British Airways Club World Business Class | Airbus A380 | San Francisco to London
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ค. 2023
- Airline: British Airways
Flight: BA287
Route: SFO-LHR
Class: Business
Type: Airbus A380-800
Reg: G-XLEL
Duration: 10H 5M
Distance: 5,367 Miles
Blogpost: travelingfoody.com/2023/05/26...
British Airways' Club World offers a mixed experience. The outdated seats, unchanged since 2006, are uncomfortable and narrow, and BA currently has no immediate plans for an upgrade to the newer Club Suite seats. However, the service from the crew was delightful, providing attentive and courteous service onboard. The bar service is back and the meals were served in courses, which was a welcome sight considering BA drastically cutdown their service and food offerings during the pandemic. Despite the seat limitations, the attentive service and delicious business class catering contributed to a satisfying journey across the pond.
What I Liked:
The Food - The catering provided by DO&CO on this flight was truly exceptional. The food actually surpassed our expectations on this flight. The dishes that we ordered tasted fresh, delicious and nicely presented. The starter dishes and curried cream of cauliflower soup were particularly noteworthy, as it was delectable. During the dinner service, the grilled chicken breast was perfectly cooked, moist, and flavorful. Indulging our sweet tooth, the Chocolate coffee Fondant dessert was a decadent treat. The pre-arrival Full English Breakfast provided a hearty start to the day, while the Avocado and Tomato omelet was a great choice for my companion. Although there was no mid-flight meal service, the crew set up a snack bar near the galley for those seeking a bite. Overall, the catering on this flight not only exceeded our expectations but also made the journey significantly more enjoyable.
What I didn't Like:
The Seats - Regrettably, British Airways' Club World Product, introduced in 2006, has not stood the test of time. While the seats do offer the convenience of converting into a full flat bed and provide satisfactory legroom, their narrow width creates a confined feeling when attempting to relax or savor a meal. Moreover, the absence of direct aisle access for most window and center seats means passengers must hop over their neighbor's ottoman, adding inconvenience to the equation. Another drawback is the limited accessible storage space, which can prove frustrating during long-haul flights. In summary, the Club World seats are in dire need of an upgrade as they no longer meet current business class standards.
No Air Nozzles - One notable drawback of British Airways' A380s is the absence of personal air nozzles, which is disappointing for passengers. The lack of these individual ventilation systems makes it challenging to regulate personal comfort, especially considering that British Airways tends to maintain a relatively warm cabin temperature.
It was OK, I guess...
BA Lounge at SFO - The Galleries Lounge at SFO underwent a renovation before the pandemic, resulting in a visually appealing space, although it is relatively small in size. The lounge provides amenities such as a la carte dining through QR Code ordering, a well-stocked bar, and a decent buffet spread. However, during peak hours, the lounge tends to become overcrowded and chaotic, making it challenging to secure a seat and find an available table.
The Service - The service from the crew was pleasant and provided a satisfactory experience. While the mixed fleet crew may not have exuded an extraordinary level of warmth or engagement, they still offered attentive and courteous service. We appreciated the hot towel and pre-departure beverage service, which added to the overall comfort of the journey. The crew members looking after us were friendly and checked on us through out the flight to see if we needed anything.
The amenities - While British Airways may not provide pajamas or slippers for business class passengers, they do offer some standard amenities. A black leather pouch provided by The White Company London, was waiting at our seats along with noise canceling headphones and bottled water. The bedding and pillow offered are of good quality, and the inclusion of a mattress pad made the seat comfort a little bit more bearable. Additionally, the lavatories located in the front of the upper deck cabin are spacious, regularly cleaned, and stocked toiletries.
Bottom Line:
To sum it up, British Airways' Club World Business Class has its ups and downs. The seats, with their narrow and outdated design, lack comfort and easy access to the aisle. On the positive side, the crew provides pleasant service and the catering was superb. However, the overcrowded and chaotic BA lounge at SFO was a notable drawback. On a brighter note, the in-flight amenities and bedding was were generally good. While there is room for improvement, British Airways' Club World Business Class offers a generally satisfactory experience for this 10 hour journey.
