British Airways 747 Business Class from LHR to SFO (Upper Cabin)
Jun 13, 2014, 4:14 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Heart of Europe
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Posts: 240
British Airways 747 Business Class from LHR to SFO (Upper Cabin)
This is my third flight review on Flyertalk! On May 22nd 2014, I flew business class in the upper cabin of a British Airways (BA) Boeing 747-400 from London (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO).
- I took a lot of photos during the flight (probably too many?). You can find them here: http://theluxurytravelexpert.com/201...7-400-lhr-sfo/
- I also made a youtube clip of my flight experience (kind of kept me busy during the flight, which was good to ease my nerves): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAI4STK7XCI
I know that BA's business class product is "outclassed" these days by mainly Asian and Middle East carriers, but it remains one of my preferred business class products on the Transantlantic routes (the new AA is my favorite) and the overall experience was very good, with a British touch. And I still love good old-fashioned, classy BA: I once experienced a bad delay with BA (out of their control), but they handled it so well and professional, that they earned my loyalty as a consequence (I shifted from Star Alliance to One World in the months thereafter).
1. HEATHROW TERMINAL 5: GALLERIES FIRST LOUNGE
Heathrow Terminal 5 is my favorite airport terminal in the world. It is a multi-floor lounge complexes that resemble shopping malls, and it is the heart of BA’ activities at Heathrow. Within the Terminal 5 complex, BA has one Galleries Lounge for business class passengers and/or Oneworld Sapphire members, a First lounge for Oneworld Emerald members, and just to confuse things, they also have the Concorde Room, for First class passengers, with hotel-style rooms featuring beds and en suite bathrooms, plus restaurant-style dining.
BA’s lounges at Heathrow (as anywhere else in the world) are a huge step up from most airline lounges (and they are definitely the best business class lounges in Europe). Both the Galleries and First lounges are very spacious, embrace the daylight, and have a lot of food on display: a fresh soup bar, hot and cold entrees, lots of snacks, full coffee stations with all sorts of cappucino and lattes, and a very broad selection of wines, beers and spirits. Having said that, the difference between the Galleries Business and First lounge is only marginal, with a wider selection of food at the First Lounge (including a menu offering salads and burgers).
The various BA lounges at Terminal 5 also share an Elemis Travel Spa, which is pretty awesome: while the free treatments are quick, like 15 minutes, they are top shelf, plus it is something else to do to break up the trip. And it doesn’t matter which lounge you are in, you have access.
2. THE BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
# SEATING PLAN
The innovative “Ying/Yang” seat plan is unique to British Airways: window and middle seats face backwards, while aisle seats face forwards. Because of this unique concept, you may have to jump over other passenger’s feet to reach the aisle when seated in a backward facing seat. On the lower deck of the 747, the seats have a classic 2-4-2 layout (similar to what is found on BA’s 777 fleet). On the upper deck, there are only 20 seats with a 2-2 layout, so there is more space for fewer passengers and it will feel like flying in your own private cabin. I like the privacy and quiet atmosphere of BA’s 747 upper deck so much that I still prefer it over the more flashy business class products of other carriers’ single-decked planes. I hope that BA will keep the old bird flying for many more years to come.
How to choose the best BA business class seat ?
Regardless of the seat plan, all Club World seats offer the same degree of comfort, with a seat pitch of 73 inches (193 cm) and a seat cushion width of 20 inches (50 cm). The angle of maximum seat recline is 180 degrees, and the overall length of seat when fully reclined (and when tilting the separate foot rest) is a 6ft (183cm) flat bed. Next to the seat, you can find the seat controls, the entertainment controls, a reading light and a power port.
# PRIVATE SCREEN
The private screen is rather small (9 inches or 22 cm) and swings out from the side of the private cabin suite. It also tilts up and down, so watching the screen from the near or fully flat-bed position is perfectly possible.
3. AMENITIES
Each seat comes with a thin blanket, a small (and not-so-comfortable) pillow, and an upgraded amenity kit. The latter is a drawstring bag (one for men and one for women) that is designed to double up as a shoe or lingerie and underwear bag and includes Elemis products to refresh, revive and rehydrate, created in travel sizes exclusively for British Airways customers. The men’s bag includes Skin Soothe Shave Gel (7ml), a Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (5ml) and an Ultra-conditioning Lip Balm made from Beeswax (4g), along with a Razor, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste and a pen. The women’s bag includes a Limited Edition Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (7ml), soothing apricot facial wipe, the Ultra-Conditioning Lip Balm (4g) and some Pro-Collagen Hand & Nail Cream (5ml) along with socks, toothbrush, toothpaste and pen.
