When British Airways Manage “To Fly” but Can’t Quite Bring Themselves “To Serve” - British Airways A380 Economy Review

This is a very different type of flight review for my flight back to Heathrow from Johannesburg with British Airways in economy on the A380. Partly because it’s less of a traditional, neatly structured assessment and more of an opinion piece, but bear with me.

Having spent 8 days with zero signal, and zero worries on safari (me and my noble steed Polo below), I was looking forward to heading home.

It isn’t often you step off a flight and feel a genuine sense of disbelief that it all actually happened. Where you half-question whether it was a sleep-deprived fever dream. In this case, it wasn’t. The notes, taken diligently throughout the journey, confirm that every moment, frustrating, baffling, and at times outright disappointing, was entirely real.

I have been exceptionally fortunate to fly in all four cabins with British Airways. I have experienced the airline at its very best: thoughtful, polished, genuinely impressive. I have also seen it fall short. I have had excellent meals at altitude, and I have had forgettable ones. That is the nature of airline travel, any airline travel really, and this isn't just exclusive to British Airways.

So when I say this was the worst flight I have had with British Airways, and that I was left just a tiny bit shocked by both the crew and the catering, it is not hyperbole. It is not written for effect. It is, quite simply, the reality of this particular journey.

My greatest crime on this flight, it seemed, was having the audacity not to pay for a premium cabin.

This time, I was in economy. And the tone was set almost immediately.

Boarding a full flight: context matters - but so does conduct

Boarding began at 9:00pm local time. The aircraft, a full Airbus A380, carrying close to 490 passengers, was almost entirely full, I think there was just one spare seat in economy.

It is important to acknowledge this context. A full long-haul flight of this size is demanding. Cabin crew workloads are significant, and the operational complexity is high. None of that should be dismissed, and I am certainly not dismissing this.

But equally, and this matters, it does not excuse poor service. Ever.

Passengers were, by all observable measures within my economy cabin, calm, cooperative, and respectful. And yet, the tone from parts of the crew felt short, dismissive, and at times bordering on rude. There is a difference between efficiency under pressure and a lack of basic courtesy. This flight too often leaned towards the latter.

There were, however, moments of genuine care. A young family seated in the bassinet row alongside me faced the usual complications of those seats, limited floor storage, repeated disruptions when the seatbelt sign was activated, and a child arguably too large for the bassinet provided. The crew member assisting them was the exception to the rest of this article. She was patient, kind, and accommodating. It was a glimpse of what British Airways can still do well.

It just wasn’t consistent.

Departure: smooth enough, with minor friction

Pushback came at 10:05pm, followed almost immediately by the safety demonstration, though for those in extra legroom seats, the screens required for viewing it were only deployed moments before it began.

At 10:20pm, the captain informed passengers that a fuel panel door had been left open, requiring an engineer to inspect it. By 10:31pm the issue was resolved, and the aircraft began taxiing, eventually taking off at 10:38pm.

Operationally, this was all handled really well. Transparent communication, minimal delay. British Airways, as ever, can fly.

Allergies and announcements: serious, but lightly enforced

Two announcements were made shortly after boarding regarding a passenger with a severe airborne allergy to nuts and shellfish. Passengers were instructed not to open or consume any such products. This was handled really clearly, and there no chance of misinterpreting the seriousness of the matter.

This may have also added to the slightly stressed tone of the crew, which again I can fully understand. Having a serious airborne allergy on board must always be a trying time, but having worked in both customer service jobs, and also in international events, this is where the swan theory comes in. You can paddle furiously beneath the surface, as stressed as you like, but to the outside world you are simply gliding along serenely.

The crew: where the experience unravels

Let’s address the core issue.

The crew.

The crew member responsible for my section of the economy cabin was certainly efficient, but entirely lacking in any sort of warmth or appropriate customer service tone. Requests that required even minimal additional effort were dismissed. Let me give you a personal example.

