'I want a national carrier that we can be proud of,' says our Travel Editor Rosie Paterson, as she reports on the airline's latest business class offering and what the future holds.
Things are changing — and about time too — at British Airways, the UK’s flag carrier airline, whose forerunner company was responsible for launching the world’s first international scheduled air service, between London and Paris, in 1919.
In recent years, they’ve struggled to keep up with well-funded Middle Eastern and Asian airlines which regularly top passenger satisfaction polls with their, on the whole, newer planes, better designed cabins and smooth customer service.
As well as growing competition, the internet is riddled with complaints ranging from incompetent customer service to regular delays. ‘I expect it with low-cost, short-haul carriers, but not with BA,’ said one friend I polled, who added that she now assumes every flight she boards will not take off on time.
My own experiences are a mixed bag. Sometimes the on-board service is fantastic, other times it’s rushed and dismissive. It’s notably more consistent — for the better — if you’re travelling in premium or business. On a long-haul flight back from the US, sitting in economy, there wasn’t enough space for me to open my laptop fully and use.
1956 British advertisement for the British Overseas Airways Corporation, later British Airways.
I want BA to be better, I want a national carrier that we can be proud of and actually want to use — so I’m all ears that the fight, according to BA at least, isn’t over.
‘We’ve recently announced a £7 billion investment programme,’ says Calum Laming, BA’s chief customer officer, ‘the biggest in our history.’
As well as a new website and mobile phone app, BA are launching new and reinstated routes (Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Tromsø in Norway) and a brand new first class cabin. More on that later in the year.
It will follow in the footsteps of their well-received Club World cabin — the brand’s long-haul business class offering — which is already available on all planes flying between London and New York, as well as key destinations in Africa, North America and Middle East.
If they can similarly improve the experience in economy and get on top of those thorny customer service issues then they might just be onto something.
The cabin
The number one thing we noticed about the updated Club World cabin is how sleek it feels. There’s a lot of gunmetal grey with metal accents. The button back seats are a well thought out touch. It could look corporate, but it doesn’t. It simply looks very smart.
The previous dense and confusing configuration — which saw people have to step over the legs of other passengers — has been replaced with a reverse herringbone layout and sliding doors that offer maximum privacy. There’s now ample space.
Top tip: The cabin is divided into two sections with a galley kitchen inbetween. The first section is smaller — on some planes, just three rows. Get your skates on and select a seat here for a quieter, more private experience.
The seat
The new Club World seat — or suite as it’s meant to be referred to — has been designed to offer improved privacy, comfort and space — the idea being that you can work, relax and, ultimately, sleep with ease.
Sadly, I’m a finickety sleeper who cannot get more than a couple of hours of shuteye on even the flattest of aeroplane seats. And this one really is flat. And long, at 6ft (183cm) when fully reclined.
I can, however, vouch for the work and relax side of things because I ticked off both on a morning flight from London Heathrow to New York’s JFK. The suite has 40% extra storage space than its long-haul business predecessor and a bespoke-made table.
There’s also a 12” flat screen TV — which is more than big enough — and noise-cancelling headphones. Perhaps this is time to apologise to the poor flight attendant who spent a painful amount of time trying to catch my attention whilst I was watching a not particularly PG scene of And Just Like That.
The food and drink
The days of lobster buffets and cheese trolleys are, sadly, long gone (RIP), but BA has made every effort to make the current experience as pleasurable as possible. There’s even a cheese course. It just doesn’t come on a trolley.
Afternoon tea is available on some routes. So are Jude’s choc ices. I’m ashamed to say that I loved mine so much I felt compelled to take a picture of it…and upload it to Instagram.
I was also visibly distraught when, on another flight to New York, three months later, they informed me that the choc ices were not onboard. Clearly, it’s the little things.
Why we like it
Because BA have made every attempt to play up their Britishness, from ingredients sourced from British suppliers to a dedicated ‘Best of British’ channel on the inflight entertainment system.
The much-loved amenity kits — which happily survived the refurb — are still created exclusively for the airline by British brand, The White Company.
What we’d change
There will always be something awkward about business class passengers being allowed to board a plane and sit down first, only for everyone in premium economy and economy to file past them.
The travellers in business feel like zoo exhibits; the travellers in everything else look a bit pissed off that they’re not being offered Champagne. That said, it’s not a problem unique to BA and beyond boarding business last I don’t come with any other solutions.
