BA Business Class

[CruisinMatt]

I'm lookng for personal reviews of British Airways Business Class. I am considering it highly for a flight from Lisbon. I'm inerested in more info on the seats themselves and the cabin layout. The BA site has plenty of info, but I am looking more for personal comments at this point.

 

Thanks! :)

[parody]

Check out http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3353988and related message board for BA

[Globaliser]

Yes, you'll certainly read a lot about BA business class on Flyertalk.

 

But first a question: Do you mean intra-Europe business class (Club Europe), or long-haul business class (Club World)? And what is your proposed itinerary? The former is (like all intra-European business class) a premium economy product as far as seating is concerned, with top-notch service levels. The latter is one of the best business class flying/sleeping experiences available anywhere in the world. But they are very different from each other.

[CruisinMatt]

Parody - thanks for the link! Which forum is the one that pic came from? I can't seem to figure it out.

 

Globaliser - we will have a connection in London to the first leg will be Club Eurpore and the other Club World.

[parody]

Parody - thanks for the link! Which forum is the one that pic came from? I can't seem to figure it out.

It's in the "Miles + Points" forum under British Airways Executive Club. Find the Sticky at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=446

[greatam]

Never flown BA Business, but I absolutely LOVE BA First. If I was not AA EXP, I would definitely fly BA more. Always book BA for intra- European flights. But all those miles over the pond do not translate into AA miles. AA First doesn't compare at all. And the BA lounges are VERY, VERY nice. Love the one at LHR. The lounge at LAX could use some perks (like they keep running out of champagne), but the one at JFK is almost as nice as Heathrow. Enjoy your trip!!!!

[Globaliser]

Globaliser - we will have a connection in London to the first leg will be Club Eurpore and the other Club World.

Club Europe is really as described in that Flyertalk post. As I said, it's best to think of it as a premium economy product in seating terms - leather seats slightly wider than economy, and at a pitch slightly deeper than economy. The seat is not comparable to US domestic first class. But you should have lounge access in Lisbon before the flight (with free drinks), and you should get served refreshments or even a light meal (depending on time of day), with free drinks on board (incl free champagne, IIRC, should you be so inclined).

 

How much time do you have when you connect in London? As you're departing in Club World, you'll be entitled to use the spa facilities. They offer back, foot or hand massages or facials - possibly other treatments too. But you have to book in person when you arrive in the lounge, and it's first come first served, so if you want one of these make sure you make it the first thing you do when you get to the lounge. There are also some splendid showers, for which there is usually far less of a wait. The Terminal 1 business class lounge has rather better Internet facilities than the Terminal 4 lounges, but you can only use the lounges in the terminal from which you're departing (an airport rule). (Where are you flying to from London?)

 

You've seen the picture of the Club World seat. AFAIK, it's still the only lie-horizontal business class seat - some people don't like the more conventional arrangement of being flat-at-an-angle. But the downside is that the seat is relatively narrow compared to other business class seats, and the unconventional mix of forward and backward-facing seats is also unsettling to some. However, you soon get used to a backward-facing seat and once you're flying you really can't tell the difference.

 

Also, some people find the seats a little on the hard side for sleeping on. But if you do, the solution is simple - just lie a blanket on the seat and sleep on top of that. You also want to make sure that the lumbar support is fully deflated otherwise you can give yourself terrible backache during the night.

 

Are you travelling with someone else? A couple have two seating options. The seats are configured 2-4-2 across the aircraft. All aisle seats face forward, and the adjacent seats (windows or middles) face backward. So a couple can either face each other in an aisle/non-aisle pair with the privacy screen down (or up, if you've had an argument :)). Alternatively, you can ask for the pair of seats in the middle of the middle block - they both face backwards but they are side by side and there's no divider between them. This is great for cuddles and snogs, particularly if the privacy screen between them and the aisle seats are up.

 

I am seldom lucky enough to be moved forward into the Club World (or other business class) cabin, but personally, I love it overall. I like firmer beds, and I fit into the Club World bed space quite nicely. The horizontal bed means that it's the only aircraft seat in which I've ever done the asleep-as-soon-as-head-touches-pillow trick - conventional business class seats still require some fidgeting and adjustment to get comfortable. Service is usually pretty good, though it can get a little ragged if the cabin is absolutely full.

 

Hope this is what you're looking for - happy to answer any other questions that aren't answered by that FT sticky thread.

[Globaliser]

If I was not AA EXP, I would definitely fly BA more. Always book BA for intra- European flights. But all those miles over the pond do not translate into AA miles. ... The lounge at LAX could use some perks (like they keep running out of champagne)

Have you thought about moving over to the Qantas FF scheme? You'd earn miles and status on both AA and BA flights, including all the trans-Atlantics, so you could pick and choose as you wish.

 

Hopefully the LAX lounge will get better when the TBIT is refurbished. All of the TBIT lounges are a collective disgrace. I haven't yet had the pleasure of the new Admirals Club at T4 but I can see why people plan their QF itineraries around using T4 rather than TBIT.

