British Airways Club World...

[marilynbn]

We will be flying in this category next week for our first flight to London. Do the San Francisco flights have the NEW Club World installed yet? Can anyone tell me what to expect about this category. Any recommended best seats to choose? I believe it is a 747. Any advice or info is appreciated. My concern is that I hope we can really sleep on the flight. We leave at 7pm PST and arrive in London at 1pm local time. Oh another thing .... how is the food on board? Thanks, Marilyn

[pj-atsea]

I am not sure what Club World is. I thought they had world traveller, then world traveller plus ( which I have flown)and then they have a Business class then a first class. The world traveller plus, gives you roomier seats, there are two together instead of three on the sides of the plane. You get the same food as the world traveller class but better roomier seats. You can stretch out a bit more to sleep. If you go on http://www.seatguru.com you can look at the specific airline, then specific type of plane and see the seating arrangements. Might help with your selections. If Club world is what they call Business class, then you'll have no worries. Their seats are great, you can stretch right out to sleep. The seats,although together, face opposite directions . Look on line on British Airways and see if they show what I mean. Hope I helped.pj

[carlmm]

Club world is British Airways' business class on long-haul flights.

The seats in both, the new and the old version can be converted to full flat beds.

 

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/cwexp/public/en_gb

[bigwally]

Fairly decent review (particulary the food) of what insiders call "New, New Club World" here:

 

http://www.philstraveldiary.co.uk/USA07/flight1.htm

 

And a comparison to "New Club World" here:

 

http://www.rtwman.co.uk/PTCA2004/ptca2004_flight_08.htm

 

Do you have you seat assignments already? That has the possibility of leading up to be the biggest dissapointment for you, if you don't.

[marilynbn]

Thanks Bigwally, unfortunately British Airways does not allow you to pick your seat until 24 hours prior to takeoff! Unless I am a toddler or VIP! I'm neither. :D Marilyn

[bigwally]

I know it, and it's the one thing I'm fretting more than anything else....the possibility of the wife and I not being able to secure Club seats together @ T-24. Or together with at least one of the seats facing forward that is (she gets sick if she travels backwards).

 

I personally HATE the new seating policy, and if we do end up with this worst case scenario my relationship with BA is probably going to end.

[marilynbn]

You might have her try Bonine before the flight...it's great for sea sickness. I might have to do the same if my seat is backwards! Never done that on an airplane! Wish me luck with getting upstairs seats with 3 close together and I will wish you the same! Marilyn :D

[harrodsfan]

My favorite seat in Club world. Upper deck is the best..like a quiet private club..Love BA..Haven't done new new club world Don't know when it will be on LA/LHR route..hope by July 4th...:).

Hate the new 24 hours rule. But now we get to take 3 suitcases.what is that about?

[bigwally]

I'm not sure you weren't always allowed three checked bags in CW from North America? But if you weren't, then it's probably got to do with some combination of the new lower per-bag weight allowance and the one carry-on security rule.

 

More than one upper-deck seat? Together? At T-24? Probably a snowball's in a very, very warm place chance.

[marilynbn]

Oh no.. don't say that! Marilyn:(

[Globaliser]

Do the San Francisco flights have the NEW Club World installed yet?

The aircraft fitted with the new seats are not being dedicated to any specific routes, with one exception: JFK. So I'm afraid it's basically pot luck whether you get the old version or the new version.

 

My partner flew to Joburg earlier this week. I could see from BA's website's behaviour when pre-allocating seats and then checking in that the allocted aircraft was to have been an old one, then changed to a new one, and then changed back to an old one just before online check-in opened. So there's really no way of knowing.

 

A hint from me (which may or may not work for you). At 25 hours before departure, go to Manage My Bookings. See if there's a link that allows you to check-in online. If there is, try it. Any upper deck pair would be brilliant, though personally I would put 60AB at the bottom of the list of upper deck seats (the light from the toilet shines on them when the toilet door is open, which the curtain doesn't always keep out). The most prized seats upstairs are 62AB and 62JK. Personally, I like 64K too, but others hate it. But, frankly, if you're used to travelling economy there are no bad Club World seats.

 

As for the forward/backward thing, you only have any sensation of facing backwards during takeoff and landing. During the cruise, there is no difference at all. And one of the great things about the paired seats is that you can see and talk to your partner face-to-face.

[bigwally]

At 25 hours before departure, go to Manage My Bookings. See if there's a link that allows you to check-in online

 

I thought they'd fixed the T-25 bug?

 

Marylin, is your flight low-J or high-J (meaning are their two cabins worth of J seats downstairs or only the one)? If it's low-J, then I've noticed that the downstairs seats have a tendency to fill before the upper deck, at least on the LAX flights. So you might be in luck then. BTW, you know that upstairs there aren't more than two seats together anyhow, right? They are by blocks of two.

[marilynbn]

How do I find out if they are hi or lo J? I really only care of at least 2 seats being together. I need to be next to my daughter. My husband goes off into his own zone regardless...headphones, sunglasses..the whole bit. I hate being so anxious about this...just not used to it. I have never flown on BA before. Fingers crossed! Marilyn :D

[bigwally]

I don't realistically think you'll have problems with two together. I just don't think that you'll find them on the upper deck.

 

Like I said in my previous musings, not getting seats together would be my very worst case scenario, and the only reason I dwell on that is I tend to live my life that way - focusing on the worst that could possibly happen so that I can be better prepared to deal with it. The upside to that is generally things go much better than I expect them to.

 

Give me your flight number (not the specific time and day, just the flight number) and I'll inquire on flyertalk.com as to which configuration your plane will likely have.

