British Airways Club Europe LHR-CDG
Jan 28, 09, 4:33 pm
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British Airways Club Europe LHR-CDG
British Airways Club Europe LHR-CDG
My other trip reports can be found by searching ‘Genius1’ in the Trip Reports forum. Alternatively, my most recent trip reports can be found in my signature at the bottom of this post. Photos are copyright via the Fotki image hosting service.
Introduction
The time had come when I had itchy feet to go flying again, so here it is folks, a little later than planned, another BA trip report, this time in Club Europe.
The decision to go to Paris was a combination of factors – mainly the low fare and the fact that the city is ‘do-able’ in a day, however. I’d never been to Paris before and speaking French to an OK (A Level) standard it hopefully wouldn’t be too stressful...
Booking
These flights were booked, as usual, online direct with British Airways. I took advantage of the business class sale BA had in November 2008, paying £200.60 for a return Club Europe (business class) fare to Paris, which is quite a reasonable price to pay to gain 750 miles and 40 tier points per segment in my opinion. It does amuse me the way the total price can be so totally random. For example, each sector was advertised as £99, which would lead you to believe a return price of £198. Alas, things are never that simple!
UK Pre-Departure
I had been checking the seat maps for these flights on Expert Flyer for some time, interested to know how the cabins in both Club Europe (CE) and Euro Traveller (ET) were filling up. It was soon apparent that the outbound flight would be fairly busy, but that the inbound would be relatively sparsely populated. Online check-in 24 hours prior to my first segment of the day, as usual with BA, was a breeze and I was able to select seat 4A on the outbound A320 aircraft and 1A on the inbound A321 aircraft (switched from an A320 a couple of weeks prior to departure). I printed my own boarding passes for both flights, which would allow me to go straight to hopefully-fast-track-security on arrival at the airport, although it’s difficult to predict whether BAA (the airport authority) will play ball and do their job properly!
Outbound
Route: LHR (Terminal 5) – CDG (Terminal 2B)
Date: Saturday 17th January 2009
Airline: British Airways
Flight Number: BA0306
Aircraft Type: A320-232
Aircraft Registration: G-EUUN (2003)
Seat: 04A
Class: Club Europe
Check-In & Security
On the day of departure, I took a taxi to Paddington Station at around 05:00 (the tube not running at this early hour of the morning) and then the third Heathrow Express (HEX) departure of the day (the 05:25, I think it was) to Heathrow T5, passing Heathrow Central (for T1/T2/T3) on the way. An Express Class (standard class) return ticket costs £36, compared to £50 for a First Class return ticket. HEX have just started an e-ticketing system for Internet bookings, meaning it is no longer necessary to collect your tickets on arrival at the station. I have travelled First Class on the HEX before, and can honestly say it’s not worth the extra money. The seat is slightly larger, there is a table at the seat and you get a ‘complimentary’ newspaper (which has always been the FT the times I’ve travelled), but these ‘enhancements’ are hard to justify for such a premium price – except perhaps at peak times when Express Class is packed to the rafters (if it ever is?). I overheard an interesting conversation between three BA cabin crew seated near me on the HEX, testing each other on how long the drop-down emergency oxygen lasts on each aircraft type!
The HEX arrived into the bowels of T5 on time, approximately 20 minutes after leaving Paddington. I ascended via the escalator to the Arrivals level (the ground floor), before taking two more escalators to the Departures level (the second floor) via the first floor which houses T5’s offices. The lift directly from the basement to the second floor is much quicker, but I was in no rush, and the lifts had quite a few people milling around them with large suitcases who looked like they would take an age to go anywhere.
I emerged into a practically empty check-in hall with over three hours to go until departure. For pictures of the T5 check-in area, see my LHR-JFK trip report. Although BA’s Club check-in area is now operational (next to First check-in), it was not necessary for me to go there with only hand baggage and my boarding pass already printed. I headed straight to Security South, behind Club check-in (Zone H).
After refusing a plastic bag (for liquids), which I already had, and having my boarding pass and passport inspected, I went through into the main security screening area. Security South is smaller than Security North, but is often easier for use by premium passengers as the entrance to the Concorde Room (for First and Premier status passengers) is directly after security. As such, FastTrack is usually in operation. Today was no exception, although the ‘gentleman’ manning the entrance to FastTrack pointed me to the non-premium security lanes without even looking at my boarding pass. In response to my question of ‘FastTrack?’, he audibly sighed and stepped aside, allowing me into the FastTrack lane without even checking my eligibility! I sometimes wonder what these people are paid to do!
Security was actually a non-event in the end, as there was nobody in front of me, and I was through in a matter of seconds (after the usual removal of jacket, shoes and belt). A true FastTrack experience from BAA! I am living proof that it can be done – perhaps only at 05:50 though?!
Lounges & Boarding
I had the choice of the two Galleries Club lounges in T5A (and the Galleries Club in T5B if my flight had departed from there). I decided to visit the South Club first, simply because it is the larger of the two and I would therefore be more likely to find a quiet place to sit. Glancing wistfully at the private Concorde Room entrance, which I had luckily been able to use on my first visit to T5 back in the summer, I turned left after security and walked through the shopping arcade in completely the wrong direction from the South lounges. I don’t find it too much of a pain walking the ‘long’ way round to the South lounges – it only took me about three minutes. In reality, it is not much longer than the walk from security to the old Gate 10 Lounge Pavilion in T4. Down the escalator from security, back on myself, and up two more escalators in the South lounges complex (via the CCR/Galleries First/Elemis Travel Spa hall with the world clock), and I was at the entrance to Galleries Club South.
