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British Airways largest aircraft is the beautiful Airbus 380-800 series which it deploys on select routes, including the seasonal route of London – Vancouver in the summer months. The aircraft replaced upwards of three Boeing 747 flights a day between the two cities. While we’ve flown this route in British Airways First Class many times, this would be our first try in the highest density business class cabin in their Club World offering. How would their crowded business class cabin compare?
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
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Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
While I’ve taken British Airways between Vancouver and London Heathrow on several occasions, it was the first time I’ve taken this particular flight in British Airways Club World business class. If you happen to be interested in what this route looks like in First Class, please see my review of British Airways First Class London – Vancouver.
My usual reward redemptions on this route have been in British Airways First Class as a result of much more supply on reward availability for First Class. First class is much more highly priced under the BA Avios program. As a result, the business class reward availability seems to be quickly consumed, leaving First Class to everyone else in the North American frequent flier programs where the premium isn’t as steep. I had redeemed this flight in American Airlines AAdvantage program for this journey and since I was travelling for both myself and my son, we stayed in business class where there were seats available on the weekend returning to school.
We arrived earlier in the day on British Airways Club Europe Dublin – London. After visiting the Cathay Pacific London Heathrow Lounge, the gate was posted at 1620 hrs. We were assigned Gate 42, which is one of the furthest most gates in Terminal 3. We had a long walk with the moving escalators.
The boarding process was remarkably civilized. Today’s passengers actually listened to the announcements and we didn’t have a crush at the A380 gate. The first boarding group was group 1, followed by extra time to board, followed by group 2; which was us as American AAdvantage Airlines business class ticket holders.
There was a bit of a confusing Door A vs Door B process immediately after the boarding pass scan. This clogged up the boarding process a little bit. We ended up boarding through Door A on the jet bridge which led to the upper deck.
British Airways
BA 85 – Club World (U)
LHR – YVR (London Heathrow Terminal 3 – Vancouver International Airport)
September 1, 2019
5:20 PM – 6:50 PM
Booked: Airbus 380-8
Flown: Airbus 380-8
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On Board British Airways Club World:
On board, we turned left and found ourselves immediately in 53K / 53J on the upper deck of the Airbus 380. The British Airways Club World Business Class configuration is a high density configuration consisting of seating that is 8 across; the highest density Airbus 380 cabin in the world. The British Airways Airbus 380 Club World configuration serves a total of 97 flat bed seats in Club World in the space of approximately 75% of an Airbus Deck. The next closest is Singapore Airlines, which seats 86 seats across an entire upper deck. In third place is Emirates’ Airbus 380 with 76 seats; a full 21 seats less. While this was a reward flight, i wasn’t too bothered by this. However, if I was paying full fare for business class, I would probably be picking a carrier that offered much more space in business class. Air Canada Signature Business Class is an example of a much more spacious product that is serving the same international route.
The seats in British Airways Club World 53K and 53J were ultimately great seats being right at the back of the upper deck business class cabin, with no one on one side of you. Unfortunately, they were also the seats that got served last, so we missed the first choice of appetizer when it came to meal service.
There was lots of storage space in the cabin with the curve of the fuselage. WT73Jr ended up storing his HMW music posters in this spot so that they could get back to Vancouver completely crinkle free.
The British Airways cabin is very dense with over 8 seats across the cabin. It is the most dense business class cabin out there in comparison to the other Airbus 380 carriers ahead of Singapore Airlines and Emirates. The British Airways seat itself is good, although it is quite narrow at 20 inches of width. This is only a few inches wider than their World Traveller Plus economy plus seating which offers a 17.5 inch width
In terms of the environment, the seats face each other when the central screen is lowered. It would be awkward travelling with someone else but with a partner they are alright. The tricky part is the balancing act of getting in and out and having all your dishes served over the aisle person.
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Pre-Departure Services:
We were offered a pre -departure beverage of champagne Canard Duchene Cuvee Leonine Brut NV, which was served in a regular wine glass.
The pre-departure beverage was followed by amenity kit distribution. The amenity kits were also recently upscaled from the smaller White Company pouches that we have under the cupboard at home. The new The White Company kits were more substnatial and robust.
We were also offered a towel service prior to getting underway.
