Jan 19, 2018, 5:19 pm
Last edit by: makin'miles
New Club World Service 2017
Effective July 6, 2018, new bedding products expected to be on all Club World flights, worldwide (including LHR, LGW and LCY services).
New catering and bedding
Routes on which the new catering and bedding are in operation.
Launched October 2017
London Heathrow - New York JFK
Launched February 2018 (all from London Heathrow LHR):
Boston (BOS), Baltimore (BWI), Dubai (DXB), Newark (EWR), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington (IAD), Hong Kong (HKG)
Launched March 2018 (LHR)
San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), San José (SJC), San Diego (SAN). Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), Seychelles (SEZ from 25 March)
Launched 4 April 2018 (LHR)
Houston (IAH), Miami (MIA), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), New Orleans (MSY).
Launched 1 May 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched on DEN, ATL, SEA, YVR)
Denver (DEN), Atlanta (ATL), Austin (AUS), Nassau-Grand Cayman (NAS-GCM), Seattle (SEA), Vancouver (YVR), Calgary (YYC), Nashville (BNA)
Launched 17 May 2018 (LHR) - (Catering previously launched on ORD, YUL, YYZ)
Toronto (YYZ), Montréal (YUL), Chicago (ORD)
Launched 1 July 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched on CPT, JNB, SIN, SIN-SYD)
Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB), Singapore (SIN), Singapore-Sydney (SIN-SYD)
Launched 1 August 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Abu Dhabi (AUH), Bahrain (BAH)
Launched 1 September 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Delhi (DEL), Kuwait (KWI), Muscat (MCT)
Launched 1 October 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Buenos Aires (EZE), Jeddah (JED), Mexico City (MEX), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Riyadh (RUH), Santiago (SCL), Sao Paulo (GRU), Tokyo Haneda (HND), Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Launched 28 October 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Abuja (ABV), Accra (ACC), Bangkok (BKK), Bangalore (BLR), Beijing (PEK), Chennai (MAA), Hyderabad (HYD), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Lagos (LOS), Mumbai (BOM), Nairobi (NBO), Shanghai (PVG)
Launched 2018
London City (LCY) - New York (JFK)
Bedding only routes (as of 31 May 2018)
Bedding now launched on all LHR services
AMM, BEY, CAI, DME, DOH, ICN, IKA, LAD, TLV (IKA and LAD routes subsequently terminated; catering on remaining LHR routes expected to launch in December 2018).
LGW routes: White Company products expected to be on all LGW flights effective 06 July 2018, at which time all Club World routes worldwide will feature the new bedding product (see post 1367). Reports that new bedding loaded on LGW-JFK in late June (see post 1349).
Effective July 6, 2018, new bedding products expected to be on all Club World flights, worldwide (including LHR, LGW and LCY services).
New catering and bedding
Routes on which the new catering and bedding are in operation.
Launched October 2017
London Heathrow - New York JFK
Launched February 2018 (all from London Heathrow LHR):
Boston (BOS), Baltimore (BWI), Dubai (DXB), Newark (EWR), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington (IAD), Hong Kong (HKG)
Launched March 2018 (LHR)
San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), San José (SJC), San Diego (SAN). Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), Seychelles (SEZ from 25 March)
Launched 4 April 2018 (LHR)
Houston (IAH), Miami (MIA), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), New Orleans (MSY).
