British Airways Heathrow Checking-In, Galleries F Lounge & Business Flight To Rome Experiences

After arriving from Tokyo on ANA F two weeks ago, I continued to Rome and took a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Rome last Thursday.

Some readers may wonder how is the British Airways airport, lounge, and in-flight experience right now, and I decided to file the following report.

Checking-In

There were two agents at the entrance to the First Wing, and now that AA also uses T5, a person on the right was only dealing with American Airlines fliers.

The agent that checked us took her time to read through the Timatic (Italy’s entry requirements), noting that she had just got back from leave and was not quite up to the speed yet.

My friend traveled with a Brazilian passport and could enter Italy after two weeks in the UK first.

This was the first time I have ever encountered a line when checking in at the First Wing.

Galleries F

I lost my Concorde Room-access earlier this year (BA’s real FIRST lounge).

Galleries First is not a real first-class lounge, but for business and economy class passengers with Oneworld Emerald status.

The new web-based ordering system was fantastic. I was surprised, however, that the password of the day was FINLAND, a country where BA no longer flies to.

You choose whatever you want, using the app, and submit the order.

I was surprised by how fast the food came.

Flight

I had booked Club Europe seats using Avios. We came to the gate late (my goal always is to be the last one to board), and the boarding was about to end (not sure what the boarding process was like).

There were plenty of announcements to wear a mask and whatever procedures BA had in place.

I rarely eat on BA flights, but I was positively surprised about their business box. The bar was open too.

The deboarding was supposed to happen in rows, but there was a rowdy couple on row 5 (drunk according to other passengers) who had trouble following the crew’s orders and wearing a mask at the immigration too (were reminded numerous times by the staff).

Arrival Experience Two Weeks Ago – Terminal 2

The terminal 2 was completely deserted two weeks ago when I arrived from Tokyo.

There was only a thin line at the immigration where they checked the form, as I could not use the automated passport gates.

Conclusion

The Heathrow experience itself was excellent, but the Glarries First lounge was quite busy because of the morning flights to the main European cities. Not sure how the longe on its current form could handle the usual Heathrow traffic

I loved the new food and beverage ordering system, and it was incredibly fast. I wish that they would keep it when we go back to the normal sometime in 2021.

The BA’s ground handler in Rome was very efficient, and my bag was out in less than five minutes