My BA companion voucher is expiring soon, and I have a few errands to run in the States (such as opening a checking account), therefore I’m flying to San Francisco for a long weekend. This will also be the first time I’m experiencing BA’s new business class – Club Suite, which was introduced back in 2019.
Even though it’s been five years since its launch, not all BA aircraft have been retrofitted, so there’s still a chance of ending up with the older Club World on their long-haul flights. That’s exactly what happened to me on the way back, and will happen again on my upcoming trip to Shanghai.
At Heathrow’s Terminal 5, business class check-in is located at the northern end, while first-class passengers have the more exclusive First Wing at the opposite end.
After spending some time in the Galleries lounge I’m ready to board. A few photos of the Club Suite cabin:
As a comparison, I also took some photos of the Club World cabin on my return flight :p
BA’s Club Suite is based on Collins Aerospace’s Super Diamond design – which is a very popular choice and can be found on many airlines including Cathay, Saudia and Air China – but with an added door for improved privacy.
All seats are angled, with the middle pair facing each other and featuring a retractable divider, while the window seats face the cabin wall.
The tray table stows away underneath the screen and can be pulled out smoothly.
Behind me there’s a side storage cabinet with bottled water and an amenity kit. There’s also a recessed storage area with power outlets.
In front below there’s a small basket for convenience. The overhead stowage is huge and shared by only two passengers – in a word there’s definitely enough space for everyone.
The armrest by the aisle is adjustable.
My BA Bronze was close to expiring, but had not yet, just in time for me to select the first row for free. The only difference is this platform in front of seat on which you may place some stuff during the flight.
The amenity kit, branded The White Company, looks nice but feels fairly average in terms of quality.
BA has been trying to innovate in the last years when it comes to safety videos, and I remember the first version which featured many celebrities and was excessively long. I quite like the current one though, which is set in the Medieval England and quite fun.
The in-flight entertainment system has a solid selection, including an amusing “Anti-Valentine” category.
When I say “solid” I seriously mean it – it took me ages to scroll through the “World” category alone, where I found many Chinese, Indian and Japanese films.
And here’s the menu:
Ever since British Airways switched catering contract to Do & Co I have found their food supply generally satisfactory. It is not necessarily always great, but at least above average and that’s to someone like me who doesn’t usually enjoy western cuisine.
Having finished the meal it’s time for me to test out the sleeping experience.
The door shuts almost entirely, leaving only a tiny gap for safety reasons. It provides a great sense of privacy, making it easy to relax and sleep comfortably.
A word about Wi-Fi: on the outbound flight their device was broken and we had no Wi-Fi at all for the entire flight which was quite annoying, especially given how many business travellers there must have been on board. On my way back the Wi-Fi was working, and because it’s a red-eye I only used the free package for messaging.
Comparing BA’s new Club Suite to Virgin Atlantic’s latest upper class cabin, I find it difficult to pick a clear winner. Virgin’s cabin has a more modern and stylish feel, but BA stands out in terms of catering and in-flight entertainment. Overall, I think BA’s Club Suite is a solid business class product, and I hope to see they roll it out to more routes – especially China, which I frequently travel to.
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