Escalators up to the Galleries South lounges
A friendly lounge agent scanned my boarding pass and welcomed me into the lounge. The entrance to Galleries Club South is onto a wide corridor which links the main lounge areas to the left and right of the entrance. To the left is Guest Services, the Silver Bar and the Kids’ Zone, ahead is what is termed the ‘Chef’s Theatre’ (essentially a self-service buffet) and entrance to the washrooms and to the right is the Cinema and Work and Entertainment Zone. In addition, there are three Coffee Houses and two News Zones scattered around amongst the seating areas.
The lounge is decorated nicely (a world away from the old Terraces lounge style), but I did feel it was a bit darker in atmosphere than Galleries First. The seating areas are certainly plentiful, but appeared much closer together than Galleries First. I had a bit of a wander around to get my bearings – there are no great views of the tarmac outside, although the glass wall beyond the Cinema looks down onto Security South and the main departure area, which is an interesting view for people-watching!
Having opened a little under an hour ago, everything was clean and tidy and the lounge was sparsely populated when I arrived. A couple of staff members were busy cleaning the food and beverage areas and preparing the bars for later in the day. On offer in the way of food at this early hour of the morning were bacon rolls, what appeared to be tomato rolls, porridge, toast and a variety of cold items such as hams, yoghurts and cheeses. Both bars were well stocked with fruit juices, the standard soft drinks (together with alcohol if that’s your tipple at 6am!), with champagne available on request.
Galleries Club South – the Cinema is behind the brown partition wall
Galleries Club South – looking through to one of the bar areas opposite one of the Coffee Houses at the far end of the lounge
Galleries Club South – one of the Coffee Houses
Galleries Club South – one of the bar areas being re-stocked for the day ahead
Galleries Club South – one of the bar areas being re-stocked – the window wall looks down onto Security South
Galleries Club South – seating looking down onto Security South
Galleries Club South – view down onto Security South
Galleries Club South – view down onto the entrance to the transit to T5B
Galleries Club South – looking towards the Work and Entertainment Zone
Galleries Club South – looking towards the Work and Entertainment Zone
Galleries Club South – looking towards the Chef’s Theatre with the Work and Entertainment Zone on the left
Galleries Club South – Silver Bar
Galleries Club South – Silver Bar
Galleries Club South – Silver Bar
Galleries Club South – Silver Bar
Galleries Club South – main seating area looking towards the largest of the two Coffee Houses
Galleries Club South – seating area
Galleries Club South – main seating area
Descending the escalator from the Galleries South lounges
After flicking through a couple of BA’s onboard magazines (High Life and Business Life) with an orange juice, I made my way back downstairs and through the shopping arcade to Galleries Club North, which sits all alone at the other end of the terminal on the same level as security. My boarding pass caused the lounge agent’s computer to beep violently, but after she’d peered quizzically at her screen for a few seconds she let me into the lounge! The computer was probably telling her I’d already been in the South Club?
About half the size of the South Club, the North Club is decorated virtually identically and has all the amenities of its larger cousin, but with the addition of showers within the lounge (South Club guests can use the showers next to the Elemis Spa) and an Open Terrace area, which offers views across to T5B and of the northern runway.
It became clear that the North Club gets crowded very quickly – it seems most people are too lazy to go up two escalators in order to reach the South Club! The only area that really offered any peace was the Open Terrace, which is about a third of the size of the Concorde Room Open Terrace. Another negative aspect to this lounge is that the Chef’s Theatre area is right in front of the entrance to the lounge and acts as a corridor, meaning there is a steady flow of people around you as you try and put together a plate to eat. I helped myself to another orange juice, accompanied by a bacon roll, organic yogurt and a couple of croissants.
Galleries Club North – Open Terrace
Galleries Club North – view from the Open Terrace looking into the lounge
Galleries Club North – view from the Open Terrace looking out onto the central terminal area at LHR as dawn breaks
Galleries Club North – view from the Open Terrace looking out onto the central terminal area at LHR as dawn breaks
BA do not carry out priority boarding on shorthaul flights (much to the annoyance of frequent travellers), and so I left the lounge with plenty of time to spare in order to get to the gate sharp-ish and be first in line to board. At about 08:45, the departure screen showed my flight as leaving from gate A9, and so I made my way over and sat down close to the start of the queuing system. After a wait of around ten minutes, the flight was called for boarding and I made it through the passport and boarding pass check, down the escalator and along the airbridge ahead of the rest of the gate area’s occupants, first to board the aircraft.
Onboard
A friendly flight attendant looked a little surprised to see me as I stepped through door 1L. After recovering from her shock of seeing a passenger boarding her flight, she welcomed me onboard with a smile and told me seat 4A was ‘just down on the right’. There was an air of courtesy and professionalism which made me think this crew were going to be good – and I wasn’t wrong.
I settled into my window seat and, while waiting for the rest of the plane to board, contemplated the shorthaul convertible seating employed by BA, as it is by so many other European carriers on their shorthaul routes. The front portion of the aircraft can be converted into business class seats, and all seats in this section have a 34” pitch, compared with 31” in the rear section. The number of business class rows can be adjusted simply by moving the curtain divider and by widening the seats by a couple of inches, leaving a 2-3 (AC-DEF) configuration, as opposed to the 3-3 configuration in economy class. The middle ‘B’ seat is squished and not used in business class. BA will be changing their seating policy in Club Europe towards the end of February – no longer will seats be widened – instead, neither the ‘B’ or ‘E’ seats will be sold. This has the advantage of guaranteeing all CE passengers more personal space and either a window or aisle seat, but means the seat has exactly the same dimensions as economy class, which is considered a downgrade by many, rather than what is being termed by BA as an ‘enhancement’.
