The British Airways Premium Experience (Part 2)
Aug 11, 2008, 7:03 am
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The British Airways Premium Experience (Part 2)
The British Airways Premium Experience (Part 2)
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Introduction
STOP! This is Part 2 of a two part trip report. Have you read Part 1 yet? If not, please read that trip report first - click here. If you have already read Part 1, welcome back!
I apologise that some of the following images are a little (and in some cases, very) blurred due to the fact that I didn’t use flash for the majority of them (to avoid disturbing other passengers and attracting attention).
USA Pre-Departure
Our six days in New York City were spent doing just about everything the average tourist does, including visiting all the famous sights (and some of the infamous ones). Our seven nights at the Ritz-Carlton, Central Park were almost faultless – the hotel is small enough to be personal but doesn’t lack any of the amenities of the larger five star hotels. Our room was perhaps the largest I’ve ever stayed in (we had booked a standard room but were upgraded to a corner suite). Although the view was of a brick wall and hence the room was fairly dark, we were not left in any way wanting for floor space and the bathroom was practically the same size as the bedroom! Service was very efficient, and with the exception of one rude waitress in the Star Lounge, everyone was fairly pleasant. Our one large complaint is the cost of food and drink if you eat in the hotel – our meals averaged out at USD$80 for breakfast and USD$110 for dinner (prices for two people). These prices aside, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the hotel if you’re after a luxury hotel in NYC.
On our final sixth day, as 19:00 neared (24 hours before our flight), we needed to check-in online. As BA doesn’t allow non-status passengers on restrictive fares to allocate seats in advance of check-in (with the exception of passengers holding a First ticket), it was necessary to check-in as early as possible to gain the greatest choice of seats. As I don’t believe you should have to pay for Internet access in a hotel, and as the Ritz-Carlton was charging USD$10 for 15 minutes, I had the novel idea of borrowing Apple’s Internet connection.
So it was that we found ourselves in the Apple store on Fifth Avenue (just a short stroll from the Ritz-Carlton), utilising one of their Macs. Before I get bombarded with comments of ‘that’s stealing’, the Apple store is an interactive shop where customers are free to use the products on display (and I had earlier in the week splashed out on an iPod Touch).
Unfortunately, all three Club World (business class) cabins were almost full, with the upper deck of the B747 only having a few single seats left and the forward main deck cabin having only some middle seats left. The seats which we had been allocated by the computer, and the seats which we ended up accepting were 20AB, on the left hand side of the very last row in the rear Club World cabin. With hindsight, it would perhaps have been better to go for the two middle seats in the forward cabin – but more of that later...
Inbound
Route: JFK (T7) – LHR (T5)
Date: Tuesday 15th July 2008 (arriving Wednesday 16th July 2008)
Airline: British Airways
Flight Number: BA0174
Aircraft Type: B747-436
Aircraft Registration: G-CIVX (1998)
Seats: 20A, 20B
Class: Club World
Check-In & Security
Despite our flight not departing until 19:00, we got to the airport at around 12:00 due to the fact that we had to be out of the hotel room fairly promptly, and we’d got that ‘going home’ feeling that always descends at the end of a holiday. The hotel doorman hailed a taxi for us, although we did have to wait a while for it to turn up due to some of the roads around Central Park being closed for a baseball parade. Interestingly, the taxi we had was installed with a touchscreen TV where you could catch up on the daily news and watch your (slow) progress on a moving map. I don’t know how many taxis have these TVs installed, but they’re certainly handy features. Our route to JFK took us right past LGA, allowing several very close up views of departing aircraft.
On arrival at JFK Terminal 7, we made our way over to the left hand end of the terminal where the entrance for First and Club World check-in is located. The premium check-in area is a separate hall away from the main check-in hall, and is split into two parts. The front part is where most oneworld premium check-in happens, along with BA Club World check-in. The second half is where BA First check-in is located (the old Concorde check-in area) and where the entrance to FastTrack security is. As we had arrived so early, the area was almost completely deserted, except for a few people at the oneworld ticketing desks on the left hand side. We strolled up to the Club World desks, to be met by curious glances from some Cathay Pacific employees. We announced we were here for the BA0174, to which one of the CX check-in staff muttered something about being too early. Now I knew that check-in for the afternoon BA flights opened at 10:00, so after a short wait a BA staff member gestured us round to the main check-in area, where she had a desk open.
The main check-in hall was also pretty deserted at this time, and I suppose it would be at most times given that there are only nine airlines and three subsidiaries operating out of T7 to just 17 destinations. We were checked in within two minutes – faster than at the BA First desks at LHR T5! I did enquire whether we would get priority baggage tags, as I had noticed that none had been applied on our outbound trip. Apparently the barcode on the bag identifies the bag as priority, so no separate tag is needed. The efficient and friendly check-in agent directed us to the Terraces lounge and wished us a pleasant flight.
As the premium check-in area had looked pretty closed, we assumed that FastTrack security was also closed, and so joined the one, very short queue at standard security. Although there must be at least six lanes, only one (the ‘crew and terminal staff’ lane) was open. This wasn’t a problem however, as there were only five or so people in front of us. The infamous TSA security agents did their job as only they can (ie. lots of shouting, directing, manhandling, gesturing and threatening stares). Luckily we both made it through alive, and were on our way to the Terraces lounge with our dignity just about still intact.
Lounges & Boarding
There are three lounges at JFK T7 which oneworld passengers can use – all operated by BA. All three have not yet been refurbished into the Galleries concept, but will be over the coming months. There are plans also to refurbish the check-in area, providing a drive-through experience for First passengers and Gold members. At the far end of the terminal is the Concorde Room, open to BA and Qantas First passengers. Just after security, after passing up an escalator, going back on yourself at the duty free shop and then up another mini escalator are the First and Terraces lounges, together with the Star Alliance United Red Carpet Club. The First lounge is available to oneworld First passengers and Gold members (as well as oneworld elites), whilst the Terraces lounge is available to Club World/business class and Silver members (as well as oneworld elites). Hence we made our way up to the First/Terraces lounge area to be met by a friendly lounge agent at the desk who informed us that the Elemis Travel Spa would open at 16:00 and pre-flight supper at 16:30. He directed us to the right (the Terraces lounge) and wished us a pleasant stay. The First lounge is to the left of the desk.
Upon entering the lounge it is very apparent how dated the decor is looking. The lounge is one of the larger Terraces on the BA network, but disappointingly does not offer any views (unless a car park access ramp and a wall count). The lounge appeared clean and tidy, and there were plenty of staff members on hand to clear tables and keep the place running smoothly. The furnishings appear to be in a relatively good condition, but I do wonder whose idea it was to put sun-loungers and parasols inside the lounge – they just look pretty daft (especially as the same design is employed throughout the Terraces lounges – regardless of the country and climate!). To emphasise this bizarre ‘at the beach’ appearance, there are plenty of potted plants and hideously multicoloured rugs.
On entering the lounge from the reception, there is a coat storage area on the left and a dingy overflow seating area on the right. Straight ahead is the Elemis Travel Spa, whilst on the right is the business area and more seating.
Elemis Travel Spa
Looking over to the business area
One of the seating areas in front of the Elemis Travel Spa
Seating area beyond the business area
Looking over to the corridor to the main lounge area
To the left is a wide corridor with washrooms on the left and a self-service eating area on the right.
Wide corridor with the main lounge area at the end
Self-service eating area in the corridor
The corridor opens up to the main lounge area at the end with the pre-flight supper room in the corner to the left, a cinema room (previously the smoking room), two bars and numerous seating areas. The lounge is by no means luxurious (this is, after all, a business class lounge) but is a functional space.
