We took our familiar evening flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Basel (BSL) on British Airways, this time on an Airbus A320 in economy class. While nothing remarkable, the experience was solid.
British Airways A320 Economy Class Review [2025]
You might enjoy comparing this review to the same route in 2021 and 2023. I don’t review this flight every time I fly it (and honestly, nothing much has changed since last time), but I like to update reviews, so here’s a quick look at what to expect.
I booked this flight using Avios at a cost 4,500 Avios plus 31 USD each, a far better deal than the 279 USD one-way price.
We took the London Underground to LHR T5 and arrived to a very quiet check-in area at around 7:20 pm.
By the time we got to the gate, boarding had already commenced.
British Airways 756
London (LHR) – Basel (BSL)
Friday, May 16
Depart: 8:15 PM
Arrive: 10:50 PM
Duration: 1hr, 35min
Aircraft: Airbus A320 (G-EUYJ)
Distance: 448 miles
Seats: 7C (Economy Class)
We flew out of gate A21 in T5, which required an escalator down to the jetbridge and then a long walk down the jetbridge to the aircraft.
Seats
Seats on British Airways in economy class aboard the A320 have a width of 17.7 inches. Legroom depends on row number:
- Rows 2-10: 30 inches
- Row 11: 34 inches (exit row)
- Row 12: 35.0 inches (exit row)
- Rows 13-29: 29.0 inches
- Row 30: 28 inches
There are 180 seats onboard. Seat recline three inches and all seats (with the exception of those in row one) have moveable armrests.
This is a “variable” business class aircraft, meaning the partition between business and economy class can be moved depending upon the flight load. Here, five rows had been set aside for business class and we found ourselves in row seven.
I greatly appreciated that each row had two universal power outlets plus a USB-A charging port.
Individual air vents are available above each seat.
Although business class was full, economy class was mostly empty and we ended up with the entire row seven to ourselves, A-F. That was great because Augustine and Claire were teasing each other so I banished Augustine to 7A and Claire Marie to 7F…
IFE + Wi-Fi
British Airways offers Wi-Fi from OnAir at a cost of:
- 4.99 GBP – streaming
- 2.99 GBP – messaging
If you want streaming IFE (movies, TV shows), you must pay for Wi-Fi, which is a different system than BA’s transatlantic partner American Airlines, which does not require you to purchase Wi-Fi in order to stream content on your portable device.
It got dark shortly after takeoff, but the kids enjoyed looking out the window during the flight.
Food + Drink
Complimentary bottled water and a light snack (on this flight, shortbread cookies) were offered one we leveled off.
A wide range of food and beverage items were offered for sale from BA’s “High Life” menu. I had pre-ordered a grain bowl from Pollen + Grace, which was very satisfying.
> Read More: Delicious Superfood On British Airways
Lavaories
The BA A320 has one lavatory in the front reserved for business class and two in the rear reserved for economy class. Clarie Marie had to use the facilities so we went back mid-flight and found the lavatory clean and well-stocked.
CONCLUSION
Boring is okay on a 90-minute flight from London to Basel. I greatly enjoyed my “superfood” dinner, the flight was on time, and we had plenty of room to spread out. There’s not much that distinguishes BA from its low-cost competition, but I do appreciate the Wi-Fi, power outlets, and large menu of buy-on-board items.
From your experience, which airlines do you feel offer the best/respectable/whatever-metric-you-want-to-use BOB food in terms of quality and/or price?
1. SAS
2. Lufthansa
3. United
4. Alaska
5. Britsh Airways
Surprised BA haven’t cut snacks on short-haul Y yet.
The Evian is going stale here in Texas due to oxidation and being in plastic bottles since February. I’d drink 3 litres a day if I were in Basel. A fresh bottle of Evian less than one month old would taste like chlorine lol.
Tap water in Basel is amazing.
Hey Matt,
I noticed your daughter has one of those suitcases that turns the seat into a bed. Do the airlines ever give you grief when she uses it or does she use it? Was thinking about getting one for my daughter, but I noticed United says “no” to the FlyTot or JetKid BedBox in the FAQ. Thanks
Have used it on United, American, British Airways, SAS and not had a problem.
Appreciate the response. Will look into it more now.
I will say it recently cracked…but after four years, I think we got our money’s worth.
Anything that lasts four years with a toddler is definitely worth it’s money.