Looking across the aisle towards 4DEF in Club Europe on this A320
34” seat pitch in Club Europe
Club Europe cabin filling up
View of a fellow A320 at the next door gate before pushing back
Personally, I found the seat pitch comfortable for such as short flight, but I do think that on some of the longer ‘European’ segments, a 34” pitch is ridiculous for a business class product – Moscow springs to mind. Why BA use their shorthaul Club Europe and Euro Traveller products on their route to Russia is a bit of a mystery to me, especially when Cairo is considered a longhaul destination and is roughly the same flight time as Moscow. I overhead one or two passengers commenting on how ‘there appears to be a little more room up here’ as they passed through the business class cabin on their way to economy, but the difference in hard product is so subtle that you do have to look twice to notice the CE headrest covers and slightly increased seat width.
The Captain came on over the PA and told us that the few remaining bags were being loaded into the hold and gave us a few details regarding our route and estimated time of arrival. At this time, one of the Club Europe FAs came round with the lovely hot towels and suggested that the passenger in 3E may be happier moving to the empty 4DEF seats, which he promptly did. The rest of my row remained free, including 4C thankfully. Every other row of the 6-row business class cabin had at least three passengers in, including an off-duty BA staff member in 5F, who was given a cushion by one of the FAs prior to pushback and promptly fell asleep.
We pushed back around ten minutes after scheduled departure time, and taxied to runway 27R. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the aircraft for views of parked aircraft at the central terminal area, but I did manage a few shots of departing and arriving aircraft on 27R. During the taxi, the flight attendants did a manual safety demonstration, something I’ve not seen for a while. I’m used to the video safety presentations with the FAs just pointing out the nearest emergency exit, rather than the ‘old-fashioned’ manual demo. It was quite interesting to look back down the aisle and see almost every pair of eyes fixed on the FAs when the demo got to the section on ditching into water and lifejacket use – this flight taking place just a couple of days after the amazing US Airways landing on the Hudson.
Pushback from gate A9 at T5A
Taxiing alongside runway 27R
Aer Lingus A321 on 27R
Aer Lingus A320 on 27R
The same Aer Lingus A320 thundering down runway 27R beyond our wing
Swiss A321
The same Swiss A321
Fellow BA B757 lining up for departure
Lining up for departure
bmi Airbus as we begin our takeoff roll
We began our short takeoff roll approximately half an hour after our scheduled departure time, rotating adjacent to T3.
Just after rotation – a view of T3 and Virgin Atlantic’s wide-bodies
T5C – the second T5 satellite building – taking shape, currently supporting the dreaded BA remote stands
T5B and BA’s collection of wide-bodies
T5A and a BA Airbus turning into our vacated gate A9
Shortly after takeoff we banked fairly sharply to the left, affording us a nice view of Heathrow from a distance.
View just before turning to the left on our route to Paris
LHR just visible through the morning haze beyond our wingtip
London in the distance
Drop-down LCD screens and the flight information display shortly after takeoff
Approaching the English Channel
Crossing the coastline with the famous white cliffs below
Crossing the coastline with the famous white cliffs below
Breakfast was served shortly after we were over the English Channel, as soon as the curtain between Club Europe and Euro Traveller had been pulled across. The two CE cabin crew were very efficient in making sure everyone was served promptly on this short flight to allow us all a chance to eat before decent began! On these shortest of European routes, the CE breakfast consists of the famous hot English breakfast (scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, tomato and mushrooms), a fruit plate and choice of hot breads – I opted for a croissant. Orange juice is presented on the tray in a little plastic pot which is a bit tacky for business class, and tea or coffee was also offered by the cabin crew – I opted for tea. The china is Royal Doulton and the cutlery is metal – nicely reassuring.
Breakfast in Club Europe on BA0306
Whilst not perhaps the best quality in the world, I enjoyed the breakfast offering on this flight, but I did feel a bit of pressure to eat quickly in order to finish before descent. It appeared I was not alone in this feeling, as one of the flight attendants actually made a comment to the passenger seated in 3A that there was no need to hurry!
Breakfast was cleared away as descent began, although the seatbelt signs didn’t go off for a while. I visited the lavatory to freshen up, which was almost spotless and stocked with the standard Elemis products. Sadly there is no window, unlike in one of the lavatories in First on the 747...
Turning at the top of our descent
Descending through miserable weather
On finals at CDG
Seconds before touchdown at CDG
Micro-seconds before touchdown!
Touchdown with spoilers deployed
We touched down in a very wet Paris a little later than scheduled, never having made up the delay we encountered before departure at LHR. Taxiing to Terminal 2B it becomes apparent just how massive CDG is – the mix of terminal architecture is also quite interesting to note.
US Airways A330
United Airlines and Malaysian Airlines B777s
A B747 from a company I’d never heard of before – Pullmantur Air
Needing no introduction really, an Air France Concorde on display at CDG
As we pulled up to the gate at T2B, there was the usual unfastening of seatbelts, despite the announcement being made about remaining in seats until the aircraft had come to a complete stop. I collected my bag from the overhead bin, pulled on my jacket and thanked the crew as we exited via door 1L, being told to mind the wet airbridge floor on the way.