Glad your flight wasn't cancelled.
It wasn’t thank goodness. Thanks for watching!
It’s been 8 years since I last flew BA. Looks like nothings changed.
Yeah sadly not much has changed. Thanks for watching!
Here's the rub though... This fall, I need to get to the Caribbean from Dubai for a family function, and wouldn't ya know it, BA has the most direct routing from DXB, with a change at LHR, not LGW, which is a pretty big plus. Out of and into DXB is an A380 route, another plus, but from LHR down to the islands are on their ancient 772s. First world problems, I know.
lol. The new Club Suite is great but yes, these Biz seats are ancient and need to vanish.
Last flew on the A380 to San Francisco Business Class back in 2017, doing it again next year. Was hoping they've refreshed things a little.
Flying this route soon! Moving to Germany in about a month but I chose the cheapest flight which happened to be with a connection in London!
Thanks for watching! Safe travels!
The BA business class lounge in LAX looks very nice, great food and champagne, also does the food and drinks on board . With the new Club Suites in the A380 BA will have a great product for transatlantic flights.
Agreed. Thanks for watching!
Great video again, thanks for posting! Actually, since you too are OW expert, have you noticed that there are no available AA operated BA codeshare flights bookable after March 30th 2024? Same on Iberia and RJ, nothing available... weird. Any ideas?
Thanks so much for watching! Perhaps the BA/AA/IB codeshare agreements are route and market dependent. I just checked and was able to find codeshare flights beyond March 30, 2024.
@@travelingfoody I just checked again, weirdly still not... For example, you can't book LHR-CHS (with the CHS segment on AA connected domestic flights from ORD/DFW/MIA) after March 30th, while plenty of options on or before 3/30.. Also there are none of AA operated BA code flights such as LHR-LAX/JFK or the domestic connection JFK-LAX/SFO for example, after March 30th
Regarding the “herringbone” front-facing plus rear-facing configuration, one thing that befuddles me is how the window-side person accesses the aisle while your lie flat seat is fully extended while you sleep.
Thanks for watching! The person sitting in the window will have to “hop” over the other seat’s ottoman to access the aisle, which is awful.
@@travelingfoody You’re very welcome. Thumbs up for your quick reply - but your helpful insight strikes me as a lose-lose regardless of which seat 💺 one chooses.
According to my BA reservation in late September I will be flying from SFO to London in a 777-300er with the new Club World seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.
This video plays in slow motion with the playback speed as normal. Otherwise a typical long haul Club World flight. Nothing broken or malfunctioning.
Thanks for watching
I am flying business from SFO to LHR in November, but will be on Boeing-777, do you know if it's any better than A380?
Business Class on the 777 should be better if it’s the retrofitted 1-2-1 seats. Thanks for watching!
Not one positive comment, I’m not sure why? The food looked good. Are they still using Doe & Co for catering? Thank you for the trip report ❤️✈️
It’s probably because of the old uncomfortable seats. The food was actually decent though. Thanks for watching!
Without watching the video I suspect BA bloody awful. Anyway ,now for the video 😅
Thanks for watching! Cheers!
seats really look outdated and the foot rest really looks off when upright lol
Sad but true. Thanks for watching!
I Dont Like thous Business Class Seats,I Know British Airways Are GoingTo Install New Seats In First Class And Business Class,Upper Beck will Be For First And Business.Great Trip Report
Thanks for watching!
What seat number did you have?
I was in 59B. Thanks for watching!
I HATE that seating configuration.
Thanks for watching! Me too!
The seat design looks terrible, not respecful for a businessman as other normal 1-2-1 design. I will never choose a flight with this seat.
Agreed. Thanks for watching!
BA so bland and boring
Sad but true. Thanks for watching!
Seats are bad
Agreed. Thanks for watching!
Awful airline rude cabin crew and uncomfortable seats no thank you
Thanks for watching!