Review of British Airways flight from London to Madrid in Economy

British airways - a350-1000 - G-XWBA - heathrow to madrid

Hello all!

Welcome to this flight report from London Heathrow to Madrid Spain.

This was a special flight for me, fellow aviation enthusiasts and the crew onboard.
It was the first flight for crew training at the beginning off October for British Airways. 

Normally the A350-1000 for British Airways will be deployed on long haul routes such as Toronto and Dubai. But to make it easier to train the new crew on the aircraft, BA sent the A350 down to Madrid and back as it is a shorter route. 

Lets get this FR started! 

I woke up at 2:30am to get the 423 bus which is free to use  from my hotel to Terminal 5.

Upon arriving at T5 I was expecting to see tons off people, but I was surprised to find it empty only the odd passengers.
Passing through security was super easy and quick.

Due to being at the airport so early (4am) only a few places to eat were open.

It was really quiet, it felt like the terminal was made just for me! 

After around a hour running around the spacious empty terminal like a hyper kid on M&Ms,
I made my way to concourse C by train to the gate.

The T5 shuttle train assistant screen lady wasn't awake either this morning. Although her jeans and shoes were present. 

To see what she looks like, check out my previous FR flight on board BA 747-400 to New York JFK.

Made our way onto the train, little tip advice from me is to hold on soon as you step on.

The train goes at some high speed and shakes a lot.

As I reached my gate I was greeted to the sight of the A350-1000. The first for British Airways and first to be registered to the UK. I couldn't believe the size, She looked wonderful!

Gate C66, the furthest gate at Terminal 5. Boarding started soon as I arrived.

My seat for this early mornings ride, 42K. the Economy seating is layed out in a 3-3-3 configuration.

On the seats I found three little envelopes with free earphones inside.  

Taking my seat I looked out to see the giant A380 park up next to our A350.

Push back started not long after boarding. We taxied past the Amsterdam flight and full throttled down the runway.

Inside the cabin the lighting changed to different settings.

I really like this soft blue colour.

Soon as we broke through the clouds and levelled out the sun began to rise from the east.

Lets check out the In Flight Entertainment on this 2 and half hour flight. 

British Airways offer a great IFE! 
 
I counted dozens off movies, TV shows and documentaries. I found at least 15 different games to help pass the time even some great movies for the kids.

Of course my Favourite part off the IFE is the live flight map. The system was very responsive and easy to use.  

Due to the flight being fairly short I didnt pay to much attention to the IFE.

I did listen to some off ELO live music that was on the media section. 

Lets take a look at the other facilities offered in Economy.

The IFE screen was a good decent size with crisp detail. 

The tray table can easily drop down and extend towards you by flipping over the other half. 

There is also the standard double audio ports and a USB port to charge up electronic devices. You can also use your own ear pieces if you dont want to use the free ones provided.

One little feature I like when offered is a coat hanger. I never use it for my coat but rather a trash bag holder. It does provide multiple options! :D  

Toilet tour time! 

Not a lot going on in here, but the room is very spacious. You can easily walk in and not feel closed in. 

There is a good sized mirror to make it feel more spacious and everything is kept clean.

The legroom in this photo does not give it much justice, but it was very generous. 

When in reclined position the seat slides forward, this allows the passengers sitting behind to have more leg room. 

The seat headrest like on board many other BA aircraft's can adjust up and down.

It can also fold out to provide support if you wanted to sleep.

Soon enough it was time to land into Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport. The no smoking and fasten seat belt sign light up.

Crew passed through the cabin to prepare the aircraft for landing and checked every passengers seat belts.

We circled for a little while over the dry looking dessert like countryside before making our approach onto runway 36L. 

After vacating the runway we pasted many Iberia aircraft's, Spain's main flag carrier airline.

I quite like Iberia's A340 aircraft's. They sometimes fly into Heathrow on the Madrid - London service. 

I spotted a very rare Spanish airline, Plus Ultra A340-300. Started up in 2015 now with 4 aircrafts as off this report with a further 3 on order to assist on the airlines small long haul routes.

We then parked up next to another A350 aircraft in the livery off Cathay Pacific.

I was very lucky to visit the cockpit on my way off the aircraft. 

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After a few minutes in the cockpit I made my way to passport checks and headed into the city.

The whole experience on the A350 was fantastic.

The aircraft is in great shape apart from the slight damage in the rear toilet. It flew smoothly and is by far the quietest plane I have flown on, cabin crew did exceptionally well considering it was their first training day.

I like to thank personally to the cabin crew and pilots for the fantastic service they provided and made me feel like a VIP.
It was also a pleasure to meet a fellow aviation fan like me, the lovely German lady Anne from Southampton.
 
I shall be looking forward to flying more A350 flights in the future.
Have you flown the A350 yet? or plan too?
Drop a message in the comments section, I will love to hear from you all.

Thank you for reading this trip report. I have plenty more reports to come, including easyJet A320/ A320NEO reports. Also in December 2019 I shall be flying with easyJet again to Dusseldorf on an A319 and flying from Cologne back home on a British Airways A319.

Until then,

Keep flying and smiling! :D