Arrival
Terminal 2B at CDG is certainly an ‘unusual’ piece of design/architecture. I’ll say more about it in my CDG-LHR sector trip report, but the arrivals process was relatively simple – a short walk to the arrivals hall, as there’s only one level and all airport services appear to be squeezed into a strip not much wider than the width of a main road. I was through to landside within a few minutes of stepping off the aircraft. Initially it took me a while to work out how to get to the RER train station from where I could get the train into central Paris – in the end I walked outside and hopped on the free shuttle bus, although I later found out it would have been quicker to walk, given that the bus initially leaves in the wrong direction from T2B. I used a self-service ticket machine to purchase a single ticket to Paris, costing a little over 8 Euros.
LHR-CDG Sector Verdict
BA has a solid product in Club Europe, just as it has in Club World. I’m not convinced of the convertible seating – while comfortable for such a short flight, I wouldn’t want to spend more than around three hours with a 34” pitch when paying business class prices. Catering is perfectly satisfactory – I would go so far as to say I enjoyed the CE breakfast more than I did the CW dinner on my JFK-LHR sector last summer. The crew were very good on this flight – courteous, professional and efficient in completing the service in a very short time frame. This sector in BA Club Europe gets an 8/10 from me.
Thank you for reading. The CDG-LHR sector will follow as a separate trip report shortly, in which I will discuss, among other things, the ‘delights’ of the Air France Lounge at CDG T2B...
Please feel free to leave comments and questions below.
My other trip reports can be found by searching ‘Genius1’ in the Trip Reports forum. Alternatively, my most recent trip reports can be found in my signature at the bottom of this post. Photos are copyright via the Fotki image hosting service.
Introduction
The time had come when I had itchy feet to go flying again, so here it is folks, a little later than planned, another BA trip report, this time in Club Europe.
The decision to go to Paris was a combination of factors – mainly the low fare and the fact that the city is ‘do-able’ in a day, however. I’d never been to Paris before and speaking French to an OK (A Level) standard it hopefully wouldn’t be too stressful...
Booking
These flights were booked, as usual, online direct with British Airways. I took advantage of the business class sale BA had in November 2008, paying £200.60 for a return Club Europe (business class) fare to Paris, which is quite a reasonable price to pay to gain 750 miles and 40 tier points per segment in my opinion. It does amuse me the way the total price can be so totally random. For example, each sector was advertised as £99, which would lead you to believe a return price of £198. Alas, things are never that simple!
UK Pre-Departure
I had been checking the seat maps for these flights on Expert Flyer for some time, interested to know how the cabins in both Club Europe (CE) and Euro Traveller (ET) were filling up. It was soon apparent that the outbound flight would be fairly busy, but that the inbound would be relatively sparsely populated. Online check-in 24 hours prior to my first segment of the day, as usual with BA, was a breeze and I was able to select seat 4A on the outbound A320 aircraft and 1A on the inbound A321 aircraft (switched from an A320 a couple of weeks prior to departure). I printed my own boarding passes for both flights, which would allow me to go straight to hopefully-fast-track-security on arrival at the airport, although it’s difficult to predict whether BAA (the airport authority) will play ball and do their job properly!
Outbound
Route: LHR (Terminal 5) – CDG (Terminal 2B)
Date: Saturday 17th January 2009
Airline: British Airways
Flight Number: BA0306
Aircraft Type: A320-232
Aircraft Registration: G-EUUN (2003)
Seat: 04A
Class: Club Europe
Check-In & Security
On the day of departure, I took a taxi to Paddington Station at around 05:00 (the tube not running at this early hour of the morning) and then the third Heathrow Express (HEX) departure of the day (the 05:25, I think it was) to Heathrow T5, passing Heathrow Central (for T1/T2/T3) on the way. An Express Class (standard class) return ticket costs £36, compared to £50 for a First Class return ticket. HEX have just started an e-ticketing system for Internet bookings, meaning it is no longer necessary to collect your tickets on arrival at the station. I have travelled First Class on the HEX before, and can honestly say it’s not worth the extra money. The seat is slightly larger, there is a table at the seat and you get a ‘complimentary’ newspaper (which has always been the FT the times I’ve travelled), but these ‘enhancements’ are hard to justify for such a premium price – except perhaps at peak times when Express Class is packed to the rafters (if it ever is?). I overheard an interesting conversation between three BA cabin crew seated near me on the HEX, testing each other on how long the drop-down emergency oxygen lasts on each aircraft type!
The HEX arrived into the bowels of T5 on time, approximately 20 minutes after leaving Paddington. I ascended via the escalator to the Arrivals level (the ground floor), before taking two more escalators to the Departures level (the second floor) via the first floor which houses T5’s offices. The lift directly from the basement to the second floor is much quicker, but I was in no rush, and the lifts had quite a few people milling around them with large suitcases who looked like they would take an age to go anywhere.
I emerged into a practically empty check-in hall with over three hours to go until departure. For pictures of the T5 check-in area, see my LHR-JFK trip report. Although BA’s Club check-in area is now operational (next to First check-in), it was not necessary for me to go there with only hand baggage and my boarding pass already printed. I headed straight to Security South, behind Club check-in (Zone H).
After refusing a plastic bag (for liquids), which I already had, and having my boarding pass and passport inspected, I went through into the main security screening area. Security South is smaller than Security North, but is often easier for use by premium passengers as the entrance to the Concorde Room (for First and Premier status passengers) is directly after security. As such, FastTrack is usually in operation. Today was no exception, although the ‘gentleman’ manning the entrance to FastTrack pointed me to the non-premium security lanes without even looking at my boarding pass. In response to my question of ‘FastTrack?’, he audibly sighed and stepped aside, allowing me into the FastTrack lane without even checking my eligibility! I sometimes wonder what these people are paid to do!
