- British Airways first unveiled its Club Suite business class cabin in March 2019.
- The configuration has slowly made its way across the airline’s fleet. I recently tried it on a 777.
- Despite a few small issues, I think the product is a comfortable option for crossing the Atlantic.
British Airways unveiled its “Club Suite” business-class cabin in March 2019 as part of a nearly $9 billion investment in the customer experience.
The product first deployed on British Airways’ Airbus A350-1000 planes starting in mid-2019 and quickly earned props for its improvement in space and privacy compared to the old business-class layout.
While the company’s Boeing 787-8, Boeing 787-9, and Airbus A380 planes still sport the dated cabin, British Airways has so far fit its Boeing 787-10s and most of its Boeing 777s with the Club Suite as it rolls out the new configuration across its fleet.
And all Heathrow-based long-haul aircraft will be retrofitted with the Club Suite by the end of 2026, the carrier said during the IAG Capital Markets Day late last year. IAG is the parent company of British Airways.
Curious if it lived up to the hype, I flew from London to New York in the improved cabin on a British Airways’ Boeing 777-200ER earlier this month, and I think it’s an overall great transatlantic-travel option.
I arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport at 8:30 a.m., giving myself about three hours before my flight’s scheduled 11:20 a.m. departure.
The transatlantic flight departed out of British Airways’ Terminal 5 hub.
Business Insider paid a media rate. The price for a similar round trip in April in British Airways’ business class is about $3,000, according to its website.
Having checked in online and with only a carry-on in tow, I bypassed the counter and went straight to security.
For business-class travelers checking in luggage, there is a dedicated area for expedited service at Heathrow.
A separate ‘FastTrack’ line is available to Club World ticketholders, which was significantly shorter than the regular queue.
The security checkpoints in Terminal 5 were not too busy on my travel day, but the regular line was still several dozen people long.
The FastTrack queue, on the other hand, had no one in it and I sped through in less than two minutes.
Right past the expedited security line is one of the several British Airways lounges throughout Terminal 5.
In addition to a dedicated first-class lounge, British Airways has three Club Lounges in Terminal 5’s A and B gates.
The two A-gate lounges are commonly busy, so the airline built the B-gate lounge as an option for those flying from the B and C concourses, which are separate from the A gates and can be accessed via a walkway or train.
Because my flight was departing from Gate B34, I went to the B-gate lounge and enjoyed breakfast away from the chaos of the terminal.
Those traveling in the Club World or Club Europe cabins or who have Executive Club Silver loyalty status can access the three Club Lounges.
Boarding started around 10:30 a.m., and I was among the first to board thanks to my business-class ticket.
The first passengers called to board were those who needed pre-boarding assistance, followed by first- and business-class customers.
I was seated in 17A, a window seat in the last row of the Club Suite cabin.
I was originally assigned an aisle seat in the middle of the cabin but moved myself to seat 17A because I like the coziness of the little corner nook.
Stepping onto the Boeing 777-200ER, I immediately saw improvements compared to the old Club World product.
The old Club World business class is still featured on British Airways’ Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, as well as its Airbus A380 planes and a few Boeing 777s, according to its website.
Instead of a cramped cabin with up to eight seats per row, the Club Suite featured fully enclosed pods in a 1x2x1 layout with a window seat on each side, two middle seats, and two walkable aisles.
British Airways’ Club Suite is a customized version of the seat maker Collins Aerospace’s popular Super Diamond business-class cabin.
The company partnered with British Airways in 2021 to retrofit the airline’s Boeing 777s with the Club Suite. Similar Super Diamond designs are on carriers such as Qatar Airways and Canada’s WestJet.
This means all passengers have direct aisle access and complete privacy — something not everyone in the old business class got.
Many global airlines are actively retrofitting their business classes with modern seats that offer perks such as privacy and direct aisle access.
Carriers such as Qatar and All Nippon Airways are among those with the best business-class products, while others, such as British Airways and Air India, have been playing catch-up.
Exploring the cozy seat, I was happy to find plenty of legroom and ample storage space.
Storage included two cubbies, a shelf with a mirror, and plenty of tabletop space to hold things such as cups and my Kindle.
On a shelf was a bottle of water and an amenity kit, which came with the basics such as dental items and socks.
The amenity kit came in a soft-shell case and included socks, an eye mask, a toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion, lip balm, and a pen.
A universal power outlet and two USB ports were inside the larger of the two cubbies.
