FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Christmas in the UK – Qantas and BA Business Class from Sydney via HKG

Jun 22, 2013 | 1:27 am

#146

matthandy

Join Date: Jul 2008

Location: Kent, UK

Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 3,809

BA Club World to Hong Kong

Apologies for the very long delay in continuing with this report. I've not been on FT much recently and to be honest, I'd lost some of my motivation. A rainy day in Sydney today has spurred me on to sit in front of PC and get this finished off!

Where was I?

I'd collected my bags from the hotel and was then helped into the waiting taxi. It was a short journey to Paddington and I was soon on the HEx again and on my way to Heathrow Terminal 5. Check in was simple, and the airport wasn't particularly busy. I did ask about upgrading to First for the return journey but my ticket type didn't allow this. I think that's a little short sighted on BA's part, as I was willing to part with good money to upgrade, but, oh well. I was given both boarding passes, one for my HKG flight and the other for SYD.

I made my way through the South security, using the fast track lane, which wasn't too busy and then I was soon up and around and in front of the entrance to the Galleries Club South lounge. My boarding pass was scanned and I then proceeded to find a quiet corner to relax for a couple of hours.

Looking around, I was quite disgusted by the slobbish and selfish behaviour around me. I actually started a thread about it on FT and noted the following:

There is a guy who seems to have managed to take up an entire corner sofa for himself (those things are huge, so it's quite an achievement)
A kid is watching the sport TV and has decided to use a nearby table as a foot stool, his parents do not care one bit even though he's getting dirty looks from those around him
There are several people sprawled out on the sofas with shoes off taking a snooze
There are the usual loud mouthed business men on their phones

What annoyed me most was the kid with his feet on the table. His parents simply didn't give two hoots and actually went over and asked him if he wanted anything to eat and drink. Hmm.

On the plus side I did manage to find the much talked about but hardly found ice-cream fridge and helped myself to a pot of fine Cornish ice cream, yum.

Before entering the lounge I'd paid a visit to the Elemis Spa to book a shoulder and back massage and luckily, they had several appointments available. It wasn't long before it was time for me to go down to the spa. I was welcomed and then asked to fill in a short form which asked some basic health questions.

I was then ushered to a waiting treatment room and made myself comfortable on the massage chair. I was asked whether I would like any aromatherapy oil to be used to help me relax. I chose the lavender, to help make me a little sleepy. I never really know whether to be talkative when having a massage, or just to relax and keep quiet. I decided on the latter. The massage was great and it really did help me relax before my flight.

Back up to the Galleries Lounge and I was able to take up my original spot. Luckily the annoying child and his family had left.

I didn't take any photos of the lounge as there are plenty of them available in my previous trip reports, of which there will be an index at the end of this report.

Soon enough the gate for tonight's flight to Hong Kong was showing as C63 which meant taking the shuttle over to the C satellite building.

There's no lounge in T5C but status passengers and those in First and Club World get an allowance at Star Bucks to keep them entertained before the flight. I wasn't in the mood for this so I made a few last phone calls before boarding was called.

Empty T5C

London Heathrow to Hong Kong – British Airways Club World

Flight: BA27
Carrier: British Airways (BA)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER – G-STBB
Scheduled Departure Time: 21:00
Scheduled Duration: 11h 45m
Scheduled Arrival Time: 16:45
Travel Class: Club World
Seat: 11A (seat plan)

Boarding was a bit hectic and I had to navigate around the large crowds to enter the priority boarding queue for First, Club World and status card holders. My boarding pass was scanned and then I was on my way down the jet bridge. I presented my boarding pass and was welcomed on board. I made my way to my seat, 11A and then was soon met by one of the cabin crew who asked me if I'd like a newspaper. She was really friendly and professional and I hoped that she'd be serving me throughout the flight, luckily she was.

I settled down and got everything packed away before I was offered a pre-departure drink of Champagne.

The Club World cabin on this 777-300ER

Settled in

The view from the window

The cabin filled up a little bit and I was pleased to see that I didn't have a seat neighbour, in the fact, the Club World cabin was only about 50% full.

The Captain came on to welcome us on-board and announce our flight time. Shortly we pushed back and then made our way out to the active runway. Take off was quick and we were on our way to Hong Kong.

After 20 minutes the crew came around to offer amenity kits and menu for the flight. This was followed up by a drinks round. After having had some great red wine on my flight from Sydney to Hong Kong I decided to give the BA wine list a go. I was being served by two experienced and professional crew members and the gentleman was able to suggest which red would be best for me. He even presented the bottle to me and offered a tasting. I then gave my dinner order (menu below).

Shoes off after take-off

A nice glass of red

I ordered the timbale to start, followed by the salmon.

With a top up of wine my table was set for dinner, which came on a tray, as is the usual Club World set up. There was also a side salad and I was offered a choice of breads, still no bread plate though! The timbale was pretty good, to be honest I didn’t really know what it was when I ordered it. My empty plate was soon removed and along with another top up of wine and water my main was served. Since the last time that I had flown Club the crockery had been changed, mains are now served in rectangular dishes. For me, the simple presentation change does look a bit more classy.

The salmon was pretty good, not over or undercooked and it went very well with the sauce. The portion size was also very generous. I felt that it was a good offering on BA’s part.

All of my interactions with the crew were excellent. I was addressed as ‘Sir’ and everything was done with professionalism and warmth. The two crew members serving seemed to be so in-tune with each other that it’s obvious that they had been doing this a while and were good at it. I sent it a ‘well done’ for each of them.

Table set up

The timbale

The salmon

I was feeling a little bit stuffed but there is always room for dessert. After my table was cleared away I had a quick browse of the menu and went with the chocolate cheesecake which was excellent. I was really stuffed at that point and decided to try to settle down and get some sleep.

I took a quick couple of photos before going to the toilet to change into my Qantas pyjamas as BA do not provide these in business.

The cheesecake

Quiet cabin

I managed to sleep for about 7 hours which was helped by the fact that the cabin was kept reasonably cool. The 777-300ER doesn't score well in terms of air pressure and humidity so I woke up with dry eyes and a sore throat. The crew had previously handed out water bottles for use during the night so I downed what was left of mine before going to the toilet to change back into my normal clothes.

After my return the crew started to come around to offer hot towels which were gratefully received. The breakfast service than began shortly after.

BA offer a full breakfast service on this flight, although the timing is somewhat odd given that we'd be arriving into Hong Kong in the afternoon.

The service started with juice and a selection of pastries. I went for a croissant. I was annoyed again to see that there wasn't a selection of jams available, only marmalade, which I don't like.

This was followed up by an English breakfast. It wasn't that great to be honest and probably wasn't much better than what would have been served in economy. Knowing what BA is able to do in First when it comes to breakfast, the Club World offering was somewhat disappointing.