4. DRINKS & MEALS
Upon boarding, I was offered the choice between a glass of water, orange juice or champagne. And after reaching cruising altitude, I received a refreshing hot towel (disappointing texture and smell though). I also had a sprite (with ice and lemon) and received a small bag containing an assortment of cold nuts.
Soon thereafter, lunch was offered, all served on a single tray. British Airways business class food can be a hit and a miss, and this time (lucky me!) the food was pretty good and acceptable for transatlantic business class. As a starter, I choose the tiger prawns Bois Boudran with Pepquino and crème fraîche. Quite delicious! As an entrée, I had the roasted-corn fed chicken with pea and broad bean fricassée, sweet potato mash, and Port wine jus. I kind of liked it (maybe a little too much jus). For dessert, I had the peach Melba Délice delice with raspberry confit. What I received was not a peach, but a lemon and mascarpone tart with raspberry compote, identical to the one I received on a previous flight. It tasted good nevertheless.
5. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES
# CREW: I love the BA cabin crew, and during all my BA flights, I never encountered any problem with them or with the onboard service. I think it’s often a matter of mutual respect. The upper cabin is served by 2 cabin crew, and for this flight time, the one steward and one stewardess were very kind and competent (not different from other flight experiences though).
# BAR: British Airways 747 has a a walk-up “Club Kitchen” onboard, where fliers can graze between meals. You have the option of sandwiches, fine artisan pastries, yoghurt, ice cream, fresh fruit, and/or a chocolate selection.
# LAVATORY: lavatories were kept clean during the flight. They are small and very luxurious as compared to other airlines.
# WiFi: unfortunately, WiFi is not offered by BA at the moment. Currently, they are testing it on one of their planes.
# ENTERTAINMENT: Not only is the touch screen rather small, but the selection of movies and TV shows on order is also rather limited (especially for a 10+ hour flight).
6. MY VERDICT
Seat : 8/10
Food: 7/10
Inflight entertainment : 6/10
Service: 8/10
Cabin (upper deck): 9/10
Overall experience: very good: 7,5/10
- I took a lot of photos during the flight (probably too many?). You can find them here: http://theluxurytravelexpert.com/201...7-400-lhr-sfo/
- I also made a youtube clip of my flight experience (kind of kept me busy during the flight, which was good to ease my nerves): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAI4STK7XCI
- Trip: LHR-SFO
- Airline: British Airways
- Aircraft: 747-400
- Flight Number: 288
- On time departure: yes (11.30 pm)
- On time arrival: yes (14:15 pm)
- Miles: 5,367
- Flight time: 10:15
- Seat: 64K (upper deck)
- Class: business (D)
I know that BA's business class product is "outclassed" these days by mainly Asian and Middle East carriers, but it remains one of my preferred business class products on the Transantlantic routes (the new AA is my favorite) and the overall experience was very good, with a British touch. And I still love good old-fashioned, classy BA: I once experienced a bad delay with BA (out of their control), but they handled it so well and professional, that they earned my loyalty as a consequence (I shifted from Star Alliance to One World in the months thereafter).
1. HEATHROW TERMINAL 5: GALLERIES FIRST LOUNGE
Heathrow Terminal 5 is my favorite airport terminal in the world. It is a multi-floor lounge complexes that resemble shopping malls, and it is the heart of BA’ activities at Heathrow. Within the Terminal 5 complex, BA has one Galleries Lounge for business class passengers and/or Oneworld Sapphire members, a First lounge for Oneworld Emerald members, and just to confuse things, they also have the Concorde Room, for First class passengers, with hotel-style rooms featuring beds and en suite bathrooms, plus restaurant-style dining.
BA’s lounges at Heathrow (as anywhere else in the world) are a huge step up from most airline lounges (and they are definitely the best business class lounges in Europe). Both the Galleries and First lounges are very spacious, embrace the daylight, and have a lot of food on display: a fresh soup bar, hot and cold entrees, lots of snacks, full coffee stations with all sorts of cappucino and lattes, and a very broad selection of wines, beers and spirits. Having said that, the difference between the Galleries Business and First lounge is only marginal, with a wider selection of food at the First Lounge (including a menu offering salads and burgers).
