Originally Posted by NM

This was in the early days of BA's New Club World (NCW) cabins. I chose the LHR-HKG-BNE return specifically to get the NCW config on the LHR-HKG sector as that was one of the few routes that was supposed to be 100% NCW aircraft.

The substiture aircraft was the Old Club World (Cradle Seat) config 744, with the reduced CW cabin on the lower deck, resulting in less J seats available that the original config.

I had refused to board, and was finally the last to board when the last remaining J pax with a seat allocated (on the upper deck) had not arrived at the gate. They shut the door behind me. I am not sure what I woudl have done if that last passenger had arrived. I may have been able to refuse to board and they would have had to pull my bags off the flight. And since I was on a DONE4, I could have asked to be put on the next OneWorld flight t0 HKG (CX or BA). But I suspect availability would have required at least one additional night in London and a later arrival home, so I probably would have reluctantly boarded and fought for some sort of compo (upgrade to F on next flight, perhaps??).