BRITISH AIRWAYS First Class and Club World Business Class Seat reviews

BRITISH AIRWAYS FIRST CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

LHR-SFO with the old First Class. The cabin smelled musty, carpets needed a vacuum, cushion looked about twenty years old, and the blanket - something that would be too threadbare to give to our pugs. The table linens were shoddy too. The food was simply dreadful. No canapes - just some slices of duck breast that was just plonked down and which I didn't want. I ordered a Fillet Steak - tough and dry. The crew were pretty useless, with the CSD hovering around like Fagin. I thanked him for his welcome and then told him the cabin was in a dreadful state "oh yes, this plane should have been redone in September" I have flown First Class on Thai Airways, Lufthansa, ANA and United Airlines in the last couple of months, and all were vastly superior to BA. I'm afraid BA have really lost it, and I try not to use them even on frequent flyer mileage tickets - now they this Avios system. The new ad campaign is a bit of a misfit as other reviewers have noted. "To Fly To Serve" was fine in the hey day of Concorde, but the BA product and the people just aren't up to it anymore, and they have been left behind by many other carriers.

BRITISH AIRWAYS FIRST CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

Reference to M Cooper comments about the time taken to roll-out the "new" BA First class product. I would not worry yourself too much, as the new product is a total disappointment, and falls well short of middle east and most asian carrier products out there. Seat in bed format offers virtually no space for your feet, cushions are still lumpy in joints. On my recent trip from HKG, no amenity kit, no pj's, filthy toilet for duration of flight - and a lot more negativity that makes me furious when I see BA pretending it is something else with its new slogan. Clear and blatant misrepresentation.

BRITISH AIRWAYS FIRST CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 777-200

BA failed in every way. From no seats in the First or Business class sides of the Terraces Lounge in ATL being available (full-fare First ticket holders will resent being told by BA lounge staff "we are busy tonight" as an excuse). Boarded the aircraft to find a delapidated, old First worn out configuration with food stains on the non-working equipment contraptions. First cabin service was nonexistent and appalling. BA's rating needs to be seriously put under review as they are no longer a 4-star airline. The airline has been advertising "New First" for a couple of years yet it is not fully rolled out. Food quality, cabin service, menu selection (even the cheap cardboard menus they hand you now in First should be an embarrassment to BA) have all deteriorated in the past couple of years. It is a shame because BA was a holdout for a while as one of the last major non-Asian/Middle Eastern carriers to have some resemblance of quality and a First class product/service that full-fare premium passengers would pay for. Avoid BA and hopefully they will get their act together, but I fear the money issue and cost-cutting measures have ruined the airline for good. A paltry response from customer service was a reply that awarded me with 5,000 BA miles - in addition to the over 300,000 I already have! Hardly an adequate gesture given the experience.

BRITISH AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 777

LHR to Shanghai and found the layout of seats in Club World to be very squashed. You are in a kind of pod where although the top end of the seat is wide enough it tapers from the waist down making it damn uncomfortable. The worst and most ludicrous thing was having to clamber over the feet of a sleeping passenger to get out of your pod if you needed to use the wash room! Who designed this? I am most surprised that I have not read a lot more negative comments about this kind of layout all for the sake to cram an extra 2 or 3 seats into Club class. We found the seats to be lumpy and uncomfortable. Overall not impressed at all and in future it will be another airline for us.

BRITISH AIRWAYS FIRST CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

China to LHR on a 13.5 year old B744 - experience was appalling. Cabin crew spent most of the trip apologising to the few people in first class cabin for various deficiencies. The interior of the cabin was damaged, tatty and dirty, with layers of dirt in any crevice and plenty of poor fitting parts to the seat I was in. The power for the laptop ceased to function. Each plane carries one connection kit to allow first class passengers to connect their laptop to the obscure power connector used, other passengers had to rely on battery power. The TV screen cannot be seen without the blind being down and is not a widescreen but something like an 8" screen. Conversely the 777 I flew out on (business class) uses a normal international plug arrangement and was just a much better flight. British Airways First class was an embarrassment that no amount of fancy menus or new paint jobs can hide. Avoid at any cost.

