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Club World LHR CAI LHR - with pictures
I haven’t flown BA’s club world since experiencing the new AA product and using other one world carriers such as Cathay and Qatar. These airlines have all exceeded my expectations and offered me value for money on the routes and journey’s I have needed to take for the last 5 or 6 years.
I have paid for CW but only when I knew I could upgrade to First ast nothing I have read here or seen on other forums, has made me feel that CW was worth another try. As a premium leisure passenger value and comfort trump all other aspects of flying. In order to take advantage of the Cairo Hawaii fares I had no choice but to fly BA as only they and Egypt Air fly London Cairo. Consequently, last October I grabbed some Avios seats to get 4 of us out to Cairo and have a short holiday over the recent half term before commencing a multi stop route to Hawaii. So what’s it like on the shiny new 787? https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3b57b5e0bd.jpg Little and Large https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2cf8a6fe6f.jpg Random Engine shot Firstly the issues with the 787 meant that my chosen seats were changed 4 times on the outbound. I am a gold card holder and family are all silver. Notwithstanding, not once were we advised and not once were our profiled seat choices met. On both flights to and from Cairo the aircraft was changed at the last minute and flew with a First cabin. This was left empty on both sectors but used as a crew rest area. I don’t understand BAs thinking here as Cathay do this a lot around Asia on the 777 and the cabin is open to passengers generally emeralds etc. On departure from London bag drop at F was very good. It was busy but all desks were open and we were checked in right away. Service was efficient but there was no interaction beyond that required for the agent to perform their task. There was no offer to use F fast track for the family in line with the rules and my expectations. Galleries south was an appalling excuse for a lounge the day we flew out. It was packed to the gunnels and seats were hard to come by. 4 together was impossible. Every table was littered with plates, glassware and the other detritus passengers leave behind. The food was very poor indeed and a sieve was need to scope out what was laughingly referred to a red Thai curry. Not that it mattered as there were no plates,no bowls and no cutlery. There was no hot chocolate in any machine, and the coffee machines all looked disgusting. The staff were short on the ground and frazzled! Interest in the customer did not exist let alone a desire to listen. I asked to speak to the lounge manager and was offered the 3rd party agent but neither ever came near in the two hours we were in the lounge. I completed the text message questionnaire and scored it the lowest I could and left my details for them to contact me. To this day no one has. The lounge experience was very far from a quality one. It was cheap and nasty. So far so BA Boarding was great as a group 1 and the new process worked well. The crew were wearing those utterly ludicrous hats which, for me are synonymous with low paid, poorly trained crew and my heart sank. The welcome was however warm and once seated champagne was provided and there was a perfectly pleasant interaction. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a85341b2d2.jpg These glasses are very small and not appropriate for a G&T I was genuinely shocked at how small the seat area was and the lack of personal space. I had a rear facing window seat and my wife was facing me. If it were a stranger you better hope they don’t have halitosis! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...58eb3db014.jpg I found the seat area cramped. Luckily no one sat in the front facing seat I had to pass through as the gap was tiny. Trying to exit mid flight with someone asleep must be hard work. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3b97741a40.jpg Another view of the gap https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5d409b7663.jpg Gap to exit from window is very narrow My seat, the carpet, the table, IFE screen were all stained with red wine and for a new aircraft it was very poor indeed. I used the hot towel to clean my screen and table. I could nothing about the mess on the carpet and clearly no one at BA could either. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f982c48f34.jpg Red wine stains on walls and carpet https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c3345ea828.jpg Red wine stain on table storage https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...aa4a4af4df.jpg The floor was stained and lots of trapped dirt https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...816576113e.jpg IFE screen had red wine stains. Cleaning is still a weakness for BA I felt very hemmed in and unable to move or easily access those things I feel I want around me in flight. The socket and USB are at floor level and access to them and the drawer when the table is deployed was nearly impossible. The table is flimsy as is the manual foot rest which also seemed to have s mind if it’s own. The screen seemed small but was perfectly adequate for movies but having to store it 20 minute before landing is frustrating. The head phones are cheap and I missed my Bose! The IFE selection was adequate but BAs definition of new release and mine are some distance apart. The food was a surprise particularly outbound. It was tasty, well presented and pre ordering meant I got my first choice. The wine was also good but the glasses are tiny and not suitable. The crew had no clue about the wine beyond the names, a far cry from the 80’s and 90’s when I was educated in wine by BA crew! https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...017aa1b45e.jpg EX LHR starter which was tasty https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d979adc885.jpg EX LHR main tasted a lot better than it looked https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...69cfece49b.jpg The crew were helpful throughout the meal service and perfectly pleasant but my wife got particularly irked by everything being served over her and through the screen. Names were never used nor was there any introduction from the senior crew member of recognition of status. The crew vanished as soon as the meal service was over and not seen again till just before landing. An hour out I went for coffee and to raid the larder but it had been plundered and beyond a bag of popcorn offered nothing. Compared to AA BAs offer is an embarrassment! On the way home it was worse, with just 2 mini fudge and a single bag of crisps. Neither flight was full! We arrived late. Fortunately with E