British Midland Airways

Yes, I like BMI and they’ve upgraded me to business class a couple of times on domestic routes. I’ve flown Leeds Bradford to Heathrow one-​way, Heathrow to Manchester return twice, Heathrow to Teeside one-​way, Heathrow to Amsterdam return and Heathrow to Belfast about 4 times.
Their staff have always seemed more helpful than BA but then BMI have always been independent of the government. I feel safe on them although they had a crash in 1990 with some fatalities. They’ve gone all low-​cost with some good deals and most of their fares seems to be made up with airport tax etc.
I don’t trust their call centre which seems to be overseas and would always book their flights online.
Lovely airline. It’s not often I get upgraded!

I haven’t even flown yet, but in the booking process they come across as very tight-​fisted, almost petty
Airport check-​in (as opposed to online) 7.98
Check in bags 15.98 each
Seat assignment 5.99 per passenger
Pay by BMI credit card (yeah right) 0
Pay by any other debit card 5.00
Pay by any other credit card 7.00
I’d rather they adjusted the ticket price then behaved as if they’re pleased to have you as a customer.
That’s Baby BMI, not sure if it’s the same as BMI.

Most of us have probably had a less than favorable experience with an airline, so there has to be something special, or particularly practical, to keep one coming back. I’ve travelled with BMI on a regular basis, mostly to Nice and also to Venice. It’s very straightforward to use their online booking system and, if you become a member, or get one of their cards, they have a very decent Frequent Flyer programme with special offers, and bonus miles can be rapidly accrued.
For a mainstream airline, they’re very reasonably priced, especially if you sign-​up for emails and take advantage of their promotions. For me, they’re especially handy, as I can fly out of Heathrow (LHR Terminal 1). Supposedly, they have a swift self-​check-​in set-​up but I have never found that to run especially well, although there is always someone on-​hand to smooth the process.
I’ve had a few delays with their flights, usually around an hour or so, but as their flights depart at decently social hours it doesn’t feel too onerous. Their cabin crew are very professional, well-​trained and generally make the in-​flight experience a good one. It’s worth checking-​out their website next time you’re planning to fly.