BRITISH AIRWAYS FIRST CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

A lot of agreement with the previous First Class cabin review (13 September). The "new" First Class was a true disappointment, and having flown 35 other airlines First class in the last 2 years, cannot understand how BA can have got this so wrong. Okay, the "bean-counters" at BA must take some blame for trying to squeeze in more seats than other airlines. The seat in flatbed position is very narrow from your waist down, to the end where your feet are squeezed into a space less than 12 inches wide. Cushion comfort is not good for relatively new product, and I have travelled many Business class seats on other carriers that are better than this. Food and wine is on a par with Business class of some airlines, but below even higher end Business class of certain Asian and Middle East airlines. Service - let's not go there, but very poor! If you have the chance of choosing an alternative airline's First Class, it is probably going to be better than British Airways.

BRITISH AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

JNB-LHR in Club World. Being in the upper deck is a must - very quiet environment. The seat is really pretty disappointing - it's the new seat. Everything just look second rate in terms of quality of materials. Divider between seats is useless - mine was actually broken. The footrest was also awkward and the seats very narrow. Not quite what I expected.

BRITISH AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

I was disappointed with length of the seat. Full flat bed is useless for 190cm tall guy if I can't stretch my legs. As well I would appreciate more space to store my personal belongings. One box provided by the seat is not enough to store laptop and purse at the same time - things you want to keep close. I had seat by the window which means I had to cross another sleeping person while going to restroom.

BRITISH AIRWAYS FIRST CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

BA have really lost a chance to introduce something really new with their first cabin upgrades which have been introduced. Essentially, the seat is the old seat recovered and with different controls, it does not feel any better to me, in fact I found it a little uncomfortable. Why didn't they introduce suites or something really different to try and get back some of the market they must have lost in recent years. The recently "improved food and wine in first is also not as good as much that I have had in BA First.

BRITISH AIRWAYS BUSINESS CLASS SEAT REVIEW   :   BOEING 747-400

BA Business cabin layout is rubbish. The very tacky plastic screen which is in the down position until after take off, means you are almost facing and very close to the person in the next pod. The screen is also extremely awkward for cabin staff as they cannot serve the person sitting next to the window very easily. It is all very clumsy. The cabin was also very dingy, dated and grubby.

Great new product - shame the staff are still appalling (doing you a favour/presumptuous), failed IFE/AVOD, failed in-seat laptop power, broken curtain fastener so noise and light from galley (they make little attempt to keep their chat and their crockery quiet!). Such a shame. Embarrassed to be British - letting the side down.

LHR-IST-LHR. As I was on holiday and this is one of Europe's longest flights at nearly 4 hours, I treated myself to Club Europe instead of economy. Outbound was in an economy seat 3x3 and inbound was the same slightly wider economy style seat with the narrow divider in between. Outbound there was no breakfast choice, only poor scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon. Not good. Service patchy on the way out even though most passengers were sleeping. On the return the service was much better, as was the food. The one thing that was great in Istanbul was the fast track pass to avoid an impressively long immigration queue. I was whisked straight to the front past crew and felt like a VIP! BA lounge at Attaturk is small and the toilet is outside the lounge. Food choice is poor, but reasonable selection of drinks and reading materials. All in all the in-flight experience is not up to scratch, but the fringe benefits of the pre-flight perks at either end partly make up for it. One question - if Aeroflot can provide 2x2 business seats on a similar length flight from Moscow to London, why can't BA manage it?

BAH-LHR Business class was very good specially when on a 777 but the seats were little strange when having a window seat (you take off back-words)) the overall experience was good, cabin crew welcoming, loved the spa facilities in the terminal.