One of the two bars in the main lounge area
Another view of the bar. The door in the corner with the ‘Exit’ sign is a staff entrance to the First lounge next door
Main Terraces lounge area with the cinema room on the right and the entrance to the pre-flight supper room beyond
Main Terraces lounge area
Main Terraces lounge area
Main Terraces lounge area
Fountain in the main lounge area, with one of the bars behind
We found a nice corner in which to sit next to an outdoor balcony (the entrance to which was locked). The quality of their hot chocolate was excellent(!), and the range of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages was superb. Champagne was not out, but there was a sign saying it was available on request. Very much like my experience at Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge in Vancouver last year, the food selection (for lunch) was really quite poor. A few sandwich selections and noodles were the only ‘main’ courses, with just fruit, crisps or a few biscuit varieties available as dessert/snacks. A guest book is provided on the way out of the lounge, which I perused through at one point and found many comments regarding the lack of food items for lunch.
After a bite to eat, I headed over to the business area to catch up on emails and also to visit FlyerTalk.
Catching up with FlyerTalk in the business area
In real contrast to the lightning-fast connection in the Concorde Room at LHR T5, the Internet connection here was unbelievably slow, reminding me of those long ago dial-up days! I remembered to print the route directions from Heathrow to our home village for use once we’d arrived in the UK. The multifunction device in the corner of the business area looked like it was just for faxes, and didn’t seem to be doing anything, even though I had sent the route directions to print - perhaps someone in a back office somewhere in JFK is now holding these directions and would like to mail them to me (they have my address, after all!)? Every cloud has a silver lining though, and fortunately the very pleasant lounge agent allowed me through to the First lounge to use the PCs and printer there. Yes, you read that right folks, I was allowed access to an airport lounge without the proper credentials.
The First lounge is about three-quarters of the size of the Terraces lounge, and has even less natural light, making is quite dark. The only noticeable difference apart from this was the decor, which matched the cinema room in the Terraces lounge – black and dark brown leather and dark wood panelling around the bar (a typical BA First lounge). The food and beverage selection appeared very much the same as in the Terraces lounge. I managed to find the PCs hidden away in the far corner of the lounge, and successfully printed off the route directions. Passing the desk on the way back to the Terraces lounge, I thanked the lounge agent who said if I needed to print anything off again, just to pop back through to the First lounge without asking. Excellent customer service.
Throughout our almost seven hours in the lounge, we did have a wander around the main terminal departure and gate area, which was surprisingly small. There are only 12 gates at T7, the entrances to which are just off the main departure lounge, making the seating areas serve a dual purpose as gate lounges as well. There are some good views of docked aircraft at the gates and of two of the runways.
On one of these wanders around the terminal, I walked right to the far end and stumbled across the Concorde Room. A couple of passengers appeared to be trying to get into the lounge, and after a few moments they walked back the other way, after much hand-gesturing by the Concorde Room lounge agent. I wondered whether perhaps they had been turned away as they were in business class or non-BA/QF First. I made my way back to the lounge, stopping off at a few outlets and also to watch some of the aircraft movements on the tarmac. When I got back to the First/Terraces reception, the couple I’d seen trying to get into the Concorde Room were at the desk, and were directed over to the Terraces side!
After six and a half hours in the lounge, it was time to board. There are so few flights at T7 that gate allocations can occur hours in advance, and our boarding passes had stated ‘Gate 4’ at check-in. I had been checking the departure boards just to make sure there wasn’t a gate change, which there wasn’t.
Departure board in the Terraces lounge
We made the short walk to Gate 4 and arrived at the gate at around 18:30 for an 18:40 closing time. The gate area was completely packed, but thankfully a FastTrack line had been set up at the side of the gate, and we waltzed on after the boarding card inspection. There was only one airbridge, connected to door 1L. This actually goes against BA’s policy on widebody aircraft of using door 2L for embarkation and 1L for disembarkation. The theory behind this is that on embarking, there is less traffic going through the forward Club World cabin on 70J seat 747s and through the First cabin on four class 777s. On disembarking, First passengers can be the first off the aircraft – especially important on 747s where there are no doors at the front of the First cabin!
Onboard
At door 1L, we were greeted by name (something which didn’t happen at the door when we were in First on the outbound) and pointed in the direction of our seats. As explained earlier, we had seats 20AB, which are in the last row of the last Club World cabin, just before doors 3LR.
There are two incarnations of Club World on BA aircraft. Next Generation Club World (NGCW) is the newest version, fitted to all B747 aircraft and currently rolling out across the B777 fleet. On the other B777s and the longhaul B767s is New Club World (NCW), which are now the old style business class seats! These seats are in the same backwards-forwards configuration as NGCW, but are more rounded in design and have less privacy. NCW is a blue colour scheme, as opposed to a grey colour scheme in NGCW. NGCW also features the Club Kitchen, where passengers can help themselves to drinks and snacks throughout the flight. A slightly bizarre addition to the NGCW cabins are lampshades fitted above the centre seats on the main deck and on the bulkheads.
Rear Club World cabin on the main deck of this B747
Rear Club World cabin on the main deck of this B747
Seat 19D, a forward facing Club World seat
As we got to our seats, a flight attendant offered us champagne, orange juice or water, to which I took orange juice and my mother champagne. The flight attendant also offered us an amenity kit, at which point I remembered that I’d stupidly forgotten to take my First pyjamas away with me from the outbound flight. I cheekily asked the FA whether there would be a spare pair, and showed him my outbound boarding card just in case he wondered whether I was pulling a fast one. He said he would have a look to see if there were any spare. Menus were also presented at this time, to enable passengers to make a quick decision if they wanted to sleep later on in the flight.
Pre-departure orange juice in seat 20A, a rear-facing window seat (as all window seats are in CW)
Scene just before pushback
One of the unfortunate things of being in the last row of Club World is that you only have two windows, as opposed to three at most other Club World seats. Just before pushback, I was aware of a commotion behind me and turned around to see several flight attendants pushing kitchen paper into the air conditioning grill above the seat behind me (or the seat in front of me, as I was sitting facing the rear of the aircraft). Some kind of liquid (presumably just condensation droplets) was dripping from the grill onto the passenger in seat 19A. It’s at times like these that you hope some of the more vital liquids onboard are still in their correct containers!
We pushed back dead on time at 19:00 and made a relatively short taxi to runway 22R. The takeoff roll was quite long, and didn’t appear as fast as it does in the nose, presumably due to being over the wing and not being able to see the ground so close. Shortly after takeoff, further drinks were offered. I asked for an apple juice, which was served with macadamia nuts (in a bag, as opposed to in a dish). The nuts are organic, but the salt on them is not!
Apple juice and macadamia nuts
Shortly after this service, menu choices for dinner were taken. The menu was as follows;
Menu – Dinner
Starter
Mixed green salad with grilled asparagus, truffles, Reggiano Parmesan cheese and cucumber
Main
Seared fillet of beef with ratatouille and potato cake
Herbed breast of chicken with organic ginger sauce, Mediterranean vegetable flan and wilted spinach
Ravioli di quattro formaggi with roast pepper and smoked Mozzarella cheese
Goodnight Express
Warm olive oil bread filled with seared chicken, Swiss cheese, grilled aubergine and courgette with a roast tomato and Mozzarella cheese spread
Dessert
Lemon cheese cake with berry compote
Kilchurn Estate Pure Cheddar and Herbed Brie cheese with rhubarb ginger preserve
Hot chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies
There was also a full bar service and the Club Kitchen, as detailed earlier, was also available.
