Reviews

British Airways Club World review

Is the British Airways Club World experience worth shelling out for? Read our review to find out...

3 Nov 2014

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Anyone who watched the recent BBC2 behind-the-scenes TV series about life at British Airways (BA) will know the firm's core aim is to deliver a top quality service, from check-in to touchdown, to its passengers.

But waxing lyrical about its commitment to good customer service in front of the camera is one thing, but does the on-board experience live up to the hype?

To find this out, IT Pro recently boarded one of the firm's flagship 787 Dreamliner planes from London Heathrow Terminal 5 to Newark Airport, New Jersey, in the US.

We flew Business Class (or Club World, as BA calls it), the flight took just over seven hours and we had access to the business class lounge before take-off.

Pre-flight experience

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One of the perks of having a Club World ticket is that passengers are permitted to use BA's swanky Business Lounge, where users can help themselves to complimentary alcoholic beverages, including champagne, Pimms and a selection of lagers, as well as soft drinks and hot ones.

There was also a wide variety of hot and cold food on offer, which passengers are widely encouraged to help themselves too, along with a range of free magazines and newspapers.

Flight details Carrier: British AirwaysAircraft: 787 DreamlineSeat: Club World (business class) 07EFlight time: 24 June, 4.30pm.Ticket cost: Just over 5,000

Particularly important in light of the recently introduced rules that ban people from bringing uncharged devices on flights.

The noise level in the lounge was also conducive to working, despite the presence of screens in there showing World Cup matches, although the Wi-Fi was not working properly when we visited.

It took us a little while to connect our laptop and smartphone to the lounge Wi-Fi, and once we did it was rather slow, particularly when streaming video content.

The staff were also knowledgeable about the services on offer, and were able to answer correctly and confidently when quizzed on some food allergy-related questions.

Furthermore, the demeanour of the staff we encountered before entering the lounge and at the check-in desk was friendly and approachable.