British Airways Club World
I have recently returned from a business trip to Seoul, Korea. I was lucky enough to be travelling in British Airways Club World, their renamed business class. BA business gets a bad rep from many frequent flyers, including myself, so I was interested to document what worked and what didn’t for me, on this long-haul flight.
Lay out of the British Airways Club World Cabin
I travelled out to Seoul on a relatively new 787 Dreamliner, this plane offers four classes of travel. First Class, Club World (Business), World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and World Traveller (Economy).
British Airways Club World was divided into two separate cabins. The smaller cabin had 2 rows of 7 seats, and the larger cabin had 4 rows of 7 seats. The configuration was 2-3-2, unlike the bigger 777 or 747 where you find a 2-4-2 combination.
On the 787, the window seats and the ‘sandwich seat’, this is the one stuck between the two aisle seats in the middle of the aircraft, are all rear facing. Something not everybody likes. All of the aisle seats, however, are front facing.
Positioning of Seats in British Airways Club World
I always chose a rear facing window seat at the rear of a cabin section, which I did again on this flight. This seat has major advantages, one of which is that you don’t have anyone to step over when coming in and out of the seat. You also have more privacy than all other seats in the cabin.
One issue for me is that the aisle seats in British Airways Club World don’t offer any privacy. This is something that travellers expect in business. Most people choose a window seat for that reason. However, once the seats are in the flatbed position, you have to climb over the legs of a fellow passenger to get in or out.
Hardly the end of the world but not ideal. Sitting in seats A and K, at the rear of the cabin section means there is no clambering over other travellers.
First impressions of the seat itself were good, there’s a decent amount of space. As I sat down I found the seat extremely comfortable.
Due to the front and rear facing configuration one issue I have with all business seats on BA, is that you are facing the seat next to you. It almost feels as though you are sitting directly opposite your fellow traveller.
This can be quite uncomfortable, you do have a privacy screen but it must be down for take-off, landing, and when food and beverages are served. You are then faced with ‘privacy screen etiquette’ issue! When is the perfect time to put the screen up? You don’t want to seem rude but you want your privacy.
My Seat
On this British Airways Club World flight, I was lucky that no-one was sitting in the aisle seat opposite me. I could keep the screen down without an uncomfortable moments.
The seat itself offers plenty of space. You can sit upright for eating and working; lounge with a foot stool for comfort; or have a fully flat bed. The foot stool, directly in front of you, folds down and makes part of the flat bed when the seat is fully reclined.
Being slightly vertically challenged at 5’7 (and a very important quarter), I fitted beautifully in the seat in all positions. I found all of the seat positions very comfortable and relaxing. I’m not sure those who are taller than me would be quite so comfortable.
The control panel for the seat was simple to understand and use. The lumbar support adjustment was a lovely touch, as I can suffer from lower back pain on a long flight.
There is a storage draw, big enough to fit all your essentials, including a laptop, headphones, mobile phone and wallet. There is a slight issue with this drawer however. I later discovered when the seat is in the flat bed position you can’t access the drawer. You must put the foot stool up and incline the seat to get into the drawer. Again, not the end of the world but a bit of a design fault in my opinion.
There were three power outlets, one plug and two USBs, in this British Airways Club World cabin. I was impressed with this, as it’s always nice to be able to give your phone a charge on the flight, ensuring you have ample battery on arrival. However, like the storage drawer, annoyingly when your footstool was down and the seat was reclined, you couldn’t access the main plug socket or USB.
Getting Work Done in British Airways Club World
I had a few emails to work on, and a report to read, while I was on the flight. So I was interested to see how these seats facilitated this. There was plenty of room to work, I was able to have my laptop open and the report papers with me.
As mentioned before, there was power for the laptop, and a decent reading light if needed. My only criticism was the table was a little flimsy and the laptop bounced up and down a bit. This might be my heavy handedness when typing, but I’d have liked to have had a sturdier surface.
BA have teamed up with The White Company London to provide the large comfortable pillows and duvet for when you want to get some rest. I managed a few hours’ sleep on the flight. Making the most of the flat bed and furnishings from The White Company.
My overriding feeling about the seats In British Airways Club World are that they are perfectly comfortable but slightly impractical. They are not the worst business seats I’ve travelled in, but certainly not the best.
