Introduction

Welcome to my first post of 2025. Today I’m on my way to London. I’m rather looking forward to this trip. First, because I haven’t been to London in a very long time. Second, because I haven’t travelled on British Airways in quite some time either. And third, because I haven’t travelled through Basel airport in a long time as well, which is a shame given how convenient and close it is to home.

Getting to the Airport

Basel is very quiet this morning. I think the city is still recovering from its post-Christmas hangover. I catch the bus at 08h54 to the airport. There’s a lot of construction en route, which is why the schedule has been updated and now shows a journey time that is two minutes longer at 18 minutes.

After just a short wait, the 50 bus pulls up to the curb outside the railway station. It’s another one of those weird bendy busses with two joints. These things are so long. But at least they’re also spacious.

Check-In

British Airways checks in on the Swiss side of the terminal, which, technically, is also on French soil. It’s all very confusing. There are two Economy Class and one Business Class counter open, the latter doubling as the baggage drop counter. There’s quite a queue already, which is of no importance to me, as I’m only travelling with hand luggage anyway.

British Airways Business Class gives you access to the fast track for security. There are a few passengers waiting in line here, but the staff are managing the queues well.

The Sky Lounge by Aspire

The lounge at Basel Airport is in the Schengen area. Since my last visit they’ve made a few minor changes and given the place a facelift. They’re mostly just cosmetic changes.

The coffee machines have been moved to the side of the self-service area to create more space for food, with the hot buffet on one side, and a separate cold buffet on the other.

The lounge is very bright and airy. Today’s a gorgeous day, with the sunlight seeping in through the windows.

I head outside onto the viewing terrace aka the smoker’s lounge. The sun is deceiving, because it’s quite cold. There’s a thick layer of frost sitting on the outdoor furniture and the railing. For the time being, though, there isn’t much traffic on the ramp, so I might as well head back inside where it’s warm.

Just after 10h, the inbound from Heathrow pulls onto its stand on the non-Schengen side of the pier. Taking a good picture of my ride from the lounge terrace is difficult, but from inside the terminal it will not be possible to take any decent photos either given the way the aircraft is parked.

Boarding

At 10h30, 45 minutes before departure, the flight shows up as boarding. There’s quite a queue for emigration, as there is a Turkish flight to Istanbul and an Air Algérie flight to Constantine leaving about the same time as us.

Boarding is a bit of a mess, but that’s very often the case with BA. They start boarding group 1, which is Business Class passengers and emerald card holders, only to stop halfway through when they realise they’ve forgotten to board the wheelchair passengers. So we end up with the airbridge blocked with passengers and the assistance services trying to manoeuvre four wheelchairs onto the aircraft.

I just don’t get what all the rush is about, it’s still more than 30 minutes before departure, and an A 319 doesn’t take that long to board.

The Cabin and Seat

I’m seated on row four. The seat pitch is tight. The only way to fit my legs in, is by sitting perfectly upright with my bum pushed right back against the seatback. It’s only moderately comfortable. The headrest is adjustable in its height and also has ears that provide additional head support.

The traytable on the empty seat between the A and C seats is convenient, though, because you can place things on it and store stuff under it. The wifi is inop on today‘s flight.

Boarding finishes just after 11h, ten minutes ahead of scheduled departure time. The captain comes on to welcome passengers aboard, and informs us of a slot delay imposed by Heathrow of thirty minutes. Eventually, we take off at 11h40, 25 minutes behind schedule.

It’s such a clear day that I can see all the way to the Alps down south as we climb out of Basel. We make a right turn to point us in a northwesterly direction towards Paris.

The Crew & Service

If my memory serves my well, the last time I flew British Airways Business Class, they still offered flimsy hot towels ahead of the meal service. Those seem to have fallen by the wayside. Other than that, the crew are friendly and professional. Even after the meal service they keep patrolling the cabin, taking orders for drinks from the predominantly elderly passengers in the Business Class cabin.

The Meal Service – Lunch

There are two options for the meal service, both of which are cold. One is a beef salad of sorts, while the other is a vegetarian chickpea salad. I go with the latter choice, and its very good, served with lovely broccolini in sesame oil.

The meal is served with a warm roll from the breadbasket and butter.

For dessert, there’s chocolate mousse with Spekulatius crumble, which is very nice. With the meal I have mug of strong black tea to drink.

The cabin crew quickly remove the trays and then pass through the cabin offering small Christmas chocolates.

We’re just passing Paris when the pilot informs us that we have been asked to slow down to ease congestion at Heathrow due to very low cloud and limited visibility. Eventually, we also end up doing two laps in the holding above Biggin Hill before we are allowed to make our approach into Heathrow. We land on runway 27L and make a short taxi to Terminal 5. From our stand it’s only a short walk to immigration.

Getting into London

So, you arrive at London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest gateway. Despite the slowing down en route and the two laps in the holding, we land only five minutes late, which is nothing. Unfortunately, though, the Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth Line are not operating, which means the only option with public transport is to take the Piccadilly Line, which takes over an hour to make the journey into London. At least it goes straight to Piccadilly Circus, where my hotel is.