Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.
I recently enjoyed a wonderful holiday in the Maldives. During my trip, I did not stay at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani – my favorite resorts in the Maldives (I am going back though in 2024) – but I tried out some new, ultra-luxurious and fabulous resorts. Read my trip reports here:
- Review: Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner Business Class from Brussels to Doha
- Review: Qatar Airways Boeing 777 Business Class from Doha to the Maldives
- Review: British Airways Boeing 777 Business Class (new suite) from London to Male (today)
- Review: Joali Being
- Review: InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort
- Review: Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Island
- Review: Alila Kothaifaru Maldives
- Review: Edelweiss Air Airbus A340 Business Class from Male to Zurich
Today: Review of British Airways’ B777 Business Class (new suite) from London to the Maldives
While British Airways’ Business Class raised the bar worldwide two decades ago with the introduction of the first fully lie-flat seat and an innovative “Ying/Yang” seat plan, the carrier’s Business Class product and mediocre service were quickly outclassed by some of its competitors. However, over the past years, British Airways introduced a new Business Class concept – called Club Suite – onboard its Airbus A350, Boeing 787-10 and some refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft. The new product offers direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy, luxurious flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, 18.5-inch entertainment screens, and 40 % more storage space per seat. After my three trips onboard the carrier’s A350 in 2021 and 2022 were cancelled due to pandemic, I was finally able to try out British Airways’ suite product on my recent Boeing 777-300ER Business Class flight from London to the Maldives.
Have you ever flown British Airways’ new Business Class suite (‘Club Suite’)? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.
- Trip: London (LHR) to Male (MLE)
- Airline: British Airways
- Aircraft type: Boeing 777-300ER
- Aircraft registration number: G-STBM (built in 2020)
- On time departure: 6:30 pm
- On time arrival: 9:30 am (+ 1 day)
- Miles: 5300 miles (8530 km)
- Flight time: 10 hours
- Seat: 12K
- Class: Business Class
In this review (more information & photos below my YouTube movie):
- Price of my ticket
- Lounge at Heathrow London Airport
- Business Class cabin
- Business Class seat (+ best & worst seats)
- Amenities & bedding
- Meals
- Entertainment
- Onboard internet
- Other inflight experiences
- My verdict (score)
1. COST OF MY TICKET
I paid 3000 euros (inclusive of taxes) for my Business Class ticket from Frankfurt to Male (via a stopover in London). The ticket was booked directly on the British Airways’ website during an online sales period.
2. LOUNGE AT LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT
London Heathrow is comprised of several terminals. Terminal 5 – the UK’s largest free-standing building – is exclusively used by British Airways. Opened in 2008, Terminal 5 is designed to handle 35 million passengers a year and the complex took almost 20 years from conception to completion. The main terminal building is referred to as Terminal 5A, while there are also two satellite buildings, Terminal 5B & 5C (reached via an underground rail link). The latter are mainly used for longhaul operations.
British Airways operates several lounges within Terminal 5:
- Three Business Class lounges, with two located on the north and south side of the main building and one in satellite Terminal 5B. These lounges are called Galleries North, Galleries South and B gates lounges respectively, and they are open to Business Class passengers and Sapphire members of a frequent flyer program of one of the Oneworld
- A First Class lounge located one floor below the South Galleries, which is open to Emerald members of any of the Oneworld airline frequent flyer programs.
- The famous Concorde Room is British Airways’ most exclusive lounge, open only to its First Class passengers. The Concorde Room features hotel-style rooms with beds and ensuite bathrooms, plus restaurant-style dining. I previously reviewed the Concorde Room here.
This article only reviews the lounge in the satellite Terminal 5B (“B gates lounge”), which I visited prior to my flight to the Maldives. Located one level above the main floor, it’s always quiet here, contrary to the crowded lounges in the main building (so I always recommend to visit this lounge instead of the lounges in Terminal 5A). The lounge is decorated in British Airways’ signature style, featuring mood lighting, oak wooded floors, elegant furniture, and a neutral color palette. The large space is split into different sections, with separate areas for relaxing (with sofas), dining (with high top tables) and working.