[CruisinMatt]

Globalizer, Thank You! You are a wealth of info! (so is that website, but it has quite abit of "chit-chat" to week through)

 

My flight options are as follows:

 

LIS - LHR B757 11:40 - 2:15

LHR - ORD B777 4:15 - 6:30

 

OR

 

LIS - LHR A320 8:15 - 10:55

LHR - ORD B747(400) 12:55 - 3:20

 

Which do you think is best? I prefer the times of the second one. Is the 777 better than the 747? What if we get put on the upper deck?

 

Can you descibe what we can expect for dining on the LHR - ORD stretch?

 

Thanks again!

[Globaliser]

My flight options are as follows:

 

LIS - LHR B757 11:40 - 2:15

LHR - ORD B777 4:15 - 6:30

 

OR

 

LIS - LHR A320 8:15 - 10:55

LHR - ORD B747(400) 12:55 - 3:20

 

Which do you think is best? I prefer the times of the second one. Is the 777 better than the 747? What if we get put on the upper deck?

 

Can you descibe what we can expect for dining on the LHR - ORD stretch?

I would personally go for the later one, but mostly on the basis that an 0815 flight from LIS means a very early start, and I'm not very good at early starts. The short flights are really much of a muchness, although the 757 is an increasingly rare bird (all of BA's are being retired now) and can provide an exciting rocket-like ride on takeoff in the right conditions.

 

When you get to LHR, you will have to connect from T1 to T4, which involves going to the Flight Connection Centre, clearing security and then getting a bus to T4. This will probably take about 45 minutes at the times at which you're doing it, although if it's busy, security at the FCC can take longer. You should have your LHR-ORD boarding pass already, so there should be no need to check-in at the FCC.

 

This won't leave you much time for enjoying the lounge, but you should probably get some time to sit and have at least one drink - or a quick shower if you are determined to get one. You'd be helped by the fact that BA tend to make calls in the lounges quite late in the boarding process, on the basis that most regular pax would, given the choice, prefer to wait in the comfort of the lounge than on board the aircraft. On the long-haul aircraft, there is no real competition for cabin baggage stowage because of the rules about what you can carry on, so there's little need to rush on just to have space to put your bags away.

 

As for the difference between aircraft, the 777's Club World cabin has been described as looking a bit like a large dormitory - it's a single fairly large cabin. (I personally prefer the 777 as an aircraft, because it's quieter - but that's more noticeable when in the back.)

 

Most regular BA Club World pax prefer the upstairs cabin in the 747, because the seating is configured 2-2, the cabin is quieter and it's got more of the feel of a private jet. If you do get the 747, the prize rows upstairs are 62 and 64, partly because the layout means that the window seat occupant can get out without having to climb over the aisle seat occupant. But there is a bit of competition for these rows, and that feature is really just icing on the cake. Some people also like the little floor mounted cupboards that are next to the window seats, as the stowage there is easy to access although you can't get any big bags into them.

 

But downstairs on the 747 is a pretty cozy experience, too - and I think that there are conventional overhead "big bins" over the window side seats which provide more cabin baggage stowage space.

 

Cabin service should consist of a welcome on board drink, and then a bar service following takeoff followed by the main hot meal. The last time I had a Club World hot meal, the starter and salad were served on a tray. They were then cleared off the tray, and replaced by the main course. Then the tray was removed, and dessert, chocolates and tea/coffee were served separately after that. You can Raid the Larder during the flight if you get hungry, and there should be afternoon tea - sandwiches and a scone with clotted cream and jam, and cake - before landing. (BA's afternoon teas are IMHO some of the best meals available in the air - when they still did a version of the afternoon tea in economy, I would quite often skip the hot lunch if I wasn't really hungry, so that I would have some room for the tea later.)

 

Hope this helps!

[CruisinMatt]

Thanks for the great info.

 

I ended up booking the earlier, only because we'd like to do some shopping in the Chicago suburbs before driving home the next day.

 

On the 747 we are in 61J&k on the upper deck. The prized 62 & 64 were taken, but I'll keep watching ba.com to see if they become available. :)

[Globaliser]

On the 747 we are in 61J&k on the upper deck. The prized 62 & 64 were taken, but I'll keep watching ba.com to see if they become available. :)

Usually 62 and 64 are blocked until check-in - there are rumours that they are sometimes made available to top tier BA before then but even they don't always manage to get them. So remember to have a go at Internet check-in if you have no luck before then. You should be able to access it for both sectors at -12 hours before your first sector (LIS-LHR).

 

One other thought: As you're flying Club, you would actually qualify to join the BA FF scheme. You don't necessarily have to collect points from these flights into that scheme, but once you have a reservation in Club you qualify to join. Then you can check-in on the Internet at -24 hours which would give you a better chance at 62 and 64.

[CruisinMatt]

Hi Globe,

 

I'm all set with the BA Executive club FF system, now I guess I ned to decide if I want to haul my laptop along or maybe find an Internet cafe is Lisbon. - Oh well I'm sure the seats we have are just fine!!! How can you go wrong in Club??