OneWorld

When I received my monthly mileage statement from British Airways, there was a note regarding their Hand Baggage Only (HBO) fares:

We would like to advise you of the following change to our Hand Baggage Only (HBO) fare.

Please note that for bookings made from 26 March 2015 British Airways will allocate a seat for all customers booking an HBO low fare on a short haul flight with us.

When travelling on these great value fares, your seat will be allocated when check-in opens. Should you wish to change your seat you can pay to do so at that time or alternatively pay to reserve a seat when you book your flight. If you are travelling with an infant on an HBO fare your seat will continue to be allocated at the time of booking. The changes apply to all Executive Club Members booking HBO fares. For all other fares, Bronze Members can continue to select their seat for free 7 days before departure and Silver and Gold Members at the time of booking for free.

We would like to remind customers travelling on HBO fares that only one piece of hand baggage plus a laptop bag or handbag is permitted. Your main piece of hand baggage can be up to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22in x 18in x 10in), including the handle, pockets or wheels at a maximum weight of 23kgs (51lbs). Families travelling with small children or infants can also take a collapsible pushchair and one car seat.

If you need any further information regarding our seating policies, please click here.

I’ve never used an HBO fare as all my dealings with British Airways have been for longhaul flights.  But HBO fares seem like a nice deal if they apply to you – only now you won’t get to select your seat before check-in time.

Turkey Trip Overview
Booking Flights To Turkey
British Airways First Class Lounge IAH
British Airways 777 First Class IAH-LHR
Transiting Heathrow and British Airways A320 Business Class LHR-IST
Marriott Courtyard Istanbul Airport
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul to Izmir and Back
Ephesus, Mary’s House and Basilica of St. John
Swissotel Efes
Pamukkale Bus and Preiene
Ritz-Carlton Istanbul
Major Sites to see in Istanbul
Radisson Blu Bosphorus
Turkish Airlines Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines 777 Business Class IST-IAH

We began the boarding process on time and soon enough I was down the jetway and through door 2L.

BA 196 IAH-LHR
Departs: 20:40
Arrives: 11:45 + 1
Boeing 777
Seat: 3K (First Class)

Waiting at my seat was an amenity kit, a blanket and headphones and very soon the flight attendant stopped by to ask about what size pajamas I needed. The seat came with its own small closet and I used it to hang up my windbreaker and store my shoes. I noticed no slippers were included but when I asked, the FA was able to find some for me. I was glad because I’d intended to use those for the rest of my trip! I changed into my pajamas as soon as the FA brought them as I figured I’d rather chance spilling my food on them than on my street clothes.

BA 196 First Class Blanket and Headphones

BA 196 First Class Amenity Kit

BA First Class Pajamas

I found the seat very comfortable and the controls intuitive. I actually had two windows at my seat but the downside of the cabin design meant I couldn’t see out the window during takeoff and landing. Even while flying I had to sit very far forward to be able to see outside. But you know, if that’s the trade-off for flying in first class – I’ll take it!

BA 196 Seat 3K

BA 196 Seat 3K

BA 196 Seat 3K Footrest

BA 196 Seat 3K Windows

The menu had what seems to me to be a reasonably expansive wine list. But then, I don’t drink so what do I know?! Here it is:

And here’s the menu:

Since the flight is only nine hours, I wanted to eat dinner as quickly as possible so that I could maximize my sleep time. I had the tomato soup as a starter:

And the braised beef as my entree:

BA 196 Braised Beef Entree

BA 196 First Class Condiments

As none of the desserts struck my fancy (no chocolate!) and I’m not much of a cheese eater (I love it on/in things, just not by itself) I skipped both.

Here are the dessert and cheese selections:

After dinner the FA made up my bed which consisted of a nice matress pad and a thicker comforter. The pillow was a bit small but did the job. I got about 4-5 hours of sleep, which is not bad. It was definitely a better quality sleep than I got in business class on the flight from Houston to Amsterdam on my trip in April.

Breakfast menu:

For breakfast I picked a few things from the a la carte menu and then topped it off with the lemon pancake with wild berry compote. Unfortunately my early-morning fuzzy brain forgot to remind me to take photos of what I had. But it was good and it was filling, just what I needed to help me wake up.

All too soon it was time to change back into street clothes for landing at Heathrow. The whole time we were on final approach I kept reminding myself not to forget my windbreaker in my closet. Somehow by the time we landed I managed to do just that. I was off the plane and a couple of minutes down the concourse before I remembered it. Fortunately people were still deplaning and the gate agent was able to retrieve it for me.

I had a lovely flight and a wonderful FA (and I wish I’d caught her name) and would fly this route again in a heartbeat. Would dearly love to do it without the fuel surcharges though!