One starter appears a bit stingy in business class. I would have opted for the Goodnight Express as the main, but as it included so much cheese I chose the chicken instead.
One we’d reached 10,000ft, the AVOD IFE was switched on. Typically, it lasted all of 10 minutes before dying. The CSD announced that due to a technical fault the system would have to be rebooted, which would take a further 30 minutes. Although no further announcements were made, the AVOD functionality never did return and we were left with only a few looped channels to watch. Thankfully, the moving map was still available and as it was a night flight, I hadn’t planned on watching a film anyway. IFE failing is an all too common occurrence on BA (and probably on many other airlines too), and desperately needs to be fixed permanently in order to keep returning customers.
At this point I tested out all of the seat’s features. The seat can transform into a variety of different positions, including pre-set and custom positions. There is a reading light which can be adjusted by position or by brightness, and a handy two-part folding table which is of the same design as in First, only smaller and of a different colour. The fairly large AVOD screen comes out from the dividing partition between the two seats, as does the table. There is an electronic privacy screen between the two seats, but this must be down for takeoff and landing and means you could look directly into the other passengers’ face, which isn’t very private at all.
Despite all its functions, there is a severe lack of storage space in main deck CW seats. On the upper deck, window seats have a locker between the seat and the side wall, but on the main deck there are only the overhead bins or a small laptop/shoe locker in the side of the seat. Plenty of space is available between the seat and the side wall, so why a shelf wasn’t included in the design is a mystery. The other negative comment I have to make about these seats is that they are really quite narrow. Despite having the same seat pitch as First (78”), the width is several inches narrower which is quite restrictive when trying to sleep. The gap between the side wall and the seat is wide enough to lose items down, such as a watch or book, and creates an open space to the seat behind (19A, in my case), which once again doesn’t feel very private.
I noticed on several occasions that passengers found it extremely difficult to gain access to the centre middle seats (the configuration on the main deck is 2-4-2), as when the outer passengers are sleeping and have their footstalls down, it is cumbersome to clamber over the passengers and then squeeze through to your seat. The crew also appeared to have difficulty in serving passengers in window or middle seats, as they were trying not to disturb the passengers in the aisle seats.
Sitting in a window seat at night, with the shades down and the privacy screen up, is actually quite claustrophobic. Moreover, I found it disorientating to be flying backwards, especially during takeoff, climb, approach and landing. This is all subjective however, and depends on personal taste. By trying to squeeze in an extra seat in each row by using a backward-forwards 2-4-2 configuration, BA make their business class cabins on the main deck feel much less exclusive than they otherwise might. An all-forward facing 2-3-2 configuration (such as Qantas use) would perhaps go some way to alleviate the problems I’ve described. I have no doubt that the upper deck is much more comfortable and private, but BA’s idiotic seating policy of not letting all business class customers choose their seats before online check-in prevents securing such seats on busy routes.
Dinner was served around one hour into the flight, with the cheesecake dessert being presented with the starter! Come on BA, this really is not acceptable in a business class cabin.
Starter and dessert presented together...
Chicken main course
A basket of bread rolls was presented to start the dinner service, although there was no plate on which to put your roll! Whilst the starter was not particularly tasty and a bit greasy, the main course of chicken turned out to be really quite good. It was served piping hot, which is always a good sign. The cheesecake was pretty tasteless, ending what wasn’t a fantastic dinner service by any means but acceptable given it was a night flight and this is not first class. The crew were excellent throughout the dinner service, although a little less efficient than I’ve previously experienced but no less professional.
We were asked whether we would like anything else to eat or drink and I requested a hot chocolate and was offered a small box of two Lily O’Brien’s chocolates. The stewardess couldn’t believe that I didn’t want cream or marshmallows with the hot chocolate, and had to ask me again to make sure I didn’t!
Hot chocolate, cold chocolates and cold amenity kit
There was a fantastic sunset-sunrise (it never did get totally dark), and I managed to snap a picture also capturing the reflection of one of those bizarre lampshades in the CW cabin.
Sunset-sunrise with a lampshade reflected in the window
The cabin (and no doubt most of the plane) went to sleep after the meal service. It appeared that the FA whom I had asked about the First pyjamas had forgotten to ask whether there were any free, but I wasn’t too fussed and didn’t bother asking again. A blanket and cushion is provided, but there was no pillow. The seat goes completely flat, but is quite bumpy when in this position, unlike the First seat. I actually found it more comfortable to lie on top of the blanket, but was then left wanting another blanket to put on top of me. On top of the storage issues I described above, when the seat is flat you cannot access the laptop/shoe drawer, and so you are left with nowhere to put items such as a water bottle, book or your watch. I tried valiantly to get some shut-eye, but the noise of the engines was unbelievably loud because we were right on top of the wing. I dozed for around an hour, but then got tired of being unable to sleep (if you’ll pardon the pun) and got up for a wander around the aircraft.
Initially I went up to the Club Kitchen to get an orange juice, and later I walked to the back of the aircraft to stretch my legs. The load in World Traveller (economy) was almost 100%, but World Traveller Plus (premium economy) had all of five passengers in it. Out of interest, I tried out one of the WTP seats and found the legroom to be surprisingly spacious.
Back at my seat in the CW cabin, the flight information display had shown a speed consistently in excess of 600mph, with a very strong tailwind. The cabin crew were rushed off their feet to get the breakfast service finished before descent, and so the lights were turned back on in the cabin at 00:00 New York time after only 2.5 hours of darkness. Feeling pretty jetlagged by now, I wasn’t at all hungry although I did pick at some cornflakes which were terribly soggy and tasted horribly sweet.
Breakfast service on BA0174
For completeness, here is the breakfast menu;
Menu – Breakfast
Starters
Chilled orange juice and ruby grapefruit juice
An energising fruit smoothie
Fresh seasonal fruit
Cereals with chilled milk
Bakery
A selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries
Warm bacon roll
Tea, including herbal varieties, and coffee was also available.
There are only three CW toilets on the main deck for 50 passengers, and so unsurprisingly a queue formed as soon as the captain announced the seatbelt sign would be going on shortly for our descent into Heathrow. The seatbelt sign did go on while many passengers were still in this queue (me being one of them), and we just continued to queue while the (by now) very harassed looking FAs tried to clear the galleys of the breakfast service equipment.
During our descent through the stormy-looking clouds, the captain announced that he expected to be on stand at T5 by 06:30 London time, some 60 minutes earlier than planned due to the very strong tail wind.
Turning on descent into Heathrow
Turning on descent into Heathrow
It appeared as though we were dumping fuel in the stack before joining the approach pattern, and several other aircraft could be seen in the vicinity circling and waiting their turn to land.
Passing over Central London (not that I could see any of it due to very dense low cloud), we landed onto runway 27R and again braked rather sharply to quickly turn off in the T3 area. Interestingly an aircraft appeared to takeoff after us on 27R, which is unusual in that normally one runway is used exclusively for takeoffs and the other for landings. Perhaps we were landing at the runway switchover time, or the aircraft taking off was a VIP aircraft being fast tracked out of Heathrow.
On the long taxi to T5, the captain explained why we had landed an hour early and welcomed us to London or welcomed us home, whichever was the case. Pulling up at the gate at T5B, our British Airways premium experience was almost over.
Arrival & Lounge
We disembarked through door 1L after a short wait for the upper deck CW passengers to make their way downstairs. I thanked the crew as we walked through the galleys and set foot on UK soil once again. Arrival at the satellite T5B entails a lengthy walk and train transit to the main terminal T5A. It feels like you go back on yourself several times and travel up and down innumerable escalators, but eventually we emerged into the baggage reclaim hall after passing through immigration. There is no FastTrack immigration for UK passport-holders.
