Positive Club World experience
 

I've always been a bit dubious about booking BA J, given the mixed feedback about it online. However, earlier this week I was lucky to get an op-up from WT+ (the double beep absolutely makes my day). For background/comparison, I've in the past used BA F, and the J products of Cathay, Aer Lingus, Air France and American.

Storage: I was initially a bit stuck for where to put my things, given the lack of a side table/ledge, but once underway I found that just using my meal table was no problem, as I could push it pretty far away from me when using it as a place to put my odds and ends.

Privacy: I was on an aisle, but front row in the cabin so nobody climbing over me. I left the operation of the divider at the discretion of the chap in the window seat, who put it up fairly promptly. The crew only took it down when they had to, and I didn't find the face-to-face configuration any more awkward than sitting next to a stranger in older traditional side-by-side seating. Yes, it's not as private as most other products, but that brings me on to...

Sleep: Oh my god, that was the best sleep I've ever had on a plane. The bed just *worked*. I'm sure this is to some extent a taste thing, and I'm 6ft+broad shouldered, but I found the this bed to be more comfortable than any of the other J products I've used. The ability to comfortably turn on my side makes such a difference, and there was none of the lumpyness that some of the seats have in the lower back area.

Service: Crew level of attention was absolutely fine (full flight), the food was OK (I'd say on a par with Aer Lingus or American, but nowhere near as good as Cathay). However, these days I'm not too fussed about the level of ceremony around meals, I kind of like just being brought a tray with something simple on it and getting mealtime over with.

So anyway -- I'm not sure how often I'll pay cash for it, but I was really pleasantly surprised by CW.

I always hear (and agree) that CX J food isn't that good, but shows how hard it is to please everyone. I agree the BA CW seat in bed form is quite good -- I also the PMCO UA J (bulk head with extra room for feet) and QR 2x2x2 777 seats are quite comfortable. For sleeping I also liked the AC herring bone and the AA/CX/BR reverse herring bone seats work nicely too.

I think what you hit on is that in CW there are some good seats (aisles where others don't climb over you) and great seats (window seats where you have direct aisle access). Seats in the 744 like 14AK and the UD rear bulkhead and emergency exit have great privacy an F level extra space.Then again, the downside is the other CW seats.

Having recently experienced Qatar's A350 J product, I'm now somewhat flummoxed by so many people saying how much nicer it is than BA. I found it 'cosy' at best and completely lacking privacy. BA's CW product is definitely dated, but it's not as bad as many on here make out.

Glad to hear a positive report technical_bob, sounds like you had a nice flight (although the food being 'OK' sounds a bit like damning with faint praise!).

Curious a) which aircraft type you were on and b) which route you were on.

Well given BA's profitability, I'm not sure where the fool is here. Bums keep returning to CW seats. Can they be that bad?

As time has gone on, I've grown more and more fond of the BA seat. As a tall person, it's by far the best business class seat for sleeping, largely due to the space for my feet to move around a little (ie not stock in a micro footwell). That being said, it's makes a huge difference getting a window seat at the back of a section.

Me too (although I prefer F for even more space ;)), as a tall side-sleeper I really dislike the foot coffins you get on some other airlines J products

I believe it was a 787-9, and this was LHR->PEK (BA0039).

Maybe I'm under-selling the food a bit -- when I say it was OK I mean that I found absolutely nothing to complain about!

I've not flown in J on any of the middle East carriers but out of SQ, QF, VS and NZ I prefer BA... now there might be an element of familiarity coming into play there, we all like to be in familiar surroundings but I have no complaints about the seat in CW.

Q
 

Well that's a very fine CW product now on that particular aircraft, given the small cabins, and personally I would prefer it over the A350 certainly of Finnair (which has an 8 row dorm in the front section and is very cramped) and the A350 QR (6 rows), subject to pricing. When the bed works properly - and they usually do - with the new bedding and pillows, combined with rear facing seats which the OP didn't get, makes for a very good sleep in my experience. That's in the context of the A350 being a very fine aircraft too, but perhaps doesn't quite have the right spacing for business seats.

