On a recent trip, Simple Flying had the chance to try out British Airways on its flagship London Heathrow to New York JFK route. This flight was in premium economy, dubbed World Traveler Plus, on one of the airline’s refurbished 777-200ER. Here’s a look at the experience and if it’s worth the upgrade.
Check in
My flight was BA117 departing at 08:25 AM from London. Terminal 5 was bustling at 07:00 AM, with lines even at priority counters and the ‘First Class’ wing of the terminal. I arrived a bit later than planned but hoped that my VeriFLY check-in the day before would mean I could skip straight to security.
Wrong. When I tried to scan my boarding pass to security, I was informed that BA needs to activate the pass first. There was meant to be an agent near the security check VeriFLY status and scan through, no one was to be seen.
VeriFLY only shaves off a few minutes from document check without more dedicated counters, which were absent on that day. Photo: Pranjal Pande | Simple Flying
I quickly made my way to the first BA check-in area next to security, which had one “VeriFLY Fast Track” counter. With eight people ahead of me, I thought a speedy check of the pass would be more than enough to issue boarding cards. Unfortunately, the first passengers were stuck for over 15 minutes, leaving everyone behind fuming.
It took me 30 minutes from the queue to security that morning, despite having completed all checks in advance. Simply opening more counters could have made the trip less than 10 minutes, but short staffing was clear, with dozens of counters empty.
Onboard
After a quick stop at security, I caught the concourse train to the C Gates. This area contains the gates for the A380 and 777s, giving planespotters a great view while waiting for their group to be called.
Onboard, this 25-year-old 777-200ER (G-VIIF) shows no signs of its age. The front is filled with 49 Club Suite seats,…