First timer long haul business class...any helpful tips?

[jvalentine]

So I ended up booking the British Airways business class tix from Philly to Amsterdam with a stop in Heathrow. I've only done one other long haul flight before (years and years ago via KLM in coach). What are things I should look out for? Any tips for the lounges? A first timer here for a business class ticket over there. Thank you in advance!

[nolatravelgirl]

The PHL to LHR flight is a pretty short flight with a flight time of 7 hours and while I know it is exciting and you want to try all the offerings I would focus on SLEEP on the way over the food. You are paying for the big comfy seat and I wouldn't bother with the elongated full meal service. You want to arrive refreshed and ready for your cruise! If you do decide to partake in all the meals recognize that it will be probably at the 2 hour mark before the final trolley is through with the main dinner service and they will start the breakfast/snack service somewhere between an hour and half and an hour prior to landing in order to have everything buttoned up for landing. Do you really want to dedicate 3.5 hours of your 7 hour flight to food or would you rather get some good sleep in that lay flat seat. The food is never that good and I can eat a nicer more relaxed meal in the terminal.

 

 

Your flight LHR to AMS will be like a regular domestic coach seat except that the middle seat will be blocked.

 

The LHR business class lounge is okay, but again nothing special. There are showers but due to the number of people who cycle through them I find that a shower isn't that refreshing. They give you a small shower room that is totally enclosed so if you step out into the changing area it is all steamy and hot and that is where you need to get dressed.

[Hawaiidan]

So I ended up booking the British Airways business class tix from Philly to Amsterdam with a stop in Heathrow. I've only done one other long haul flight before (years and years ago via KLM in coach). What are things I should look out for? Any tips for the lounges? A first timer here for a business class ticket over there. Thank you in advance!

 

First show up earily and relax in the Philly airport, in the BA business lounge, freedrinks and a buffet.

 

TThe concierge usualy calls out your flight.

You will board right after first class... prior to departure from the gate you will be offered a drink...a cocktail no charge. If desired the cabin crew will hang up your coats and any hand luggage in a closet. Yoy will be asked your cocktail preference and given a menu to select your meals from.

 

Take time to study the seat controls...they are complex checkout the entertainment system and your head set. Make sure your seat fully reclines to a flat bed check out your in flight amenities kit, over sox take off shoes, eye shade, ear plugs.

I wear a paper dusk mask I have doused with water on the inside to wear when I sleep to avoid dehydration.

I also wear long sleeve shirts and will use moisturize cream to put on my face to ward off dehydration too ( cabin is about 4-5% humidity)

 

After cocktails and dinner and desert have an after dinner port or cocktailand make your seat intoa bed... you will have a nice fluff pillow and a blanket

Put you seatbelt on the outside of your blanket . Your cabing crew will ask if you will want breakfast before landing...and if so given a menu for thatIN LHR you can use the BA arrival lounge for a shower if you have time .

 

Your passport will be given a "blue line sticker" for special priority immigration..

What to lookout for.....well maybe not telling a economy passenger that the selection of wines were not the best vintages.and your steak over done a tad.

Welcome to to the pleasure of business ans first class treatment... As Seinfield said in an episode, I cant go back to coach..once you have been there.....

[fbgd]

First show up earily and relax in the Philly airport, in the BA business lounge, freedrinks and a buffet.

 

TThe concierge usualy calls out your flight.

You will board right after first class... prior to departure from the gate you will be offered a drink...a cocktail no charge. If desired the cabin crew will hang up your coats and any hand luggage in a closet. Yoy will be asked your cocktail preference and given a menu to select your meals from.

 

Take time to study the seat controls...they are complex checkout the entertainment system and your head set. Make sure your seat fully reclines to a flat bed check out your in flight amenities kit, over sox take off shoes, eye shade, ear plugs.

I wear a paper dusk mask I have doused with water on the inside to wear when I sleep to avoid dehydration.

I also wear long sleeve shirts and will use moisturize cream to put on my face to ward off dehydration too ( cabin is about 4-5% humidity)

 

After cocktails and dinner and desert have an after dinner port or cocktailand make your seat intoa bed... you will have a nice fluff pillow and a blanket

Put you seatbelt on the outside of your blanket . Your cabing crew will ask if you will want breakfast before landing...and if so given a menu for thatIN LHR you can use the BA arrival lounge for a shower if you have time .

 

Your passport will be given a "blue line sticker" for special priority immigration..