I tend to agree with the OP's comment about the CW seat - it's comfortable for sitting in, you can get a good upright position for working, and with the new bedding has become better than before for sleeping.

I've been doing long haul travel regularly for around 20 years now, on VS, BA, UA, NZ, and LH and I'd say that some of my best in-flight sleeps have been in the current CW seat. I always found the VS suite mattress too hard, despite the extra shoulder room, but NZ's tweaks to that improved it significantly, while the previous VS "angled flat" seat was really the predecessor of all the coffin seats that followed.

The big killer for me is nowhere to put my glasses - which I'm basically blind as a bat without - so putting them in the low-level drawer isn't an option. So I tend to sleep in them which isn't great - unless I've got an upper deck window seat on the 747 or 380. So the thing that's really missing for me is some sort of trinket tray or nook for things like that.

Agreed re the lack of small item storage. My workaround for glasses is just to put them in a hard case and rest them on the inside (right-hand) arm rest. Not ideal but seems to work.

I used to put by glasses on the small drinks tray in Club - easy to find and far enough away not to be accidentally knocked off.

I have absolutely no qualms with BA CW although I do believe some airlines offer a way more superior business class product, having said that, the fact there is a thread here regarding positive experiences on CW somehow suggest it is regarded in a bad way generally. - Something for BA to look into then.

I have the same issue, I cannot see very well without my specs and dread losing them....I have discovered a solution though; I pull out the controller for the IFE system and loop out a inch or so of the connecting cable and gently click it back in so it does not get jammed, I then put my glasses through that loop, works like a charm :)

I'm a bit of a "kicker" while I'm asleep unfortunately. That's a surefire way of my glasses ending up on the floor.

Nice hack!

Of course, the irony of all this is that Martin Darbyshire, principal of Tangerine who did the industrial design for the current CW seat, wears glasses.

Are you a contortionist in your spare time? :p :D

With the new food and bedding in place now, I can't really see how you could find a better club experience anywhere other than 7A on a BA 787-9. 2 rows in the cabin, complete cocoon when seated, aisle access, no foot coffin etc etc.... I suppose the issue is the variation between the seats which isn't the case so much with other arrangements of seating.

GB

Isn't that what the Elemis shoe bags are for? Loop an empty one round the TV screen et-voila. Storage.

My experience mirrors the OPs, Im very rarely disappointed in CW, it very much ticks the necessary boxes for me and as predominantly a redeemer or advantage taker of cheap fares, I'd be happy for them to maintain the density moving forward

Its good to read some positivity on here. We don't do that much long haul a recent First in First ( which I thought was fab ) return to LAS being the exception.

Apart from that the last LH was MRU and CPT in 2015 both in CW. We have a family trip to South America next week flying LGW to LIM with everyone excited about it and especially the treat of travelling in J. I've been struggling to work out why I haven't got the same sense of excitement (about the flight )as the rest of the family then I realised I've been reading FT and they haven't!

You'd have though according to some of the posts on here , rather than getting thanks from the family for booking (hopefully ) a great holiday I should be reported for child neglect !

Flying Cyclist,
IMHO there are too many folk on here saying good things about row 7 on a 787-9. A secret should be kept secret!
I discovered row 7 on flyertalk.
Shouldn't we be saying that it is awful, suggesting that other folk take a different row?

Just completed a code share between BA and AY in business. The longhaul planes included BA 787, BA 777, AY a330 and AY a350.
I actually preferred both BA business seats to the AY ones. The a330 just hasn't aged very well (obvious signs of wear) and the a350 had a really uncomfortable seat for sleeping and the footwell was pretty tight. As far as the actual planes go, however, the a350 wins hands down - easily the quietest of the 4. Also, AY bedding is vastly superior to BA.

I also like the aisle CW seat for sleep! I think CW feels wider than other products because there isn't a big "pod" or "shell" at the shoulders (counterpoint - not as private), and legs aren't crammed into a cubby or "coffin". I like a mild incline, not full flat, and the CW "Z" position with adjustable foot rest helps with that too. I also like that the sliding tray table means you can get out during meal service if nature calls.