A decent buffet is on display at the center of the lounge and it offers soup, sandwiches, fruits, nachos, salads, and some hot (curry) dishes. There’s also a full coffee station with all sorts of cappuccino and lattes, and a beautiful self-serve bar offering broad selection of wines, beers and spirits. Besides a decent buffet, the lounge also offers excellent facilities, including a customer service counter, luggage room, business center, showers and a kids play area.
In summary, the lounge at B gates offers the same feel and facilities as compared to its counterparts in the main building but without the crowds. The lounge has one disadvantage though and that is that is doesn’t have a lot of daylight (it looks out over the interior of the Terminal 5B building). That’s a bit in contrast with the lounges in the main terminal building, which all embrace the daylight with massive windows that offer great views of the airport apron and runways. So if you are an aviation geek and you like to observe the movement of aircraft at the airport, you may as well skip the lounge at the B gates and stay in the lounges at Terminal 5A.
3. BUSINESS CLASS CABIN
British Airways’ retrofitted Boeing 777-300ERs are equipped with the carrier’s newest Business Class product, called ‘Club Suite’. These aircraft feature 76 Business Class seats – with sliding doors – which are spread over 3 cabins: a small front cabin (with 12 seats), a large middle cabin (with 42 seats) and an aft cabin (22 seats). The seats are laid out in a spacious 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone configuration, with direct aisle access for every passenger. Herringbone takes its name from the angled look of the seats when viewed from above on a seat map: the seats on the sides angle out toward the windows, while the seats in the center angle toward one another. Obviously, the center seats are the best choice for travel companions although these seats feature extendable dividers in case you are seated next to a strangers (guaranteeing complete privacy).
The three Business Class cabins onboard British Airways’ retrofitted Boeing 777-300ERs feature an absolutely gorgeous design. The cabin feels chic, airy and spacious, and British Airways’ stylish logo prominently features on a panel in the front of each cabin. Designed with silver, grey, and charcoal hued fabrics by UK company Hainsworth, the seats look luxurious, and they are also finished with Muirhead leather (which covers the ottoman and arm caps).
4. BUSINESS CLASS SEAT (+ BEST & WORST SEATS)
British Airways has chosen the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seat for its Club Suite Business Class. The seat – which has a width of 22 inches (56 cm) – can also be found on other carrier’s such as Etihad Airways’ A350s. Contrary to British Airways’ older Business Class seats, the new Club Suite comes with a sliding door for enhanced privacy. The door is fixed in the open position during take-off and landing, but during cruise, the flight attendants release the locking mechanism and you can leave the door open or closed. The door is ‘only’ 44 inches (112 cm) tall, so it still allow the crew to peer over and check in with you as needed.
In front of the seat is a 18.5-inch HD entertainment screen (more on that below) and a footrest located in the space below the TV screen. A tray table is stowed under the TV at a good height to maximize legroom; it needs to be pulled out for any use and when unfolded, it measures 16 x 18 inches (40 x 46 cm).
Above the non-aisle armrest is a small touchscreen, which can be used to adjust the seat position and to control the lighting of the suite during the flight. This side of the seat also features two storage units to stow away smaller personal items (e.g. glasses, wallet, smartphones, etc …). The largest cubby holds a handset for the inflight entertainment, a USB port, and a power plug. Next to the seatback is a large console with a vanity mirror and some more storage space on the inside; a reading light is fixed to the console’s outside wall.
At the push of a button, the seat can convert into a very comfy bed with a length of 79 inches (200 cm).
What are the best Business Class Club Suites?
- Solo travelers should choose one of the window seats.
- Travel companions should go for the middle seats. However, due to how private they are, they really don’t lend themselves all that well for traveling with a partner, as you have to lean forward when you want to have a chat (the consoles of both seats are located in the middle).
What are the worst Business Class suites?
- Most Club Suites on the Boeing 777 have two windows but there are some that only have one (due to the size of the suites). For example, the seats in row 7 and 12 have only one window and are not ideal if you are a person who enjoys taking in the views during a flight.