When the first drinks service came round I requested a Coke Zero. This was declined outright. I was simply told "It's not on the cart, it's in the galley but you can have Diet Coke or full sugar." When asked if it was possible to get one from the Galley, even stating I was happy to wait or go and get it from the crew in the galley, I was told "No, you can have Diet or full sugar". Full sugar it was lads!

Now in case anyone wondered if perhaps I was giving off a vibe or a tone to make this cabin crew react in such a way, she was like this with everyone. When asked for an orange juice and a water by the lady sat next to me, she appeared to have not heard and just gave her the orange juice. When the passenger next to me gently reiterated that she would like a glass of water also, the crew member snapped "I'm just getting it".

In a moment of pure joy, I realised that the lovely lady I was sat next to was also lactose intolerant and had ordered the no lactose meal. I won't spoil the surprise of the food, that is later in the article, but when it arrived she mentioned to the crew, with more than a hint of embarrassment in her tone, that she couldn't eat fish as it didn't agree with her. She very politely asked if there were any spare meals that she might be able to swap for, and that she was happy to wait until the end of the service in case everyone wanted to eat. Context, as you'll have noticed this was a night flight and more than one person in the cabin opted immediately to sleep. The passenger was told, matter-of-factly, that no alternative meal was available because the flight was full.

Operationally, this is completely understandable. Tone wise, I was borderline disgusted by the total absence of even a cursory apology, or any attempt to acknowledge the inconvenience. All she had to say was "I completely understand. Let me finish the meal service and see what is left. I cannot promise there will be anything if everyone chooses to eat, but should there be anything spare I will let you know." That is just basic customer service guys! Obviously, she did not come back with any spare meals, and regardless of whether there had been any, I don't think she would have deigned to do so.

But this is where the experience shifts from disappointment to something more telling.

I was sat in the front row of economy with an excellent view into Club World (Business class), and boy did it tell a very different story. And yes, I am a total nosey-Nancy with flappy ears who likes to hear and see what's going on! When a special meal had not been loaded for a passenger in the Club World cabin, the response there was immediate. Apologetic, almost urgent in its desire to resolve the issue. This crew member almost fell over herself to try and sort the issue.

But even here, the polish was not entirely consistent.

In one moment that perfectly captured the underlying tone of the whole experience, the same crew member who previously was almost hyperventilating regarding the missed special meal, approached another passenger in business to take their order.

“I’m here to take your food order.” She said, in a more blunt tone than was necessary.

The passenger hadn’t yet looked at the menu. She picked it up from his table, pushed it into his hand, and bluntly said: “Please take a look at this and decide what you want. I’ll be back in a minute to take your order, but your choice may have gone by then.” I've never seen a menu card open quicker!

It was subtle, but kind of telling. Service delivered with pressure rather than hospitality. Which I think we can all argue isn't service at all.

The contrast across cabins was still obvious. It highlighted something that is increasingly difficult to ignore and I don't think I have ever seen it so starkly obvious: passengers in economy are often treated as second-class citizens on a flight they have still paid for, and paid significantly for. These seats aren't cheap! I paid £380.79, plus an additional £73.89 so that I could sit with my friends.

Yes, economy is cheaper. Yes, expectations are different, I know I'm not getting caviar and champagne here. But respect, decency, and basic courtesy are not, and should not be, tiered products. It's a stark contrast to the crew who were on the flight out to Johannesburg (you can read my review of this here), who were delightful and couldn't do enough for everyone in the cabin.

British Airways’ motto is “To Fly, To Serve”. On this flight, the flying was impeccable.

The serving, particularly in economy, was not.

Are you following us on social media? If not, why not! Go drop us a follow on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok so that you never miss any of your favourite content!

Catering: a genuine low point

Let's get to the next low-light of the flight, the food.

Dinner was served at 23:38, and it is difficult to overstate just how poor it was.