Visas and a facilitator ( brilliant, PM me for recommendation) we had one queue and immigration was fine with the bags waiting for us. The flight to Cairo was, overall, a mediocre experience. The food was good but it’s really cramped and no one does anything more than they have to. The lounge experience was bad, really bad. The return was interesting. Online checkin worked for my wife and kids but not for me. Our chosen seats for over 5 months were changed thanks to ongoing 787 engine tribulations. So from 2 and 3 AB we got 13DEFJ!! We could not change on line as there were no free seats but, at the airport the agent apologised for the change after I pointed out the group was 1 Gold 3 Silver in the party and a call was made. Magically seats were offered at various locations but few were windows! The flight departed with a dozen empty seats! When I was unable to checkin I followed a link that suggested it would provide an answer but once followed gives no reason only an instruction. Not helpful! The less that is said about the lounge in Cairo the better Boarding was painless despite the enhanced security. A nice touch was separating men and women. Boarding by group was enforced and we left early. Breakfast was served and was not great! The smoothie was dreadful and the waffles were simply solidified sludge on a plate. Vile! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0543482158.jpg EX Cairo breakfast starter. You can't fail with fruit but the energiser was not good. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f029fd68d.jpg Waffles - Congealed sludge on a plat. Vile Again the crew were very pleasant and engaging during the meal service but once complete were invisible for the rest of flight. Like the outbound there were no cabin patrols, no offer to refill coffee. Serve, clear and clear out seems to be the new service standard. I asked for a G&T and was given a choice of gin. Sadly the same small glass they use to serve wine was provided for the G&T . Once the slice was in there wasn’t much room left for anything else. We had a go around at LHR on arrival which was just my third such event in over 35 years of flying. Really quite fun! There were no disasters and for 4 hours it was all ok.....except for the lounges which were frankly horrible. Quality they are not. The crew, long a strength of BA and a unique selling point, were no more engaging that Qatar or Cathay and considerably less than American. Food has improved ex LHR but even this is a far cry from what CX, AA and especially QR put in front of their business class passengers. The style of service is basic too and the crew do what is required and nothing more. No cabin patrols and hiding out in the closed off First Cabin on both flights. The seat and cabin design are from a past age. They’re cramped and plastic. They rattle constantly which is not my experience on either TAM or QR’s 787. Those cabins also feel open and inviting. BAs does not. The seat is comfortable but lacks personal space and it felt cramped and restricted; two qualities I do not associate with privacy. The very close proximity of others is disturbing when you have been used to solo travel, especially as you look directly into their face. The screen is a pain. This is all very subjective and very much a personal view. Many people clearly like BA, the seat is at least consistent across their fleet. But not having direct aisle access is a big deal for me and I am now too used to being able to get out of my seat whenever I wish, without disturbing others and even when the tray is fully set and in use. I also like the storage and personal space offered by the seats on CX, QR and AA. I am off to the US East Coast in about 8 weeks and pleased I have two F seats booked using avios, albeit on a clapped out 747. I am even more pleased that I am using AA to come home. It’s a far far better product in my view and BA will not be my first choice when I can use other oneworld carriers for long haul. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...54cb383fa3.jpg |
Those wine stains are an absloute disgrace to BA. The dirt is harder to get rid of, maybe @binman could do something about it!!!
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Clearly this aircraft is yet to benefit from the BA 'Ultra Clean" https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/imag...s/rolleyes.gif
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An interesting and pretty balanced report, so thanks for sharing.
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i have done a few ex-cai trips recently and I completely agree the catering is indeible
club on the 787 does generally feel cramped and it can’t be compared with qr poor catering in the galleries south is a known and common complaint as well as a lack of club kitchen did you speak to the crew about the cleanliness of the cabin? |
All of you: Please don't quote the entire post including the photos. Edit your quotes to indicate what you're replying to, or don't quote the previous post at all. That said....
The cabin lack-of-cleanliness is pretty shocking there. Can't excuse that on any airline. What is going on at BA that that aircraft was even allowed to depart, instead of being held for another 10 minutes while the cleaning crew worked on that (of course, the aircraft cleanliness was checked after cleaning was finished but before the cleaning crew left, so they don't have to be called back, yes)? AA will also do you inedible waffles, so both airlines lose there. Galleries Club full to the rafters over half term? That'll be the status holders with families. It only shows why letting status holders bring entire entourages into the lounge makes it unpleasant for all. The BA/AA seat has been done to death here. You really have to ask which compromise you want: comfortable for everyone especially tall people without aisle access, or comfortable for only short/narrow people with aisle access, or unprofitably low density (AA aren't going to get any more of the Cirrus seats that their 777W has, they're far too unprofitable). |
A very descriptive and well-balanced report. Unfortunately consistent with many of my own flight experiences with BA during the last two-three years, although
i've personally never had that degree of red wine trashing of any seat. It's pretty annoying with the invisible CC doing ' no cabin patrols, no offer(s) to refill' coffee or other drinks. A Premium Airline? |
Originally Posted by binman
(Post 29832052)
I haven’t flown BA’s club world since experiencing the new AA product and using other one world carriers such as Cathay and Qatar. These airlines have all exceeded my expectations and offered me value for money on the routes and journey’s I have needed to take for the last 5 or 6 years.
