TRAVEL | British Airways (“BA”) operates between one and two flights daily between Thessaloniki and London. Both the Airbus A321 (“A321”) under BA’s short haul “Euroflyer” brand landing at Gatwick, and the Airbus A320 (“A320”) landing at Heathrow, are used. This write up refers to the experience flying the Euroflyer A321.
Travellers can choose between Economy and Business class. The average flight time on this route is 3 hours and 35 minutes.
Check In
Check in very straight forward. You can check in online, or using BA’s app. You can enter in all relevant passport and visa/ESTA information before your flight, and receive an online boarding pass. If you’re using the app, there’s up-to-date notifications about gate changes, flight delays, and the like, and you can use the boarding pass on the app at the gate.
If you have luggage to check in, there are several bag drop off counters with a few BA staff walking around the area to assist if needed. There’s also the option of traditional staffed check in counters if you wish.
Loyalty
BA’s loyalty program is Executive Club, which is free to join. BA are also part of the OneWorld alliance, which offers the option of points transfers and certain reciprocal privileges.
There is a small, basic OneWorld lounge at Thessaloniki Makedonia Airport, the Manolis Andronikos Skyserv Lounge. It’s open for eligible BA and OneWorld alliance members.
Luggage
Checked luggage is included with Economy Plus and Economy Plus Flex BA Euroflyer tickets. Economy Basic tickets gets you cabin baggage only.
You can check-in one bag up to 23kg (50lb). For carry on, you’re allowed one carry on bag no larger than 25cm x 45cm x 56cm (10in x 18in x 22in), and a smaller bag no larger than 15cm x 30cm x 40cm (6in x 12in x 16in). Each carry on bag cannot weigh more than 23kg (50lb).
Service
Service is friendly and efficient, and there’s always someone around quicky enough if you need to call for an attendant.
Cabin
The BA Economy cabin on the A321 that flies from Thessaloniki to London features 123 seats, in a 3-3 layout. There are enough flight attendants around so getting the attention of someone should you need assistance isn’t an issue. Colour wise it’s blue and white, keeping in line with BA’s branding. Everything is clean and in good condition.
Seat
The leather seat has dimensions of about 76.2cm x 43.2cm (30.0in x 17.0in), a bit smaller than you’ll find on similar full service airlines flying this sort of distance. Like any economy seat, it doesn’t recline that far back. In this case, the recline is 7.6cm (3in). There’s a leather headrest for added comfort.
There are small armrests, a moulded plastic slot for reading materials at the top of the rear of the seat, and a mesh sleeve at the bottom back of the seat in front to place a few things. There’s not much space to get work done with the tray down if you’ve got a laptop, as there’s not much legroom.
There is no in-seat power or USB charging capabilities. Do not that some aircraft on this route, have been upgraded to included in-seat power.
Entertainment
There is no in-flight entertainment on this flight.
Food
All passengers are provided with a bottle of water and two snacks on this flight. In my case, it was a packet of Nairn’s fruit oat biscuit breaks, and Burton’s salt and vinegar baked snacks. If you want something more substantial to eat, you can order snacks, sandwiches, meal deals, alcoholic drinks, and more, from the ‘High Flyer Cafe’ menu that’s in the back of the seat.
Amenities
Wi-Fi is available for the duration of your flight, depending on the flight length on most of the aircraft flying this route, as it was during my flight. Access to basic services like messaging and text-based e-mails will set you back between £1.99 – £2.99, while full access for streaming and more, costs between £4.99 – £11.99.
Verdict
When flying from Thessaloniki to London direct, choices are limited. BA’s Euroflyer option does the trick, and when I was flying, it was actually cheaper than some of the budget airlines.
It’s a basic offering, but in line with what you expect from a flight of this length. While the seat and legroom is a little less than similar short haul economy cabins, it’s still comfortable. I’d happily fly BA again on this route, based on my experience.