British Airways Club World Suites is a beautiful way of travelling. Their business class suites offer unparalelled privacy and comfort as you travel to your next destination.
I’ll be honest with you as always, I had never flown business class before this experience so this was all new to me. I was flying New York JFK to London Heathrow on the red eye flight. I ended up upgrading at check in and it was the best decision I have made for an over night flight.
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Airport Experience
In all honesty, our airport experience this time around was not your traditional experience. We arrived at the airport after what felt like a game of Mario Kart thanks to our taxi driver. I was not in the best of moods. We we’re hot, felt sick and shocked we made it there alive! We headed inside to check in and I asked about the cost of upgrading thinking it would be extortionate. On our way to the airport, I looked at booking the same seat and it was showing at over $10,000!!
To our surprise, the cost was an amount we were willing to pay. However, we did walk away from the check in desk with our economy seat to begin with. We then went to the toilet and then back outside for some fresh air before thinking we would tackle the queues at securty. Whilst we stood outside, we debated back and forth on upgrading thinking we were somewhat crazy if we did it. However, as two friends who love a little bit of luxury, we couldn’t help ourselves and we ended up queuing back at the check in desk to upgrade! We couldn’t quite believe what we did, that we ended up back outside for more fresh air. We’d been at the airport for roughly an hour now and still hadn’t made it past the check in desk.
Lounge & Boarding Experience
Eventually, we made our way through security and headed straight for the lounge. However, we we’re two people who had never flown business before. We spent most of our time in the lounge, walking round, seeing what was on offer. We we’re so excited and most likely the image of kids on christmas day! Whilst we might not have had the traditional airport experience, the experience was incredible none the less. The lounge had a lot of different food options, as well as different drink options. There was a full bar where you could go and order a drink or there was also a self serve bar where you could help yourself. The lounge was very busy though and didn’t have that exclusive feel that I thought it might have.
The Seat
Let’s get straight into it, the seat was the most important thing to fill you in on. My seat was 22K. Seated on the wing and one row from the back of business class. The seat was a window seat with a lot of room and comfort. The Club Suites are very modern and clean looking and genuinely might be one of the nicest business class seats on the market.
Instantly I noticed the amount of room the seat had. As someone who is curvier, I felt much more comfortable than in an economy seat. The second thing I noticed was the seatbelt style. It was the same as a car seatbelt. Rather than just a belt that went across your lap. At first, I rolled my eyes at this but surprisingly this was a lot more comfortable and felt a lot more secure. However, when lieing flat in the seat, you can choose to just have half of the seatbelt going across your lap.
I also received an amenity kit with my seat. This was a small leather zip up bag that came with…
Storage
As I rummaged around my seat to get familiar with what came with a business class seat, I noticed there was some good storage available for my belongings. The first being a small cupboard to the right of the seat that also had a small mirror on the back of the door. This is where I found the amenity kit and complimentary water.
The second was another cupboard that was within the “desk” of the seat. The door lifted open and was a good size once again to store belongings. I kept a few of my bits and bobs in here during the flight. This compartment also had USB plugs for charging devices.
The last area of storage was the foot stool under the TV infront of you within the seat. Just below the footstool is an open space where you could store shoes or a small handbag. You then also had the overhead lockers which is where I stored my cabin bag during the flight.
The Service
I don’t often expect much service when flying, because in all honesty apart from the flight attendants serving me a drink or bringing a meal round, what else should I expect? I usually fly Ryan Air so my standards are low. That being said, I was blown away by the service on this flight.
I received a very warm welcome as I stepped onto the plane. The flight attendant brought a full menu and about 10 minutes later they came back over and asked for my dinner and take-off drink order. Shocked was not the word. I didn’t even know what a “take-off” drink is. Turns out, it’s the drink they bring you the minute the flight attendants are able to move around after take off. I was shook. I ordered a cocktail and put in my dinner order.
The flight attendant constantly checked in on me and was so gracious as to show me all the functions of my seat before take-off.
The Food
Let’s be honest, we all care about the food so let’s get into the important stuff. Honestly, the food was really good. Dinner service started with the table being set. A proper table cloth was laid out on my tray table, as well as silverware and condiments.
I started with Beef Carpaccio which was beautiful. I then had Lamb Shank for my main course with potatoes and veg. This was honestly one of the best pieces of Lamb that I have had. The meat fell off the bone so easily and the potatoes and gravy were just spot on. For dessert, I had a sweet crepe which was again so nice. It was the perfect finish to the meal.
Post Flight Thoughts
Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what my honest thoughts are. Was the upgrade worth the cost? Did I truly enjoy it? Would I do it again? Let’s get into it!
Was the upgrade worth the cost? For me personally, it definitely was. Flying business class and deciding whether it is worth it or not is always something that will differ person to person, based purely off of what you deem worthy to spend your money on. For me, flying business class was worth the cost and the experience was incredible.
Did I truly enjoy it? Now, this was my first time flying business class so it was always going to be a novelty and was always going to be surreal and enjoyable considering I should have been in economy. However, I truly did enjoy the experience. The comfort, the food, the service and the pure excitement with one of my closest friends just made it so enjoyable that we still talk about it now, 4 months on.
The all important question now, would I do it again? Yes and I already have! A review of that airline will be coming soon..
