British Airways

Flying with British Airways

British Airways (BA) was founded in 1973 and is the UK's largest international airline, and the second largest in Europe, with a fleet of over 240 aircraft and carrying almost 32 million passengers in 2010. The airline's two main hubs are located in London's two major airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, and it offers routes to more than 160 destinations, including six domestic.

In January 2011, British Airways and Iberia officially merged creating the International Airlines Group (IAG), the world’s third largest airline in terms of annual revenue. The British Airways Group includes British Airways Plc and a number of additional companies. The airline has partnerships and agreements with numerous companies, and being a founding member of Oneworld alliance, British Airways is able to operate a network that covers more than 600 destinations.

The company also has agreements with independent airlines based in the United Kingdom, which fly under British Airways name, flight code and company conditions. It also offers code share routes with other airlines. BA Cityflyer, British Midland International (BMI), OpenSkies, and British Airways World Cargo are subsidiary airlines owned by British Airways.

Online check-in

There are four ways you can check in for your British Airways flight:

Online: from 24hrs prior to scheduled flight departure. Boarding passes can be printed out at home or at an airport check-in kiosk.
On your mobile: available from 24hrs before scheduled flight time. Passenger boarding passes are downloaded and stored on their mobile.
At an airport kiosk: passengers can check in and print out their boarding pass with the British Airways airport kiosks.
At a check-in desk: passengers may also check-in at the British Airways check-in desks.

Cabin luggage allowance

Passengers are entitled to one piece of hand baggage with a maximum weight of 23kg. Restrictions on baggage dimensions also exist and they are as follows, 40cm x 30cm x 15cm. In addition to hand luggage, passengers may also carry aboard British Airway flights a laptop or handbag with dimensions not exceeding 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. Both items must fit in the bag gauge at the check-in counter.

Checked baggage allowance

Included in the flight ticket price is a checked bag with maximum dimensions of 90cm x 75cm x 43cm including the wheels and handles, etc. Extra bags are allowed for an additional price. Save money on additional baggage by paying online before you fly. Bags exceeding the free weight allowance will be subject to an overweight baggage charge.

Additional information