Absolutely agree with OP. CW for me is a lovely place to spend a 12 hour LH flight. All the BA bashers I read about seem to go on about in climbing over legs IF seated at a window ........ boring. Pleased to read something positive about CW !

Sounds like Alex is wasting his time - and money - on a new seat, to finally replace the current version, which was once considered so innovative (many, many moons ago before the days of more enlightened, imaginative, products and cabin configs).

No need for change. It’s all tickety-boo. IF you snag 7a on the 787 - or maybe one of a small number of seats on UD of the 747.

The majority of my long haul flying has been spent down the back so as far as I'm concerned the CW product isn't to be sniffed at.

Good to hear a positive review.
Have booked CW LHR to LAX in October. Last traveled this route 18 months ago and was hoping the service wasn’t as bad as I’ve been told it has become.

Welcome to Flyertalk ChrisMcP and welcome to the BA forum. LAX is getting the new catering and new bedding, which hopefully will improve the quality of your flight. Forums such as this tend to highlight problems rather than all the flights that go well, nothing wrong with that, but I would hope you have a good flight to California.

I had a fantastic flight back from Chicago on Monday night in CW.

Really helpful crew member who turned out to be a good laugh as well and adapted her service to our hungover states.

Enjoyed the food service and being able to sleep after a very long weekend.

But then I at times don't mind a full English from Wetherspoons so my opinion is probably worthless in this hallowed forum.

Our flight out in First was even better. Have recommended the crew on BA's website.

The internet does make most things look gloom-and-doom. If every 747 has 70 CW, every A380 has 97, and every 777 has 40+, that's a lot of satisfied customers who rarely take the time like @OP did to post their praise.

The worst thing about CW is the expectation to pay for seat assignments in a premium cabin. Even LCC Norwegian doesn't charge for seats in their "business" (which is closer to WTP)

Until you have status, when it becomes a really valuable perk. Being able to get extra legroom, window, direct aisle access seats fairly easy is a big motivation to get/keep status. The fact that it's paid means there is usually a wide availability of seats.

Each to their own - I found the A350 nice enough on a day flight, but completely lacking any privacy, similar to a CW aisle seat, when it was time to eat or sleep, which I really didn't like. While I would certainly advocate for an updated CW seat, given the choice of A350 or window seat in the current CW cabin on an overnight flight (especially upstairs on the 747), I'd go BA.

The industry has formed a position where business class seats need to to have direct access to the aisle to gain credibility irrespective of whether the seat/bed itself is actually comfortable to sleep/lounge in. It is a peculiar state of play considering the disproportionate amount of time passengers spend on board getting in/out of their seats compared to the time spent in the seat, but that's where we are now.

My own personal view having logged many hours in a variety of business class seats is BA's Club World seat has yet to be surpassed in terms of comfort and flexibility as far as accommodating a variety of sleeping positions, although I find the Super Diamond seat ranks favourably while benefiting from direct aisle access, more generous personal stowage space, and without the momentary irritation of the divider screen in action but is less forgiving in terms of sleeping positions.

I preferred the aged AY A330 to the new A350, as I agree with you and corporate-wage-slave that the seating is very cramped. How the generally much taller Finns cope, I do not know, except that the AY Board had quite a few negative comments when I looked last year.

Flew main CW to and from BOS last weekend for the first time in ages - most recent experiences in recent years have been on the A321, which is a different seat. I thought it comfortable for sleeping. The new seat padding and bedding were good.

I'm with all the people saying the CW seat is very comfortable if you are taller, broad-shouldered or want to sleep on your side - all of which applies to me. The point of Business Class is a comfortable seat that goes flat and you can sleep well on it. Direct aisle access is no use if the seat is too hard, too narrow, too short, or (worst sin of all) it looks OK but in practice the hole for your feet is too small if you have large feet.

Club World has none of these problems and I'll take it over most other business seats currently flying.

Keeping up the density, and therefore the commercial viability, of a business class cabin while giving everyone aisle access inevitably means some other compromise: narrow seats, short seats, half the flat bed under the seat in front with a short, narrow foot cubby. How many people actually want that? Not this BA CW customer.