British Airways
A320 Economy Review
London Heathrow – Marrakech
A320 Economy Review
London Heathrow – Marrakech
With a direct flight time of less than 4 hrs, Marrakech is a popular year-round destination. Marrakech is well served by airlines from various UK airports, so let’s see how British Airways compare.
London Heathrow (T5) – Marrakech
Flight – BA0668
Date – 19 Mar 2022, departure 1005 hrs
Marrakech – London Heathrow (T5)
Flight – BA0669
Date – 29 Mar 2022, departure 1200 hrs
Flight time – approx 3.45 hrs
British Airways Economy Review – Departures
From Heathrow – As the airline’s hub it was no surprise that Terminal 5’s check-in area is dominated by British Airways. Having checked in online prior to arrival at the terminal, we used the bag-drop, much quicker than the traditional check-in desks. There are plenty of staff there to help too.
Despite the appearance of lots of people, transit through Security was relatively smooth, no more than about 10 mins.
With no meals on board (see food/drink below), the timing of the flight suggested a meal prior to departure was the thing to do. We headed for a decent breakfast in the Giraffe restaurant but there were plenty of options around the 2-levels of stores.
Departure from Marrakech – Marrakech is a fairly modern airport but a few things to note:
- There is no bag drop. All check-ins are through the traditional counter service method.
- Once through security and into departures, the bars, restaurants, food outlets and shops will NOT accept Moroccan currency. If you have Moroccan Dirhams left, change them in the main hall prior to going through security.
Giraffe is one of T5’s many restuarants.
Seating
This was a standard BA A320 aircraft with 31 rows. Rows 1 – 8 were business class. All rows were a 3 – 3 seating configuration (the middle seat of the business class rows was blocked out). We were seated in 21E and F on the way out, and 11E and F (exit seats) on the return.
We didn’t pay for seating. British Airways allow free selection 7-days prior to departure. I guess we were lucky with the exit seats when it came to the return flight.
The seats were good. They are of a thinner design, with a leather feel (easier to clean than any fabric) and adjustable winged headrests. The latter is an advantage over low-cost rivals. The whole feel of the cabin and seating felt fresh, clean and new. The seat pitch was 31 inches, just about enough for someone of 6’1″ tall. There were power sockets below the seat, both UK 3 pin plugs as well as USB sockets (also a bonus over their rivals). On short-haul flights, there is no expectation of pillows or blankets, etc… and none is provided. The seat did have a slight recline, but I didn’t see anyone using it (surprisingly).
There were 3 toilets on board, 1 front, 2 at the rear.
Standard economy 31 inch pitch seat.
Cabin Luggage
This is where British Airways scores mega points over its rivals. Their carry-on hand baggage allowance (included in the base price) is one of the best in the industry at the moment, making any hand baggage-only flights still a possibility. This reduces costs.
Here’s a comparison of the free cabin allowances (updated @ 7 Dec 2025):
- British Airways – 2 bags, 40 x 30 x 15cm (under the seat in front of you), with an additional allowance of a 56 x 45 x 25 cm bag.
- EasyJet – 1 bag 40 x 36 x 20 cm, must fit under the seat in front of you.
- Ryanair, Wizz, TUI, Vueling and JET2 (10kg limit for most of these, please check) – 1 bag 40 x 30 x 20 cm, must fit under the seat in front of you.
It should be noted that British Airways quoted 56 x 45 x 25 cm bag is the traditional wheely roll-on-sized bag. When combined with the smaller bag, that’s quite a decent capacity and easily big enough for anyone venturing on a long weekend for example.
Other
Food/Drink – British Airways provides a free snack and water. This was a packet of crisps and a small bottle of water but even so, it is something. Other food/drink was available to purchase using the online system, or by asking the crew. There are no cash payments, cards only. Business class passengers received a hot meal and alcohol was offered.
Entertainment – The power sockets provide the facility to power any devices for your own entertainment. There are no entertainment facilities provided by the aircraft, and none are expected on short-haul flights.
Wifi – The aircraft has wifi, and provides instructions on how to connect (it appears free). But I was unable to connect to it throughout the flight.
Amenity Kit – None provided or expected on short-haul flights.
Snack and water provided free of charge
Verdict
I think British Airways has a good product with these two particular flights. The departure times are convenient, they were both on time (I know they may not always be!), both aircraft were clean, free snacks and water, and the cabin luggage allowance has to be a bonus.
Due to some variable factors, it is not possible to compare exactly like-for-like but anyone considering a hand-only luggage trip should certainly consider British Airways.
On this evidence, I enjoyed these flights and would certainly recommend them.
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