What to lookout for.....well maybe not telling a economy passenger that the selection of wines were not the best vintages.and your steak over done a tad.

Welcome to to the pleasure of business ans first class treatment... As Seinfield said in an episode, I cant go back to coach..once you have been there.....

 

Doesn't sound much like BA Club World to me...

 

1) BA have their own lounge at PHL. There is a dining area so you eat before you board, it is self service. If you are on BA68 this is a Sleeper Service flight so there is no full meal service onboard. Think hot chocolate and cookies and light salads. These short flights are designed for you to sleep onboard from the moment wheels are up until just before descent into Heathrow. Skip dinner onboard and eat before you get on the aircraft, almost nobody dines fully onboard on these flights except excitable first timers and upgrades.

2) Shower and get breakfast in the Galleries Club lounge. You have three to choose from (one at the north end of the main terminal building, a larger one at the south end and another in T5B, the satellite building) where the showers are also located in the Elemis Spa.

3) There is no First Class boarding on BA. They use a "Fast Track/Priority Boarding" lane for F, J, Emeralds and Sapphires.

4) BA offer water, orange juice or champagne in Club World at boarding.

5) I've not seen any blue stickers for immigration and the OP wouldn't need them anyway because they don't clear immigration at LHR if they're flying to AMS. The LHR-AMS boarding pass would get them to Fast Track security though prepare to wait if you're arriving at peak time, even in the quick lane.

 

Club World is decent and the Sleeper Service flights are the way to go. Enjoy the service on the way back from LHR-PHL. Half of the benefit of Club World is to be able to sleep. If you find the cabin hot then sleep on the duvet.

 

A few of my tips.

1) Make sure the privacy divider is down for the safety demonstration, you can put it up right after.

2) On the LHR-PHL flight ask if they can hold back dishes from the main service if you'd rather have those instead of the afternoon tea but do this when you first order you meal when leaving LHR. I sometimes get some push back on this due to limited catering but it can be done.

3) When you get to LHR for the flight back to PHL stop off at the Elemis Spa one floor up and ask if they have any massages available. Prepare to be disappointed if you show up 90mins before boarding. If you decide to upgrade to First you can pre-book 30 days beforehand.

[Gardyloo]

fbgd's advice is spot on. If it's a sleeper service flight, do most of your eating in the lounges and not in the air. Frankly I've found BA's food service in business class rather lacking the last few times I've been in it; on the other hand the breakfast spreads in the Galleries lounges are pretty good. If you're offered a bacon roll before landing (the cabin will be bustling and sleep is pretty hard then) go ahead and indulge. It's hard to mess up a bacon butty.

 

Coming back it's a different story. It's a daytime flight and usually an hour or so longer (due to prevailing winds) so use the time to make the most out of in-flight amenities, food, drink, etc.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Gardyloo

[fbgd]

If you're offered a bacon roll before landing (the cabin will be bustling and sleep is pretty hard then) go ahead and indulge. It's hard to mess up a bacon butty.

 

You'd be surprised! I've had the bread rolls be so hard I feared for orthodontic bills :D so now whether I'm in F or J on any airline with a short overnight flight like this (which is 99% of the time BA F/J into LHR) I'll pretty much just have orange juice or coffee/tea just before landing and then eat properly in the lounge.

 

The Arrivals Lounge has a decent spread of breakfast options but for the OP, it'll be whatever is in the Galleries Club lounge which will be similar to that of the Arrivals lounge; yoghurts, toast, hot food etc.

 

I know you know all this Gardyloo ;)

Edited January 8, 2016 by fbgd

[jvalentine]

Thanks for all the info! Our flight from PHL leaves around 6:10pm, arriving at LHR at 6:35am (Sat. morning) and then off to Amsterdam at 8:25am.

 

On the way home: Depart AMS at 7:10am(on a Monday), Arrive at LHR at 7:25am, and then depart for PHL at 12:45pm.

 

So if I read correctly, we won't have to go through immigration at LHR..just a security checkpoint, right? We'll have a good bit of time hopefully on the way to back to explore the LHR lounge..maybe catch a spa appt and check out a few of the shops.

 

And again, I really appreciate the insight from everyone. It's really helpful!

[fbgd]

Correct, no immigration at LHR in either direction, just security.

 

When you arrive at T5 after your AMS-LHR flight follow the signs for the South Lounges, go up one level turn right and you'll see the Elemis Spa by the back entrance to the Concorde Room.

[jvalentine]

Thanks fbgd!

