Which 14 British Airways Boeing 777 routes will get Club Suite business class this Winter?

Most of the attention over Club Suite, the new British Airways business class product, has focused on the new A350 fleet.  These aircraft are coming out of the factory with Club Suite installed.

Our ‘first look’ review of the new Club Suite seat is here if you missed it.

At the same, however, British Airways is launching a refurbishment of the Boeing 777-200ER fleet.  These aircraft will see Club Suite installed, alongside a shrunken First Class cabin (the existing 14 seats will be reduced to 8).

Via Airlineroute, we now have the 14 routes which see Club Suite at some point over the Winter season which runs from late October to late March.

Unfortunately it is not possible to tell from ba.com whether your aircraft has Club Suite.  You need to check the seating plan after you book, looking for 1-2-1 in Business Class and eight seats in First Class.  Don’t get too excited even if it is showing, since it is still early days – the first refurbished aircraft won’t even arrive for a few months and the timetable could easily slip.

Which Boeing 777 routes will get Club Suite?

Abuja – 2 x weekly from 30th January, 3 x weekly from 18th February, 5-6 x weekly from 24th February

Bahrain / Dammam – 8th January and 10th January only

Boston – from 2nd February, some days on BA215/214 and BA239/238

Chicago – from 28th January, some days on BA297/296

Dubai – 13th February only (but Dubai gets an A350 from 2nd September with Club Suite)

Jeddah – 2 x weekly from 20th February

Kuwait City – 2-3 x weekly from 1st February, 5 x weekly from 3rd March

Nairobi – from 14th January

Newark – 21st January only

New York JFK – see below

Philadelphia – 1 x weekly from 11th March on BA69/68

Riyadh – from 29th January on some days

Seattle – 1 x weekly (BA53/52) from 2nd January, various weekly on BA49/48 from 20th February

Tel Aviv – from 30th January on various dates on BA165/164 (Tel Aviv is also getting an A350)

The New York JFK routings are more complex:

BA177/174 – Club Suite from 27th October on selected days

BA115/176 – Club Suite from 2nd November on one day per week (none in February)

BA175/116 – Club Suite from 9th December on selected dates

BA173/112 – Club Suite from 2nd January to 20th February on two weekly services

BA179/182 – Club Suite from 23rd February on one weekly service

All of this is, I admit, as clear as mud

It is difficult to draw too much from this list, I admit.  It is far easier with the A350 aircraft, which show clearly in the timetable.  You also need to have a degree of scepticism over how accurate this list will turn out to be, albeit that BA has now officially rostered the refurbished aircraft.

And what is happening with First Class?

We don’t know.  Very little is known about what BA will be installing in First Class on these aircraft, except that the seatmap shows a 1-2-1 configuration.

Logically I would expect a copy of the seat used on Boeing 787-9 fleet, which also has an 8-seat cabin.  Does that still cut the mustard, however, given how much better Club Suite is than Club World?  Let’s see.

And don’t forget Economy Class is heading in the wrong direction ……

If you usually travel down the back, the news is less good.  When these aircraft some back from refurbishment, they will be 3-4-3 in World Traveller rather than 3-3-3.

The full layout is 8 x First, 49 x Club Suite, 40 x World Traveller Plus and 138 x World Traveller.

For more Club Suite news …..

Keep an eye on the HfP social media channels on Friday afternoon as we attend the arrival event for the first A350 as it flies in from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, and hopefully get a chance to see inside.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (January 2023)

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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 21st February 2023, the sign-up bonus on the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card is increased to 35,000 Avios from 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points.

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: Capital On Tap has increased its sign-up bonus to points worth 30,000 Avios if you apply by 4th February. This is exclusive to Head for Points readers. Click here to apply.

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.

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.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.