Security was actually a non-event in the end, as there was nobody in front of me, and I was through in a matter of seconds (after the usual removal of jacket, shoes and belt). A true FastTrack experience from BAA! I am living proof that it can be done – perhaps only at 05:50 though?!
Lounges & Boarding
I had the choice of the two Galleries Club lounges in T5A (and the Galleries Club in T5B if my flight had departed from there). I decided to visit the South Club first, simply because it is the larger of the two and I would therefore be more likely to find a quiet place to sit. Glancing wistfully at the private Concorde Room entrance, which I had luckily been able to use on my first visit to T5 back in the summer, I turned left after security and walked through the shopping arcade in completely the wrong direction from the South lounges. I don’t find it too much of a pain walking the ‘long’ way round to the South lounges – it only took me about three minutes. In reality, it is not much longer than the walk from security to the old Gate 10 Lounge Pavilion in T4. Down the escalator from security, back on myself, and up two more escalators in the South lounges complex (via the CCR/Galleries First/Elemis Travel Spa hall with the world clock), and I was at the entrance to Galleries Club South.
Escalators up to the Galleries South lounges
A friendly lounge agent scanned my boarding pass and welcomed me into the lounge. The entrance to Galleries Club South is onto a wide corridor which links the main lounge areas to the left and right of the entrance. To the left is Guest Services, the Silver Bar and the Kids’ Zone, ahead is what is termed the ‘Chef’s Theatre’ (essentially a self-service buffet) and entrance to the washrooms and to the right is the Cinema and Work and Entertainment Zone. In addition, there are three Coffee Houses and two News Zones scattered around amongst the seating areas.
The lounge is decorated nicely (a world away from the old Terraces lounge style), but I did feel it was a bit darker in atmosphere than Galleries First. The seating areas are certainly plentiful, but appeared much closer together than Galleries First. I had a bit of a wander around to get my bearings – there are no great views of the tarmac outside, although the glass wall beyond the Cinema looks down onto Security South and the main departure area, which is an interesting view for people-watching!
Having opened a little under an hour ago, everything was clean and tidy and the lounge was sparsely populated when I arrived. A couple of staff members were busy cleaning the food and beverage areas and preparing the bars for later in the day. On offer in the way of food at this early hour of the morning were bacon rolls, what appeared to be tomato rolls, porridge, toast and a variety of cold items such as hams, yoghurts and cheeses. Both bars were well stocked with fruit juices, the standard soft drinks (together with alcohol if that’s your tipple at 6am!), with champagne available on request.
Galleries Club South – the Cinema is behind the brown partition wall
Galleries Club South – looking through to one of the bar areas opposite one of the Coffee Houses at the far end of the lounge
Galleries Club South – one of the Coffee Houses
Galleries Club South – one of the bar areas being re-stocked for the day ahead
Galleries Club South – one of the bar areas being re-stocked – the window wall looks down onto Security South
Galleries Club South – seating looking down onto Security South
Galleries Club South – view down onto Security South
Galleries Club South – view down onto the entrance to the transit to T5B
Galleries Club South – looking towards the Work and Entertainment Zone
Galleries Club South – looking towards the Work and Entertainment Zone
Galleries Club South – looking towards the Chef’s Theatre with the Work and Entertainment Zone on the left
Galleries Club South – Silver Bar
Galleries Club South – Silver Bar
Galleries Club South – Silver Bar
Galleries Club South – Silver Bar
Galleries Club South – main seating area looking towards the largest of the two Coffee Houses
Galleries Club South – seating area
Galleries Club South – main seating area
Descending the escalator from the Galleries South lounges
After flicking through a couple of BA’s onboard magazines (High Life and Business Life) with an orange juice, I made my way back downstairs and through the shopping arcade to Galleries Club North, which sits all alone at the other end of the terminal on the same level as security. My boarding pass caused the lounge agent’s computer to beep violently, but after she’d peered quizzically at her screen for a few seconds she let me into the lounge! The computer was probably telling her I’d already been in the South Club?
About half the size of the South Club, the North Club is decorated virtually identically and has all the amenities of its larger cousin, but with the addition of showers within the lounge (South Club guests can use the showers next to the Elemis Spa) and an Open Terrace area, which offers views across to T5B and of the northern runway.
It became clear that the North Club gets crowded very quickly – it seems most people are too lazy to go up two escalators in order to reach the South Club! The only area that really offered any peace was the Open Terrace, which is about a third of the size of the Concorde Room Open Terrace. Another negative aspect to this lounge is that the Chef’s Theatre area is right in front of the entrance to the lounge and acts as a corridor, meaning there is a steady flow of people around you as you try and put together a plate to eat. I helped myself to another orange juice, accompanied by a bacon roll, organic yogurt and a couple of croissants.
Galleries Club North – Open Terrace
Galleries Club North – view from the Open Terrace looking into the lounge
Galleries Club North – view from the Open Terrace looking out onto the central terminal area at LHR as dawn breaks
Galleries Club North – view from the Open Terrace looking out onto the central terminal area at LHR as dawn breaks
BA do not carry out priority boarding on shorthaul flights (much to the annoyance of frequent travellers), and so I left the lounge with plenty of time to spare in order to get to the gate sharp-ish and be first in line to board. At about 08:45, the departure screen showed my flight as leaving from gate A9, and so I made my way over and sat down close to the start of the queuing system. After a wait of around ten minutes, the flight was called for boarding and I made it through the passport and boarding pass check, down the escalator and along the airbridge ahead of the rest of the gate area’s occupants, first to board the aircraft.