Service Onboard
I was warmly welcomed onto the flight as I entered the plane. I was again personally welcomed back by the customer service manager once I was seated. Once in my British Airways Club World seat I was offered either a glass of Champagne or water before take-off. I decided to go for the Champagne, well it would be rude not to!
In addition to this pre-flight beverage, I was also offered a hot towel which was a nice touch. The menu was also distributed before take off, giving me plenty of time to decide what I’d like to eat.
Just before we pushed back we were given complimentary toiletries bags, also from The White Company. These were complete with the usual contents, including eye masks, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as some toiletries from The White Company. I decided to give those products to my wife when I returned home. I know, I’m so generous!
Once airborne, we were served a drink from the bar accompanied by some delicious smoked almonds. I went for a Gin and Tonic. My Gin of choice was Tanqueray, coupled with Fever Tree Tonic, just the ticket! It’s good to see a top-shelf Gin served in British Airways Club World – very British!
Throughout the flight there were refreshments to help yourself to. This was a great touch, it was nice to stretch the legs and get myself a water and piece of fruit during the long flight.
The Crew Made a Big Difference on the Flight
I was impressed with the crew, who were highly attentive, wonderfully hospitable, and extremely helpful. I couldn’t find a fault with the level of service received, the whole flight.
It’s nice to have the feeling that nothing is too much trouble and this is certainly something I felt during and after the flight.
British Airways Club World Food
Meals were served shortly after take-off, and then again shortly before we landed into Seoul.
I went for the Fivemiletown goat’s cheese with beetroot tartare, pumpernickel and marinated beetroot, to start. This was beautifully presented and was delicious. I have a weakness for cheese and this certainly satisfied! The accompanying salad was fresh and light, the perfect start to the meal.
I then moved onto the garlic and black pepper chicken. To be honest, it wasn’t the best looking dish. The fricassee of spring vegetables didn’t look so appealing but it was very nice on the palate. Chicken is hard to get right in any restaurant, let alone on a plane. It was moist and very tasty, great effort British Airways Club World!
As I mentioned before I am a huge fan of cheese. I’m just a huge fan! So, I went for the cheese plate rather than the custard tart, or the fresh fruit on offer, and I was not disappointed.
Wine Onboard
The wine list is slightly limited with two reds, two whites, and three Champagnes. I enjoyed a couple of glasses of Chilean Red with the meal. It was an award winning 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from Indomita. I was tempted to go for a port with the cheese, as I’ve had this before, but I refrained as I had some work to do!
Breakfast
When it came to breakfast, I was offered either fruit, or muesli with apple compote and vanilla yoghurt. I went for the muesli along with a warm croissant. I was also given water, orange juice, and a mango and passionfruit smoothie.
As if I didn’t have enough beverages to contend with, I was also offered the obligatory tea or coffee, I went for a tea, again very British. Once I’d finished the muesli and croissant I was then offered either a full English breakfast or Kedgeree Arancini with poached eggs. There is only one choice for me given these options, I went for the full English, obviously!
The hot breakfast was good, the bacon was thick, meaty and perfectly salty, and the sausage was very tasty. The scrambled egg was a little overdone and dry but what do you expect at the end of a long-haul flight? One fantastic touch was HP sauce, I’m some what of a sauce fiend and nothing goes better with a full English than HP sauce. I was delighted that this was offered.
All in all, I thought the food and the service was excellent.
Entertainment
I ate, worked and slept on this flight, however I still had time for a movie on the 12 inch pull out screen. The entertainment touch screen system was excellent, with touch screen technology that actually worked. It was intuitive and easy to use. I liked the trailer option on the films, even though I had ear marked the film I was going to watch. It was good to watch some trailers of other films for the return flight.
I watched a Marvel film, the new Black Panther, which I was excited about watching after hearing great things. Even though watching a film on a plane is not always the best, the 12 inch screens made it an enjoyable experience. No popcorn though BA….just saying!
In addition to movies, there was a good selection of TV and audio, as well as games and the standard flight map. It is always nice to see where you’re flying over!
Expert Traveller Recommends….
British Airways Club World seats were comfortable, but unfortunately a little impractical and didn’t offer you much in the way of privacy. However, the service and food were excellent. There are better business class products out there, but BA still have a very decent offer. It does do the business, if not quite as well as others.
It’s worth considering flying with BA in Club World the next time you travel.
If you’d like to read more about British Airways Then Check out These Posts…
- British Airways First Class
- The British Airways Lounge – Singapore
- British Airways First Lounge – Heathrow
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