BA A321 parked at the satellite T5B
Baggage reclaim hall in T5A
Although our reclaim belt (number 9, I think) proclaimed ‘Awaiting bags’, there was a steady stream coming through the hole in the wall, which turned out to be bags for a flight from another destination. Eventually, as the screens turned to ‘Bags arriving’, ours were amongst the first off (a rare moment of priority barcodes working on BA!), and although my suitcase looked as though it had been through several wars, I was just too tired/jetlagged to complain. I noticed that there was a dedicated First/Club customer service desk in the baggage reclaim hall which would have been helpful if I’d felt up to complaining.
We walked out through the ‘Nothing to declare’ customs channel, passing unmanned inspection benches and scanners (although the multitude of mirrors on the walls made it certain we were being watched), and out into the arrivals landside area of T5.
Escalators up to Galleries Arrivals (picture taken from the lounge)
Within ten minutes of arriving in the reclaim hall, we had made our way up to Galleries Arrivals, open to First and Club World passengers and Gold members arriving on a longhaul flight. The lounge is furnished in almost exactly the same decor as the Galleries Clubs, and features an Elemis Travel Spa, Hydrotherapy Zone (shower suites), business area, Buffet Bar and the Concorde Breakfast Room, which is a waiter service breakfast room for First passengers only.
Entrance to Galleries Arrivals
After retrieving our wash bags from our suitcases and handing the suitcases over to the agent at the luggage store in the lounge, we checked in and made our way over to the Hydrotherapy Zone for a much-needed shower.
Entrance to the Hydrotherapy Zone
The lady manning the entrance desk to the Hydrotherapy Zone seemed in a particularly bad mood, which is really not what you want to be greeted by after a long night flight. After waiting for around ten minutes, two shower suites became free and we made our way into the ‘Zone’.
Inside the Hydrotherapy Zone – the white doors are entrances to individual shower suites
The shower suites are colour and number co-ordinated, and I presume are divided into male and female sections. Each suite has a power shower with several water jets from different angles, a wash basin and a toilet. After it was discovered that water from the shower leaked into the wash basin/toilet area of the suite, BA decided to proclaim the suites as ‘wet rooms’, rather than trying to fix the problem. As a result, if you don’t put your bags etc. on the rather narrow shelf, they are likely to get soaking wet. The drain in my shower cubicle gurgled quite violently throughout the shower, which was quite disconcerting!
Terrible picture of inside one of the male shower suites
Whilst listening to Terry Wogan’s Radio 2 breakfast show, I made myself a bit more presentable and went back out into the main lounge area for a bit of recuperating.
News Zone
News Zone
News Zone
Buffet Bar
Looking over to the Buffet Bar from the Elemis Travel Spa area
Work & Entertainment Zone
Elemis Travel Spa in Galleries Arrivals
Elemis Travel Spa in Galleries Arrivals
Elemis Travel Spa in Galleries Arrivals
Elemis Travel Spa in Galleries Arrivals
The breakfast selection in the Buffet Bar is pretty comprehensive, and offers both hot and cold items. After a bit of cereal and some coffee, it was time to leave Galleries Arrivals behind and make the long drive home after a truly fantastic week in New York.
JFK-LHR Sector Verdict
The ground experience at JFK, whilst currently lacking the ‘wow factor’ of LHR Terminal 5, is perfectly adequate for a business class service. Galleries Arrivals at T5 is a fantastic area in which to recuperate after a long flight and certainly went a little way to appease my jetlag. However, I was left feeling underwhelmed by the Club World onboard experience, particularly by the lack of privacy, noise of the aircraft (being unable to choose seats in advance of check-in) and awkward design of the seats. Was this underwhelmed feeling due to having just experienced First - I think so, but there are inherent design flaws with the CW seat which I feel detract from the experience. This sector in BA Club World gets a 6/10 from me.
The British Airways Premium Experience Overall Verdict
British Airways has two solid products in First and Club World. Without a doubt, the outbound First flight was exceptional, with the level of service and exclusivity something I have not had the pleasure of experiencing before. On a day flight (or seated on the upper deck), the Club World onboard product would perhaps be far more comfortable, but for a night flight on the main deck, I didn’t find it conducive to sleep. Would I fly BA again? Absolutely. I’ll just have to save up those miles for First...
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Introduction
STOP! This is Part 2 of a two part trip report. Have you read Part 1 yet? If not, please read that trip report first - click here. If you have already read Part 1, welcome back!
I apologise that some of the following images are a little (and in some cases, very) blurred due to the fact that I didn’t use flash for the majority of them (to avoid disturbing other passengers and attracting attention).
USA Pre-Departure
Our six days in New York City were spent doing just about everything the average tourist does, including visiting all the famous sights (and some of the infamous ones). Our seven nights at the Ritz-Carlton, Central Park were almost faultless – the hotel is small enough to be personal but doesn’t lack any of the amenities of the larger five star hotels. Our room was perhaps the largest I’ve ever stayed in (we had booked a standard room but were upgraded to a corner suite). Although the view was of a brick wall and hence the room was fairly dark, we were not left in any way wanting for floor space and the bathroom was practically the same size as the bedroom! Service was very efficient, and with the exception of one rude waitress in the Star Lounge, everyone was fairly pleasant. Our one large complaint is the cost of food and drink if you eat in the hotel – our meals averaged out at USD$80 for breakfast and USD$110 for dinner (prices for two people). These prices aside, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the hotel if you’re after a luxury hotel in NYC.
On our final sixth day, as 19:00 neared (24 hours before our flight), we needed to check-in online. As BA doesn’t allow non-status passengers on restrictive fares to allocate seats in advance of check-in (with the exception of passengers holding a First ticket), it was necessary to check-in as early as possible to gain the greatest choice of seats. As I don’t believe you should have to pay for Internet access in a hotel, and as the Ritz-Carlton was charging USD$10 for 15 minutes, I had the novel idea of borrowing Apple’s Internet connection.
So it was that we found ourselves in the Apple store on Fifth Avenue (just a short stroll from the Ritz-Carlton), utilising one of their Macs. Before I get bombarded with comments of ‘that’s stealing’, the Apple store is an interactive shop where customers are free to use the products on display (and I had earlier in the week splashed out on an iPod Touch).
Unfortunately, all three Club World (business class) cabins were almost full, with the upper deck of the B747 only having a few single seats left and the forward main deck cabin having only some middle seats left. The seats which we had been allocated by the computer, and the seats which we ended up accepting were 20AB, on the left hand side of the very last row in the rear Club World cabin. With hindsight, it would perhaps have been better to go for the two middle seats in the forward cabin – but more of that later...
Inbound
Route: JFK (T7) – LHR (T5)
Date: Tuesday 15th July 2008 (arriving Wednesday 16th July 2008)
Airline: British Airways
Flight Number: BA0174
Aircraft Type: B747-436
Aircraft Registration: G-CIVX (1998)
Seats: 20A, 20B
Class: Club World
Check-In & Security
Despite our flight not departing until 19:00, we got to the airport at around 12:00 due to the fact that we had to be out of the hotel room fairly promptly, and we’d got that ‘going home’ feeling that always descends at the end of a holiday. The hotel doorman hailed a taxi for us, although we did have to wait a while for it to turn up due to some of the roads around Central Park being closed for a baseball parade. Interestingly, the taxi we had was installed with a touchscreen TV where you could catch up on the daily news and watch your (slow) progress on a moving map. I don’t know how many taxis have these TVs installed, but they’re certainly handy features. Our route to JFK took us right past LGA, allowing several very close up views of departing aircraft.