Onboard
A friendly flight attendant looked a little surprised to see me as I stepped through door 1L. After recovering from her shock of seeing a passenger boarding her flight, she welcomed me onboard with a smile and told me seat 4A was ‘just down on the right’. There was an air of courtesy and professionalism which made me think this crew were going to be good – and I wasn’t wrong.
I settled into my window seat and, while waiting for the rest of the plane to board, contemplated the shorthaul convertible seating employed by BA, as it is by so many other European carriers on their shorthaul routes. The front portion of the aircraft can be converted into business class seats, and all seats in this section have a 34” pitch, compared with 31” in the rear section. The number of business class rows can be adjusted simply by moving the curtain divider and by widening the seats by a couple of inches, leaving a 2-3 (AC-DEF) configuration, as opposed to the 3-3 configuration in economy class. The middle ‘B’ seat is squished and not used in business class. BA will be changing their seating policy in Club Europe towards the end of February – no longer will seats be widened – instead, neither the ‘B’ or ‘E’ seats will be sold. This has the advantage of guaranteeing all CE passengers more personal space and either a window or aisle seat, but means the seat has exactly the same dimensions as economy class, which is considered a downgrade by many, rather than what is being termed by BA as an ‘enhancement’.
Looking across the aisle towards 4DEF in Club Europe on this A320
34” seat pitch in Club Europe
Club Europe cabin filling up
View of a fellow A320 at the next door gate before pushing back
Personally, I found the seat pitch comfortable for such as short flight, but I do think that on some of the longer ‘European’ segments, a 34” pitch is ridiculous for a business class product – Moscow springs to mind. Why BA use their shorthaul Club Europe and Euro Traveller products on their route to Russia is a bit of a mystery to me, especially when Cairo is considered a longhaul destination and is roughly the same flight time as Moscow. I overhead one or two passengers commenting on how ‘there appears to be a little more room up here’ as they passed through the business class cabin on their way to economy, but the difference in hard product is so subtle that you do have to look twice to notice the CE headrest covers and slightly increased seat width.
The Captain came on over the PA and told us that the few remaining bags were being loaded into the hold and gave us a few details regarding our route and estimated time of arrival. At this time, one of the Club Europe FAs came round with the lovely hot towels and suggested that the passenger in 3E may be happier moving to the empty 4DEF seats, which he promptly did. The rest of my row remained free, including 4C thankfully. Every other row of the 6-row business class cabin had at least three passengers in, including an off-duty BA staff member in 5F, who was given a cushion by one of the FAs prior to pushback and promptly fell asleep.
We pushed back around ten minutes after scheduled departure time, and taxied to runway 27R. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the aircraft for views of parked aircraft at the central terminal area, but I did manage a few shots of departing and arriving aircraft on 27R. During the taxi, the flight attendants did a manual safety demonstration, something I’ve not seen for a while. I’m used to the video safety presentations with the FAs just pointing out the nearest emergency exit, rather than the ‘old-fashioned’ manual demo. It was quite interesting to look back down the aisle and see almost every pair of eyes fixed on the FAs when the demo got to the section on ditching into water and lifejacket use – this flight taking place just a couple of days after the amazing US Airways landing on the Hudson.
Pushback from gate A9 at T5A
Taxiing alongside runway 27R
Aer Lingus A321 on 27R
Aer Lingus A320 on 27R
The same Aer Lingus A320 thundering down runway 27R beyond our wing
Swiss A321
The same Swiss A321
Fellow BA B757 lining up for departure
Lining up for departure
bmi Airbus as we begin our takeoff roll
We began our short takeoff roll approximately half an hour after our scheduled departure time, rotating adjacent to T3.
Just after rotation – a view of T3 and Virgin Atlantic’s wide-bodies
T5C – the second T5 satellite building – taking shape, currently supporting the dreaded BA remote stands
T5B and BA’s collection of wide-bodies
T5A and a BA Airbus turning into our vacated gate A9
Shortly after takeoff we banked fairly sharply to the left, affording us a nice view of Heathrow from a distance.
View just before turning to the left on our route to Paris
LHR just visible through the morning haze beyond our wingtip
London in the distance
Drop-down LCD screens and the flight information display shortly after takeoff
Approaching the English Channel
Crossing the coastline with the famous white cliffs below
Crossing the coastline with the famous white cliffs below
Breakfast was served shortly after we were over the English Channel, as soon as the curtain between Club Europe and Euro Traveller had been pulled across. The two CE cabin crew were very efficient in making sure everyone was served promptly on this short flight to allow us all a chance to eat before decent began! On these shortest of European routes, the CE breakfast consists of the famous hot English breakfast (scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, tomato and mushrooms), a fruit plate and choice of hot breads – I opted for a croissant. Orange juice is presented on the tray in a little plastic pot which is a bit tacky for business class, and tea or coffee was also offered by the cabin crew – I opted for tea. The china is Royal Doulton and the cutlery is metal – nicely reassuring.
Breakfast in Club Europe on BA0306
Whilst not perhaps the best quality in the world, I enjoyed the breakfast offering on this flight, but I did feel a bit of pressure to eat quickly in order to finish before descent. It appeared I was not alone in this feeling, as one of the flight attendants actually made a comment to the passenger seated in 3A that there was no need to hurry!
Breakfast was cleared away as descent began, although the seatbelt signs didn’t go off for a while. I visited the lavatory to freshen up, which was almost spotless and stocked with the standard Elemis products. Sadly there is no window, unlike in one of the lavatories in First on the 747...
