Super grateful to you all for your support. Next up will be a Qatar QSuite flight from Doha. If there’s anything specific you’d like me to capture, let me know below 👌✈️
For a large flight review channel with 1m+ subs, this would be an impressive video.... for a small channel with 15 subs, it's absolutely mind-blowing. Amazing editing, great filming and superb story telling. Good job Mart!
Great review and as others have said the quality is right up there with seasoned channels. Just the right pace, chatty informative style and good pictures. Will be looking forward to more. Thank you. 😀
Great review, well structured and edited and super informative! You’ll go big soon no doubt! Keep the content coming, there can never be too many good flight reviewers on RU-vid!
Really great video, thanks for posting! Knocks socks off the Josh Cahill and NonStopDans of this world! To the point, nice narration and great video work. I have flown Club Suites a few times and think it is a great product. And, being honest, I don't have a problem with the older CW product either, in fact I sleep very well on both of them. Certainly massively better than VA and American. Also never had any reason to complain about catering or service onboard either. I think people love to bash BA because it is the "thing to do" .
Yeah I totally get you. At least with old club world, there’s no cupboard restrictions for your legs. And if you’re travelling solo, a window seat is great. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your review. Certainly an improvement over their old Club World product. However, £8k for a 7hr journey is outrageous. Fortunately my regular long haul is not LHR to JFK, however it’s 4 hours more and a hell of a lot less cost in Business Class.. 😁
Thanks for watching. Yeah, £8k is certainly trying your luck but I can’t help think it must pay off for BA at times otherwise they wouldn’t do it 🤷♂️ long haul is always much better when longer - way more time to rest and minimise jet lag 👌
Glad it was helpful. One thing I should have mentioned is if you do not have Silver or Gold status with BA, they will want extra money to reserve a seat from time of booking and it’s not unheard of to have to pay £140 each way per person for this 😬
Wonderful video ! My family and I will be lucky enough to travel Business to Toronto this Summer, our daughter will be thrilled 😆 ! Your video left nothing to be desired and your voice makes your video pleasant to listen to.
Thanks very much. Should have a new one in a couple of weeks. Yeah you’re right, I think it was the same one from when I flew club world for the first time back in 2012!
Thanks so much for your comment! Sorry I should have spent more time explaining - it’s a little bit complicated. I booked a British Airways Holiday: Jersey to San Francisco connecting at LHR & JFK then Los Angles to Jersey via BOS, JFK & LHR all business class with 5 nights hotel for about £2k (6 month advance purchase). Deduct about £100 a night for the hotel plus 1p per avios earned and then the rest is flights - proportion by distance and you get £350 for this leg. Hope that helps
Great review and I agree that the Club Suites on BA’s 777 are far, far superior than the A380 Business Class sardine seats with fold-down footrest and awkward partitions between fellow passengers. I flew LAX to LHR on the A380 but returned on the 777. No doubt, a truly elevated Business Class experience a on the 777! I look forward to your other reviews.
As a solo traveller, if you can get a window seat, it’s certainly the least worst option on old club world seats. In fairness, BA was the first to lead the way in lie flat seats which always allows others to copy and improve. Thanks so much!
Great review of the new Club Suite product! I was on the old Club World product this past June/July in the Airbus A380 from Chicago (ORD) to London (LHR), which was replaced by the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 planes on October 30, 2023, per FlightAware. My seat wasn't too bad, as I had booked 5-6 months in advance, and managed to snag one of the 6 bulkhead window seats in the old configuration (53k) that had direct aisle access both ways! On the other hand, the aisle seats in Club World had absolutely no privacy, so it was worth spending the extra $175 each way to get my own "mini-suite". My total price was around $4,000 round-trip, including all fees. The eastbound flight left the gate at 21:15, lifting off at 22:00. After confirming that there was an arrivals lounge at Heathrow Airport, I informed the cabin crew that I was not interested in dinner or breakfast, as I was looking to maximize my sleep on the red-eye flight. That was a great decision - even with waking up a few times at night, I still slept almost 6 hours (the flight is 7.5 hours)! The old seat had its quirks, especially facing backwards, but the lack of a footwell was nice, and I didn't feel constrained. I ended up waking up on my own, around 15 minutes before we had to prepare for descent and landing. The arrivals lounge was great, and had a large buffet of food, including both breakfast and lunch items, as I arrived around 12:15 PM. I opted for mostly the lunch items, as I am not a breakfast person, and usually just wait until lunch to have my first meal. I did grab a few sausages from the English breakfast setup as I arrived - the staff cleaned that area soon