- I suggest to avoid the last row of the front mini-cabin (row 7) and the front row of the second cabin (row 8) due to their proximity to the galley and lavatories.
- I also suggest to avoid the last row of Business Class (row 23) which is in front of the Premium Economy Class bassinet seats.
5. AMENITIES & BEDDING
Business Class passengers get the following amenities during a British Airways longhaul flight:
- A Club World amenity kit, which comes in the form of an elegantly designed bag from The White Company. The kit contains eyeshade, earplugs, socks, a toothbrush, toothpaste, pen and toiletries from The White Company’s Restore & Relax Spa Collection, offering a touch of luxury in the sky.
- Excellent bedding, also provided by The White Company, which comprises:
- a soft large pillow in a white cotton pillowcase;
- a super-soft woven day blanket with satin trim;
- a specially developed luxurious duvet;
- a padded mattress topper to provide an extra layer of comfort to improve sleep quality
- an elegant day cushion, which doubles up as lumbar support when working or relaxing
- Noise-cancelling headphones, which are of good quality as they block out most of the engine and cabin noise.
6. MEALS
During this flight, two meals were served: a dinner after takeoff and a breakfast prior to landing. Overall, the food was good but I felt it could have been better and a little bit more sophisticated, especially for a premium product. Also, the dinner service was slow: the starter was served 90 minutes after takeoff and we were already flying above the Black Sea when the dessert was served (3 hours and 30 minutes after takeoff). It’s disappointing that British Airways’ mediocre food offering doesn’t match its excellent Club Suite hard product.
I choose the following dinner selection from the stylish bistro-style menu:
- Starter: Loch Fyne smoked salmon tartare, avocado, and lemon pepper crème fraîche
- Main course: slow roasted short rib of British beef, served with garden peas, carrots, parsley potatoes, and beef gravy
- Dessert: British apple crumble with apple compote
Breakfast was served 90 minutes prior to landing, and started with a fresh orange juice, seasonal fruit and blueberry & banana super bowl. As a main course, I had the Portobello mushroom and chervil omelette with roasted cherry tomatoes.
7. ENTERTAINMENT
British Airways’ Club Suite seat has an 18.5-inch TV screen which uses the latest Panasonic X3 in-flight entertainment system. The screen is fixed into the shell of the seat in front (or the bulkhead for the front seats), allowing gate-to-gate entertainment (which is not the case with British Airways’ older Business Class seats where the screen needs to be popped back into place prior to takeoff or landing). The inflight entertainment can be selected by directly touching the TV screen or with the use of a handset, which has its own small TV screen. The entertainment system itself, called High Life, offers tons of movies and box sets to explore. 3D Interactive GeoFusion flight maps are available, allowing passengers to follow the flight route in hi-resolution graphics.
8. ONBOARD INTERNET
WiFi is offered on all British Airways wide-body aircraft. On this flight from London to the Maldives, the rate varied from £2.99 (for messaging for one hour) to £19.99 pounds (for streaming during the entire flight).
9. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES
# CREW: I am a big fan of British Airways’ excellent crew, but unfortunately, the crew during this flight was not as pleasant as during my other flights. It all came down to the fact that I felt intimidated by one crew member who rather rudely asked me to stop taking photos (even though I was taking them within the confinement of my own little suite space). This never happened to me before. After a while, the flight attendant came back to apologize but the ‘incident’ left a sour taste in my mouth nonetheless.
# LAVATORY: There are four lavatories for the 76 Business Class passengers, all of them located in galley between the front and second Business Class cabin.
# VIEWS: Upon landing, we were treated to some spectacular views of the Maldives.
10. MY VERDICT
- Cabin design: 9/10
- Privacy: 9/10
- Seat comfort (upright): 9/10
- Seat comfort (bed position): 9/10
- Food (quality): 8/10
- Food (quantity): 8/10
- Inflight entertainment : 9/10
- WiFi: 7/10
- Service: 7/10
- Overall experience: very good (8.3/10)
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Flight back from Miami to Heathrow in January was in Club Suites, was very impressed, even though my seat was next to the galley, I experienced no disturbances. With the door shut and in flat bed mode, seemed quite cosy, I certainly slept well, went to sleep about an hour after take off and woke up about an hour before landing…….