We had a 50 minute delay getting over to the runway for IT issues at the ground agent computers not matching up with the in flight manifest (or so they said).
Departing London Heathrow:
We had a departure from London Heathrow on runway 28. As the British Airways Club World Cabin offers seats facing forward and backwards, being in a window seat, I ended up in a seat facing towards the rear of the plane. It was bizarre to be flying backwards. It was my first actual time doing so in a business class cabin. It wasn’t really noticeable after you get going.
Our flight track immediately took us north over London’s Luton and north towards York and Scotland.
The British Airways Club World menus were dropped off once we were airborne. The British Airways Club World offered a decent three course meal with interesting but not overly exciting options. The business class menu offered one less course than the four course menu in British Airways First Class.
We also had a reasonable wine list where the highlight of the day was the champagne. The menu featured the Cellars in the Sky Award for the Best Business Class Cellar for that year.
I had a Cranberry Blush drink order prior to the meal service. It was served in the recently upscaled beverage glasses.
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The Meal: A Lunch
It was a very slow start to the meal service which didn’t get underway until 7:40 PM GMT which was 2 ¼ hours after the scheduled departure time of 5:20 PM. I was not sure whether this was intentional, a mistake or just away of stretching out the flight. I was really hungry by this point and I was glad that I had ate lots of snacks in the lounge.
In a more favourable light, British Airways has recently upscaled the crockery on board. It does make a nicer touch to the service. We did happen to have some of the mixed fleet crews with both junior and senior crews. I had to ask for every refill today, which was not impossible, just a bit irritating since the drink pours are so thimbleful tiny.
The first course was Carrot and coriander soup. The first choice of Scottish salmon was all spoken for by the time they reached my row.
The main was seared fillet of British beef with Lyonnaise potatoes, sautéed chestnut mushrooms, shallot and rosemary sauce with Cycles Gladiator Cabernet Sauvingon 2016, Central Coast, California, USA. We had thankfully pre-ordered this in advance from the main BA website and they didn’t run out.
Warm mixed nuts and dulce de leçhe flan… it was okay and was to be expected for an airplane desert, although the sauce presentation was a nice touch.
The still water offered on board is now by Harrogate .”the original British spa town since 1571″.
Strangely, there was no clearing of the plates or crockery when glasses went empty. . As a result, I had 2 wine glasses and 2 water glasses scattered around me at the end of the meal service. I think this was a result of perhaps a lack of co-ordination by the crew.
We were well past Iceland by the time we were all done dinner or at about 9:10 PM GMT, or about 4 hours into the flight. The cabin was turned down and rendered mostly dark.
In Flight Entertainment:
I ended up poking around the in flight movies, which were much more modern than their dated British Airways Boeing 747 models that used to feature a relic entertainment systems. I ended up with the typically Hollywood British Notting Hill “I’m just a girl,, standing in front of a boy”.
I ended up making up my own (and WT73Jr’s) bed since the staff didn’t seem to be around all that much. In terms of sleep quality, the cabins were quite warm; I would almost describe them as hot.
I ended up sleeping for about 5 hours or right through the second service. I don’t think I missed that much, the second service didn’t look all that too appealing. Having had a pretty dismal second service on this route in First Class, I ended up valuing the sleep more than the light snack which usually isn’t more than a few bites.
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Arriving to Vancouver International Airport:
We arrived into Vancouver on runway R28, with a very short taxi to the International Terminal and the usual British Airways Vancouver gate near the British Airways Galleries Lounge Vancouver in the international concourse.
After we had gotten off the aircraft, there was no secondary tonight by the kind Canada Border Services Agency officer in the Nexus lane who didn’t wave us in for a customs examination of any “food, plants, or animals, or derivatives from plants or animals”. Our imported souvenir Irish chocolate passed without any issue. Aside from some minor A380 crowding mayhem at the baggage claim belt (that was designed prior to large capacity Airbus 380 aircraft), it was otherwise a pretty non eventful arrival.
We were kindly picked up by MrsWT73 and taken home for some luggage sorting prior to turning in for the evening at home in our bed after three weeks of being on the road.