On arrival at JFK Terminal 7, we made our way over to the left hand end of the terminal where the entrance for First and Club World check-in is located. The premium check-in area is a separate hall away from the main check-in hall, and is split into two parts. The front part is where most oneworld premium check-in happens, along with BA Club World check-in. The second half is where BA First check-in is located (the old Concorde check-in area) and where the entrance to FastTrack security is. As we had arrived so early, the area was almost completely deserted, except for a few people at the oneworld ticketing desks on the left hand side. We strolled up to the Club World desks, to be met by curious glances from some Cathay Pacific employees. We announced we were here for the BA0174, to which one of the CX check-in staff muttered something about being too early. Now I knew that check-in for the afternoon BA flights opened at 10:00, so after a short wait a BA staff member gestured us round to the main check-in area, where she had a desk open.
The main check-in hall was also pretty deserted at this time, and I suppose it would be at most times given that there are only nine airlines and three subsidiaries operating out of T7 to just 17 destinations. We were checked in within two minutes – faster than at the BA First desks at LHR T5! I did enquire whether we would get priority baggage tags, as I had noticed that none had been applied on our outbound trip. Apparently the barcode on the bag identifies the bag as priority, so no separate tag is needed. The efficient and friendly check-in agent directed us to the Terraces lounge and wished us a pleasant flight.
As the premium check-in area had looked pretty closed, we assumed that FastTrack security was also closed, and so joined the one, very short queue at standard security. Although there must be at least six lanes, only one (the ‘crew and terminal staff’ lane) was open. This wasn’t a problem however, as there were only five or so people in front of us. The infamous TSA security agents did their job as only they can (ie. lots of shouting, directing, manhandling, gesturing and threatening stares). Luckily we both made it through alive, and were on our way to the Terraces lounge with our dignity just about still intact.
Lounges & Boarding
There are three lounges at JFK T7 which oneworld passengers can use – all operated by BA. All three have not yet been refurbished into the Galleries concept, but will be over the coming months. There are plans also to refurbish the check-in area, providing a drive-through experience for First passengers and Gold members. At the far end of the terminal is the Concorde Room, open to BA and Qantas First passengers. Just after security, after passing up an escalator, going back on yourself at the duty free shop and then up another mini escalator are the First and Terraces lounges, together with the Star Alliance United Red Carpet Club. The First lounge is available to oneworld First passengers and Gold members (as well as oneworld elites), whilst the Terraces lounge is available to Club World/business class and Silver members (as well as oneworld elites). Hence we made our way up to the First/Terraces lounge area to be met by a friendly lounge agent at the desk who informed us that the Elemis Travel Spa would open at 16:00 and pre-flight supper at 16:30. He directed us to the right (the Terraces lounge) and wished us a pleasant stay. The First lounge is to the left of the desk.
Upon entering the lounge it is very apparent how dated the decor is looking. The lounge is one of the larger Terraces on the BA network, but disappointingly does not offer any views (unless a car park access ramp and a wall count). The lounge appeared clean and tidy, and there were plenty of staff members on hand to clear tables and keep the place running smoothly. The furnishings appear to be in a relatively good condition, but I do wonder whose idea it was to put sun-loungers and parasols inside the lounge – they just look pretty daft (especially as the same design is employed throughout the Terraces lounges – regardless of the country and climate!). To emphasise this bizarre ‘at the beach’ appearance, there are plenty of potted plants and hideously multicoloured rugs.
On entering the lounge from the reception, there is a coat storage area on the left and a dingy overflow seating area on the right. Straight ahead is the Elemis Travel Spa, whilst on the right is the business area and more seating.
Elemis Travel Spa
Looking over to the business area
One of the seating areas in front of the Elemis Travel Spa
Seating area beyond the business area
Looking over to the corridor to the main lounge area
To the left is a wide corridor with washrooms on the left and a self-service eating area on the right.
Wide corridor with the main lounge area at the end
Self-service eating area in the corridor
The corridor opens up to the main lounge area at the end with the pre-flight supper room in the corner to the left, a cinema room (previously the smoking room), two bars and numerous seating areas. The lounge is by no means luxurious (this is, after all, a business class lounge) but is a functional space.
One of the two bars in the main lounge area
Another view of the bar. The door in the corner with the ‘Exit’ sign is a staff entrance to the First lounge next door
Main Terraces lounge area with the cinema room on the right and the entrance to the pre-flight supper room beyond
Main Terraces lounge area
Main Terraces lounge area
Main Terraces lounge area
Fountain in the main lounge area, with one of the bars behind
We found a nice corner in which to sit next to an outdoor balcony (the entrance to which was locked). The quality of their hot chocolate was excellent(!), and the range of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages was superb. Champagne was not out, but there was a sign saying it was available on request. Very much like my experience at Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge in Vancouver last year, the food selection (for lunch) was really quite poor. A few sandwich selections and noodles were the only ‘main’ courses, with just fruit, crisps or a few biscuit varieties available as dessert/snacks. A guest book is provided on the way out of the lounge, which I perused through at one point and found many comments regarding the lack of food items for lunch.
After a bite to eat, I headed over to the business area to catch up on emails and also to visit FlyerTalk.
Catching up with FlyerTalk in the business area
In real contrast to the lightning-fast connection in the Concorde Room at LHR T5, the Internet connection here was unbelievably slow, reminding me of those long ago dial-up days! I remembered to print the route directions from Heathrow to our home village for use once we’d arrived in the UK. The multifunction device in the corner of the business area looked like it was just for faxes, and didn’t seem to be doing anything, even though I had sent the route directions to print - perhaps someone in a back office somewhere in JFK is now holding these directions and would like to mail them to me (they have my address, after all!)? Every cloud has a silver lining though, and fortunately the very pleasant lounge agent allowed me through to the First lounge to use the PCs and printer there. Yes, you read that right folks, I was allowed access to an airport lounge without the proper credentials.
The First lounge is about three-quarters of the size of the Terraces lounge, and has even less natural light, making is quite dark. The only noticeable difference apart from this was the decor, which matched the cinema room in the Terraces lounge – black and dark brown leather and dark wood panelling around the bar (a typical BA First lounge). The food and beverage selection appeared very much the same as in the Terraces lounge. I managed to find the PCs hidden away in the far corner of the lounge, and successfully printed off the route directions. Passing the desk on the way back to the Terraces lounge, I thanked the lounge agent who said if I needed to print anything off again, just to pop back through to the First lounge without asking. Excellent customer service.
Throughout our almost seven hours in the lounge, we did have a wander around the main terminal departure and gate area, which was surprisingly small. There are only 12 gates at T7, the entrances to which are just off the main departure lounge, making the seating areas serve a dual purpose as gate lounges as well. There are some good views of docked aircraft at the gates and of two of the runways.
On one of these wanders around the terminal, I walked right to the far end and stumbled across the Concorde Room. A couple of passengers appeared to be trying to get into the lounge, and after a few moments they walked back the other way, after much hand-gesturing by the Concorde Room lounge agent. I wondered whether perhaps they had been turned away as they were in business class or non-BA/QF First. I made my way back to the lounge, stopping off at a few outlets and also to watch some of the aircraft movements on the tarmac. When I got back to the First/Terraces reception, the couple I’d seen trying to get into the Concorde Room were at the desk, and were directed over to the Terraces side!
After six and a half hours in the lounge, it was time to board. There are so few flights at T7 that gate allocations can occur hours in advance, and our boarding passes had stated ‘Gate 4’ at check-in. I had been checking the departure boards just to make sure there wasn’t a gate change, which there wasn’t.