BA crew are very hit and miss – some are amazing and some are definitely NOT! The inconsistency is a shame because BA has made great strides recently with its hard product!
It’s great to hear that British Airways has made improvements to their Business Class product with the introduction of the Club Suite. It seems like British Airways has made positive changes to their Business Class offering, providing a more enjoyable and refined travel experience.
Out of all the people I can’t believe you’ve never had a sector in the CS on BA!
That said I do feel your pain. I had 19 trips ( including re-routes, re-books) in 2020 and 14 in 2021.
Weirdly it was due to the coof and a last minute ( overnight of day of travel) swap out for an LGW 777 for a LHR one to SVF that I had my 1st run in the new CS back in 2020, and I have to say it was certainly a good run ( hours & mileage wise) to have a 1st go.
Top-of-my-head I’ve been lucky enough to knock out 7 more since and it’s such a step up ( as you say, not before time!). I used an Amex 2-4-1 to JFK in 2021 which was a case of ‘use it or lose it’ taking a friend and we had 77w with new CS & old F. I’d booked F waited till we’d taken off to ask the CSM to find someone in J on their own who seemed really excited to be there ( ie: was hopefully their 1st time) then ask them if they’d instead like to experience F via a swap. Pretty sure I’m in the minority but as a self funded traveller nothing makes me feel better than offering lounge guesting and in rare cases like this, a swap into the pointy-pointy end. I prefer the CS to the standard F ( there’s effectively 3 versions in use at the moment) & havng checked with my friend he was fine if I left him in his own coccon I enjoyed sharing the love a little to a young lady who’d only gotten a seat in J via saving for PY and a random price deflation a few days out ( according to the CSM & oh how I wish those still happened 😁)
I know they’re doing their best to roll out the updated F but aside from the blinds, yes I’m that fickle & an avgeek!, I’d personally take the CS everytime.
Does BA have a FC section in any of its 777-300s? Thank you.
Just come back from a return flight Gatwick to Orlando, 777, still the old configuration with people having to climb over you to get out, meals hit and miss , served smoked turkey for breakfast, even the cabin staff said that it was disgusting, I commented “wheres the english breakfast?” Also had a “bloody mary” but they didnt have worcester sauce !
Have another flight this week on these as my sector seems to have completely updated them. Last flight I had CS outbound but a change of equipment meant it was 4 class with CW split between F and J. They opened up F as they usually do and put 5 of us in there which was lovely. Having been in F on a CS flight, I used to feel a bit miffed that the CS seat was superior to old F. While CS looks nice and takes a good photo, the usability of the suite isn’t great in practice.
Having those small bins on the side is nice, but as they get used for drinks and tea, but really slippery and twice I had drinks sliding off an into my lap. Getting things in and out is also annoying as you have to move cups and drinks to get things out of them with no where for them to go if your tray is full. In the front rows there are lockers at ground level though not reachable from your seat – you have to get up and leave the suite to put things in. Would have been lovely like in F to be able to have storage in the suite itself to access small hand luggage. My door already felt a bit faulty and do wonder how well they would hold up as the opening and closing wasn’t intuitive or smooth.
The crew find the door a bit annoying. On night flights, the crew have to pass through with a torch to check seatbelts over blankets if the light is on as the door makes it hard to see in. It was odd waking up to a search light hovering over you.
I was on an AF flight where a couple of weeks ago where the new business (which also has suites) due to a technical had to be swapped for a plane with ancient J seat. It made me really remember how nice it was to be in an airy cabin not one filled with cubicles. Being able to people watch and that old ‘gentlemans club’ lounge chair vibe of old skool premium cabins! Privacy is nice, especially on night flights but on day flights its lovely to feel like you are on a plan and flying somewhere – not stuffed in a box. Id take better more ergonomic storage over a door, which feels in-practical in a lot of use-cases. Get doors on First but in J, when the seats have been designed correctly you dont care there are not any doors and feel very private.