London to Tampa on British Airways: the Best Long-haul Flight of My Life

This is the next installment in a series of posts on my recent trip to Europe. See my previous posts: Back from another  family reunion: galloping through Europe and driving my husband crazy , 24 hours in NYC with kids (plus review of Hyatt Place New York Midtown-South) , Our JFK-BRU economy flight on Brussels Airlines: Ok, not great , Our two nights in enchanting city of Bruges, plus day trip to Dunkirk , Cash vs. points: Choosing between hotel Die Swaene and Crowne Plaza Brugge , Polish mountain town of Zakopane: Postcard views and affordable prices , Comparing Ryanair to Wizz Air during our recent trip to Europe and Our 72-hour stopover in London: Letting the kids take the wheel

Reviewing economy flights is normally a thankless job in the miles and points blogosphere. Not too many people care, as there isn’t usually much of a differentiator when it comes to cattle class. But I still think there is value in reviewing economy, especially on long flights. I’ve said in the past that when it comes to flying to/from Europe, I much prefer European carriers. That hasn’t changed.

But for the most part, when I sit in the back of the plane, I expect very little. Food? Usually gross, especially if you fly on United. Leg room? Not great, especially for tall folks like me and my husband. But it doesn’t bother me much, as my main goal is to get from point A to point B safely and efficiently. That’s why I was genuinely surprised and delighted when our recent  British Airways flight from London to Tampa exceeded my low expectations in every way. Perhaps we got lucky, but I would personally go out of my way to fly BA again.

Yes, fuel surcharges you pay on Avios award tickets stink, but they aren’t that bad as long as you stick to economy. Plus, when you use BA Avios, you have a chance to cover part of the fees with points. We paid 35k Avios+$150 tax per ticket, which is a pretty good deal considering the fact we flew on a Saturday in July.

We could have paid 30k points if we left on a Friday, but I don’t regret adding an extra day in London. Is is a hot deal? Not really. But it’s a decent price for a nonstop flight to my preferred airport in Florida. Can’t beat that. It doesn’t hurt that the points were obtained via 40% bonus transfer from Amex Membership Rewards back in 2021.

Allow extra time when flying from London

We flew from Gatwick airport, and it took us 30 minutes to get there via Gatwick Express train that left from Victoria station. If you go this route, I recommend looking into split tickets, as it can save you quite a bit of money. Don’t worry, you don’t have to switch trains, you are simply using UK train pricing quirk in your favor. We saved about half compared to regular tickets when heading  to and from Victoria station.

Flying from London can be tricky. Our line for check in took us at least an hour to get through (we could not do it online for some reason). At least we were able to select our seats for free, which you are allowed to do 24 hours before your flight. Otherwise, it costs extra.

Going through security took another 45 minutes. So, you absolutely want to get to Gatwick at least three hours ahead of your flight. Also, we tried to get into one of Priority Pass lounges I can access via my Capital One Venture X, but no dice. There were all packed, and we were told it would be at least 40 minutes until we could get in. No thanks. You can pay a fee to pre-book, which is what I should have done.

In short, Gatwick is a super busy airport, so plan accordingly.

Review of our flight

The flight itself clocked in at almost 9 hours, which is a long time to sit in a cramped economy. But daytime flights are infinitely easier for me to manage, as I absolutely detest red-eyes. The cabin itself felt spacious and looked tidy.

Leg room was good (ish)

Entertainment was pretty decent, with many choices.

I highly recommend “A gentleman in Moscow” series

Now let’s talk about food. It was fantastic! I kid you not. I pre-ordered a vegetarian Indian meal, not expecting much. It was absolutely delicious.

My husband got some sort of cheesy dish with ground beef, which he really enjoyed as well:

Seriously, how often can you honestly say that your food in economy section is tasty? I can’t think of one time, except maybe that fresh croissant that they gave us for breakfast on Air Tahiti Nui. But Tahiti is a French territory, enough said.

Maybe we got lucky, but food was a bright spot on this flight, without a question. Now let’s talk about service. Seriously amazing. The flight attendants were so thoughtful and caring, another pleasant surprise. It felt like we were in a business section, or at least premium economy. When we hit some turbulence, I looked visibly uncomfortable (as I hate flying). One of the ladies came up to me and assured me that there is nothing to worry about it.

She then asked me if I would like a cup of tea when it’s safe for her to bring it to my seat. I said sure, and when the  turbulence subsided, she was back with the drink and a smile on her face. Obviously, I tried to be pleasant and cordial to her, as I’m sure she would be less inclined to help if I acted like an entitled jerk.

Btw, when we were approaching Tampa, the captain made an announcement that there were some storms in the area and that we might have to reroute to Miami. What?! Obviously, this is Florida weather in the summer, so not entirely unexpected. But what made me chuckle was the nonchalant manner of his delivery. Keep calm and carry on, indeed. We ended up landing in Tampa after all.

It really was an overall pleasant flight considering the circumstances. I can’t promise that your experience on BA will be the same, but my point is, flying economy isn’t the worst thing in the world. Yes, even if a flight is 9 hours long.