Launched 1 May 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched on DEN, ATL, SEA, YVR)
Denver (DEN), Atlanta (ATL), Austin (AUS), Nassau-Grand Cayman (NAS-GCM), Seattle (SEA), Vancouver (YVR), Calgary (YYC), Nashville (BNA)
Launched 17 May 2018 (LHR) - (Catering previously launched on ORD, YUL, YYZ)
Toronto (YYZ), Montréal (YUL), Chicago (ORD)
Launched 1 July 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched on CPT, JNB, SIN, SIN-SYD)
Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB), Singapore (SIN), Singapore-Sydney (SIN-SYD)
Launched 1 August 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Abu Dhabi (AUH), Bahrain (BAH)
Launched 1 September 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Delhi (DEL), Kuwait (KWI), Muscat (MCT)
Launched 1 October 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Buenos Aires (EZE), Jeddah (JED), Mexico City (MEX), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Riyadh (RUH), Santiago (SCL), Sao Paulo (GRU), Tokyo Haneda (HND), Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Launched 28 October 2018 (LHR) - (Bedding previously launched)
Abuja (ABV), Accra (ACC), Bangkok (BKK), Bangalore (BLR), Beijing (PEK), Chennai (MAA), Hyderabad (HYD), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Lagos (LOS), Mumbai (BOM), Nairobi (NBO), Shanghai (PVG)
Launched 2018
London City (LCY) - New York (JFK)
Bedding only routes (as of 31 May 2018)
Bedding now launched on all LHR services
AMM, BEY, CAI, DME, DOH, ICN, IKA, LAD, TLV (IKA and LAD routes subsequently terminated; catering on remaining LHR routes expected to launch in December 2018).
LGW routes: White Company products expected to be on all LGW flights effective 06 July 2018, at which time all Club World routes worldwide will feature the new bedding product (see post 1367). Reports that new bedding loaded on LGW-JFK in late June (see post 1349).
New Club World Service 2017 - catering and bedding – experiences and reactions
Mar 15, 2018, 2:19 pm
#961
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,213
I sampled the new service on the way out to DXB on Tuesday (seated on the lower deck of a 86J 747) and back to London today on a 48J 777. With DXB positioned at the shorter end of the spectrum, the delivery of the new meal service on this route would inevitably be a major challenge for the crews concerned. Both were day flights and on both, the meal service ended close to 4 hours after departure. The food itself really was exquisite and all credit to the crews, who worked their socks off.
Mar 16, 2018, 12:27 am
#963
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: London / Hong Kong
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 56
Flew to HKG on BA0031 last night
I haven't flown on a long segment on BA in Club for a long time but have made several trips to the FE and US recently on other airlines so a reasonable basis for comparison
I liked the new bedding, the pillow and blankets are great, felt like good quality products
Positives
The new pillow is great, the most comfortable sleep i have ever had on a plane in J or F, makes sleeping on your side possible and comfortable
The food was great, other than Emirates in F probably the nicest meal i have had on a flight, especially the steak and breakfast options
Negatives
Slow service, around 45 min before a drink order was taken, probably an hour and a half for food, skipped dessert and went to sleep in the end
The mattress topper is useless
The big pillow when you aren't sleeping, not a lot of space for it other than the bins and that means a lot of stepping over people
I paid £1400 for an AMS - LHR - HKG - BKK - SIN - LHR - AMS holiday and thought this was excellent value, take off the 38k or so avios and the net price is around £1k, similar to Qatar at their cheapest with more flexible options and the short hops 'free'
Other than a few small first world problems i'd put the overall experience on a par with Qatar, above Finnair and China Southern and maybe slightly behind Emirates
Big thumbs up really
I haven't flown on a long segment on BA in Club for a long time but have made several trips to the FE and US recently on other airlines so a reasonable basis for comparison
I liked the new bedding, the pillow and blankets are great, felt like good quality products
Positives
The new pillow is great, the most comfortable sleep i have ever had on a plane in J or F, makes sleeping on your side possible and comfortable
The food was great, other than Emirates in F probably the nicest meal i have had on a flight, especially the steak and breakfast options
Negatives
Slow service, around 45 min before a drink order was taken, probably an hour and a half for food, skipped dessert and went to sleep in the end
The mattress topper is useless
The big pillow when you aren't sleeping, not a lot of space for it other than the bins and that means a lot of stepping over people
I paid £1400 for an AMS - LHR - HKG - BKK - SIN - LHR - AMS holiday and thought this was excellent value, take off the 38k or so avios and the net price is around £1k, similar to Qatar at their cheapest with more flexible options and the short hops 'free'
Other than a few small first world problems i'd put the overall experience on a par with Qatar, above Finnair and China Southern and maybe slightly behind Emirates
Big thumbs up really
Mar 18, 2018, 7:13 am
#964
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA - Gold for Life, CCR & GGL; IC Spire Elite Ambassador; Diamond Hilton Honors; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 6,720
I enjoyed the new CW meal service to BOS on the UD.
