the chat purposely and ignored my questions. I then made a complaint, was told I would have to wait a number of days for a response. I received numerous update emails informing me they were dealing with the issue over the next two weeks. I received an email informing me that they were unable to deal with this issue. Customer service and policy is an embarrassment, sadly shown up by the response I had from American Airlines. I will not fly with them again. Dreadful!

13 September 2026
Unprompted review
British Airways logo

Reply from British Airways

Hi Paul, thanks for taking the time to leave your review. We're keen to know more and have requested some further details from you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Most uncomfortable flight of my life

Totally broken seat, no support at all, sat on a metal bar with a cushion balanced on top, and lack of water on 11 hour flight and customer services resolution was an insult

24 July 2026
Unprompted review
British Airways logo

Reply from British Airways

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and for giving us the opportunity to try to proactively resolve your issue. If you need anything else at all, please don't hesitate to get back in touch.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Booked from Heathrow to Amsterdam

Booked from Heathrow to Amsterdam. Checked in 2 suitcases for my wife and myself. Had one small carry on case between the two of us. Confirmed at final check in desk that we could take it on board as had my wife’s medication in it. They said we could.
We were the second couple to board in economy. Turnaround manager told us to leave our case as it had to go in the hold.
We explained what we had just been told. He did not believe us. My wife had to board on her own.
Turnaround manager made a call. Told us no one had told us this at all as he checked with the man at the desk.
We actually spoke to a woman at b.a. he was not interested at all.
He took our carry on case from us whilst all the other passengers were allowed to board with two or three cases and holdalls.
Pointed this out to him. He said he would wait until everyone else had boarded then check to see if there was any room in the overhead lockers to see if we could take ours. He never did. Ours stayed in the hold.
My wife complained to the flight manager, alex, on board, . She also was not interested.
We made a written complaint to b.a. about how we were treated.
Received a response saying thank you for your feedback. Unbelievable!
It was not feedback. It was a legitimate complaint that they have totally ignored.
Why was it ok for every other passenger to take their cases on board but we were refused?????
We were the second couple to board in economy and when my wife boarded all the overhead lockers in economy were empty.
We are a couple aged 70. Frequent flyers with b.a.
we were treated appallingly and singled out from others boarding who were allowed by this turnaround manager to take on loads of cases.

24 August 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Disgusting greedy airline,

Disgusting greedy airline,
I had booked a flight from Inverness to Bangkok, Inverness to Heathrow then 9 hr layover leaving from Gatwick of which I will need to collect my bags then check them in again, then thought I’ll come to London the day before via easy jet and get a day in London, then just check in on the Gatwick flight, but no!
The greedy airline wants £350 to change a flight that I already have and they will also get extra for the flight I wouldn’t be on from Inverness,
Been using them on and off for years but won’t be giving them anymore of my money

13 September 2026
Unprompted review

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