Review: British Airways Boeing 787-9 in Club World business class
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This is my review of British Airways Club World business class on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
On Good Friday we flew down to Abu Dhabi on one of the new Boeing 787-9 British Airways aircraft. (Click here for the special 787-9 page on ba.com.) This is the second, larger, iteration of the 787 and includes a small eight-seat First Class cabin.
Here are a few thoughts:
The Terminal 5B lounge is the place to be
On Good Friday, in a hugely crowded Heathrow Terminal 5, this was the state of the British Airways lounge in the Terminal 5B satellite:
(Quick pause whilst all of those readers who have endured the overcrowded No 1 Traveller / BA lounge at Gatwick North recently pick themselves up off the floor.)
You may need to ask check-in staff if your flight will depart from a B or C gate as it is often not shown on the display boards until near to departure time. Coincidentally, this leaves you with more time to visit the shops in the main terminal.
The front Club World mini-cabin of a 787-9 is the place to be
This is the seating plan for the 787-9 (click on the link halfway down).
Whatever you may think of the seating, the layout of the Club World seating on the 787-9 cannot be beat. There is a 2-row mini-cabin (Row 6 and Row 7), followed by a galley and the Club Kitchen, followed by a 4-row cabin.
Even the 4-row cabin is a massive improvement than the ‘dormitory’ style Club World layout on the Boeing 777 fleet. Row 6 and Row 7 is the place to be, however. What you see in the photo below is the entire mini-cabin:
The interiors are classy
Again, irrespective of how you find Club World seating, it is hard to deny that the interior is very classy. In terms of the ambiance created by the colour scheme and by the gently glowing Speedbird logo, the cabin looks very smart indeed. I would honestly put it ahead of Qatar, Emirates and Etihad on this front. The photo above does not do it full justice.
And, before anyone asks, the windows ARE noticeably bigger than on older aircraft. It was most apparent at Heathrow where the 787 was stood next to a 747.
The seats are still well behind the competition
You can’t hide the fact, however, that the Club World seat cannot compare, in any way, to what is offered by Etihad on the A380 or 777, by Qatar on a 787, A380 or A350 or by Emirates on an A380.
This passenger is not exactly overweight but you can see that even he hasn’t got a lot of space:
Many airlines are now flying 1-2-1 in Business Class, mainly using a ‘reverse herringone’ angled layout with all seats facing forward. BA flies 2-4-2 on the 777, A380 and 747 and 2-3-2 on the 787 with up to 50% of the seats facing backwards.
British Airways has, to be fair, done as much as it can given the current design:
- The seat was comfy
- The taupe colour scheme is classy
- I loved the fact the tray table can be slid back so you can still get out of your seat during the meal service
- The reading light is excellent (and missing on many business class seats from competing airlines)
- The IFE selection was perfectly acceptable and appears to have improved
- Because there are overhead luggage bins in the middle section (some airlines take them out for cosmetic reasons) there is a lot of overhead space even though the seat has virtually no storage
The seat is, frankly, too narrow and lacks storage. Privacy from the person next to you is poor (not a problem for me here obviously) and the privacy screen really blocks in the person by the window. With the screen up, serving food is difficult. Window passengers must jump over your feet to reach the aisle when seats are in bed mode.
Sitting in an aisle, I also felt very exposed every time a trolley came down the cabin – as the arm rests are so narrow I felt in permanent danger of being hit. You can see what I mean here:
In terms of ‘best seat’, anything in rows 6 or 7 will be OK. My daughter had 7K, by the window, which allowed her to get into the aisle without jumping over anyone as it was by the bulkhead. This seat is also directly next to the Club Kitchen – which is now pathetically understocked – and the loos which is handy for kids. The Club Kitchen and the galley separate you from the loo so there is no disturbance.
Whilst the middle seat in the middle block may seem unattractive (it is also rear facing), it has the advantage of being hemmed in from both sides. On night flights it is apparently proving popular for passengers who wish to sleep because you are not disturbed by passing trolleys or window light.
PS. If you are travelling to Dubai, as we were, it is well worth considering flying to Abu Dhabi. A Mercedes from the airport (not pre-booked) to Dubai was only £40 and took just under an hour. You can easily take 30 minutes in heavy traffic from Dubai International to many of the resorts. More importantly, the Abu Dhabi flight leaves before the first BA Dubai flight so you get there earlier – we were in our hotel by 11pm local time. You also get to experience the new 787.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review
You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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