British Airways Prepares For The Return Of Air Travel

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British Airways has outlined some of the measures passengers are required to follow as air travel is expected to gradually return this summer.

The airline has set up a dedicated microsite and list of answers to frequently asked questions.

There are also summary PDFs on the measures adopted and a pre-travel checklist.

These have been announced against a background of uncertainty as to when travel restrictions will be lifted. There is also doubt as to the effectiveness and impact of the quarantine regime on passengers arriving in the UK from Monday 8 June 2020.

Here are some of the main changes as well as the current status of BA’s operations.

London Airports

All BA flights at Heathrow are operating at Terminal 5. This will continue for the foreseeable future.

Flights at London City are currently scheduled to resume from mid July 2020.

Many flights at London Gatwick are currently scheduled to resume from August 2020.

The First Wing and Fast Track security at Heathrow are closed. All retail outlets at Heathrow except Boots and WH Smith are closed. All BA lounges and travel spas worldwide remain closed.

Route Changes

BA has permanently suspended all flights from London Heathrow to Beirut, Leeds-Bradford and Moscow Sheremetyevo.

BA’s franchise partner in Africa Comair has suspended all flights until 1 November 2020 as it is in a business rescue process.

Schedules remain under constant review. Summer seasonal routes from London Heathrow to Calgary, Charleston, Montpellier and Podgorica will not operate this year. Many seasonal short-haul routes will launch later in July and August than planned. The launch of London Heathrow – Portland is postponed until Wednesday 2 September 2020.

Passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com

Rebooking Policies

All passengers due to fly up to 31 August 2020 can exchange the value of their booking for a voucher.

Vouchers can be used for travel up to 30 April 2022. These can be used on any BA coded flight, excluding those operated by its franchise partner Sun-Air.

Passengers making new bookings up to 31 August for travel up to 30 April 2021 have the flexibility to change their bookings, with no change fees.

Full details of these policies are available from BA.

Face Masks & Coverings

All passengers are required to face masks at the airport and on board the aircraft.

Passengers should be prepared to replace their face mask every four hours. Heathrow airport requires all passengers over the age of 6 to wear a face mask in all terminal buildings. The airport provides masks before check-in and immigration for any passengers that do not have them.

Check-In & Boarding

Passengers are asked to check-in online and download boarding passes on their smartphone using the BA app.

Due to local requirements, temperature checks are in place for all passengers flying to Italy. A health declaration must also be completed at check-in.

Passengers are asked to maintain social distancing at the aircraft gate and to scan their own boarding pass on the barcode reader (some boarding gates have automated barriers).

Priority boarding will only be available for families and passengers requiring special assistance. Passengers will board aircraft according to seat row, with those seated at the rear of the aircraft boarding first. This is instead of BA’s normal group boarding process by cabin and frequent flyer status.

Face masks should be removed for passport inspection. Passengers should hold up their passport to the gate staff for inspection.

In-Flight

BA is not implementing social distancing on flights through seat-blocking or capping the number of seats sold.

The food and beverage service in all cabins will remain limited to minimise contact between passengers and crew. Special meals and childrens’ meals are not available, so passengers requiring these will need to bring their own provisions. Here are details of the service for flights from Tuesday 16 June.

No in-flight magazines or newspapers will be available. Passengers can download electronic magazines using the PressReader app. It is best to do this in advance at home.

Passengers are asked to stay in their seat as much as possible and to retrieve all items they need from their hand baggage on boarding the aircraft.

Flight Connections In London

Due to the UK’s quarantine regime, passengers connecting at Gatwick and Heathrow must remain airside for the duration of their connection.

International transfers between Gatwick and Heathrow are not permitted due to the quarantine regime.

All airlines at Heathrow, apart from BA and Iberia, are currently operating at Terminal 2.