About British Airways
British Airways was formed in 1974 through the merger of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) and BEA (British European Airways) under the nationalised British Airways Board. It was privatised in 1987 under Margaret Thatcher's government and today trades as part of International Airlines Group (IAG), alongside Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and Level. The airline carries around 40 million passengers a year and is the UK's dominant long-haul carrier.
BA is a founding member of the Oneworld alliance, giving passengers reciprocal lounge access, status recognition and codeshare benefits with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Japan Airlines, Finnair, Qatar Airways and others. Its Executive Club loyalty programme with Avios points sits at the centre of the UK frequent-flyer ecosystem and partners with Amex, Chase, Tesco Clubcard and more.
Beyond the mainline operation, BA runs BA CityFlyer from London City Airport (Embraer regional jets), and BA Euroflyer from Gatwick (short-haul Airbus fleet). Unique traits include the flagship A380 fleet, the London City–New York business-class-only service (historically on A318, now via Shannon preclearance routings), and the Concorde Room lounges at Heathrow T5 and JFK T7.
Routes & hubs
British Airways operates from several UK airports, with Heathrow T5 its principal hub. Most long-haul and flagship routes depart from T5, while some partner and codeshare flights use T3.
| UK departure | Terminal | Network focus |
|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow | T5 (BA mainline) / T3 (some partner routes) | Full long-haul + short-haul — the flagship operation |
| London Gatwick | North Terminal | Short-haul Europe under "BA Euroflyer" |
| London City | Single terminal | Business-focused regional + short European hops (BA CityFlyer) |
| Manchester | Terminal 3 | Selected London connections and limited leisure routes |
| Edinburgh & Glasgow | Main | London shuttle and seasonal European/Orlando |
Long-haul destinations from Heathrow include New York JFK/Newark, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Delhi and more — one of the broadest long-haul networks operated by any single carrier out of the UK.
Baggage allowance
BA is unusual among European carriers for still including a full-size cabin bag plus a personal item free of charge even on its cheapest standard Economy (Euro Traveller / World Traveller) fares. Only the cheapest "Basic" long-haul fares strip out the checked bag.
| Item | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Cabin bag | 56 × 45 × 25 cm · up to 23 kg |
| Personal item (handbag/laptop bag) | 40 × 30 × 15 cm · included free on all fares |
| Checked bag — Economy standard | 1 × 23 kg included |
| Checked bag — Economy Basic (long-haul) | Not included — add from £45 one way |
| Checked bag — Club World / First | 2 × 32 kg included |
Check-in
Online and app check-in opens 24 hours before departure for all BA flights and closes 1 hour before for short-haul, 90 minutes before for long-haul. Executive Club Gold/Silver/Bronze members can check in up to 30 hours early on ba.com. Airport check-in desks typically close 45 minutes before short-haul departure and 60 minutes before long-haul.
- Online (ba.com / BA app): 24 hours ahead — download your boarding pass to Wallet.
- Self-service kiosks at T5: Print bag tags and drop at the dedicated Bag Drop desks (separate from the full-service desks, usually faster).
- Full check-in desks: Available for all fare classes. First and Club World have dedicated desks at T5 Zone A.
Fleet
BA operates one of the most varied fleets in Europe — around 250 aircraft split roughly between long-haul widebodies and short-haul narrowbodies. Long-haul: Airbus A380 (12), Boeing 777-200/300ER (around 55), Boeing 787-8/-9/-10 Dreamliners (around 30), with Airbus A350-1000 progressively replacing older 777s. Short-haul: Airbus A319/A320/A321 including the newest A320/A321neo models. BA CityFlyer at London City operates Embraer E190 regional jets.
Cabin classes
On-time performance
British Airways' on-time performance (arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule) typically runs at around 78–82% on short-haul and slightly lower on long-haul. Heathrow's slot constraints and weather diversions drag BA's numbers below best-in-class European carriers. The airline publishes quarterly performance in its investor reports, and independent tracking by Cirium places BA mid-table for major European flag carriers.
Passenger reviews
Typical strengths: spacious Club Suite on refurbished long-haul aircraft, excellent Concorde Room and Galleries First lounges at T5, strong safety record, wide long-haul network with sensible connection times, and cabin crew who are generally rated highly for professionalism.
Typical criticisms: short-haul food is paid-for only, older long-haul 777s still have narrow yin-yang Club World seats awaiting refit, IT failures (the 2017 Heathrow outage is still fresh in many minds), and pricing that can run substantially higher than competitors on short-haul Europe.
Aggregate score across Trustpilot, Skytrax and AirlineRatings: 7.8 / 10.
⚖️ Flight delayed or cancelled?
If your BA flight was delayed 3+ hours or cancelled within 14 days of departure and the fault lies with the airline, you're entitled to up to £520 per passenger under UK261 — regardless of ticket price. BA must also provide care (meals, accommodation) during long delays.
Check my claim — no win, no fee → Read the rules →British Airways FAQs
BA uses Terminal 5 as its main Heathrow hub. The exception is a small number of Oneworld codeshare flights that may depart from T3. Always check your boarding pass — T5 and T3 are linked airside by train so if you're connecting, allow extra time.
Yes on standard Economy and above — one 23kg bag is included. The exception is the cheapest long-haul "Basic" fare, which is hand-baggage only. Business and First include two 32kg checked bags per passenger.
Predominantly Heathrow. BA operates dozens of daily US departures from T5 including JFK, Newark, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle and more. Gatwick is used for some leisure US routes (Orlando, Tampa, New York seasonal) under the BA mainline brand.
BA is a founding member of the Oneworld alliance alongside American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Japan Airlines, Finnair, Iberia, Qatar Airways and others. Executive Club status gives you lounge access and priority boarding across the alliance.
Yes, but only on eligible fare classes — deeply discounted Economy (Basic, Q class) usually can't be upgraded. The cheapest upgrade to Club World is from Premium Economy; upgrading from Economy typically costs more Avios than booking a reward flight outright.
Yes. BA operates 12 Airbus A380-800s from Heathrow T5 on selected high-demand long-haul routes including Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Singapore, Miami and Washington. The type was briefly stored during the pandemic and has been progressively returned to service.