matthandy

Sixth Freedom recently posted a thread with a couple of photos of the old Terraces lounge in Terminal 4 back in 2007 and it got me digging through my photos to see if I could find any of interest. I found a few photos from my first ever Club World trip (which was an unexpected op-up) to Chicago in 2005.

Ironically, I was actually very excited about this trip because it was due to be my first long haul trip with work (starting as a new graduate at a consumer goods company) and my first time in a cabin above economy (I'd been allowed to book WTP). As I went to check in I asked for a window seat and the agent told me that they had all been taken, but he'd upgraded me to business class instead! Woohoo! I've no idea why this happened, since I had only just signed up to BAEC just a few days ago and this would be my first flight. I remember thanking the agent profusely and then ringing my mum to share the good news, I was beside myself.

I remember going through security and then I spied the BA desk so I decided to chance my luck with asking for a seat on the upper deck. It was full unfortunately. I then tried my luck getting into the lounge, but was politely denied as at that time, lounge access was not granted if you were upgraded.

Upon boarding the aircraft I remember really not knowing what to do with myself. I was so amazed by the whole thing. I tried to reach for the magazine rack but it was so far away (I remember that clearly!). As we took off and the service began I remember the crew being absolutely wonderful, they actually talked to you! The lunch service was again, amazing with proper crockery and everything was served course by course by hand and from a proper menu too. It's fair to say that I was rather overwhelmed by the whole thing and came off the flight completely grinning from ear to ear. I knew that I was hooked at that point.

Here are some photos:















And the menu (I kept it):











Can anyone else recall their first Club World experience? Do you have any old photos that you can dig up?

Sixth Freedom

First (and only) cradle seat experience

I remember mine well! It was 1996, I was 14 and heading off to SEA with the family on the way up to ANC to connect to a cruise.

I remember the following:

* It was the cradle seats on a high J 747 with a small upper deck, and I was in 13D, Mum in 13E and Dad in 13F

* I had the beef and later raided the larder for Rolos

* I watched Red Dwarf, Barb Wire and Four Weddings and a Funeral

* I had a visit to the Flight Deck over north Canada and below us was ice, ice and more ice.

We went back on Air Canada and that was my last CW flight until 2006 when I was 24.

First NCW flat bed experience

It was LHR-DXB on a business trip. Not my first business trip but the first on BA. The flight was overnight, leaving after 9pm.

I remember the following:

* It was the NCW flat beds with the blue privacy divider and I was in 14A

* I had the beef and the menu was like matthandy's with the cloche on the front

* Aircraft was G-YMMP and IFE did not work!

* I could not sleep at all so arrived rather tired!

BA235

Sort of. The flight must certainly have made an impression on me - BA235, the old daytime flight to GRU - but the rest remains a hazy blur of champagne and wine. I think that means I must have enjoyed myself

FlyingRhino

I made the mistake of flying Cape Town to London right after work, finishing what was a hectic year in 2008. With excitement mounting and many plans on what to experience on board, I had a glass of wine, dinner, reclined, reclined some more and yes, only woke up drooling an hour and a half before landing in London!!!!!! Trips after that was done with a bit of better planning.

Oilrig fella

First business class flight was 1988 on British Caledonian, LGW to FIH........early day version of club world I guess.

Betteronacamel

No pictures or menus I'm afraid but my first Club flight would have been probably December 1980 when my brother and I were upgraded as U/Ms at the gate at T3 flying down to ANU.

Club had just been introduced and the benefits were (wait for it...)

A guaranteed free seat next to you (seating was still as per Y class)
Free headphones (in Y you still had to rent them for a fee in those days)
A newspaper (choice of)
A choice of mains but still essentially a Y meal (in Y there was no choice of mains)
Free alchohol inc quarter bottles of champagne (booze was paid for in Y)
Wine in a glass but still served from small Y bottles (rather like WTP today)
Flight socks and eyemasks

A year or so later they upgraded the seating to Super Club which was a 2x2x2 set up with wider seats. If you got a pair to yourself they were a good bed as they were converters with a bench seat (so no ridges). F went to sleeper seats (Crown First Class) and lost the U/D lounge which became a Club cabin.

Benefits were essentially the same as before, possibly the catering got better.

My first Club World (Mark I) would have been in 1987 or 1988 coming back from AUH on a Tristar.

I think the set-up was 2x3x2. Seat had a leg and foot rest but far from being a sleeper. Food was served on china for the first time and wine/champagne served from full bottles. Glassware for all drinks ^

IFE was still main screen for the film and about 10 channels of audio.

Oh, and you got a little amenity kit for the first time. Luxury!

This was the period that BA started to become a more customer focussed operation as opposed to a nationalised dinosaur. It just got better and better.

Thanks for the memories.

pdsuk

First BA Club experience = LGW to MIA in June 2000, old cradle seats. Loved it.

First business class was AA from ORD to MAN somewhere around 1995 I think .....

Swiss Tony

First long haul business flight would have been an op-up I got on KLM in 1993, AMS-SIN. They had First in those days as well, so no delft house for me on that trip. No lounge access granted either. Was a recliner seat on the upper deck of a 747, am guessing pitch was about 45-50".

First BA club world flight was in 2003, LHR-JFK. Me and the missus managed to accrue enough points from our honeymoon flights on Emirates (with some chasing up on the phone) to boost the BA balance just enough to snag a couple of seats before the redemption rates went up to New York (think it was from 40k to 50k).

stevie-d

My first experience of CW was an op-up way back 12 or 13 years ago in the days before child. We were flying out to BKK on holiday and at the gate we got the beep followed by a quick look up and down from the gate agent. She then scribbled our new seat numbers on the bp and very pleasantly advised we had been upgraded to CW.