[waterbug123]

I'll 2nd the suggestions to focus on sleep over the meal service. As mentioned, 7 hours is pretty short for a long haul, and if you try to partake in all the meal stuff you'll barely have time to get more than a couple hours of sleep. Do whatever you need to do to be really tired when you bored (stay up late the night before and get up early that morning, exercise, have some wine at the airport, etc.) and try to sleep as soon as you can. You'll thank yourself in the morning.

[Gardyloo]

You'd be surprised! I've had the bread rolls be so hard I feared for orthodontic bills :D so now whether I'm in F or J on any airline with a short overnight flight like this (which is 99% of the time BA F/J into LHR) I'll pretty much just have orange juice or coffee/tea just before landing and then eat properly in the lounge.

 

The Arrivals Lounge has a decent spread of breakfast options but for the OP, it'll be whatever is in the Galleries Club lounge which will be similar to that of the Arrivals lounge; yoghurts, toast, hot food etc.

 

I know you know all this Gardyloo ;)

Yeah, come to think of it, my last bacon roll was pretty... uh... rigid. Toss the roll, eat the bacon.

[SFCAcruiser]

Thanks for all the info! Our flight from PHL leaves around 6:10pm, arriving at LHR at 6:35am (Sat. morning) and then off to Amsterdam at 8:25am....

 

QUOTE]

 

Here is a link to a review done by one traveler about 18 months ago, including some video.

The trip was on a 777, which seems to be the same aircraft you will have PHL-LHR.

I am not a Oneworld flyer so I cannot add anything or comment about any changes that may have occurred in the service in the last 18 months. Nonetheless, the review might be helpful to you.

[floatplan]

You should be arriving in T5 and if your outbound is on BA should be departing T5. The FA can tell you. As you exit the plane you'll walk towards the Flight Connections T5 purple signs.

 

There will be overhead signs directing you towards Security or Immigration. You cannot get into T5 without a passport check and bag scan and take your clothes off.

 

IIRC on the right-side it will say "Fast Track" so you want to be on that side where there are far fewer people walking. At the end of that hall/lane is a big room with counters on both sides. You again want to follow the signs to Fast Track where there typically are no lines so you feel like you are heading the wrong way. There are very helpful people in theses areas that will look at your BP and send you the right way.

 

After that passport check you go up an escalator, stay on the right / fast track side. You end up in an area with many lanes for bag scanners. IIRC there is no Fast Track here, but watch for signs.

 

From that level to get to the BA Biz lounge there are signs that I think take you down an escalator one floor, walk a ways, then up an escalator 2 or 3 floors. There are multiple lounges, you can search for those online. The best is in 5A and not B or C.

[fbgd]

You should be arriving in T5 and if your outbound is on BA should be departing T5. The FA can tell you. As you exit the plane you'll walk towards the Flight Connections T5 purple signs.

 

There will be overhead signs directing you towards Security or Immigration. You cannot get into T5 without a passport check and bag scan and take your clothes off.

 

IIRC on the right-side it will say "Fast Track" so you want to be on that side where there are far fewer people walking. At the end of that hall/lane is a big room with counters on both sides. You again want to follow the signs to Fast Track where there typically are no lines so you feel like you are heading the wrong way. There are very helpful people in theses areas that will look at your BP and send you the right way.

 

After that passport check you go up an escalator, stay on the right / fast track side. You end up in an area with many lanes for bag scanners. IIRC there is no Fast Track here, but watch for signs.

 

From that level to get to the BA Biz lounge there are signs that I think take you down an escalator one floor, walk a ways, then up an escalator 2 or 3 floors. There are multiple lounges, you can search for those online. The best is in 5A and not B or C.

 

There are three Galleries Club lounges in T5; one at the North end of the T5 main building, another in the South end on the top floor and a third in T5B. There is no lounge in T5C.

[Iluvcruising2]

Welcome to Business class travel and I hope you enjoy your flight.

 

If you have the chance, try Singapore Airlines Business class some day. :)

[TruckerDave]

Welcome to Business class travel and I hope you enjoy your flight.

 

If you have the chance, try Singapore Airlines Business class some day. :)

 

That would require hitting the lottery first. :D

 

but on the "want to do list"...along with Cathy Pacific and a few others.

[villauk]

Welcome to Business class travel and I hope you enjoy your flight.

 

If you have the chance, try Singapore Airlines Business class some day. :)

 

We had to go with Qatar instead of SQ (price difference was just too great). By any chance, have you flown with them? Their seating looks good :).