The crew were wearing those utterly ludicrous hats which, for me are synonymous with low paid, poorly trained crew and my heart sank. Point 2. This is a very condescending comment and insulting to the staff. Would you say the same to say QR cabin crew who wear the same style of hats and are probably paid less? From my understanding, BA's cabin crew all have the same level of training regardless of employment contract and legacy crews also have the option to wear the hat if they wish. |
Us worldwide crew wear the hat when we are on the 787 and the A380. Sadly it’s not a choice. |
Thanks, Binman. I had almost recovered from a flight from Cairo to London in May. Now the British Airways Club World flashbacks are reoccurring. The Cairo lounge is the worst I have ever been in. All of them are bad. The Club World seats we had were almost as bad. Instead of wine stains, there were huge black fingerprints overhead. No first class cabin was advertised but the flight had one due to a plane change (minus first service or food). Why on earth do British Airways serve that margarine shaped to look like butter? It is grotesque. Economy offers butter to passengers. The service is a farce. Crew were either lazy, surly or incompetent. The Club World seats deserve the terrible reviews commonly found.
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I'm not one for waffling on but it looks a much better experience than my last CAI trip in J with KLM....which wasn't that bad to be honest.
It is a very short flight after all. |
It’s a well-constructed, carefully-considered, review binman, and makes for an entertaining read - if ultimately a rather sad one. I say sad for me personally, because in BA’s halcyon years, I cannot recall feeling quite as underwhelmed as you were, in any of the flights I took with them back then. And sad, more generally, to see how far standards of cleanliness and hygiene have slipped over time. Even accepting that all airlines can have their ‘bad days’, it’s not unreasonable to expect far, far, better than this when travelling in the business class cabin offered by any global carrier - let alone one with BA’s heritage. However, if cost-cutting becomes an integral part of a business strategy, then it will at some point inevitably show : whether those cuts be in aircraft cleaning standards, training resources, the level of onboard ‘club larder’ stocks, or the quality and maintenance of the lounge facilities. And if you then happen - as you did - to get a less than pro-active crew on the day (almost hiding themselves away after service, as you describe), the overall situation is compounded. Some of those photos should come with a health warning !! Best line about the mess that greeted you on the aircraft : “I could do nothing about the mess on the carpet and clearly no one at BA could either” One thing that did intrigue me was your reference to CC using the F cabin as a rest area. Exactly what sort of ‘rest’ is (officially) permitted for a flight as relatively short as Cairo ? (perhaps the ever-helpful CIHY can give some steer on that). In summary, we read many reports here of much more positive experiences from many BA flyers. Only the other day, a poster enjoyed what seemed to be the most perfect flight (albeit in F class) and was - understandably - keen to come on and rightly enthuse about it. It’s an airline that can (still) surprise and delight in so many ways. But therein lies the core of the problem with today’s BA : rather than the assurance of being able to enjoy a consistently reliable product, you just never know whether - on any given flight - you will get lucky or not. In that sense, it’s clear to see why you are looking to other OW options for your future long-haul travel needs. |
Originally Posted by subject2load
(Post 29833751)
One thing that did intrigue me was your reference to CC using the F cabin as a rest area. Exactly what sort of ‘rest’ is (officially) permitted for a flight as relatively short as Cairo ? (perhaps the ever-helpful CIHY can give some steer on that). |
Many thanks for responding MFCC. Your view from the inside, so to speak, is certainly helpful to the thread ^ i guess, based on what you say, we can only conclude that the CSM (on both sectors) had a somewhat different perspective to that of the OP, as regards what constitutes appropriate ‘break’ time versus a desirable level of customer-focussed service & attention throughout the entirety of a flight. From the OP’s report : “Again the crew were very pleasant and engaging during the meal service but once complete were invisible for the rest of flight. Like the outbound there were no cabin patrols, no offer to refill coffee. Serve, clear and clear out seems to be the new service standard” and ............ “The style of service is basic too and the crew do what is required and nothing more. No cabin patrols and hiding out in the closed off First Cabin on both flights.” |
Originally Posted by icegirl
(Post 29832679)
Point 1. What were you expecting exactly? Q-suites perhaps?
. A good balanced report binman, thanks for sharing. |
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