Departure board in the Terraces lounge
We made the short walk to Gate 4 and arrived at the gate at around 18:30 for an 18:40 closing time. The gate area was completely packed, but thankfully a FastTrack line had been set up at the side of the gate, and we waltzed on after the boarding card inspection. There was only one airbridge, connected to door 1L. This actually goes against BA’s policy on widebody aircraft of using door 2L for embarkation and 1L for disembarkation. The theory behind this is that on embarking, there is less traffic going through the forward Club World cabin on 70J seat 747s and through the First cabin on four class 777s. On disembarking, First passengers can be the first off the aircraft – especially important on 747s where there are no doors at the front of the First cabin!
Onboard
At door 1L, we were greeted by name (something which didn’t happen at the door when we were in First on the outbound) and pointed in the direction of our seats. As explained earlier, we had seats 20AB, which are in the last row of the last Club World cabin, just before doors 3LR.
There are two incarnations of Club World on BA aircraft. Next Generation Club World (NGCW) is the newest version, fitted to all B747 aircraft and currently rolling out across the B777 fleet. On the other B777s and the longhaul B767s is New Club World (NCW), which are now the old style business class seats! These seats are in the same backwards-forwards configuration as NGCW, but are more rounded in design and have less privacy. NCW is a blue colour scheme, as opposed to a grey colour scheme in NGCW. NGCW also features the Club Kitchen, where passengers can help themselves to drinks and snacks throughout the flight. A slightly bizarre addition to the NGCW cabins are lampshades fitted above the centre seats on the main deck and on the bulkheads.
Rear Club World cabin on the main deck of this B747
Rear Club World cabin on the main deck of this B747
Seat 19D, a forward facing Club World seat
As we got to our seats, a flight attendant offered us champagne, orange juice or water, to which I took orange juice and my mother champagne. The flight attendant also offered us an amenity kit, at which point I remembered that I’d stupidly forgotten to take my First pyjamas away with me from the outbound flight. I cheekily asked the FA whether there would be a spare pair, and showed him my outbound boarding card just in case he wondered whether I was pulling a fast one. He said he would have a look to see if there were any spare. Menus were also presented at this time, to enable passengers to make a quick decision if they wanted to sleep later on in the flight.
Pre-departure orange juice in seat 20A, a rear-facing window seat (as all window seats are in CW)
Scene just before pushback
One of the unfortunate things of being in the last row of Club World is that you only have two windows, as opposed to three at most other Club World seats. Just before pushback, I was aware of a commotion behind me and turned around to see several flight attendants pushing kitchen paper into the air conditioning grill above the seat behind me (or the seat in front of me, as I was sitting facing the rear of the aircraft). Some kind of liquid (presumably just condensation droplets) was dripping from the grill onto the passenger in seat 19A. It’s at times like these that you hope some of the more vital liquids onboard are still in their correct containers!
We pushed back dead on time at 19:00 and made a relatively short taxi to runway 22R. The takeoff roll was quite long, and didn’t appear as fast as it does in the nose, presumably due to being over the wing and not being able to see the ground so close. Shortly after takeoff, further drinks were offered. I asked for an apple juice, which was served with macadamia nuts (in a bag, as opposed to in a dish). The nuts are organic, but the salt on them is not!
Apple juice and macadamia nuts
Shortly after this service, menu choices for dinner were taken. The menu was as follows;
Menu – Dinner
Starter
Mixed green salad with grilled asparagus, truffles, Reggiano Parmesan cheese and cucumber
Main
Seared fillet of beef with ratatouille and potato cake
Herbed breast of chicken with organic ginger sauce, Mediterranean vegetable flan and wilted spinach
Ravioli di quattro formaggi with roast pepper and smoked Mozzarella cheese
Goodnight Express
Warm olive oil bread filled with seared chicken, Swiss cheese, grilled aubergine and courgette with a roast tomato and Mozzarella cheese spread
Dessert
Lemon cheese cake with berry compote
Kilchurn Estate Pure Cheddar and Herbed Brie cheese with rhubarb ginger preserve
Hot chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies
There was also a full bar service and the Club Kitchen, as detailed earlier, was also available.
One starter appears a bit stingy in business class. I would have opted for the Goodnight Express as the main, but as it included so much cheese I chose the chicken instead.
One we’d reached 10,000ft, the AVOD IFE was switched on. Typically, it lasted all of 10 minutes before dying. The CSD announced that due to a technical fault the system would have to be rebooted, which would take a further 30 minutes. Although no further announcements were made, the AVOD functionality never did return and we were left with only a few looped channels to watch. Thankfully, the moving map was still available and as it was a night flight, I hadn’t planned on watching a film anyway. IFE failing is an all too common occurrence on BA (and probably on many other airlines too), and desperately needs to be fixed permanently in order to keep returning customers.
At this point I tested out all of the seat’s features. The seat can transform into a variety of different positions, including pre-set and custom positions. There is a reading light which can be adjusted by position or by brightness, and a handy two-part folding table which is of the same design as in First, only smaller and of a different colour. The fairly large AVOD screen comes out from the dividing partition between the two seats, as does the table. There is an electronic privacy screen between the two seats, but this must be down for takeoff and landing and means you could look directly into the other passengers’ face, which isn’t very private at all.
Despite all its functions, there is a severe lack of storage space in main deck CW seats. On the upper deck, window seats have a locker between the seat and the side wall, but on the main deck there are only the overhead bins or a small laptop/shoe locker in the side of the seat. Plenty of space is available between the seat and the side wall, so why a shelf wasn’t included in the design is a mystery. The other negative comment I have to make about these seats is that they are really quite narrow. Despite having the same seat pitch as First (78”), the width is several inches narrower which is quite restrictive when trying to sleep. The gap between the side wall and the seat is wide enough to lose items down, such as a watch or book, and creates an open space to the seat behind (19A, in my case), which once again doesn’t feel very private.
I noticed on several occasions that passengers found it extremely difficult to gain access to the centre middle seats (the configuration on the main deck is 2-4-2), as when the outer passengers are sleeping and have their footstalls down, it is cumbersome to clamber over the passengers and then squeeze through to your seat. The crew also appeared to have difficulty in serving passengers in window or middle seats, as they were trying not to disturb the passengers in the aisle seats.
Sitting in a window seat at night, with the shades down and the privacy screen up, is actually quite claustrophobic. Moreover, I found it disorientating to be flying backwards, especially during takeoff, climb, approach and landing. This is all subjective however, and depends on personal taste. By trying to squeeze in an extra seat in each row by using a backward-forwards 2-4-2 configuration, BA make their business class cabins on the main deck feel much less exclusive than they otherwise might. An all-forward facing 2-3-2 configuration (such as Qantas use) would perhaps go some way to alleviate the problems I’ve described. I have no doubt that the upper deck is much more comfortable and private, but BA’s idiotic seating policy of not letting all business class customers choose their seats before online check-in prevents securing such seats on busy routes.
Dinner was served around one hour into the flight, with the cheesecake dessert being presented with the starter! Come on BA, this really is not acceptable in a business class cabin.
Starter and dessert presented together...
Chicken main course
A basket of bread rolls was presented to start the dinner service, although there was no plate on which to put your roll! Whilst the starter was not particularly tasty and a bit greasy, the main course of chicken turned out to be really quite good. It was served piping hot, which is always a good sign. The cheesecake was pretty tasteless, ending what wasn’t a fantastic dinner service by any means but acceptable given it was a night flight and this is not first class. The crew were excellent throughout the dinner service, although a little less efficient than I’ve previously experienced but no less professional.