Turning at the top of our descent
Descending through miserable weather
On finals at CDG
Seconds before touchdown at CDG
Micro-seconds before touchdown!
Touchdown with spoilers deployed
We touched down in a very wet Paris a little later than scheduled, never having made up the delay we encountered before departure at LHR. Taxiing to Terminal 2B it becomes apparent just how massive CDG is – the mix of terminal architecture is also quite interesting to note.
US Airways A330
United Airlines and Malaysian Airlines B777s
A B747 from a company I’d never heard of before – Pullmantur Air
Needing no introduction really, an Air France Concorde on display at CDG
As we pulled up to the gate at T2B, there was the usual unfastening of seatbelts, despite the announcement being made about remaining in seats until the aircraft had come to a complete stop. I collected my bag from the overhead bin, pulled on my jacket and thanked the crew as we exited via door 1L, being told to mind the wet airbridge floor on the way.
Arrival
Terminal 2B at CDG is certainly an ‘unusual’ piece of design/architecture. I’ll say more about it in my CDG-LHR sector trip report, but the arrivals process was relatively simple – a short walk to the arrivals hall, as there’s only one level and all airport services appear to be squeezed into a strip not much wider than the width of a main road. I was through to landside within a few minutes of stepping off the aircraft. Initially it took me a while to work out how to get to the RER train station from where I could get the train into central Paris – in the end I walked outside and hopped on the free shuttle bus, although I later found out it would have been quicker to walk, given that the bus initially leaves in the wrong direction from T2B. I used a self-service ticket machine to purchase a single ticket to Paris, costing a little over 8 Euros.
LHR-CDG Sector Verdict
BA has a solid product in Club Europe, just as it has in Club World. I’m not convinced of the convertible seating – while comfortable for such a short flight, I wouldn’t want to spend more than around three hours with a 34” pitch when paying business class prices. Catering is perfectly satisfactory – I would go so far as to say I enjoyed the CE breakfast more than I did the CW dinner on my JFK-LHR sector last summer. The crew were very good on this flight – courteous, professional and efficient in completing the service in a very short time frame. This sector in BA Club Europe gets an 8/10 from me.
Thank you for reading. The CDG-LHR sector will follow as a separate trip report shortly, in which I will discuss, among other things, the ‘delights’ of the Air France Lounge at CDG T2B...
Please feel free to leave comments and questions below.
Last edited by Genius1; Jan 28, 09 at 5:27 pm
Jan 28, 09, 5:59 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 37
Thanks for posting such a detailed and interesting report. I will be sure to visit the South Lounges next time at Heathrow as I've yet to sample them.
I agree about the seating. I always thought the difference in Club Europe and coach was the temperature of your food and what it was served on. The seats always felt the same to me.
Looking forward to the return trip report!
I agree about the seating. I always thought the difference in Club Europe and coach was the temperature of your food and what it was served on. The seats always felt the same to me.
Looking forward to the return trip report!
Jan 28, 09, 6:00 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Home: East Mids UK - Work (Base): Accra, Ghana.
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Great trip report!
I was just going to say a couple of things bout some of the points you raised, if that it ok.
The juice "cup-let" that is on the tray when it is delivered is intended to ensure everyone has at least something to drink immediately with the food, as obviously on such a short sector there is no bar round before the food is served. I can see why some would think it looks a bit tacky for Business Class, but it does serve a purpose, till we can get out with the drinks after the food.
As you state, a reasonably new A320 (2003), so there must have been some sort of problem with the video player for the crew to do a manual safety demonstration. Unusual, yes, on the newer Airbus, but something I think should be done more often.
Pre-boarding on Short Haul. A bone of contention. As crew, we often comment and suggest that boarding should be done by row number, starting from the back. It can be very difficult on a single isle aircraft to expedite boarding. If we offered a pre-boarding for Club passengers, it then causes delays boarding the rest of the passengers, whilst not substantial delays, it can be quite bad on a high club load flight. And being single isle, there is no other way for passengers to go. So, that is just some current thoughts on pre-boarding.
But again, great trip report! Love the pictures!
I was just going to say a couple of things bout some of the points you raised, if that it ok.
The juice "cup-let" that is on the tray when it is delivered is intended to ensure everyone has at least something to drink immediately with the food, as obviously on such a short sector there is no bar round before the food is served. I can see why some would think it looks a bit tacky for Business Class, but it does serve a purpose, till we can get out with the drinks after the food.
As you state, a reasonably new A320 (2003), so there must have been some sort of problem with the video player for the crew to do a manual safety demonstration. Unusual, yes, on the newer Airbus, but something I think should be done more often.
Pre-boarding on Short Haul. A bone of contention. As crew, we often comment and suggest that boarding should be done by row number, starting from the back. It can be very difficult on a single isle aircraft to expedite boarding. If we offered a pre-boarding for Club passengers, it then causes delays boarding the rest of the passengers, whilst not substantial delays, it can be quite bad on a high club load flight. And being single isle, there is no other way for passengers to go. So, that is just some current thoughts on pre-boarding.
But again, great trip report! Love the pictures!
