A very polished business class product, my experience in the Club Suites from Seattle to London Heathrow was really good. Of course there are some snags, but the overall flying experience that they delivered was excellent. Starting my journey I made my way to the lounge at Sea-Tac airport. I was able to use the very tiny First lounge due to my One World Emerald Status.
The lounge has changed a bit since my last visit as there is a better array of foods and champagnes than last time. More food was placed out as time evolved, with small sandwiches and some salads. This was still a fairly spartan setting for a first lounge and nothing like you would see at the fabulous London Heathrow First Lounge.
I ordered a glass of NV Pol Roger which retails for about 50 dollars USD. It really did hit the spot. The champagne quality has improved since my last visit to the BA First Lounge in Seattle. I noticed that on their wine list there are also several decent white and red wine selections available.
One of my friends from the wine industry was also on my flight, NFL legend Drew Bledsoe. We shared a glass and caught up as he was heading out on a skiing trip.
I was feeling hungry so I ordered something more substantial, a Reuben sandwich which was quite a bit better than anticipated. Everything was neatly grilled with rich Swiss cheese.
Bathrooms were located down a small corridor outside of the lounge. They were very small with no showers but did have BA Elemins products.
It was now time to board as I waited patiently for Group One. Boarding was a breeze as I was the first in my area to be seated. I was seated in 7K which is a window seat in the top cabin of business class. This is one of the preferred seats in Business.
It is worth noting that usually business class is referred to as Club World, but this class has long been in the process of being upgraded to Club Suites. Due to the Pandemic this has been quite a delay of full rebranding and some planes have the old Club World product which do not have full lie-flat beds. The new Club Suites hard product is outstanding.
The Club Suites has 4 seats in a row, which is a 1-2-1 formation. These forward-facing seats have doors which close which gives you a great deal of privacy and no awkward climbing as all open directly on to an aisle. Televisions are touch-screen and easy to use. There was loads of entertainment and WIFI (which was not dependable) was at least reasonably priced (you can choose to use by the hour).
As you can see from the many photos, the seats are stylish and very functional. There are small storage areas and great looking wood trim. The lie flat seat is really a game-changer for someone who is 6’4’’ like me. The seat itself was well-made and sturdy with a firm frame. Generous windows around made this a very bright window seat.
Headphone quality was adequate, as was the toilet bag products by The White Company which would be consistent in quality with other business class products. The toilet kit came with toothpaste and a toothbrush as well as lip balm, a pretty lean eye mask and hand cream. I ordered a glass of pre-flight Champagne which brightened this Club Suites experience immediately. I had a chance to visit the food menu and wine list.
The wine list is adequate considering Business Class, offering mostly value wines and a relatively poor selection of red wines, with all reds and whites being under 20 dollars SRP. Same was true with the whites. I decided to stick with the champagne selection, the entry level NV Heidseick & Co Monopole, which was unspectacular but the best choice available. The port offered was also very inexpensive and not desirable. The British Sparkling Wine offered, NV Wiston Estate was also entry level, inexpensive and not inspired.
Shortly later flight attendants came by to take the food orders. I chose the ahi starter and the salmon main, as well as the cheese course to finish. We were now ready for takeoff.
I had a visit to the bathroom and was disappointed with the small layout and uninspired bathroom products. BA is not exactly known for their bathrooms but I think they could have done better with the design and functionality.
For as poor as the coach-esque bathroom was, this flight was really all about the hard product seat. The plugs were easy to use as was the remote and touch screen TV.
Tuna apps is not typically something I do on a plane, but I was feeling adventurous. This was actually very good and not fishy at all with a kick from the spicy mayo. The bread was pretty much stale.
Even better, albeit not much to look at, was the salmon entree. The texture was outstanding as this did not at all taste frozen. The mashed potatoes were also excellent. I’ve had fish several times on Emirates First and BA First flights, as fish mains are never easy to do to make it moist and delicious. Considering this was a business class meal, I think it is a pretty polished product for a main course.
As for the cheese plate, that was completely uninspired. Not recommended.
It was now time for bed. Dinner service has been excellent, with great cadence and no long wait. I decided to have a glass of scotch as I was winding down for some rest. I made my bed into the lie flat position which was really easy and placed the comfy comforter over me.
I was fortunate to grab several hours of sleep on the flight. I will say that there is a very narrow opening at the top of the seat for your feet. That is only an issue for people my size, well over 6’0. I woke up and decided to check out the breakfast product, ordering a breakfast burrito with some coffee to start my day. It was actually pretty tasty.
Service for breakfast was clockwork and the plane began its descent into London Heathrow Terminal 5. The flight had lasted one hour longer than anticipated due to trade winds. Service was consistently good throughout my journey to London. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve experienced this on all of my long haul business class flights. My flight attendant in particular was really kind and thoughtful. This really does add the extra touch to a long journey.
BOTTOM LINE:
As we prepared for landing, I was feeling relatively well-rested from my flight where I had slept several hours. The new Club Suites is a very polished hard product. Other than the spartan bathroom and cheese plate, the experience was really good. Service was fantastic and very attentive as some of my colleagues complain of British Airways service, I have found them to be pretty consistently good. The wine list certainly could have been better, but was standard with other Business Class experiences. The salmon entree was excellent. I will happily do the Club Suites flight again which is one of the better Business Class hard products you will find in the sky.