The following is a full review of my 7 hour British Airways 777-300ER economy experience from Dubai to London (Heathrow).
You wanna know the truth? It’s a very dated long-haul economy class product. The in-flight entertainment is mediocre. The food is terrible.
Think at least twice before smashing that “buy now” button. It’s not the worst long haul economy product in the world, but there are far better options IMHO.
BA106
Dubai, UAE (DXB) – London, England (LHR)
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Aircraft: 777-336ER
Registration: G-STBG
Duration: 7 hours 12 minutes
Seat: 43H (Club Traveler / Economy)
Arrival and checking in at DXB
The scheduled departure time for this flight was 1:30 frickin’ AM. I had a lot of work to do however, so I showed up at the Dubai International Airport about 1 PM to give me enough time to do what I needed to do before the flight.
Check in for this flight wasn’t even open at this point (obviously). It didn’t matter since I had already checked in online.
Terminal 1 at DXB is absolutely massive. Reaching the Oneworld / British Airways gates (D1-D32) required hopping on a train. At least it was air-conditioned, right?
It was only after I arrived at the D gates that I learned that my flight to London had been delayed by 2 1/2 hours. So instead of departing at 1:30 AM, we were now scheduled to go at 4 AM. Ouch.
Economy class boarding process
It’s a long wait to board when you’re holding a British Airways economy class ticket. They started the boarding process at approximately 3:30 AM. By the time they called for economy, it was 3:45. Sunrise wasn’t far behind…
British Airways 777-300ER economy (Club Traveler) cabin and seats
The nice thing about the economy cabin on the British Airways 777-300ER is that it’s an uncommonly spacious 3-3-3 layout. Legroom isn’t all that great though. Especially compared to Qatar Airways 777-300ER economy (which is another popular way of getting from the Middle East to London fairly cheaply).
Economy class amenities
Although you won’t get a proper amenity kit, there will be a blanket, pillow, and earbuds waiting for you on your seat. Most likely a bottle of water as well (but I didn’t get one on this flight).
Safety card
I know. Safety card information usually goes in one eye and out the other on these late night departures. But when the flight plan involves flying over Iran, safety always comes first!
The departure from DXB
Pushing off the gate at 4:12 AM (when you were supposed to do it at 1:30 AM) isn’t fun. I actually slept through most of the departure process, but going back and looking at the data, I see that we taxied for 26 minutes.
In-flight entertainment
So yeah. I stand by what I said about the in-flight entertainment system being mediocre. The economy class video screens are small, low resolution, and not very bright.
I didn’t find the catalog of content to be all that interesting. Perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more if I was British? I don’t know.
The first meal service
The cabin crew came down the aisle serving the first meal approximately 15 minutes after takeoff. Calling it a “meal” is generous. It was more of a light snack really, but I didn’t mind. All I wanted to do was sleep.
FYI: Providing nothing more than a light snack immediately after departure is fairly standard practice for flights departing in the middle of the night (not just on British Airways, but all airlines). I’ve experienced the exact same thing in ANA 777-300ER economy a time or two.
Cabin and seat comfort
As tired as I was, I didn’t sleep all that well. The seats were plenty soft, but the legroom is terrible. Stretching out is impossible, and it’s not very comfortable.
Economy class lavatory
There are lavatories located just ahead and behind the economy class cabin. The ones all the way at the back are huge!
Pre-landing meal service
They served a proper meal about an hour and a half prior to landing. It was a lot of food actually. I wasn’t able to finish everything on my tray – which is something that doesn’t happen often.
The quality of the food was British mediocre. Those of you expecting a pre-landing meal as delicious as the one I was served in Air New Zealand 777-300ER economy will be disappointed. I promise.
Arrival in London
They weren’t able to make up any time in the air, so we were just as late on the descent into London as we were departing out of Dubai.
We touched down at LHR at 8:50 AM. The taxi to the gate took just 6 minutes – which is got to be some sort of a record for Heathrow I think. At least for me anyway.
The verdict? I’m of the opinion that British Airways 777-300ER economy is not something you should go out of your way for. If it’s your only option, fine. It’ll be good enough.
Seeking it out over everything else would be as foolish a screen door on a submarine. You deserve better.