Jan 28, 09, 6:09 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: UK, Peak District near MAN
Programs: BA- blue, BD,DL
Posts: 2,027
" but the arrivals process was relatively simple – a short walk to the arrivals hall "
except there are 2 halls. When I arrived, I followed the passengers who got off before me to the nearest passport control desk. I must have looked english as the officer let the japanese girls in front of me go through, but just said to me "london?" and after I'd confirmed this gesticulated that I should go to a different area. No problem for me, but each passport desk leads to different baggage carousels and you can't access one from the other, so go through the wrong passport control and you can't reclaim your luggage!
except there are 2 halls. When I arrived, I followed the passengers who got off before me to the nearest passport control desk. I must have looked english as the officer let the japanese girls in front of me go through, but just said to me "london?" and after I'd confirmed this gesticulated that I should go to a different area. No problem for me, but each passport desk leads to different baggage carousels and you can't access one from the other, so go through the wrong passport control and you can't reclaim your luggage!
Jan 28, 09, 6:49 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA | CLT, formerly LHR & AMS
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Diamond, BonVoy Titanium, Caesars 7*, Wynn Black, Momentum SOAR, Genting "The Ace"
Posts: 8,152
The juice "cup-let" that is on the tray when it is delivered is intended to ensure everyone has at least something to drink immediately with the food, as obviously on such a short sector there is no bar round before the food is served. I can see why some would think it looks a bit tacky for Business Class, but it does serve a purpose, till we can get out with the drinks after the food.
I hate juice (waste of carbs, and too much sugar), so it's basically a waste for a number of folks, who rather just have a nice glass of water. Of course, YMMV.
Pre-boarding on Short Haul. A bone of contention. As crew, we often comment and suggest that boarding should be done by row number, starting from the back. It can be very difficult on a single isle aircraft to expedite boarding. If we offered a pre-boarding for Club passengers, it then causes delays boarding the rest of the passengers, whilst not substantial delays, it can be quite bad on a high club load flight. And being single isle, there is no other way for passengers to go. So, that is just some current thoughts on pre-boarding.!
, if the excuse is that it's a single aisle aircraft. Every US carrier of any worth does pre-boarding on mainline aircraft. While, not always carried out perfectly, at least there is an attempt to provide some level of priority to premium class passengers.I seldom fly on a widebody for any of my domestic US trips, but have been consistently pre-boarded on Delta, Northwest, and Continental over the past year.
Actually, the best thing that has been instituted, is a "speedway lane" where premium passengers can skip the line, if they arrive after pre-boarding. Once again, not always perfectly implemented, but at least an attempt to speed premium passengers onto the plane --- and allows for more time in the lounge.
As always,
great detailed report, Genius1!!! and a pleasure to read...
Jan 29, 09, 12:54 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: Lord OPebble - Mucci of the Hour. Diamond Class MUCCI.Chevalier du Circle Intime de Pucci
Posts: 7,088
Pre-boarding on Short Haul. A bone of contention. As crew, we often comment and suggest that boarding should be done by row number, starting from the back. It can be very difficult on a single isle aircraft to expedite boarding. If we offered a pre-boarding for Club passengers, it then causes delays boarding the rest of the passengers, whilst not substantial delays, it can be quite bad on a high club load flight. And being single isle, there is no other way for passengers to go. So, that is just some current thoughts on pre-boarding.
Jan 29, 09, 2:32 am
#9
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM), France and TravelBuzz!
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Paris, France, AF F+ Rouge pour toujours, Flying Blue whatever, LH FTL, HHonors Gold, formerly proud SCC Executive, now IC Ambassador, BA down to nobody, Grand Voyageur Le Club
Posts: 12,386
" but the arrivals process was relatively simple a short walk to the arrivals hall "
except there are 2 halls. When I arrived, I followed the passengers who got off before me to the nearest passport control desk. I must have looked english as the officer let the japanese girls in front of me go through, but just said to me "london?" and after I'd confirmed this gesticulated that I should go to a different area. No problem for me, but each passport desk leads to different baggage carousels and you can't access one from the other, so go through the wrong passport control and you can't reclaim your luggage!
except there are 2 halls. When I arrived, I followed the passengers who got off before me to the nearest passport control desk. I must have looked english as the officer let the japanese girls in front of me go through, but just said to me "london?" and after I'd confirmed this gesticulated that I should go to a different area. No problem for me, but each passport desk leads to different baggage carousels and you can't access one from the other, so go through the wrong passport control and you can't reclaim your luggage!
Jan 29, 09, 3:37 am
#10
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1,301
Another excellent TR Genius.
Or by reading any post I've made on FT which sometimes includes a plug for my TR 
My other trip reports can be found by searching ‘Genius1’ in the Trip Reports forum. Alternatively, my most recent trip reports can be found in my signature at the bottom of this post.
Jan 29, 09, 6:57 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2008
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Some people will just never be happy.
On Lunchtime and Evening services on the same route, the Orange Juice cup-let indeed IS still water. The only reason it is Orange Juice on the Breakfast service, is that it is deemed more of an appropriate beverage to accompany a breakfast meal. But hey ho...
Just trying to offer information... never mind.
Jan 30, 09, 6:06 am
#13
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Great report again Genius1!
You've bought up something that I find a little strange. I'd love to know how BA decides to allocate TPs for each flight. A 2x1h flight to Paris in business earns 80 TPs total, whereas a 2x7h flight to New York in premium earns only 150 points despite being probably more than double the cost and around 7 times the distance.
So did you have a good time in Paris? Did you try out your French?
You've bought up something that I find a little strange. I'd love to know how BA decides to allocate TPs for each flight. A 2x1h flight to Paris in business earns 80 TPs total, whereas a 2x7h flight to New York in premium earns only 150 points despite being probably more than double the cost and around 7 times the distance.
So did you have a good time in Paris? Did you try out your French?
Jan 30, 09, 8:53 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 39,981
A one way flight to JFK from LHR would earn 120 pts in J and 180 in F. Twice that amount for a return.