We were asked whether we would like anything else to eat or drink and I requested a hot chocolate and was offered a small box of two Lily O’Brien’s chocolates. The stewardess couldn’t believe that I didn’t want cream or marshmallows with the hot chocolate, and had to ask me again to make sure I didn’t!
Hot chocolate, cold chocolates and cold amenity kit
There was a fantastic sunset-sunrise (it never did get totally dark), and I managed to snap a picture also capturing the reflection of one of those bizarre lampshades in the CW cabin.
Sunset-sunrise with a lampshade reflected in the window
The cabin (and no doubt most of the plane) went to sleep after the meal service. It appeared that the FA whom I had asked about the First pyjamas had forgotten to ask whether there were any free, but I wasn’t too fussed and didn’t bother asking again. A blanket and cushion is provided, but there was no pillow. The seat goes completely flat, but is quite bumpy when in this position, unlike the First seat. I actually found it more comfortable to lie on top of the blanket, but was then left wanting another blanket to put on top of me. On top of the storage issues I described above, when the seat is flat you cannot access the laptop/shoe drawer, and so you are left with nowhere to put items such as a water bottle, book or your watch. I tried valiantly to get some shut-eye, but the noise of the engines was unbelievably loud because we were right on top of the wing. I dozed for around an hour, but then got tired of being unable to sleep (if you’ll pardon the pun) and got up for a wander around the aircraft.
Initially I went up to the Club Kitchen to get an orange juice, and later I walked to the back of the aircraft to stretch my legs. The load in World Traveller (economy) was almost 100%, but World Traveller Plus (premium economy) had all of five passengers in it. Out of interest, I tried out one of the WTP seats and found the legroom to be surprisingly spacious.
Back at my seat in the CW cabin, the flight information display had shown a speed consistently in excess of 600mph, with a very strong tailwind. The cabin crew were rushed off their feet to get the breakfast service finished before descent, and so the lights were turned back on in the cabin at 00:00 New York time after only 2.5 hours of darkness. Feeling pretty jetlagged by now, I wasn’t at all hungry although I did pick at some cornflakes which were terribly soggy and tasted horribly sweet.
Breakfast service on BA0174
For completeness, here is the breakfast menu;
Menu – Breakfast
Starters
Chilled orange juice and ruby grapefruit juice
An energising fruit smoothie
Fresh seasonal fruit
Cereals with chilled milk
Bakery
A selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries
Warm bacon roll
Tea, including herbal varieties, and coffee was also available.
There are only three CW toilets on the main deck for 50 passengers, and so unsurprisingly a queue formed as soon as the captain announced the seatbelt sign would be going on shortly for our descent into Heathrow. The seatbelt sign did go on while many passengers were still in this queue (me being one of them), and we just continued to queue while the (by now) very harassed looking FAs tried to clear the galleys of the breakfast service equipment.
During our descent through the stormy-looking clouds, the captain announced that he expected to be on stand at T5 by 06:30 London time, some 60 minutes earlier than planned due to the very strong tail wind.
Turning on descent into Heathrow
Turning on descent into Heathrow
It appeared as though we were dumping fuel in the stack before joining the approach pattern, and several other aircraft could be seen in the vicinity circling and waiting their turn to land.
Passing over Central London (not that I could see any of it due to very dense low cloud), we landed onto runway 27R and again braked rather sharply to quickly turn off in the T3 area. Interestingly an aircraft appeared to takeoff after us on 27R, which is unusual in that normally one runway is used exclusively for takeoffs and the other for landings. Perhaps we were landing at the runway switchover time, or the aircraft taking off was a VIP aircraft being fast tracked out of Heathrow.
On the long taxi to T5, the captain explained why we had landed an hour early and welcomed us to London or welcomed us home, whichever was the case. Pulling up at the gate at T5B, our British Airways premium experience was almost over.
Arrival & Lounge
We disembarked through door 1L after a short wait for the upper deck CW passengers to make their way downstairs. I thanked the crew as we walked through the galleys and set foot on UK soil once again. Arrival at the satellite T5B entails a lengthy walk and train transit to the main terminal T5A. It feels like you go back on yourself several times and travel up and down innumerable escalators, but eventually we emerged into the baggage reclaim hall after passing through immigration. There is no FastTrack immigration for UK passport-holders.
BA A321 parked at the satellite T5B
Baggage reclaim hall in T5A
Although our reclaim belt (number 9, I think) proclaimed ‘Awaiting bags’, there was a steady stream coming through the hole in the wall, which turned out to be bags for a flight from another destination. Eventually, as the screens turned to ‘Bags arriving’, ours were amongst the first off (a rare moment of priority barcodes working on BA!), and although my suitcase looked as though it had been through several wars, I was just too tired/jetlagged to complain. I noticed that there was a dedicated First/Club customer service desk in the baggage reclaim hall which would have been helpful if I’d felt up to complaining.
We walked out through the ‘Nothing to declare’ customs channel, passing unmanned inspection benches and scanners (although the multitude of mirrors on the walls made it certain we were being watched), and out into the arrivals landside area of T5.
Escalators up to Galleries Arrivals (picture taken from the lounge)
Within ten minutes of arriving in the reclaim hall, we had made our way up to Galleries Arrivals, open to First and Club World passengers and Gold members arriving on a longhaul flight. The lounge is furnished in almost exactly the same decor as the Galleries Clubs, and features an Elemis Travel Spa, Hydrotherapy Zone (shower suites), business area, Buffet Bar and the Concorde Breakfast Room, which is a waiter service breakfast room for First passengers only.
Entrance to Galleries Arrivals
After retrieving our wash bags from our suitcases and handing the suitcases over to the agent at the luggage store in the lounge, we checked in and made our way over to the Hydrotherapy Zone for a much-needed shower.
Entrance to the Hydrotherapy Zone
The lady manning the entrance desk to the Hydrotherapy Zone seemed in a particularly bad mood, which is really not what you want to be greeted by after a long night flight. After waiting for around ten minutes, two shower suites became free and we made our way into the ‘Zone’.
Inside the Hydrotherapy Zone – the white doors are entrances to individual shower suites
The shower suites are colour and number co-ordinated, and I presume are divided into male and female sections. Each suite has a power shower with several water jets from different angles, a wash basin and a toilet. After it was discovered that water from the shower leaked into the wash basin/toilet area of the suite, BA decided to proclaim the suites as ‘wet rooms’, rather than trying to fix the problem. As a result, if you don’t put your bags etc. on the rather narrow shelf, they are likely to get soaking wet. The drain in my shower cubicle gurgled quite violently throughout the shower, which was quite disconcerting!
Terrible picture of inside one of the male shower suites
Whilst listening to Terry Wogan’s Radio 2 breakfast show, I made myself a bit more presentable and went back out into the main lounge area for a bit of recuperating.
News Zone
News Zone
News Zone
Buffet Bar
Looking over to the Buffet Bar from the Elemis Travel Spa area
Work & Entertainment Zone
Elemis Travel Spa in Galleries Arrivals
Elemis Travel Spa in Galleries Arrivals
Elemis Travel Spa in Galleries Arrivals
Elemis Travel Spa in Galleries Arrivals
The breakfast selection in the Buffet Bar is pretty comprehensive, and offers both hot and cold items. After a bit of cereal and some coffee, it was time to leave Galleries Arrivals behind and make the long drive home after a truly fantastic week in New York.
