British Airways Club World Review – A Better Class Of Business

Gina Baksa reviews BA’s Club World business class from London Heathrow to Newark Liberty International Airport.

Let’s be honest, British Airways’ track record isn’t quite what it used to be. Has the ‘world’s favourite airline’ lost its lustre for good?

I’ve always enjoyed flying with BA and can remember feeling proud to be ‘flying the flag’… So I was hoping my return business class flights from London’s Heathrow to Newark wouldn’t be cause for another poor review.

Waiting until check-in before I could choose my complimentary seat was an initial bugbear. If you’re not a Gold or Silver member of BA’s Executive Club (like me) you do have the option of using your AVIOS to reserve a seat – or stump up £80! Bronze members can reserve a free seat a whole seven days before departure.

I arrived extra early at London Heathrow so I could make full use of BA’s Galleries Lounge at Terminal 5 – and received a complimentary 15-minute neck and shoulder massage at the Elemis Spa.

There’s an extensive range of face, body and grooming treatments here, and the staff were efficient and polite. My massage was very good.

The Galleries Lounge is divided into work, entertainment and eating zones and feels spacious and clean. And surprisingly calm. There’s a good selection of food for breakfast: fresh fruit, yoghurt, nuts, croissants, and toast, as well as wines, beers and even champagne.

I especially liked the work zone, which had a good printer, power sockets and a number of headphones. Osborne and Little fabrics look smart and functional on the seating, and there’s even a 20-seat cinema.

After stocking up on breakfast and coffee, I charged my phone, watched some videos and perused the magazines—a most relaxing and enjoyable start to my flight to Newark.

My plane was a 777 with a 2:2:2 configuration with seats slightly adjacent. I’d managed to secure Seat 14D (aisle) on check-in.

However, this felt very exposed, and the 17-inch monitor didn’t stay in position, so I jumped ship across to the adjacent E and F seats, which were both free and made the most of this cocoon-like space, activating the frosted screen and enjoying the space and privacy.

Facing backwards was novel, but it felt great having my head higher than my feet. We were offered orange juice or Champagne before take-off.

The seats are easy to recline and move into a flatbed position (heaven). And the privacy screens are wonderful – you can be completely cut off from neighbouring distractions.

My pillow was comfortable, and there was a seat cover as well as a blanket. It’s always fun checking out amenity kits. BA’s is produced by The White Company and contains the retailer’s Restore & Relax Spa Collection, as well as a soft jersey eye mask.

There was also a useful Spa Relax Pulse Point Oil, which helped me relax, a Spa Restore Gentle Moisturiser skin-conditioning cream with Vitamin E and jojoba oil (actually very good and did make my skin feel softer), plus a Spa Lip balm, which was useful as my lips tend to dry out at altitude.

There’s sufficient space in my seat – thanks to the sliding drawer at foot level, as well as the fold-out table where I carefully put my Champagne and orange juice. Sockets are here, too, but I was reminded that they can’t be put in a drawer en route for safety reasons. I could fit.

In two small bottles of water, a few magazines and my White Company amenity kit. The comfortable and supportive seat with adjustable headrest and lumbar support converts into a generous 183cm (6ft) fully flatbed, which was perfect for me. I highly recommend these middle seats, especially if you’re travelling a deux.

Perusing the menu, I opted for smoked salmon for starters, cut glass for my vino (an excellent selection of Old and New World wines), followed by a delicious prawn curry with apple pie and custard to follow. Oh, and a cheeseboard and port. All in the line of reporting duty, of course…

I had a little nap after watching Peter Rabbit on the 10.4-inch flatscreen monitor. There’s a great selection of new movies as well as old faves.

Trying out my flatbed was fun… the controls are easy to use, and the White Company bedding was clean and soft to the touch.

This was upgraded earlier this year and includes an elegant day cushion, which doubles up as lumbar support when working or relaxing, a super-soft woven blanket with satin trim, a bespoke luxury duvet, and a padded mattress cover to provide an extra layer of comfort and improve quality of sleep.

Landing at Newark and collecting baggage, my cocooned reverie was brought abruptly to an end with a lengthy border control queue. I shan’t moan about the direness of Homeland Security here, but frequent flyers to the US will know the score.

One way you can avoid this when travelling in BA’s business class is to take the Clubworld London City BA flight JFK via Shannon, where you will clear US Customs and Immigration. And arrive at JFK as a domestic passenger. No queues. Just pick up your luggage and go straight into your Uber.