Did take a long time and certainly was quite a while before a drink made it to 64K after take off.
I liked the improved plates, glasses, tray etc and the food did look nice. The major downside for me was that the beef main course was nearly cold and after a few more minutes back in the oven, it had improved to lukewarm. The CC member said that she was prevented from heating it anymore and apparently I was the only person to complain. She brought me the chicken tagine, which warm enough.
On the late flight back, there was no sign of the crew in the cabin for at least 15 minutes after take off, so I decided sleep was more important than eating, especially as I had eaten in the lounge.
I did like the breakfast card arrangement and was pleased when my coffee and smoothie arrived about 45 minutes before landing with an offer of croissants.
Did take a long time and certainly was quite a while before a drink made it to 64K after take off.
I liked the improved plates, glasses, tray etc and the food did look nice. The major downside for me was that the beef main course was nearly cold and after a few more minutes back in the oven, it had improved to lukewarm. The CC member said that she was prevented from heating it anymore and apparently I was the only person to complain. She brought me the chicken tagine, which warm enough.
On the late flight back, there was no sign of the crew in the cabin for at least 15 minutes after take off, so I decided sleep was more important than eating, especially as I had eaten in the lounge.
I did like the breakfast card arrangement and was pleased when my coffee and smoothie arrived about 45 minutes before landing with an offer of croissants.
Mar 18, 2018, 8:24 am
#965
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL, AA 1MM LT GLD, SPG PLAT, National Exec Selc, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Silver
Posts: 8,278
Mar 18, 2018, 8:30 am
#966
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,102
Very short flight with poor catering and equipment supplied from Gate Gourmet and unlike some other routes with a mixed customer profile almost 100% leasure travellers who quite rightly want everything.
Mar 18, 2018, 9:32 am
#969
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL, AA 1MM LT GLD, SPG PLAT, National Exec Selc, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Silver
Posts: 8,278
DXB is almost entirely leisure in J? That actually really surprises me.
Mar 18, 2018, 11:01 am
#971
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL, AA 1MM LT GLD, SPG PLAT, National Exec Selc, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Silver
Posts: 8,278
Mar 18, 2018, 1:06 pm
#972
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,541
Aftter several enjoyable experiences on the JFK flight, this week I had my first experience of the "long" West coast version of the new service and on an A380 at that.
[If I start with the slightly bad, though only partly/possibly related, the flight was delayed a little due to a catering delay. Not sure if it is in any way related to the new concept but that was certainly not the ideal start of the trip especially as boarding was a right mess - people crowding the whole boarding area with complete disregard for group number lanes, nobody policing anything, people with babies and wheelchairs unable to access priority boarding, etc. There was also no sparkling water on the flight and toilets had empty soap and lotion containers at the start of the flight!]
With that out of the way, I think that the new concept works particularly well on those longer flights in terms of both quantity and quality. The crew seemed a little panicked (did not propose the soup or the choice of dressing with the salad, or the warm brownie dessert, etc) but they managed to serve the meal quite quickly. Aperitif served about 1h30 after departure on the little trays. New powdered almond/dried corn snack which I did not really like.
Meal itself started about 1h45 into the flight. My crayfish starter was nice for the most part (a green creamy thing was not but the crayfish itself and lemon gel was). The other starter was goat cheese which looked pretty. I also had the side salad which was fresh and very pleasant. As mentioned, I was not offered the choice of dressing (got the vinaigrette which was fine, I would have preferred to try the other but not enough to return the plate and embarrass the nice crew).
The choice of mains was not my favourite but my braised beef was quite substantially better than most CW main and much prettier too. The meat was cut as a very neat cube, it was served with slow braised barley with meat and veg, and some Chantenay carrots and leek (the leek was not well washed and felt sandy. That would be my only complaint about the dish). Other choices were a chicken tagine with couscous and grilled courgette or vegetarian pasta.