We were seated in the downstairs cabin with the craddle seats, in the middle block of three from memory. It was probably one of the best flights ever due to the novelty and the service was superb from memory.

We got the bug and paid for our second trip in CW the following year to BGI. This was on a 777 again with the cradle seats. At the time they were good, but looking back now they are quite antiquated.

T8191

No photos either, but it was BA217 to IAD on 29 May 08.

Before then it was either MaxJet or BA WT+ or even [eeek] VS PE.

Paid CW fare, having left the booking rather late and then found a sale going on [booked on 2 Feb at £1,509 each].
Seats? 63A/B, thank you, to which we try to remain loyal

Nice trip - the exchange rate was $1.92/£

NeverFirst

As a student got an op-up on LHR-SFO (1997-ish so big old comfy cradle seats) going to a conference.

First time long-haul so didn't even know I had been upgraded, I had asked for an aisle set at check-in but none was available but at the gate the machine beeped (I didn't know what that meant) and the gate person said "we've found you an aisle seat".

Since I didn't realise I had been upgraded and it was my first time long-haul, I settled into my seat and thought "I don't know why people complain, this s OK". It was only when the menus came round with "what time would you like dinner?" that I realised. Not bad for a £280 ticket.

The flight back was absolutely awful though, down the back next to the toilets with a rowdy school group, then I realised what the difference was/is.

Jimmie76

Yes I do but it was yonks ago, circa very early 90's, and I can't remember if it was paid or an op up but it was coming back from BOS and it was the Cradle Seats. I remember having the quick meal option - was it still goodnight express back then, it was a caramelised red onion flat bread and salad which was lovely. Then dozing off gently listening to the Radio, which I think was channel 1 the comedy channel. Woke up to breakfast and the captain informing us how far we had to go. Had me hooked for life from that point on! Think it was either Body Shop or Danielle Ryman doing the amenity kit, but I'm leaning towards Body Shop.

frb98mf

Mine was in 2002, courtesy of Lufthansa! I went to Buenos Aires on a very cheap ticket from STA after graduation, the cheapest route being via FRA on Lufty, in the lowest bucket of course.

Back in those days I was still ordering the kosher meal, and as I had a meeting on arrival, I was wearing a suit. On changing planes at FRA, the EZE flight was obviously very full and figured I'd smile nicely and ask for an upgrade. The lady said that might be possible and started to process it, before handing me back my boarding pass and telling me "ve don't upgrade people viz the kosher meals."

A little taken aback, especially in the context of which flag carrier this was, I slunk back to the Economy line and kept my head down for the 14-hour flight, only disturbed by the stewardess barking across the entire cabin at mealtime: "who ordered ze kosher meal?"

Furtively checking for any Aryans visiting fugitive grandparents, I raised my hand. "I vill give you ze kosher meal after all ze others as yours must be heated in ze oven alone." Oh goody, an oven reference too.

After 2 weeks in BsAs, I got to EZE for the return flight, having now done a bit of internet research about how you get upgraded (wearing suits turns out to be irrelevant, being on the cheapest student ticket is a hindrance, ordering any special meal is a 99% deal-breaker).

The whole 747-worth of passengers was queuing and then being turned away one by one with their luggage, so they clearly had a big problem they didn't want to announce on the PA. Not wanting to wait an hour, I marched up to the Business Class desk and demanded to know what the problem was.

"Ze emergency exit of one of the cabins is stuck shut, so ze plane is safe to fly but 100 people cannot sit in zis cabin. All our flights are full zis week so ve are struggling to rebook people. Ver are you going?"

I told them London, and asked if they would put me on the direct flight. She looked at the system and saw there was one seat left with BA the next day, and grabbed it for me. Only then did she check my student ticket and sheepishly still have to hand me my full-fare Club Class invol!

Not only that, but I figured in for a penny, in for a pound, and asked her if there was any compensation due for this inconvenience. I was offered $300 in cash or $400 of travel vouchers, and told a driver would be outside to take me to the Buenos Aires Hilton, where I had a $100 tab for food, drink and phone calls. On arrival I was given a junior suite, and the next day, the driver chauffeured me back to the airport for my first CW flight.

Obviously after that, I was hooked, and have never ordered a kosher meal since...

The flight of course seemed like an absolute luxury, my first experience of anything except deepest Economy. It was helped by sitting with a gorgeous girl who had also been bounced from LH, who had the suite next to me the night before, where we worked through the combined $200 tab together. But that's another story for another site

lcyguy

In 1992 LHR - JNB. first time on long haul BA . Don't think I had even heard of the exec club back then. Got to check - in and said ' can I have an upgrade please?' - I thought that's what everyone did ! Miraculously the answer was 'yes!' . Wouldn't dream of doing that now of course :-)

henkybaby

Mine was about 7 years ago. I had flown KLM J class to NY a couple of times but when I had to go to Bangalore for the first time I picked BA over KL/AF because they had a much better price. It was NCW (the old new one) and I was sold from the moment I sat in my seat. The privacy it offered over KL's product was amazing and I had not even found out the seat went fully flat! I did not use FT at the time, was not even a BAEC member, so I had the wrong isle seat (right in front of the curtain) but I was sold nonetheless.

Big disappointment was (and still is) the service and the food. I switched all my travels to OW because of the BA hard product and (if I'm honest) because I now wanted to fly F and KL does not have one. My biggest 'shame' is that I have traveled many, many times in J on both KLM and BA before I joined either FFP...

I will always be surprised how quickly I got used to it and that I now even fly J when I travel for leisure. I have flown some flights in Y to keep myself grounded (pun intended) but honestly, unless I go broke in the future, I won't do it again. Easy for me since I never need to book 'a wife and kids' in the same class.

I always wondered if that applied to most here as well. Did your business travel also changed your leisure travel habits?