Flying Club World: Review of British Airways Business Class

There were steaks on the plane! Actual steaks, on the business class menu, for my British Airways flight to Bermuda.

During 3 years of constant travelling and countless flights to over 30 countries, I have never once been upgraded. OK, there was this one time when I won flights to India with Jet Airways and due to overbooking we were upgraded, but that magical moment where you arrive at check in and get told youā€™ve been upgraded to business had never happened to me before. Until now.

I checked in online the night before for my flight to make sure I had an aisle seat. I checked out what rows were available and strategically moved myself towards the back of the plane where I gambled I would be more likely to end up with an empty middle seat. I didnā€™t bother printing my boarding pass, knowing they could do it quicker at the airport.

Arriving at Gatwick the next day the BA check-in desks were blissfully quiet. I explained to the check-in staff that I had checked in already but needed to print my boarding pass. The lady chatted away, complimenting my handbag, and pressing all the buttons on the self-service machine for me. She handed me my slip of paper and pointed me towards baggage drop. I didnā€™t bother looking at it as I knew which seat I had already checked into. Or so I thought. I dropped my bags, no one said a word and I prepared to head through security with the rest of my group.

And then I glanced at my boarding pass to check the boarding time and noticed something odd. It said my seat was 12C. 12C? There is no way I would reserve something so close to the front. This was worrying. Except in the left hand corner of the boarding pass were 2 special words I hadnā€™t noticed before. ā€˜Cabin Upgradeā€™. My prayers had been answered. I was going up in the world, and flying Club World.

Flight Review: British Airways Business Class (Club World) To Bermuda

I didnā€™t have long to enjoy the BA Business Class lounge as I hadnā€™t anticipated gaining access. The drinks and free nibbles were plentiful but the lounge itself looked a little tired, at least in comparison to other Gatwick Lounges I have seen, like the minimalist chic No 1 Traveller Lounge.

On board was where the magic happened though. Grabbing a complimentary copy of Elle magazine plus my favourite freebie Stylist on the way out of the lounge, I breezed straight onto the plane and into my Club World seat.

The business class seats on BA look like little pods all facing in different directions. Mine was facing forwards and I wondered what it must feel like to be in the empty pod next to me facing the wrong way. The seats are wide and roomy but itā€™s the generous legroom that feels like the real indulgence. A footrest is attached to the seat in front; so far away my short legs almost didnā€™t reach it. After take off you can recline the seat, fully if necessary, and then the bed stretches all the way down to the footrest.

Flight Review: British Airways Business Class (Club World) To Bermuda

The TV screen seemed massive in comparison to those at the back of the plane but it was the small touches like the personal reading light and laptop drawer that pleased me the most.

The earphones were padded, the blanket was more like a duvet and the pillow was almost large enough for a human head! To top it all off, I discovered I could roll my tray forward and backwards and easily move around during the never-ending food service. Happy Days!

Flight Review: British Airways Business Class (Club World) To Bermuda

Boy was the food good. I took advantage of the complimentary champagne service before take off (who could resist?) but when the attendant handed me the menu I wished I had bought more of an appetite on board.

During my 6-hour flight I was served a 3-course meal (4 if you count the salad but I never class that as a course!) and English Afternoon Tea. I ordered things it felt the most indulgent to be eating on a plane – sushi for starters and steak for main.

The steak in peppercorn sauce was presented a little bit messily but tasted simply divine. I passed on dessert as gateau is not my thing, but afternoon tea certainly is – warm fruit scones served with jam and clotted cream and a cup of tea in a large ceramic mug. This was turning out to be quite the afternoon.

Flight Review: British Airways Business Class (Club World) To Bermuda

Flight Review: British Airways Business Class (Club World) To Bermuda

Flight Review: British Airways Business Class (Club World) To Bermuda

Aside from the food, service in general was spectacular. As you would expect, the BA staff were courteous and attentive – hanging coats and providing a never-ending supply of fresh drinks and snacks.

The inflight amenity kit they handed out contained some gorgeous Elemis products, including lip balm and eye cream; I think I may have looked better coming off the flight than I did getting on.

Our flight was predominantly empty so I didnā€™t have to make use of the privacy screen between the business class beds and the service was perhaps even more attentive than usual. All in all, my Club World flying experience was one of the highlights of my trip – it really does make the holiday start as soon as you take off.

My only complaint (Iā€™ve said it before and Iā€™ll say it again) is flying business class makes it so hard going back to economy on the way home. Iā€™ve seen how the other half fly, and I want it every time!

Read next:

Flying Singapore Airlines Suites Class

Flying Business Class With Cathay Pacific

Flying First Class With British Airways

About the author

Iā€™m Jayne, a travel blogger, content creator and mum to a 4-year-old son. Iā€™ve been blogging since 2010, travelled to 65 countries and share travel guides and tips to help you plan stylish, stress-free trips.

15 thoughts on “Flying Club World: Review of British Airways Business Class”

  1. It really will never be the same again. I had my first experience in anything other than economy in the spring with the use of airline miles I flew in Business and then to the US in First Class, which is even more amazing, and even worse to compare with cattle class. Still, that’s life – I’d never have paid the cash prize but using points is a great way to get a little luxury now and then šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • So true. I’ve just been researching all the best reward programmes and looking at credit cards that let you gain points as now I know how much better it is in Business I want to make it happen more often šŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. I have been flying for years and never been upgraded either. I flew First Class one time and will never forget that we got a full, hot breakfast while those in the back of the plane got cereal and a muffin. Maybe a miracle will happen again sometime…

    Reply
  3. I think it is worth paying the extra for steak!! mmm šŸ˜‰
    I once got upgraded on a flight back from California and I think I was most excited about getting silver cutlery and not plastic knives and forks. I don’t blame you for not wanting to go back to cattle class.

    Reply
    • So I could pay Ā£527 for economy or Ā£3500 for business class to get

      1. A decent dinner and afternoon tea.. maximum cost in a good restaurant Ā£100 / Ā£150
      2. Extra Legroom, if the flight 6 or 7 hours sure it’s good but essential ? Nah.
      3. A bigger TV. You see the same picture on a big TV than you do on a smaller one.
      4. Fancy cutlery and china. Does that really matter?

      Is it worth an extra Ā£3000 ? Not in my eyes. It’s nice to experience once in your life but if it never happened again you ain’t missing that much for a Ā£3000 hole in your bank account.

      Seriously it’s rip off . I have travelled business class before but if you boil it down it is a rip off.

      Reply
      • But only a very small % of business class passengers pay the full fare price. They are usually using points/upgrades like ourselves or it’s their company policy to book business class flights for journeys over a certain length. When you frequently travel long haul for work that difference feels worth its weight in gold!

        Reply
  4. Gee i would have thought that writing a travel blog would give you lots of perks, flight upgrades, reduced hotel rates , free tours etc – maybe it is not all as i thought !

    Reply
  5. In my opinion American Express Membership Rewards is the best overall credit card program for miles for worldwide travel. BA is a partner as well. I carry this and a VISA with miles for those vendors who won’t accept American Express.

    Reply
  6. I got upgraded once on BA. I was booked in World Traveller Plus and when I checked in online and went to choose my seats the seating configuration didn’t look normal…

    Anyway, I picked my seats and turned up to the airport to be told I had been upgraded to Club World and should proceed to the dedicated Club World check-in. It was the start of what was to be an amazing holiday!

    Reply

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