Outward bound had upgraded first class seating. Electronically-controlled window shades a nice touch. Some small personal storage available now. Reasonable privacy, improved video services. Return 747 first class had not been upgraded and it showed. Damaged plastic, zero (and I mean zero) personal storage at seat, ancient tiny video monitor that wouldn't pass muster in today's new economy seats. Video service failed several times in the course of the 10 hour flight and the plane's system had to be completely rebooted. Food both directions was adequate for first class, but hardly exceptional. Portions were small. Attendant service much like the food. Duvet bedding was quite hot, European standard. On return trip, bottom pad did not fit properly. When lowered for sleep, return bed narrowed drastically at the feet, creating a confined feeling and making turning difficult. Little privacy. Food at the Concorde room at Heathrow is exceptional (best eggs Benedict I've had) but breakfast continues well into the afternoon. Excellent views of the airport from the external, private deck. Moral: if flying a BA 747 in first, inquire (if possible) if the section has been recently upgraded. Upgraded first is nice, but no comparison to, say, Cathay Pacific, which offers true privacy and comfort. My ratings are for the outbound flight only, assuming (hoping) the old first in which I returned is soon to be retired.

LHR-TLV. Priority boarding not enforced as usual and gate staff utterly disinterested other than (loudly) trading gossip. Bused to the stand. Drivers are incredibly rude, cramming on as many passengers as possible: lots of elbows and hand luggage and trying to stay on your feet as the driver seemingly does everything in his power to turn the bus over. Club cabin fairly clean and nothing hanging off on this aircraft. Seat 12F so good privacy. Departure delayed by about an hour due to a technical issue for with a door. Food on this route is always awful. Same offering every time I've travelled: the brunch on the one occasion I tried it was awful. IFE on these aircraft is a loop system. Cabin was very noisy as a number of families with young children were travelling. The baby was actually pretty quiet, the children however were not. Service friendly and seat comfy as usual. BA really needs to sort out its food offering and ground handling at Heathrow: a pot noodle on a plate wouldn't have been any worse. So much for Heathrow T5C putting an end to the 'on the buses' pantomime.

My first experience with BA club world class. Seats are good, full flat bed. Cabin is so dark and look so dated. flying backwards if you have window seats, food is pretty average, most importantly cabin crews are not that interested to serve you.

Club World (business Class) Seat 19A. This seat is a rearward facing seat offering plenty of privacy and comfort. The seat in most positions was comfortable and provided an excellent lie flat position, although a touch narrow this was not an issue. When in the lie flat position with the privacy screen in the up position it provided a cocoon like environment that was very private. 19B was forward facing, lacked the privacy as it was an Aisle seat. With the screen down and in an upright seating position we could converse with ease and enjoy each others company during meal breaks. Seat 19A (window) was positioned that no other passengers interfered or had to cross over you, that said when seat 20B was in a recline or lie flat position you had to climb / step over their legs, this was not an issue for me but may be a problem for a less agile passenger. The TV screen was large enough without being to big and the seat cushioning was excellent. The rear facing seat is a welcome change and I actually found it easier to sleep facing this way as your head was slightly above your feet compared to the forward facing seats that appeared to have your feet slightly higher, not sure if that was an illusion or not but it certainly felt that way. Service was great and food and beverage selection was great. Overall I was extremely impressed.

The crew were fantasic and the aircraft was clean and fresh. The first thing that struck me was that when you sat down, the seats are lower down than usual. A slightly odd feeling at first but ultimately, you then felt there was more space/room all around you. As a couple travelling together, it is a bit odd with the window seat facing rear and the aisle seat facing forward. Have to say, the seats are not as wide, or long in lie flat mode compared to Cathay! I am 6/2 and in lie flat, head and toes both touch the extremties and it isn't great. Couldn't get used to the dividers between the aisle passengers and ourselves, flying up and down at the touch of the button by Cabin Crew. It was awkward having your food tray passed across the nose of the aisle passenger. Felt sorry for them.