For dessert, I had the raspberries and blueberries. Bizarrely, to me, this (compared to the usual ghastly melon and grape thing) epitomises the step up in catering better than any other dish. it was lovely. I also had the orange tart, the same as the previous version. The chocolate 'delice' did not look nice, I would have liked to taste the brownie but none offered and my query puzzled the crew ('I don't think we have that?' -- looking at me queryingly). Cheese plate looked nice but I already had one in the ccr! First meal over just under 3h30 after departure.
Second meal started with a trout timbale which I had - not memorable taste wise but very pretty - or tomato mozzarella. Mains were a roast chicken breast with peas, broad beans, and sweet potato mash which I had (very nice except the unseasoned mash), chicken sandwich (two chicken dishes out of three plus one in the first meal was too many!) or an oriental salad with salmon. Dessert was deconstructed banoffee. Too sweet but nice. The second meal started about 1h45 before landing which was good.
Also the flight (LAX) had the new bedding.
On the whole, a great improvement again for West coast flight ^^^
[If I start with the slightly bad, though only partly/possibly related, the flight was delayed a little due to a catering delay. Not sure if it is in any way related to the new concept but that was certainly not the ideal start of the trip especially as boarding was a right mess - people crowding the whole boarding area with complete disregard for group number lanes, nobody policing anything, people with babies and wheelchairs unable to access priority boarding, etc. There was also no sparkling water on the flight and toilets had empty soap and lotion containers at the start of the flight!]
With that out of the way, I think that the new concept works particularly well on those longer flights in terms of both quantity and quality. The crew seemed a little panicked (did not propose the soup or the choice of dressing with the salad, or the warm brownie dessert, etc) but they managed to serve the meal quite quickly. Aperitif served about 1h30 after departure on the little trays. New powdered almond/dried corn snack which I did not really like.
Meal itself started about 1h45 into the flight. My crayfish starter was nice for the most part (a green creamy thing was not but the crayfish itself and lemon gel was). The other starter was goat cheese which looked pretty. I also had the side salad which was fresh and very pleasant. As mentioned, I was not offered the choice of dressing (got the vinaigrette which was fine, I would have preferred to try the other but not enough to return the plate and embarrass the nice crew).
The choice of mains was not my favourite but my braised beef was quite substantially better than most CW main and much prettier too. The meat was cut as a very neat cube, it was served with slow braised barley with meat and veg, and some Chantenay carrots and leek (the leek was not well washed and felt sandy. That would be my only complaint about the dish). Other choices were a chicken tagine with couscous and grilled courgette or vegetarian pasta.
For dessert, I had the raspberries and blueberries. Bizarrely, to me, this (compared to the usual ghastly melon and grape thing) epitomises the step up in catering better than any other dish. it was lovely. I also had the orange tart, the same as the previous version. The chocolate 'delice' did not look nice, I would have liked to taste the brownie but none offered and my query puzzled the crew ('I don't think we have that?' -- looking at me queryingly). Cheese plate looked nice but I already had one in the ccr! First meal over just under 3h30 after departure.
Second meal started with a trout timbale which I had - not memorable taste wise but very pretty - or tomato mozzarella. Mains were a roast chicken breast with peas, broad beans, and sweet potato mash which I had (very nice except the unseasoned mash), chicken sandwich (two chicken dishes out of three plus one in the first meal was too many!) or an oriental salad with salmon. Dessert was deconstructed banoffee. Too sweet but nice. The second meal started about 1h45 before landing which was good.
Also the flight (LAX) had the new bedding.
On the whole, a great improvement again for West coast flight ^^^
Last edited by orbitmic; Mar 19, 2018 at 5:27 am
Mar 18, 2018, 1:45 pm
#973
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,102
We don’t have enough salads so we have been told not to offer them, I like the watercress mouse with the crayfish.
When we were trained we were told to offer all the choices and allow two and three if it’s available when everyone had chosen, now we don’t push anything so that everyone gets a choice.
When we were trained we were told to offer all the choices and allow two and three if it’s available when everyone had chosen, now we don’t push anything so that everyone gets a choice.