[marilynbn]

Looks like you're on this site a lot like I am! My flight is SFO to LHR #0286. Thanks so much for your help! Marilyn:)

[SCDH]

I booked my flight last August, and they automatically assigned us seats. They are the same seats that we had on our flight in 2005. Are you in the Executive (frequent flyer) club? We are, so maybe that's why we got assigned seats.

[bigwally]

The new policy started in December. You either lucked out because you booked early or are already EC Gold or Silver.

 

M, looks like at this point the flights are going to be low-J. Pretty full too (at least the weekday ones) from the looks of the passenger loads I've been given.

[marilynbn]

Bigwally- so what does that mean exactly? No upper deck? Have any of the Club World seats been filled by those who qualify for pre-assignment ? Can you tell from your info? I am on the Tuesday flight. Thanks again for all of this,I really appreciate it. Marilyn:)

[marilynbn]

Bigwally- I went over to that flyertalk site and saw your posting...thanks so much for all of your effort. I then decided to do a trial on expert flyer...If they are accurate it doesn't look good. Only 6 seats left available on upper deck...none together! Have you had any experience in a seat across from Lavatory? Is noise and light bothersome? I am not at all happy to see that there are so many seats already assigned on this flight...doesn't seem fair. Marilyn:(

[harrodsfan]

How do you find out what seats are already taken on flights?

Can you get seats at 25 hours in advance or do you have to wait until

24 hours???

[Globaliser]

I thought they'd fixed the T-25 bug?

They hadn't for my OLCI on Wednesday. I checked in at exactly 0625 for a Thursday 0725 flight - and of course got to check in for my same-day return flight as well, so did that at almost -37 hours! Not that it got me the seat I would most have liked - too many Golds had got there ahead of me.

 

But, then, other times it doesn't work.

[Globaliser]

I booked my flight last August, and they automatically assigned us seats. They are the same seats that we had on our flight in 2005. Are you in the Executive (frequent flyer) club? We are, so maybe that's why we got assigned seats.

Yes - if your FF status qualifies then the booking system automatically allocates seats as soon as you book, if your booking contains your FF number. If it doesn't you will be automatically allocated seats as soon as you enter your FF number.

 

I use it as a first test to see whether the FF number has gone in properly, particularly when a TA has made the booking. If seats haven't been pre-allocated automatically, it usually means that something has gone wrong with the entry of the FF number.

Only 6 seats left available on upper deck...none together! Have you had any experience in a seat across from Lavatory? Is noise and light bothersome? I am not at all happy to see that there are so many seats already assigned on this flight...doesn't seem fair.

If it's going to be a busy flight, this may well be the case for the upper deck a few days out. But really there are no bad Club World seats anywhere on the aircraft.

 

I don't think that it's unfair for the airline to give priority to those who are regular customers. For example, for a passenger to earn BA Gold from scratch by flying on BA Club World (long-haul services) alone, he has to fly at least 9 return trips in Club World within a restricted time frame (an absolute maximum of two years) before he attains that status. Nor is it unfair to give priority to those who have paid full fare, which for LA-London return is over $13,000 in Club World.

 

But, in any case, many of the allocated seats on the upper deck are likely to be for bookings by people who are on full fare tickets, who may cancel at very short notice or even just fail to show at the airport. So upper deck seat availability is likely to remain quite dynamic all the way up to departure.

 

IIRC, on the upper deck there is a curtain across the aisle just aft of the toilet, which screens out most of the light that could spill from the hallway and from the toilet itself. Many upper deck regulars seem to be quite considerate in making sure that the curtain does its job in the middle of the night. But there is always the possibility that the curtain won't be 100% effective for you, particularly if you're in 60B or 60J.

[marilynbn]

Globaliser- thanks for your input. I paid nearly the amount you listed and this is our first flight to the UK so you can sense my anxiety. Let me ask you if you are familiar with seats 62,63 and 64K..these are all open but all facing backward and 64K is across from bathroom. Would these be a good choice for the 3 of us? Is the upper deck usually preferable due to less noise than downstairs? Thanks for your advice...Marilyn

[Globaliser]

I paid nearly the amount you listed and this is our first flight to the UK so you can sense my anxiety. Let me ask you if you are familiar with seats 62,63 and 64K..these are all open but all facing backward and 64K is across from bathroom. Would these be a good choice for the 3 of us? Is the upper deck usually preferable due to less noise than downstairs? Thanks for your advice...Marilyn

Are you sure that you're not flying on a full fare ticket? Club tickets start from about $5,000 per person so if you've paid close to $13,000, that's quite a big difference.

 

Anyway, whatever the price: 62K is generally reckoned to be the best seat on the upper deck.

 

But 64K is also a favourite for many people. It's actually next to (rather than across from) the toilet, but that's actually better because you don't see the light shining out of the door. There are no noise problems that I remember. 64K is like a little private cocoon, and you don't need to climb over anyone's feet to get out (unlike most of the rear-facing seats).

 

All of the rear-facing seats on the upper deck (which are all window seats) also have the benefit of little storage cupboards between the seats and the aircraft sidewall. These are very handy. This is a feature of 747 upper decks generally.

 

I've not heard of there being any major changes to this layout in the refit, if you should get a refitted aircraft - but it would be interesting to see what you think.

 

Unfortunately, I usually have absolutely no say in where I sit in Club, because it normally only happens when I get an operational upgrade at the last minute so I just get whatever is left over when they're squeezing people in. So I've spent enough nights on Club seats downstairs, and there really isn't much to complain about. That said, I'd choose the upper deck if I had the choice; it's slightly quieter and often a little bit calmer, particularly compared to the bigger main deck Club cabin on the high yield aircraft.

[marilynbn]

Globaliser-Thanks so much for your assistance. You and Bigwally have been a great help. There's nothing like first hand accounts to help with decision making! Love these boards!! Marilyn:D