JFK-LHR Sector Verdict
The ground experience at JFK, whilst currently lacking the ‘wow factor’ of LHR Terminal 5, is perfectly adequate for a business class service. Galleries Arrivals at T5 is a fantastic area in which to recuperate after a long flight and certainly went a little way to appease my jetlag. However, I was left feeling underwhelmed by the Club World onboard experience, particularly by the lack of privacy, noise of the aircraft (being unable to choose seats in advance of check-in) and awkward design of the seats. Was this underwhelmed feeling due to having just experienced First - I think so, but there are inherent design flaws with the CW seat which I feel detract from the experience. This sector in BA Club World gets a 6/10 from me.
The British Airways Premium Experience Overall Verdict
British Airways has two solid products in First and Club World. Without a doubt, the outbound First flight was exceptional, with the level of service and exclusivity something I have not had the pleasure of experiencing before. On a day flight (or seated on the upper deck), the Club World onboard product would perhaps be far more comfortable, but for a night flight on the main deck, I didn’t find it conducive to sleep. Would I fly BA again? Absolutely. I’ll just have to save up those miles for First...
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave comments and questions below...
Last edited by Genius1; Aug 11, 2008 at 9:43 am
Aug 11, 2008, 7:33 am
#2
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: BA GGL, VS Gold, BD Gold, Flying Blue Platinum, IC RA, Hilton Diamond, Eurostar Carte Blanche
Posts: 2,629
I had been looking forward to this after Part 1 and once again you make some very valid points and it's an excellent TR. ^ Thanks.
I am glad you reached the conclusion that First does justify the extra cost and/or miles. Don't forget this is "very old" First and we are all eagerly awaiting the launch of new First next year.
I also think you should have selected some single seats in the UD and then asked if anyone wanted to swap once on board.
I am glad you reached the conclusion that First does justify the extra cost and/or miles. Don't forget this is "very old" First and we are all eagerly awaiting the launch of new First next year.
I also think you should have selected some single seats in the UD and then asked if anyone wanted to swap once on board.
Last edited by BA1A; Aug 11, 2008 at 8:03 am
Aug 11, 2008, 8:09 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1,301
I likewise was looking forward to Part II after the enjoyable Part I.
Again an excellent TR and am looking forward to checking out your pictures later on today.
I have only flown CW at night on the UD and am very much looking forward to flying F to SFO and then experiencing a long CW flight back from CW. Will be interesting to compare our experiences and thoughts on F.
Again an excellent TR and am looking forward to checking out your pictures later on today.
I have only flown CW at night on the UD and am very much looking forward to flying F to SFO and then experiencing a long CW flight back from CW. Will be interesting to compare our experiences and thoughts on F.
Aug 11, 2008, 8:32 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA - Gold for Life, CCR & GGL; IC Spire Elite Ambassador; Diamond Hilton Honors; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 6,720
Thanks for the very informative TRs, Genius1.
Do you have any time to enjoy the flights as you must be making some detailed notes and taking all of the great photos?
I have a F trip next month, so am looking forward to the CCR and Arrivals lounge at T5.
Do you have any time to enjoy the flights as you must be making some detailed notes and taking all of the great photos?
I have a F trip next month, so am looking forward to the CCR and Arrivals lounge at T5.
Aug 11, 2008, 11:23 am
#5
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A really well written, detailed and informative report ^ Thank you for posting and in so much detail.
Some of the negative points (and the positives
) that you have raised about the CW service & product resonate with me after my recent CW sectors. Particularly related to the poor cabin layout - I really, really dislike the ying & yang cabin layout. The poor food quality/presentation/choice is a big issue for me as I like to eat on the flight (it kills boredom/the inability to sleep straight away) I certainly agree with your assessment of the benefits of First - personally I will not fly CW again but will take BA First if it fits my travel needs.
Some of the negative points (and the positives
) that you have raised about the CW service & product resonate with me after my recent CW sectors. Particularly related to the poor cabin layout - I really, really dislike the ying & yang cabin layout. The poor food quality/presentation/choice is a big issue for me as I like to eat on the flight (it kills boredom/the inability to sleep straight away) I certainly agree with your assessment of the benefits of First - personally I will not fly CW again but will take BA First if it fits my travel needs.
Aug 11, 2008, 2:40 pm
#7
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Thanks
Thanks for the report - I am actually taking the BA 175 on 20 Dec in Club World so was very interested to hear your experiences.
Thanks for a great insight into Term 5 and the new product.
^
Thanks for a great insight into Term 5 and the new product.
^
Aug 14, 2008, 10:55 am
#8
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Thanks for all the comments. 
Yes, thankfully! I enjoy photography, so that's not a problem and surprisingly my notes do not amount to very much (just times and aircraft registration, that's about it!). Luckily I have a good memory for these details!
Yes, thankfully! I enjoy photography, so that's not a problem and surprisingly my notes do not amount to very much (just times and aircraft registration, that's about it!). Luckily I have a good memory for these details!
Aug 14, 2008, 4:54 pm
#9
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Genius1 - Again, thank you for the wonderful description of the new CW product and comparison to FIRST. It is very helpful as we plan our trip in the next couple of weeks. THANK YOU!
Aug 15, 2008, 7:56 am
#10
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Interestingly an aircraft appeared to takeoff after us on 27R, which is unusual in that normally one runway is used exclusively for takeoffs and the other for landings. Perhaps we were landing at the runway switchover time, or the aircraft taking off was a VIP aircraft being fast tracked out of Heathrow.
The normal restriction on mixed mode operations is due to the artificial cap on movements that was imposed as part of the T5 planning permission. Mixed mode throughout the operational period could open up approx. 20% additional slots but this cannot be implemented due to the above reason.
Aug 15, 2008, 8:23 am
#11
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Genius1, I had to revisit your post this morning (I am in Chicago) and really appreciate your detail and passion. One of my favorite shots is the flyertalk.com photo in the departure lounge.
I am glad to hear that your trip to NYC was well. The RC Central Park South is one of my favorites in NYC, I particularly like their lobby lounge as I do the location. Also, we really enjoy the Sarabeth's down the street, which is a favorite of locals.
I am glad to hear that your trip to NYC was well. The RC Central Park South is one of my favorites in NYC, I particularly like their lobby lounge as I do the location. Also, we really enjoy the Sarabeth's down the street, which is a favorite of locals.
Aug 21, 2008, 8:31 am
#12
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Sep 5, 2008, 7:07 am
#13
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I very recently did a flight from LHR to HKG on BA’s First and SIN to LHR on BA’s new Club. The dinner on CW was atrocious and by far the worse business class food I ever ate. the menu said “four cheese ravioli in a pepper sauce", but it was like something out of a Heinz tin. I might write a trip report about with photos.
Sep 12, 2008, 5:35 am
#14
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Thanks for both of your reports most entertaining,on our first visit to the T5 arrivals last month I was bollocked for taking pictures in the lounge (no flash and not in the direction of any PAX or staff).That particular pleasant member of staff must have been elsewhere on your visit.She was one of the darlings from the T1 F lounge who always managed to avoid eye contact thus not serving/disappear for extended periods from behind the champagne bar,glad that has not been our experience in the T5 CCR.
Sep 12, 2008, 2:19 pm
#15
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Glad you enjoyed the trip reports.
I am always very conscious of other passengers and staff when taking photos, and I didn't use flash in any of the pictures above. There are some very obnoxious staff around at Heathrow.
To avoid any trouble onboard, I emailed BA and gained permission to take photos onboard the aircraft. I took the printout of the email on my flights to prove that I could take photos!
To avoid any trouble onboard, I emailed BA and gained permission to take photos onboard the aircraft. I took the printout of the email on my flights to prove that I could take photos!