The Bottom Line: British Airways Club World
The British Airways Club World Business Class flight doesn’t get any better on British Airways than in the Airbus 380 aircraft. While the seating is exceptionally dense, it’s always a treat to travel on board such a large aircraft. The service on today’s flight was a bit slack and inattentive. The food and beverage was just average and unmemorable. While it was a reward seat, I wasn’t complaining. If I was paying full fare business class, I would probably aim for a carrier with a less dense cabin.
If you fly British Airways International Lounge Haul, how much do you find the dense cabin to be a dis-advantage ?
← Review: No1 Lounge, London Heathrow – Terminal Three, UnitedKingdom
Trip Introduction: The United Island Hopper via Honolulu and Kauai, Hawaii, USA on United Airlines and Alaska Airlines FirstClass →
FAQs
Does BA A380 have new business class? ›
The business class seats on BA's A380s are the old Club World seats that were first introduced in 2006, rather than the new Club Suite that is slowly being rolled out across its wide-body fleet. Seat 13K on the lower deck of a British Airways A380.
How many Business Class seats on BA A380? ›BUSINESS CLASS CABIN
British Airways' Airbus A380 has a total of 469 seats: 14 seats in First (which I reviewed here), 97 in Club World (Business Class), 55 in World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy), and 303 in World Traveller (Economy).
If you're travelling on the A380 superjumbo you have two decks to choose from – upper or lower deck. Generally, sitting on the upper deck is preferable because of the usually smaller cabin and lower density configuration (2-4-2 vs. 3-4-3). It's also quieter sitting upstairs.
What is the difference between BA Club World and Business Class? ›British Airways refers to their business class seating as Club Europe for flights within the UK and Europe, or Club World for international flights. There's also Club World London City for flights between London City and New York's JFK airport.
Do you get Pyjamas on BA business class? ›Some airlines, such as British Airways, Emirates and Lufthansa, reserve their pyjamas for First Class passengers only but there are other airlines who offer the perk of a complimentary set of PJs in Business Class too.
Do you get champagne on BA business class? ›British Airways has six new Champagnes on board its longhaul first and business class cabins, and in its new lounges — but there's only a little of interest, and for an airline domiciled in the world's largest Champagne market, I can't help but find the selection a little underwhelming.
Where is the best place to sit on an Airbus A380? ›Perhaps the best seats in the A380 Economy are in rows 68 and 81 (A and K). With no third seat in the row ahead, passengers have unlimited legroom without needing to sacrifice storage space.
Do I have to wear a mask in BA business class? ›The legal requirement to wear a face covering has now been removed in England and Wales and we have updated our face mask policy.
Does BA business class have flat beds? ›The British Airways business class seats convert to a fully flat bed, combined with the quality The White Company bedding, the bed is extremely comfortable and provides a good night's sleep in the air.
Do you feel less turbulence on A380? ›LESS TURBULENCE
Because the A380 is so large and heavy, you'll get a very smooth ride without feeling much turbulence. This may sound as a paradox since – compared to smaller planes – the A380 will more frequently encounter turbulent air because of its sheer size, increased surface area, and larger wings.
Can an A380 fly upside down? ›
The answer is flatly, no. Inverted flight requires a specific airfoil (wing shape) as well as specific lubrication systems for the engines. Transport category aircraft are not built to engage in inverted flight.
Do you feel turbulence in an Airbus A380? ›Turbulence feels like nothing in the A380. And you will never experience a smoother takeoff and landing than when flying in an A380. If you're lucky, you'll forget you're on a plane. If planes were boats, the A380 is a superyacht – slicing through chop and waves like they're nothing.
Is there a dress code for BA Club World? ›No dress code except for staff flying on non-rev tickets. In my experience most other passengers will be dressed casually as comfort during the flight is a high priority.
Does club world get lounge access? ›The lounges are available for passengers who are: flying on a scheduled British Airways flight in First or business (Club World or Club Europe)
Is everything free in business class lounge? ›At U.S. lounges most food and drinks are complimentary, with the exception of premium alcohol and the meals for purchase. In international business and first class class lounges, all food and drinks should be free.
Do you have to dress smart for business class? ›think smart casual. You never know who you'll meet in the business class cabin so you might want to look smart, but there's definitely no need to show up in a suit or formal attire! Just like with events or restaurants, smart casual is always a safe bet.