The new First Class was very disappointing, especially compared with Qantas, Emirates, Singapore and Etihad. While the venetian blinds were a nice touch and there's a not-very-deep wardrobe, the TV monitor is basically an enlarged version of the old one so movies are still shown in the old pan and scan not widescreen versions and the definition is anything but HD. But the worst thing was that when the seat reclined into a bed, the upper part of the seat supporting the shoulders and head did not go completely flat so if you lie on your side your shoulder and head are on an upward angle. Unforgivable, especially when British Airways 'invented' the bed. There wasn't much room for the feet either. And the champagne wasn't Krug, Comtes de Champagne or Dom Perignon, just vintage Taittinger. It's basically an upmarket Business Class, not a First Class product.

Seat 1K inbound and outbound LHR-JFK in New First. The new cabin offers more space, comfort and refinement. The electronic blind is a great feature and illuminates blue light to replicate daytime. The tray table folds out to serve two people for dinner if you are travelling with a companion. You have a personal wardrobe to place your jacket, shoes and laptop and main wardrobe and overhead bins for larger items. There is a power socket that accommodates British plugs and the entertainment system is a 15" screen. The seat is 60% wider than the old one and more comfortable for sitting, reclining and sleeping. There is a shelf to place bits and bobs and a seat pocket for papers and books.

Love the upstairs deck. Really good value for money when compared with prices for First. Good service and beds comfortable. Food sometimes fantastic and other times appalling. The cold option is never a good bet!

Return flight from London Heathrow to New York. Overall a great and very comfortable flight, managed to get some sleep in the very comfortable flat bed each way. Service, food and privacy all very good and seats are very comfortable and private. Only complaint is the inflight entertainment - small screen which is fairly low quality and the entertainment wasn't on demand.

LHR-EZE-LHR. Old First Class. Concorde room is excellent. Cabin is nice, but I have to admit that I prefer the atmosphere of the Upper Deck Business Class. Service good, but it seems that depends a lot from the crew.

I travelled on their Business Class (Club World) several times in the last year between LHR-EZE-LHR. Also LHR- DFW-LHR. Lounge in London is really good. Lot of space, good complimentary food, free wifi. So in general excellent. Showers really good. And the spa is ok, when you get the chance to have one. BA should find a way to schedule the spa though. The seat is comfortable and fully flat. Service good. If you fly on the Upper Deck you will maximize the experience. Lounge in EZE is an American Airlines one.

Business Class Seat was broken and would not decline. BA refused to refund any difference in the price between that and an economy seat. Shocking service from the staff and the call centre. Would not recommend it.

15K I find the window seats (rear facing) to be very claustrophobic. When the screen is in the down position (as it is until take off) you are very close to the passenger in the next seat (almost facing him) and feel obliged to strike up conversation. There is no window next to the seat (which I was not told about) and there is nowhere to place personal items (water, books newspapers etc) - so it is very difficult to get out of the seat without carrying all your items with you. I must say that I am very disappointed with the layout of the BA Business cabin to the point that I will look at other airlines in future. What is wrong with large comfy Business seats all facing forward? Food OK. But whats all this up and down of the privacy screen to serve meals/drinks etc. Very tacky and cheap. Also, if you have a window seat and the person next to you is asleep you have to climb over their legs to get out. Most of the British Airways cabin service is superb, but they always seem to allocate the severely made up and extremely brusque member of cabin staff to each plane - some things never change.

Sydney to Changi after given the option to upgrade from Business to First for $800. It is better than the old first but if you were paying full price for first class it is not worth it. I have travelled first on other airlines like Singapore and Qantas and the difference between first and business is noticable, not so with British Airways. Your seat is better but food and service is not. I was in seat 2k and was one of 3 other passengers in the cabin. The seat has a hump in it when laid flat which means you have to slide up or down to avoid it. Limited storage space apart from a small closet that fits your jacket and shoes. Not worth paying extra for.