The various BA lounges at Terminal 5 also share an Elemis Travel Spa, which is pretty awesome: while the free treatments are quick, like 15 minutes, they are top shelf, plus it is something else to do to break up the trip. And it doesn’t matter which lounge you are in, you have access.
2. THE BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
# SEATING PLAN
The innovative “Ying/Yang” seat plan is unique to British Airways: window and middle seats face backwards, while aisle seats face forwards. Because of this unique concept, you may have to jump over other passenger’s feet to reach the aisle when seated in a backward facing seat. On the lower deck of the 747, the seats have a classic 2-4-2 layout (similar to what is found on BA’s 777 fleet). On the upper deck, there are only 20 seats with a 2-2 layout, so there is more space for fewer passengers and it will feel like flying in your own private cabin. I like the privacy and quiet atmosphere of BA’s 747 upper deck so much that I still prefer it over the more flashy business class products of other carriers’ single-decked planes. I hope that BA will keep the old bird flying for many more years to come.
How to choose the best BA business class seat ?
- Upper deck atmosphere is far superior to that of lower deck, so choose an upper deck seat.
- Window seats are more private (and in addition, have more storage space on the upper deck).
- The “honeymoon” center seats on the lower deck, where you’re basically seated as close to the person next to you as you would be in economy, are great if you’re traveling with someone you want to be that close to, though it would be downright awkward when you end up next to a stranger in that configuration.
- Seats 62A, 62K and 64A on the upper deck are the single best seats since they are the only window seats in the 747 where you will not have to jump over the feet of other passengers (direct aisle access) and they offer more leg room.
- 64A (my seat for the flight) also has direct aisle access and more leg room, but it is located next to the lavatories, so this may bother some because of the extra noise (it did not bother me, but it was a day flight after all).
# SEATING COMFORT- Window seats are more private (and in addition, have more storage space on the upper deck).
- The “honeymoon” center seats on the lower deck, where you’re basically seated as close to the person next to you as you would be in economy, are great if you’re traveling with someone you want to be that close to, though it would be downright awkward when you end up next to a stranger in that configuration.
- Seats 62A, 62K and 64A on the upper deck are the single best seats since they are the only window seats in the 747 where you will not have to jump over the feet of other passengers (direct aisle access) and they offer more leg room.
- 64A (my seat for the flight) also has direct aisle access and more leg room, but it is located next to the lavatories, so this may bother some because of the extra noise (it did not bother me, but it was a day flight after all).
Regardless of the seat plan, all Club World seats offer the same degree of comfort, with a seat pitch of 73 inches (193 cm) and a seat cushion width of 20 inches (50 cm). The angle of maximum seat recline is 180 degrees, and the overall length of seat when fully reclined (and when tilting the separate foot rest) is a 6ft (183cm) flat bed. Next to the seat, you can find the seat controls, the entertainment controls, a reading light and a power port.
# PRIVATE SCREEN
The private screen is rather small (9 inches or 22 cm) and swings out from the side of the private cabin suite. It also tilts up and down, so watching the screen from the near or fully flat-bed position is perfectly possible.
3. AMENITIES
Each seat comes with a thin blanket, a small (and not-so-comfortable) pillow, and an upgraded amenity kit. The latter is a drawstring bag (one for men and one for women) that is designed to double up as a shoe or lingerie and underwear bag and includes Elemis products to refresh, revive and rehydrate, created in travel sizes exclusively for British Airways customers. The men’s bag includes Skin Soothe Shave Gel (7ml), a Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (5ml) and an Ultra-conditioning Lip Balm made from Beeswax (4g), along with a Razor, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste and a pen. The women’s bag includes a Limited Edition Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (7ml), soothing apricot facial wipe, the Ultra-Conditioning Lip Balm (4g) and some Pro-Collagen Hand & Nail Cream (5ml) along with socks, toothbrush, toothpaste and pen.
4. DRINKS & MEALS
Upon boarding, I was offered the choice between a glass of water, orange juice or champagne. And after reaching cruising altitude, I received a refreshing hot towel (disappointing texture and smell though). I also had a sprite (with ice and lemon) and received a small bag containing an assortment of cold nuts.