afterwards. Food was delicious, and it was worth sleeping in and saving my appetite for the lounge! The westbound flight was expected to leave at 15:30, but didn't leave until almost 19:00. I arrived at the airport just after 12:30, and looked at the crowding screen. Reading the reviews of the lounges and looking at the screen, I headed to the Terminal 5B Galleries Lounge instead of staying in Terminal 5A. As it turns out, I asked the front desk receptionist how busy the T5A lounges were compared to T5B, and she said they were 10x busier. The lounge was quiet, and was a nice place to have a filling brunch/lunch, especially as the delay kept getting longer and longer and the gate wasn't even announced until 1.5 hours before departure. I couldn't tell if the alcoholic beverage selection was good, because I am a non-drinker - however, the food selection was great, and I finished eating around 14:30. I finally left the lounge around 17:15, as I got a notification on the screens that the flight was boarding, and to head to the gate. Turns out, the flight wasn't even close to starting to board, and finally began boarding just before 18:00. Lots of passengers were crowded around the gate, as the delay was already over 2 hours at that point. Service was good, and I stayed awake for almost the entire flight, as I was determined to avoid jet lag on the return leg so I could fall asleep in Chicago at a reasonable time (the time difference was 6 hours). The dinner came with small side salad (
Thank you for sharing your detailed experience. Yeah the paying for seat selection is not great on BA but I dont mind the old club world seats if you can get a window seat. Great work on managing the jetlag - skipping meals and maximiing rest is the only way to do it if jetlag is your priority travelling US to Europe overnight. Enjoy KLM - I travelled them earlier this year for the first time in years and I was pleasantly surprised with their product
Nice video Mart, as someone else says, very impressive for someone with only a small number of subs, however with this quality I'm sure that number will expand rapidly. Consider me a new subscriber and I look forward to future videos.
Skytrax are currently considering downgrading BA to a 3 star airline. The new business class seats are a million times better than the old ones, but they're fairly standard for other comparable airlines, which I think illustrates how far behind BA had fallen. For those interested, Skytrax said: "British Airways is Certified as a 4-Star Airline for its airport and onboard product and staff service. With some product and service now at 3-Star Rating levels, the BA rating for 2024 is under review. “British Airways is still installing new Club World seats but many aircraft still have the older, poorer seat. First class service and product fails to match most airlines in this category. For short-haul, British Airways is at a low-cost standard in Economy, and Club Europe standards are very haphazard. Despite claims about trying to return to it’s former premium days, service standards are poor and the product is quite cheap.”
Hard to dispute. One of the reasons I maintain gold status with them - because of the superior ground experience when flying economy. BA’s primary network are USA flights and there’s hardly any noteworthy competition when it comes to airport/product/service on these routes. I suppose the market/consumer is not demanding the 4-5 star levels for Europe to US
I booked a British Airways Holiday: Jersey to San Francisco connecting at LHR & JFK then Los Angles to Jersey via BOS, JFK & LHR all business class with 5 nights hotel for about £2k (6 month advance purchase). Deduct about £100 a night for the hotel plus 1p per avios earned and then the rest is flights - proportion by distance and you get £350 for this leg. Thanks for watching
This flight usually costs about £1500, as part of a £3k return ticket. The £8k price is a one-way ticket which automatically gets placed in the highest fare band. Wendover Productions has a great explainer "How Airlines Price Flights". Enjoyed the video though, well done.
Agree. 👍 in fairness, the example I cited is extreme. Also, sub £3k return is only really possible with a Saturday night in the USA. Otherwise, you need to be booking 5 months out. Won’t cite such an extreme next time. Thanks v much
@@marttravels3753 TBF you were upfront about the cost being 24hrs in advance. I'm flying this flight in September, first time in business so thanks for the preview. Great editing.
Most 777’s have the new suite now. Best check the seat map. If it’s laid out as 1-2-1, then it’s the new suites. If it’s 2-3-2 or 2-4-2 with forwards and backwards facing seats, then it’s the old. Next best alternative before booking is to google it plus bear in mind none of this is ever guaranteed as they can change an aircraft at short notice and short change you
Club World is a good, solid product. With Avios and Amex vouchers it is a bargain 3 of us are flying one way to Washington in the summer at peak times. £980 for all 3 instead of £28000!
Excellent video and my goodness, the editing is brilliant.. as to the lounges, I didn't realise that you can ask for Champagne, they had replaced all their champagne bars with Prosecco so thats all I thought they had, I am flying tomorrow so will ask.. .and agree, the B lounge is so much better and quieter then the main lounge..