What should I wear to business class to sleep? ›Wear comfortable clothes
Stay away from clothes that are too tight as you are going to wear them for a long time. Some airline companies offer pajamas on their business class flights. But you should be prepared in case your business class flight doesn't offer pajamas.
Blankets. Business and first-class flights offer comfort items like blankets during the flight. You must leave them on board when you're leaving the plane as they can be reused. “Paying more to travel in a better class does not entitle passengers to take items offered for the journey,” says Webber.
How many bags can I take on BA business class? ›The standard allowance is 1 bag (50 pounds/23 kg) for Economy (apart from selected routes which allow 2), 2 bags for Premium Economy (50 pounds/23 kg each), 2 bags for Business Class (70 pounds/32 kg) and 3 bags for First Class (70 pounds/32 kg).
Are drinks free in BA lounge? ›The lounges in Terminal 5, the home of BA are excellent. Spacious, too numerous to list them all or try them all out in one visit, they offer a range of complimentary food, from snacks and drinks through to breakfast, as well as light meals and fresh fruit.
What perks do you get in business class? ›
- Priority luggage check-in and security screening.
- Seats that are comfortable and have plenty of leg room.
- Access to in-seat power supplies and USB boards.
- Extra baggage allowance.
- The ultimate travel experience is provided by flat-bed seats and in-flight lounges.
But the worst place for safety purposes is in the middle.
"From a safety standpoint, however, the worst seat to sit in if there were a plane crash is a seat in the middle row in the middle section of the plane. The fatality rate for that section of a lot of analyzed crashes is quite high," O'Donnell explains.
Singapore's A380 lower deck is marginally wider than the 777's lower deck, which fits one more seat abreast down in economy class. This means that the A380 cabin is ever so slightly more spacious than the cabin on the 777. However, the 777 only features four rows of premium economy, while the A380 features five.
Is it better to sit on left or right of plane? ›Faster Exit from the Plane
Plane exits are located on the left side. If you are in a hurry to leave the plane, having a seat on the left side is usually a better bet. You don't need to merge into traffic coming in from the right.
Hours of entertainment
World Traveller offers a personal flat screen and headphones for everyone. Take your pick from the hundreds of latest films, television programmes, albums, audio books and games.
If you're not fully vaccinated, you'll need to test for COVID-19 within 72 hours prior to starting your journey and upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR certificate into the portal.
Does British Airways require PCR test? ›If you are boarding a flight bound for the USA, you no longer require a pre-departure COVID-19 test.
Does British Airways give blankets and pillows? ›These new items are available on all long haul flights to and from Heathrow, and will launch on all long haul flights from Gatwick as of March 1, 2020. The blankets that are being replaced will be donated to charities and projects around the world, so that's nice.
Do BA lounges have showers? ›Second, for those leaving the airport, on the land-side, there are showers at the British Airways Arrivals Lounge (now rebranded to be called the Elemis Travel Spa) on the second floor.
Do you make your own bed in business class? ›Some airline crews expect you to make your own bed in business class, while others will come around to make your bed for you as part of their in-flight service procession.
Why is A380 not popular? ›
This is because airlines have been shifting towards smaller, more efficient aircraft, even for long haul journeys, for some time. Though uber comfortable, the A380 ultimately failed to fulfil the commercial vision of its designers.
What is the best seat to avoid turbulence? ›The best seat on the plane to avoid turbulence is either over the wings or towards the front of the aircraft. The wings of the plane keep it balanced and smooth, whereas the tail of the aircraft can bounce up and down more.
Can turbulence flip a plane? ›So much about it seems dangerous. Except that, in all but the rarest circumstances, it's not. For all intents and purposes, a plane cannot be flipped upside-down, thrown into a tailspin, or otherwise flung from the sky by even the mightiest gust or air pocket.
How much does a A380 pilot make? ›Pay is the same regardless of whether you fly the 777 or A380. As you can tell, the most senior captain would earn $126,576 per year. However, this doesn't include: Flight time pay, where a captain earns another $16.26 per hour for every hour they're flying, so figure that's another ~$16,000 per year.
Why do pilots say v1 rotate? ›Pilots say rotate because it is a verbal queue that an airplane has reached its predetermined rotation speed (frequently abbreviated to Vr). This is the speed at which control inputs can be applied to lift the nose off the runway and make the airplane fly away.