We knew food was coming, not because of the gentle rattle of the trollies, but the overwhelming stench of fish which permeated the air. I was hoping, no, praying, that this would not be my meal.

No such luck lads. The same crew member as before appeared carrying two trays, one for myself and one for the lady next to me. We were not prepared, we did not have our tray tables up, we were tutted at for this. So we quickly deployed our tray tables, before the tray of food was essentially dropped down in front of us.

As suspected, the main course was a fish dish. I lifted one corner of the tin foil covering it and was met by an even stronger stench of fish, so strong there was a hot minute where I thought I was actually going to be sick. The girls I was travelling with looked at me as if I was about to sacrifice myself for the whole plane, it was that bad.

This wasn't a fresh fish smell. You know the one. Where you're suddenly thinking of mussels or a nice bit of cod. This was that fishy smell where it smells off, like gone off. The tin foil was quickly shut and I didn't eat it, nor could I even bring myself to lift the lid more and photograph it. I am sorry to have let you down.

The pasta starter carried a similarly off-putting smell and was also left untouched. What remained to be eaten was a bread roll, a fruit pot, and a “fruity bar” so overwhelmingly sweet it bordered on inedible, and I actually think I could feel my teeth rotting as I chewed the one mouthful I tried.

Now, there is an important caveat here. Catering from outstations is challenging. I do not doubt this. Consistency is difficult, it's not British Airways' usual at-home caterer, the standard is of course going to be different and allowances should be made.

But this was not a minor inconsistency. This was a complete failure of quality.

A small moment of relief came post dinner when a different crew member from First Class, brought over glasses of champagne to myself, Laura, Emily and Zoe (who I was travelling with). Laura's friend is married to a BA pilot and had arranged for this little surprise for us. It was a thoughtful gesture, and a reminder that the issue here is not capability, it is consistency.

Breakfast, served at 6:00am, was better than the way out to Johannesburg. A bread roll, a small fruit pot, and a cooked option of beans, spinach, tomato, and courgette. The latter had seen a little too much salt, but as someone who isn't the biggest fan of eggs on a plane, it was a good, light option to have. Plus, it was edible. Trays were cleared by 6:36am.

Seat and cabin

The economy seat on the A380 reflects an older era of British Airways design, and one, thankfully, we seem to be moving away from. The seat was narrow, upright, and pretty unforgiving, it is not built for comfort, particularly on an overnight flight. The easiest way to sleep for me was to deploy the tray table, bend forward and rest my pillow and head on it. It worked.

Four hours of sleep was achieved, but it felt more like endurance than rest.

The in-flight entertainment screen, housed in the armrest for these seats, was equally underwhelming. Poor resolution, low contrast, and a generally dated interface contribute to a product that lags behind much of the competition.

When British Airways manage “To Fly” but can’t quite bring themselves “To Serve”

What defined this flight was not a single failure, but a pattern.

A pattern of inconsistency and indifference. And of a clear divide between those at the front of the aircraft and those at the back.

British Airways did what it needed to do operationally. It flew, and it did so safely and on schedule.

Travel is, and always should be, a privilege. Not a right, but certainly not something that should leave you feeling diminished. Regardless of the cabin you sit in, there is a baseline expectation: to be treated with respect, with decency, and with a sense that your presence matters.

On this flight, that line felt blurred.

Economy has long been jokingly referred to as “cattle class”. Here, at times, it felt uncomfortably close to the truth. The unspoken message was hard to ignore: pay less, and you matter less.

That may not be the intention, and one hopes it isn’t, but it is the perception created when service slips into indifference.

For an airline built around the promise “To Fly, To Serve”, British Airways continues to deliver on the first.

The second, however, is where the real work remains.

Helena

Points Well Made is a passion project of Sam and Helena with a loyal following. If you like what we do, and wish to help us continue to create the content you love, please consider buying us a Kofi, or subscribing monthly. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.