Originally Posted by
pkr529
I was supposed to fly to LHR on AA from Boston last week in business class with my wife. I paid business class fares so no system-wide upgrade was at issue here. I originated in DCA but could never get to Boston because of the weather. AA ultimately booked us on the last flight with BA out of IAD. We flew on an Airbus 380. Fortunately for me, I was in the aisle although the seat was rather narrow. My wife sat in the middle and had difficulty getting to the rest room since her two adjoining passengers had their foot stools down. This made me wonder whether using a system-wide upgrade on BA is worth it, at least depending on what equipment BA is using to get you over there. Am I correct in raising this concern?
Yes, BA essentially has 2 different business class configurations.
One is a nice new configuration (club suites) with all aisle access and doors, very similar to AA's newest J on the 772/788/789.
The other is a horribly outdated and cramped product (old club world) which is the one you unfortunately received out of IAD. Right now the early IAD-LHR flight is scheduled with a 777 with the new club suites, while the late flight is an A380 with the old club world.
Regardless of whether you're paying outright or upgrading with a SWU, any flights with the old club world config should be avoided if at all possible.