Do pilots like A380? ›The Pilots
For those looking after the safety of everyone on board, the A380 is generally well-loved. “The A380 is a pleasure to operate,” said Nigel, a captain for a European airline. “Handling is similar to the A320, with the 380 being a little more sensitive in pitch. It's very nimble despite its size!”
In terms of capacity, it is abundantly clear that the A380 can carry significantly more passengers than any 787 variant. With 525 passengers in a standard, three-class configuration, the A380 has a sizeable advantage over the Boeing 787-10, which seats 323 passengers across three classes.
How comfortable is the Airbus A380? ›Airbus A380 Economy Class
Even in economy the double-decker A380 feels like a large hotel. The seats are 18 inches wide with 32-34 inches of leg room. They are much more comfortable than you might expect and the inflight entertainment system is high tech, having a state-of-the-art In-Flight Entertainment System (IFE).
On Board British Airways First Class:
The British Airways First Class A380 is located on the lower deck of the A380 and is set up in a 1-2-1 configuration.
There are currently 12 A380s in BA's fleet, of which five are active. It reintroduced the type on short-haul services in November 2021, before recommencing long-haul A380 operations a month later.
Why are A380s coming back? ›
In a statement released on Monday, Lufthansa said the aircraft was returning "in response to the steep rise in customer demand and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft," noting the A380 remains popular with its crew, as well as passengers.
Do I have to wear a mask in BA business class? ›The legal requirement to wear a face covering has now been removed in England and Wales and we have updated our face mask policy.
Does BA business class have flat beds? ›The British Airways business class seats convert to a fully flat bed, combined with the quality The White Company bedding, the bed is extremely comfortable and provides a good night's sleep in the air.
Does business class get off first? ›So, if a top benefit for you is boarding early, you might need to rethink your first class ticket. When deboarding, the passengers at the front of the plane (first class) get off first, followed by business class and then those in economy.
Is there a dress code for BA first class? ›As said, unless you are BA staff, there are no rules on what you wear. I always wear something comfy with elasticated or adjustable waistband. You will get a duvet like blanket thingy on the flight to keep you warm, and under that, nobody will be able to see what you are wearing. Enjoy your flight.
Does the A380 fly to Vancouver? ›From March 27, 2022, Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Vancouver (YVR), and Washington, D.C. (IAD) will be added to BA's A380 route network, joining Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), and San Francisco (SFO), which was previously announced.
Why is the A380 being Cancelled? ›The appeal of the superjumbo
Costly to run, the A380 is usually only viable on long-distance routes. It's also less environmentally friendly than more modern, smaller aircraft models. Over 2020 and 2021, the pandemic's impact on the aviation industry saw most of the world's A380 fleet grounded.
After utilising the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on flights between London and Calgary, Montreal and Toronto, BA has confirmed it will introduce the A380 in the London – Vancouver market from next summer, becoming the first airline to fly the Super Jumbo to the western Canadian city.
Did an A380 ever crash? ›The first occurred in November 2010, when a Sydney-bound Qantas A380 suffered engine issues after departing from Singapore. The shrapnel from the failed engine also caused a fuel tank fire after it punctured the aircraft's wing.
Is A380 a success or failure? ›But despite a few big carriers still using the A380, on the whole it has fallen out of favour (and it is no longer in production, with Airbus announcing plans to stop making the jet in 2019 due to a lack of demand, and Emirates taking delivery of the world's last new Airbus A380 last year).
Are A380s safe? ›
As of December 2021, the global A380 fleet had completed more than 800,000 flights over 7.3 million block hours with no fatalities and no hull losses.
Do BA give you headphones? ›Hours of entertainment
World Traveller offers a personal flat screen and headphones for everyone. Take your pick from the hundreds of latest films, television programmes, albums, audio books and games.
If you're not fully vaccinated, you'll need to test for COVID-19 within 72 hours prior to starting your journey and upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR certificate into the portal.
Are masks still required on British Airways? ›Travelers no longer have to wear face coverings at the British carrier's domestic airports or flights. Travelers, regardless of vaccination status, will need to continue wearing masks depart planes at destinations where they are required. More information is available here.