If you’re an AvGeek historian, you might remember that British Airways was the pioneer of lie-flat business class seats. In the early 2000s, the airline introduced its pioneering fully-flat Club World seats on its long-haul fleet. Club World lasted for over 20 years. But in recent years, other airlines have introduced more competitive business class products.
I I had a great time in Business Class “Classic” in 2017but I was even more excited to try its successor: the Club Suite. Over the past few years, British Airways has rolled out new suite-style seats across much of its long-haul fleet in an effort to get on the cutting edge. On paper, it ticks many of the boxes you want in a new seat: universal direct-aisle access, privacy doors and new technology.
I flew from London Heathrow to New York JFK in a Club Suite on flight 777-200ER. I can confirm that, in most important respects, it delivers.
Read on for a photo and video walkthrough of highlights, including the LHR’s ground experience, seat design and onboard service. And don’t forget the view from the usual window seat.
On the ground at British Airways Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport is one of my favorite places to be an AvGeek. Home to truly global airlines and a large number of wide-body aircraft, it’s a prime location for aircraft spotting. Even though BA’s Terminal 5 opened way back in 2008, I think it’s still holding up well for its age.
One end of the terminal’s check-in area is dedicated to premium cabin passengers.
After a quick metro ride to Hall 5B, I stopped at the gallery lounge there.
Frequent flyers agree that Gallery Lounge 5B is generally quieter than the other two Gallery Lounges in 5A.
For an international lounge, the food and drinks on offer were decent, but nothing to write home about.
There are some interesting specialty dining partners, including coffee stations provided by United Coffee.
The Whispering Angel wine counter doesn’t get much attention.
The cup counter at Pimm’s is very British, but I love the concept and the cocktails.
Best of all: this lounge has aircraft identification potential! Even though it’s not facing the window, you still get a great view of the ramp. Unfortunately, from the location of the lounge, the view of the sky is blocked by the terminal roof.
Get to know the suite
After finishing my snack, I headed to the gate and my flight boarded on time.
This flight is operated by a 777-200ER. BA operates a split fleet of these aircraft. Notably, the sub-fleet at Heathrow is equipped with the Club Suites product, while the sub-fleet at Gatwick retains the old Club World seats. Below is the seat map of the plane I flew on, courtesy of AeroLOPA. London is a market that is dominated by premium cabins, so a staggering two-thirds of the plane is in premium cabins (including premium economy behind business class).
I love the decor of the club suite. Plenty of greys, deep blues and metallic tones that are both luxurious and futuristic.
Compared to the old Club World cabins (where some seats were much better or worse than others), the Club Suites feature a more consistent reverse herringbone layout. I chose a window seat on the left side of the main cabin over the wing.
The middle seat in the cabin has a removable partition. So they’re a good choice if you’re traveling with other people, but they’re good even if you’re traveling alone.
The space next to the seat has a large table top and storage cabinets.
There was a water bottle and toiletry pack in the locker.
This is the entertainment screen:
What makes a seat a suite? It must be a door. Just like other suite-style cabins, you’ll need to keep the door open during takeoff and landing.
The flight attendant came over to offer pre-departure drinks, including champagne.
As always, we saw some incredible views as we taxied from T5 to the runway in use.
The video below shows some views of the busy Heathrow apron, taxiway traffic, takeoff taxis through all LHR terminals and climb out to the west.
Suite service
As we began our cruise climb, the flight attendants got to work.
Below are the wines, cocktails and other beverages served during this flight.
I started with a glass of gin and kept track of the flight as I flew through Ireland.
The flight’s meal plan was a main meal after takeoff, a snack before landing and (in classic British fashion) tea time in between.
The meal started with a delicious tuna tonato. Earn bonus points for placing things on the table instead of using a tray.
Cornish Chicken Breast entree is simple but I love it.
Sticky toffee pudding feels like the quintessential British dessert.
All in all, it was a great meal. The crew was also very friendly and proactive.
In-flight entertainment
Club suites feature large in-flight entertainment screens. BA’s entertainment system does the job, but shows its age in a few areas. For example, the flight tracker isn’t as clear as other airlines’ maps and doesn’t include as many features.
There are tons of movies and TV shows to watch, whether on your home screen or streamed directly to your device.
Each passenger is provided with noise-canceling headphones.
Eyes closed completely flat
Each Club Suite seat folds completely flat. The footwells are big and nice.
The White Company produces BA business class bedding, which includes mattresses in addition to the usual pillows and blankets.
It was a daytime flight, but the bed and bedding combination helped me get a few hours of quality nap time.
A quick look at the bathrooms and amenities – nothing to write home about.
Snacks on the flight
I wanted to do this flight as “BA” as possible. So, in addition to some British crisps, I got to try the Speedbird OG beer which was back on the menu a few years ago. The name, of course, is a reference to British Airways’ call sign.
The pre-landing snacks were small and basic: bulgur salad, simple sandwiches and waffles.
By the time we started descending the mountain, the sun had already set.
Even at night, the views descending into New York City are unparalleled.
My eight hours in the club suite flew by!
judgment
There is no doubt that the club suite is a much needed upgrade. The old business class seats are outdated and flimsy compared to competitors. It’s outdated enough to be worth avoiding. The new Club Suite seats put British Airways back into the elite ranks of Business Class seats.
Biggest advantage:
- The new seats are much roomier than their predecessors. It offers ample storage space and universal accessibility. The reverse herringbone layout means greater consistency from seat to seat.
- Doors are a great advantage for privacy.
- Cabin finishes and lighting are stylish. This is a very gorgeous cabin.
- BA offers an extensive library of inflight entertainment content.
- It’s difficult to generalize about service as it varies greatly from flight to flight. But for what it’s worth, the service on this flight was excellent.
- BA is one of the airlines that guarantees a certain number of award seats on every flight.
There are only a few disadvantages that come to mind:
- For such a long flight, the pre-landing meal was minimal.
- The IFE system interface is outdated, my screen froze a few times, and the flight map isn’t very good.
- The UK charges high out-of-pocket fees for award tickets. Additionally, I had to pay a hefty fee to reserve specific seats in advance. I understand that airlines are increasingly looking to extract ancillary revenue from premium cabin passengers, but I still don’t like the system. However, I ended up getting a window seat for free at check-in because some seats were still available.
The experience on the ground was mixed. I love Heathrow, especially Terminal 5. The premium cabin check-in area was a nice touch. The lounge is nice and has interesting food/drink partners, but otherwise pretty middle-of-the-road features.
If you’ve flown in the Club Suites or have any thoughts on this story, please share them in the comments section below!