The cubby with the power outlets was deep and could fit bigger items.
The other cubby was shallow by comparison and could only fit narrow things such as a book or a small e-reader (my 10-inch Kindle Fire did not fit).
A large 18.5-inch television with an accompanying remote, a reading light, and a large tray table were also featured.
Passengers can use either the remote or the touchscreen television to browse entertainment.
But there was one particularly annoying drawback — the in-flight WiFi was broken.
The flight attendants were apologetic about the broken WiFi, but there was simply nothing they could do. But I was happy to get a follow-up email from British Airways after my flight, which explained the culprit was an antenna “due for replacement.”
Despite the inconvenience of having no WiFi in business class on a long-haul flight, I appreciate the airline’s transparency.
Ignoring the disappointment, I settled into my seat and enjoyed a pre-flight drink as we pushed back and taxied for departure.
I had the option of orange juice or champagne, though I opted to mix the two into a mimosa.
The first meal service started immediately after takeoff, starting with a beer and a snack.
A flight attendant took my drink order before takeoff, and I opted for an IPA from BrewDog.
Passengers could also enjoy other usual business-class beverage options, such as wine, spirits, soda, coffee, and tea.
The main courses followed, which included an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert.
The cabin crew distributed a menu before takeoff. Starter options included British roast-beef carpaccio, golden beetroot and goat’s cheese salad, or zucchini-and-basil soup.
The entrée options were pork loin, butter-chicken curry, or mascarpone mezzaluna. Dessert options included a chocolate bar, almond pudding, fruit, and a cheese plate.
I opted for the roast beef, pork loin, and pudding for my three-course meal, and I thought every dish was good.
The meat was well-cooked, and I liked the presentation with the herbs and sauce on top of the beef appetizer and the custard with the dessert.
The pork loin was my favorite part of the meal, which came with veggies and mashed potatoes.
The pork was filling with a nice juicy flavor, and I thought it paired well with the potatoes.
I think the food on Singapore and All Nippon Airways was better, but British Airways’ was still competitive with Condor and American.
I find that five-star airlines such as Singapore and ANA are in a different league when it comes to business class, and I expect the food to be the best of the best.
Still, British Airways’ food did not disappoint.
After lunch, I adjusted my seat into lie-flat mode and watched a few movies to pass the time.
The lie-flat bed stretches 79 inches and comes with a giant pillow, a mattress pad, and a soft blanket.
I was happy to find the bed wide enough to lay on my side or stomach, and I had plenty of space to spread my legs all the way out.
I slept for about an hour and didn’t wake up feeling cramped or sore thanks to the padding on the seat.
And I loved the sliding door, which completely blocked off my little pod and made the journey perfectly private.
I liked the cocooned feeling of my seat with the bed deployed and the door closed, and I nearly forgot there were about 230 other passengers on board the 777.
But the provided headphones were basically useless due to loud and constant static. I ended up using my own.
I told the flight attendant, who took the headphones and noted them as damaged.
This wasn’t a huge deal because I had an extra set of earbuds, but I still expected a better headset in business class than what British Airways provided.
The second meal service started about an hour and a half before landing, and I was thrilled to see it was afternoon tea.
The menu outlined two sandwich-platter options, the first including prawn and roast-beef sandwiches on brioche, and the second featuring goat’s cheese and fig and egg and chive sandwiches on brioche.
Both options included roasted veggies and hummus on white bread, as well as pastries such as cakes and scones.
I loved the little finger sandwiches and sweets.
I like sampler dishes that give me a taste of several different things, so I was very happy with the second meal.
Though I felt well-fed in business class, those feeling peckish between meals can enjoy chips or wine from the Club Kitchen.
The Club Kitchen is next to the galley and features a refrigerator with self-serve bottles of wine, as well as shelves of chips and other snacks and drinks available for the taking.
I spent the last hour of the flight enjoying the entertainment and lie-flat bed before landing in New York at around 1 p.m. local time.
Both my outbound and return flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and London Heathrow were on time.
Overall, I think the Club Suite experience is easily a competitive product across the Atlantic, and I particularly loved the food and sliding door.
British Airways’ Club Suite is a much-needed improvement for its wide-body fleet, especially as competitors such as Virgin Atlantic Airways and Delta Air Lines continue to improve their most premium cabins.
But small product details such as ensuring passengers have access to a working headset and WiFi are particularly important for customer satisfaction.
