British Airways 777 Economy Class – Every once in a while it’s nice to treat your mom to a break in the sun. With a long winter lingering in the UK, and some excellent fares on British Airways (BA), it feels like the perfect time to book a week in Barbados. We flew out in British Airways 777 Premium Economy – BA calls it World Traveler Plus – and here’s what we thought.
We arrived at London Gatwick about 3 hours before the flight and found the check-in area very quiet – just as we expected, mid-morning on a Wednesday!
British Airways 777 Economy Class
Although BA Exec Bronze+ members can use the Club World check-in desk, it really makes no difference, as there is no one in line at any of the desks. We just went to the open counter nearby and handed over our bags.
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Both the main security lane and Gatwick Premium seemed quiet. We passed the Premium lane thanks to BA Silver printed on at least one of our boarding passes! If you hold BA status, you are allowed to bring a guest with you.
As BA does not provide lounge access for passengers traveling in Premium Economy, we decided to (again) take advantage of BA Silver to get us both into the British Airways Gatwick Club Lounge. It’s a great place to wait for a flight, while enjoying a full bar and snacks. It’s also a million miles from the violence of the South Terminal, especially during rush hour. If you don’t have a Silver BA, don’t worry; there is also a paid lounge in Gatwick’s South Terminal which we have visited and checked for you.
Now that we had eaten, Mum and I enjoyed a dollar fizz – especially the fizz – and settled into our armchairs to enjoy the beautiful view over the runway.
We didn’t bother leaving the lounge until the information screen said the flight was boarding. Boarding went smoothly as we walked to the gate. We went down the airbridge with Dormitory Group 3 (along with some rogues 4 and 5).
British Airways World Traveller Plus (premium Economy) Boeing 777 300
We were greeted by smiley cabin crew at the door of the 777. They motioned for us to turn right and stroll down the left aisle of the plane.
Arriving at our seats, we were delighted to find that we were seated in the newly refreshed 777 Premium Economy cabin. The result! It smells and looks very fresh. The cabin is the smallest in the plane – only 5 rows.
After taking our seats, we were offered a glass of sparkling wine, orange juice, or water and handed a menu. We’re also told the cabin will only be half full on today’s flight, so there may be a chance of spillage after takeoff. We were happy in our two seats by the window, although it was nice to hear the crew wouldn’t be in a hurry to leave their feet.
British Airways Premium Economy and Economy passengers use the bathroom on the same ship. On our flight, there were two located directly behind the Premium Economy cabin. This is one of the many reasons not to sit in the back row of Premium Economy – read on for other reasons to avoid that row. There are 3 more bathrooms at the very rear of the plane, making 5 in total between the 162 Economy and Premium Economy passengers. Although it doesn’t sound like much, we weren’t on a full flight, so didn’t experience any long waits for the bathroom. Cleanliness is maintained throughout the flight.
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While we got the revamped cabin, the new amenity kit was still rolling out, so we got the old Premium Economy amenity kit. It contains flight socks, eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and paste, and pen.
You can read about the new World Traveler Extra Amenity Kit in our British Airways A350 London to Dubai review.
We’ll cut to the chase, like us, you probably only read about British Airways 777 Premium Economy for one reason: are the seats enough to increase the price from Economy to warrant the price? The short answer is yes, although we won’t pay more than our target price for a premium seat.
Our plane was recently refurbished, so the seats were the newer Premium Economy seat types. BA has rolled this out across all their long-haul fleets. Very few, if any, long-haul aircraft operating from Gatwick now carry longer seats.
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Compared to Economy class, the front seats are 7 inches (approx. 18 cm) further in Premium Economy. The seat is also one inch (2.5 cm) wider.
The seats recline 8 inches (20 cm), compared to 5 inches (12 cm) in Economy. It sounds a little, but it made a big difference to our comfort. Even though it was a day flight, we found the reclining seat was enough to allow us to get some sleep without our heads rolling forward and waking us up. The backrest and footrest on the seat are controlled by a manual button on the arm.
Legroom is good in the 22A, although slightly hampered in the 22B by the control unit for the seatback screen. However, there is quite a lot of space on both sides, including the aisle! My feet may have found their way out there a few times.
Storage around the Premium Economy seats is very limited. In addition to the seat back pocket containing the magazine, there is another space under the IFE screen that can be used for
Boeing 777 236/er
Save a few bits. We say carefully because it is open at the bottom, so smaller items fall out. We find it holds menu cards or thin books well. There is also a bottle holder between the two leg holes.
There is ample space in the overhead bin, partly due to the cabin being only 50% occupied. It will be interesting to see if everything squeezes out in full flight.
British Airways premium economy pillows and blankets are left on every seat – both comfortable to use.
Cleanliness around the seats is excellent, better than we’ve seen on many BA flights lately. We wonder if it’s just the interior that’s new, or if the ground crew now take better care of the new cabin. Regardless, we feel very comfortable using clean upholstery and carpets.
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History has taught us that the further you sit in the Premium Economy cabin, the worse the service gets – last to get a drink, the food menu becomes “whatever is left”, and you are often ignored. We were one row from the front and experienced great service. We also had no problem with our meal choices. Row 21 is the front row bulkhead seat. This can be both a blessing and a curse. While no one’s going to lean on you or bounce your movie screen around, we don’t think you’ll be able to stretch so far in the row behind and have your screen come off your armrest – it gets really annoying when you’re eating, and if you’re prone to neck pain during the flight you may not like to see it down.
Our vote equates to window seats in rows 2-4 in the Premium Economy cabin (A and K), That would be 22, 23 and 24 on a 777 4 class like ours. Neighbor seats B and J are still fine, but legroom is a bit obstructed by the IFE box under the seat in front. B & J seats have direct aisle access.
Aside from the comfortable seats, we’re also happy with the cabin refresh as it gives us a larger, new seat-back IFE screen. The large touchscreen display is clean and scratch-free. The system is loaded with movies, TV shows and various audio titles. There is something for every taste, and children are very well catered for. We opt for new releases – often still in theaters – that we watch from start to finish without a problem.
Noise canceling headphones are supplied in a plastic bag. Volume range is good – no need to max it out – and noise cancellation is reasonable. Headphones aren’t the most comfortable to wear for several hours, so we switched to our own.
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There is a removable remote control mounted in the armrest. Given the responsiveness of the touchscreen, we didn’t find much use for it. We also knocked it occasionally, causing accidental button presses, but nothing that affected the entertainment.
Cabin service starts with a hot towel, then a drink about 30 minutes after takeoff, served with a mini bag of pretzels.
Getting a drink in Premium Economy is all about knowing how to play the game. Although drinks are included, we find you always have to ask. No one will volunteer to increase your value. There are 2 ways to overcome this (1) Get the crew’s attention when they walk past, no matter how busy they are. They will always walk deliberately through the cabin like they are facing an emergency, but this is so you don’t ask them to top up. (2) Stick you
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