Putting the glamour into flying

A lovely smile and a warm hello greet me from British Airways as I checked in for my flight to Zurich at London City Airport. 

I tell this lady that I did not have time to check in online nor do I have any other paperwork with me. “No problem,” she says sweetly. "Where are you travelling to?”  No extra fees to pay, no hassle. She asks me only for my passport and if I have any luggage I want to go in the hold. “Yes, one bag,” I say. 

This is luxury. For me a holiday starts from the moment that I get to the airport and with British Airways  I am getting off to a flying start (excuse the pun).

So often when you go to other UK airports and fly low-cost you feel from the moment you step inside the airport you are in a cattle shed. People everywhere and staff who act as if they doing you a favour to let you fly with the airline. 

It is a welcome change, therefore, to be treated so well. A ticket price that includes a suitcase allowance makes travelling much easier especially when you are going away for more than an overnight stay. 

You can feel ripped off as you fork out for all the extras the low-cost airlines pile on. By the time you finish, you may as well fly with an airline that treats you as a customer who matters.

 “Have a nice flight and an enjoyable stay in Zurich,” says the lady as she hands me my boarding card.

Getting to London City Airport is easy from central London. You can take the Tube and Docklands Light Railway. So much better and cheaper than having to go miles out of town. If you have baggage you can arrive up to 20 minutes before departure and for those with hand luggage it is only 15 minutes.

Going through security is quick and simple, although for some reason here I nearly always set off the alarm. I do not know why as there is never a problem. This airport, I am told, is pretty stringent and has a high rate of examining people thoroughly which actually makes me feel better.

Time now for some light refreshments and to log on to the free Wi-Fi to see what emails need to be dealt with before jetting off.  This is such a super airport. You feel as if it has all the trappings of being a business class lounge even if you do pay for your own drinks and food. They also have just the right amount of shops for that last minute treat.

Before long the flight was called and I was ready to board. I remarked to myself as I got on the plane how well-groomed and professional the BA team are. This airline does have high standards as it showed in the BBC documentary which makes it stand out from the crowd.

Easy, no pushing, no shoving – wonderful. Settled into my seat my neighbour, an interesting business man strikes up a conversation.

Not long after take-off we are presented with a snack served by another polite and friendly member of staff. The coffee was good (so often on planes, you pay a fortune and you can’t even get it down as it tastes so vile) and the pasta salad with salmon was actually quite tasty.

This is such a great way to fly. Relaxing over a light lunch and not being hassled to buy s scratch cards, magazines, duty free or whatever. You only wish you would have taken some earplugs with you to drown out the noise.

I am glad to say that the service on the return flight well and truly matched the outward bound. BA, in my books, still makes flying glamorous.

 By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

British Airways currently flies from London City to Zurich up to four times a day. Each-way hand baggage only fares are available from £69 (based on a return hand baggage only fare) and are available to book on www.ba.com/londoncity

(In addition BA has services from Heathrow with connections available from across the UK and Ireland.)

All British Airways fares include online check-in 24 hours before departure, complimentary refreshments and drinks on board and no debit card charges 

Customers have a quick and easy journey through the Docklands airport, with hand baggage it takes just 15 minutes to get from kerbside to airside