Trip Reports - LIN-LHR-SEA on British Airways

Trip Report:
17 Oct 2007
Milan Linate (LIN) - London Heathrow (LHR) - Seattle (SEA)
British Airways, Word Traveler

Check-in/Departure from LIN
Most pleased with:
- nothing
Most displeased with:
- BA desk didn't open until 2 hours before boarding time
- BA desk staff were indifferent and unattentive
- Italian Customs staff didn't open Passport Control and access to gate until 15 mins before boarding time
- BA missing their departure slot resulting in a 35 min late departure

Connecting at LHR
Most pleased with:
- nothing
Most displeased with:
- Passengers arriving at Terminal 4 have to re-check through security before boarding a bus to Terminal 1
- Aircraft stacking results in gate assignments not appearing until 25 mins before boarding time
- Disorganized cattle-rush style boarding at gate; BA staff didn't communicate boarding instructions (by cabin, etc.)

In-Flight LHR-SEA
Most pleased with:
- our seats 51H and 51I (one of the few two-only seats in Economy)
Most displeased with:
- Food options.. curry chicken and cottage pie? The cabin wreaked of curry and folks were hitting the bathrooms after the meal.
- IFE screen was faulty (had something similar to a vertical-hold problem)

Arrival at SEA
Most pleased with:
- US Passport Control and well-thought out logistics of security
Most displeased with:
- BA losing one of my bags
- Having to wait for my bags in the sterile area, clear customs, then put them on ANOTHER belt only to have to wait for them on another carousel in the Main Terminal

Overall Ratings
British Airways Ground Service: 3/10
British Airways In-Flight Service: 5/10

LIN experience: 2/10
LHR experience: 4/10
SEA experience: 7/10

Wow. Sorry your flight wasn't any better. I find BA to be hit or miss.

Trip Report:
17 Oct 2007
Milan Linate (LIN) - London Heathrow (LHR) - Seattle (SEA)
British Airways, Word Traveler

Check-in/Departure from LIN
Most pleased with:
- nothing
Most displeased with:
- BA desk didn't open until 2 hours before boarding time
- BA desk staff were indifferent and unattentive
- Italian Customs staff didn't open Passport Control and access to gate until 15 mins before boarding time

Connecting at LHR
Most pleased with:
- nothing
Most displeased with:
- Passengers arriving at Terminal 4 have to re-check through security before boarding a bus to Terminal 1


I just flew LIN-LHR, it is outsourced staff at LIN although they were quick and polite. Nothing special, but good enough.

In terms of my experience with customs, they were open 40 minutes before when i went through - however there was an earlier AZ flight to LHR that was leaving.

In terms of your transfer, I think you made a wrong turn. If you had walked passed the T4 connections security to the end of the hallway, passengers who were staying in London would have turned left for passport control and you would have turned right for the T 1,2,3 connecting buses. There is NO security from the time you get off a T4 arriving flight until you get on the bus. Security is at the Flight Connections Center when you arrive at T1.