After a very enjoyable but all too short stay in NYC, I stayed at the Club Quarters Hotel Word Trade Center, which I highly recommend – I headed once again for Newark and my early evening departure from Terminal B.

Check-in was easy, and since I’d arrived around 3 hours before my flight, the airport wasn’t too busy. I was guided through the fast-track lane and made my way to the British Airways Galleries Lounge at EWR is located on an upper floor near gates B50-58 – so you’re only a 5-minute walk to get into the queue for boarding.

Open daily from 15:00 to 22.45. I arrived just as they were opening for lunch. There’s a First Dining area (for First Class passengers), but it didn’t look especially snazzy – just more private.

I dined in the Business Class buffet area, which is used by Open Sky passengers as well as BA’s 777 Business Class passengers.

There’s a hot and cold buffet with cafeteria-style seating here and very personable and efficient staff. Special mention to Eliana and Ada who were fabulous and looked after me very well.

The food was delicious – a great selection of salads, hot dishes including fish (Atlantic Cod) and a pasta (rigatoni with fresh spinach and parmesan) dish, and desserts. And decent wines, too.

To reach the dining area, you’ll pass coffee and tea and cake and sandwiches. Plus, a range of alcohol and snacks. And a tempting sweet station. There are plenty of sockets to charge digital kit and comfortable seating looking out onto the runway.

Getting to the gate was thankfully easy – just a few minute’s stroll. We all boarded on time and offered Champagne, water or orange juice. We were also given breakfast cards which is especially thoughtful.

Choose from breakfast on board (you are woken 1hr 15 minutes before landing to options of chilled appetiser and warm bakery options plus tea, coffee orange juice. Or bacon on a brioche roll or avocado, cheese and roasted red pepper on a brioche. Alternatively, you could choose a wake-me-up beverage 50 minutes before land. Or, for those who prefer to maximise their sleep time, the crew will wake you 40 minutes before landing, and you can help yourself to the juices, smoothies and water in the Club Kitchen.

I opted to have a full breakfast at the BA Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 5 – more on that later. If you are flying on an evening flight from New York (and other US East Coast destinations), you can also dine before you board at the Galleries Lounge if you’re travelling in Club World or First.

My seat was an aisle 14G on the right-hand side, which was very comfortable and oddly not as exposed as 14D (also an aisle seat). Once again, the service I received from the crew was excellent, and the flight was relaxing.

We were served dinner promptly (I had a fresh seasonal salad, followed by goat’s cheese tortellini and lemon tart. Probably a little too much before bed, but the Hahn Winery Pinot Noir helped to relax me.

Once I’d made up my bed with the mattress, 2 pillows and duvet, I was out like a light. Fortunately, no one next to me across the aisle was chatting, so I had a great sleep.

I opted for a coffee in the morning – BA has partnered with the award-winning Hand Roasted Union coffee out of East London – specially designed to tickle the taste buds at altitude. This is high-quality Arabica from Central and South America and has a sweet, almost choco flavour. You can now buy the coffee at the BA Avios store.

Both my inbound and outbound BA Club World business class flights to Newark from Heathrow were very good. The captains made clear announcements and kept us regularly informed without being intrusive.

Both flights were relatively smooth, with excellent landings. More than can be said for a recent Ryanair (rookie pilot?) flight I was on last week to Carcassone, but that’s another story!

On landing at LHR, I made a beeline for BA’s Galleries Arrival Lounge in Terminal 5. They have a fantastic shower complex here, plus a good breakfast selection and an Elemis Spa.

Again, I made the most of my 15-minute free treatment and chose a facial. Suitably refreshed and sated, I made my way towards the Heathrow Express – after an excellent flight with BA.

I was very impressed by the upgrade in service that BA now offers in its Club World Business Class. Seats were comfortable and supportive, and my little pod – although not as generous and exclusive as BA’s business class product out of London’s City Airport – felt cosy and private.

The White Company bedwear and amenities are great, too, and I liked the improved menu and table settings. However, it was the superb service from the excellent crew that was the highlight of my return flights and made them so enjoyable—relaxed yet very professional, very attentive, and smiling. Makes such a difference.

Well done, BA – now keep it up! Once your customers have used up their Avios, they are going to vote with their feet. Many of us would love to see BA Fly the Flag again and make us proud of our national carrier airline.

For more information on British Airways Club World Business Class, click here.