British Airways

Overview

British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom, formed on 31 March 1974 from the merger of BOAC and BEA and their associated airlines. It has been part of International Airlines Group (IAG) since the January 2011 merger with Iberia. It is a member of the oneworld alliance and is headquartered at the Waterside building beside Heathrow Airport. Wikipedia describes it as the second-largest UK-based carrier by fleet size and passengers, behind easyJet.

Network and hubs

The main hub is London Heathrow, where most flights use Terminal 5 and some use Terminal 3. London Gatwick is the second hub. Wikipedia lists about 215 destinations. Subsidiaries BA CityFlyer (London City) and BA Euroflyer (Gatwick) operate short-haul services under BA branding and flight numbers.

Fleet

According to Simple Flying, citing ch-aviation (2026), BA has 297 aircraft. The widebody fleet is 18 Airbus A350-1000, 12 A380, 59 Boeing 777 and 42 Boeing 787. The narrowbody fleet is Airbus A320-family aircraft. Wikipedia gave 274 aircraft with 42 on order as of February 2025, so counts vary by source and date. BA retired its Boeing 747-400s in October 2020.

On board

• Long-haul: First, Club World (business), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy).
• Short-haul: Club Europe (business) and Euro Traveller (economy).
• Club Suite, with a door, was introduced on the A350 in 2019. First suites have a 6 ft 6 in bed.
• Wi-Fi is being rolled out across the fleet. Complimentary access is offered in First on select aircraft.

Good to know

• Baggage: Economy Basic fares are hand baggage only, and hold bags are charged. Other economy fares generally include one 23 kg bag, according to third-party summaries. Check the airline's website for your fare.
• Punctuality: 86.89% on time in February 2025 (Cirium), which placed BA fourth among global airlines that month.
• Lounges: Club Europe and premium cabins give access to business lounges at most airports. First passengers at Heathrow T5 can use the Concorde Room.
• Loyalty: The British Airways Club, part of the Avios programme.