We usually fly BA on this route 1-2 times a year and in First. Very nice. In December 2016 we felt like a get a way and I found great fares in Premium Economy and it looks great online so we tried it. We were on the 9:30pm flight. The seats are roomy enough and the configuration is 2-4-2 with three rows. We had the window and aisle on the right in row 2. We were pleasantly surprised and anticipated a good ride. The cabin was full, dinner was served and was fine. After dinner the two people in front of us (row 1) reclined and instantly fell into a deep sleep. They pinned us down so we could hardly move and we couldn't rouse them. Bonus: they broke wind all night! We never saw another flight attendant after the meal as they were also covering economy. We are mid 60's and healthy, but unbelievably I had to get up four times through that flight and the only way to get out was to fully recline onto the man behind me, roll over and kneeling on the seat straddle the middle compartment - about 7-8 inches wide, get into my husband's seat and climb over the arm rest into the aisle. Not an easy feat and the man behind was not happy with me. My tall husband could not get comfortable with no legroom. Across the aisle a man was vomiting all night into a bag and with all curtains drawn between Business and Economy the smell was noxious. Seriously, I am not exaggerating this. Obviously we did not sleep.
Once we landed and reached our cottage rental we began to look at our return flight to see if we could change seats or cabin, but they were full again.
A couple of days later I saw that my inner thighs were bruised and purple. I take a blood thinner.
I refused to fly back in the same exact seats so we called BA and explained everything, but Customer service told us all they can do is make note of the complaint and pass it on to another department. They could not seat us in PE anywhere in the near future as all seats were sold out.
We chose to extend our stay by 2 days until we could get seats in First. A lot of extra expense, not including extending lodgings, car and living expenses.
Many phone calls later ended the same as the first. I even called the CEO and got no response. No refund for PE seats, no follow up call or email ever, although we were assured by Customer service we would be refunded for the return portion of our tickets. It's been 10 months and no word, no refund. Nothing.
We are returning to the UK in February 2018 and trying Virgin's PE class. It too looks very good online and I have read really great reviews on Seat Guru so here's hoping.
BA falls down on Customer support and I can tell you their Business class in configured horribly. If you are in a window seat you have to climb over the person in the aisle behind you to get out. Forget that! Even First is not as 'special' as it used to be, however, it is the only decent seat they offer.
I hope I can spare someone this kind of flight from hell. I will say if you can book the first row I think it would be fine. BA should not allow the seats to recline as much as they do and unfortunately many people don't care or maybe realize they are causing discomfort to anyone. It's the responsibility of the airline in any case to limit the recline so that each row can move and enjoy some comfort. It's an easy fix if only someone would actually listen.