Soon thereafter, lunch was offered, all served on a single tray. British Airways business class food can be a hit and a miss, and this time (lucky me!) the food was pretty good and acceptable for transatlantic business class. As a starter, I choose the tiger prawns Bois Boudran with Pepquino and crème fraîche. Quite delicious! As an entrée, I had the roasted-corn fed chicken with pea and broad bean fricassée, sweet potato mash, and Port wine jus. I kind of liked it (maybe a little too much jus). For dessert, I had the peach Melba Délice delice with raspberry confit. What I received was not a peach, but a lemon and mascarpone tart with raspberry compote, identical to the one I received on a previous flight. It tasted good nevertheless.
5. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES
# CREW: I love the BA cabin crew, and during all my BA flights, I never encountered any problem with them or with the onboard service. I think it’s often a matter of mutual respect. The upper cabin is served by 2 cabin crew, and for this flight time, the one steward and one stewardess were very kind and competent (not different from other flight experiences though).
# BAR: British Airways 747 has a a walk-up “Club Kitchen” onboard, where fliers can graze between meals. You have the option of sandwiches, fine artisan pastries, yoghurt, ice cream, fresh fruit, and/or a chocolate selection.
# LAVATORY: lavatories were kept clean during the flight. They are small and very luxurious as compared to other airlines.
# WiFi: unfortunately, WiFi is not offered by BA at the moment. Currently, they are testing it on one of their planes.
# ENTERTAINMENT: Not only is the touch screen rather small, but the selection of movies and TV shows on order is also rather limited (especially for a 10+ hour flight).
6. MY VERDICT
Seat : 8/10
Food: 7/10
Inflight entertainment : 6/10
Service: 8/10
Cabin (upper deck): 9/10
Overall experience: very good: 7,5/10
Last edited by theLuxuryTravelExpert; Jun 13, 2014 at 7:24 am
Jun 17, 2014, 1:16 pm
#8
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Nice report! Just to correct one thing - there are actually three Galleries Club lounges in T5 - two in T5A (North and South) and one in T5B. These are in addition to the Galleries First lounge and the Concorde Room (both in T5A South). There's also the Galleries Arrivals lounge landside in T5A for arriving passengers.
Jun 23, 2016, 6:12 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Posts: 8,691
i have seen a number or threads on this topic, but none seem to really clearly answer my question. I am booked on LHR-JFK 744. We are trying to book seats on the UD. Looks wide open at the moment.. We are a couple flying together, but still value the space and not having to hop over anyone to get out of the window seat. We are looking at 62A/B, 62J/K. Can anyone confirm that these seats will allow both out to the aisle without hopping over anyone, any other obstructions like flight crew seating, etc. And that if we take those seats we would be able to converse lightly with each other. Not that we would talk a lot, it would be nice to chat casually from time to time.
We DO NOT WANT the "couples seats" in the middle on the lower deck.
Any help or other suggested seats would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
We DO NOT WANT the "couples seats" in the middle on the lower deck.
Any help or other suggested seats would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jun 23, 2016, 6:20 pm
#10
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Abu Dhabi
Programs: BA Gold/OWE
Posts: 531
There is an extensive thread on the BA board which discusses this topic in great detail: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...lub-world.html Enjoy all 70 pages 
It's part of the wider BA forum dashboard which covers everything you could wish to know about flying BA: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...dashboard.html
It's part of the wider BA forum dashboard which covers everything you could wish to know about flying BA: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...dashboard.html
Jun 23, 2016, 6:49 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17,455
@ crazyhotelguy (forgot to reply in thread 
My wife and I have flown that route and had those seats. There's 3 versions of the 747-400. In 2 of these 62A/B or J/K are great seats because 62A can get in and out into the exit door area. In one version, there's a bulkhead wall impeding access to 62A.
Check the seating map for your flight till see which version you're on.
63 also has better access than most but not quite as good as 62.
My wife and I have flown that route and had those seats. There's 3 versions of the 747-400. In 2 of these 62A/B or J/K are great seats because 62A can get in and out into the exit door area. In one version, there's a bulkhead wall impeding access to 62A.
Check the seating map for your flight till see which version you're on.
63 also has better access than most but not quite as good as 62.
Last edited by rickg523; Jun 23, 2016 at 6:52 pm Reason: Missing info