Thank you very much. Yeah, I’ve been using the first lounge being a gold card holder for a couple of years now so hadn’t tried B lounge in some time. Let me know how you get on with the champagne as I got that from a Head For Points or Turn Left For Less Article. Won’t be able to try myself for a couple of months now! Safe travels
Very good video - informative and to the point. Agree the new herringbone is a big step up from the awful yin-yang arrangement. I must try the Terminal B lounge - only lounge in T5 I've not yet been to :)
Yeah definitely outdated but don’t forget it was BA who were innovators in this space in the first place many years ago - other airlines copied and did it better. Plus if you bag a window seat, they’re pretty good IMO. Enjoy T5B lounge!
The Mrs and I will be returning to Las Vegas via nonstop from London this Spring. I believe the plane for this flight is an Airbus 350. The herringbone style of seating and layout appears to be the exact same as is shown on the Boeing 777. Has anyone flown on each plane and advise if there are any differences?
I believe all a350’s have the new club suite. I would make sure not to pick the front row seat next to the galley as it could be used as an annoying storage area from crew. I think they have bigger windows vs 777’s but largely the same
Loved the vlog as I’ve flown that route a few times, would have loved a bit mire info on your booking, what the itinerary was, cost etc and who did you book it through, cheers
Thanks for watching. This was part of a tier point run that got me 1320 tier points on a single BA holiday booking. It was JER-LHR-JFK-SFO, LAX-BOS-JFK-LHR-JER in business - 660 TPs usually but with BA Holidays, that doubled. It’s an idea for a video I could do next time …
@@marttravels3753 No problem, really enjoyed it and thanks for the details of the tier point run. One last question if you don’t mind, did you book it online or did you have to ring BA hols
I was able to book online. On the homepage, choose flight & hotel > Create Custom Trip. I first found the best looking flights on matrixITA and then put them into BA forcing stopovers by choosing JER-JFK, JFK-SFO, LAX-BOS, BOS-JER which then gave me further interesting options (that matrix ITA didnt present). Since I booked, they've forced 5 days hotel/car that has to be between travel dates. Also, consult flyertalk - there's great ideas and knowledge/info on there
Flew BC with BA Washington to London last year. Ok but they did not offer breakfast, "you was asleep, go to the Lounge and eat" - I was told. So dissapointed. They never asked after dinner about my breakfast-wish either.😢
Yeah annoying when that happens. Overnight east coast to UK are always way too short to dine, rest and eat again. I tend to eat at the lounge first, board, quick champagne, tell crew to wake me up 90 mins before landing for breakfast and then shut my eyes. Thanks for watching!
Hello - thank you for the video it was very informative. I am flying lhr - boston in november on a 777. How do i tell if ot is the new club world, or the old?
Most 777’s have the new suite now. Best check the seat map. If it’s laid out as 1-2-1, then it’s the new suites. If it’s 2-3-2 or 2-4-2 with forwards and backwards facing seats, then it’s the old. I’d hazard a guess that Boston is considered more of a premium route where BA will deploy the new club suite
Remember, if you go to the Loung at T5B and then find out you're departing from A gates, you need to walk back from T5B to T5A, so remember to factor in that time!
Yup true, takes 10-15 mins from lounge to gate. I’ve had the dreaded A10 remote gate a few times when in T5B lounge over the years. Thanks for watching
A business class flight booked and paid for on the exact day of your flight is about 8000 GPP but normally you can get a business class ticket from London to New York for a lot less than half. Would be nice if you would be less sloppy quoting prices...That being mentioned...it's really a very good vlog! Thanks.
what routes does this fly. I have 300,000 amex points but don't want to waste them on the old BA business class. I would not be happy if that plane turned up lol
Most of their 777’s and all their a350’s have them. Probably best to google which routes are the new club suites. Generally, BA tend to get their better seats out on their “premium business routes” rather than their tourist/holiday routes. Bear in mind their a350 is still old club world. Then check the seatmap also - if it’s 1-2-1 configuration, it’s new. Ps the great thing about BA booked reward flights is I think they are fully refundable (for a £40ish fee) if you cancel up to 24 hours before departure
Watches like an advertorial, no mention of BA's appalling IT infrastructure and the consequences it inflicts on their customers nor of the pared back through the bone provisioning. I agree with the excellence of the front line staff, despite the systems they work within...
I had no such problems with their “appalling IT”. Booked myself a pretty complicated multi city itinerary through their website no problem. You must have liked this video so much I see you came back to watch it again - thanks very much
@@marttravels3753 Great video ("advertorial" reflects your production standards)... but Ive had VERY different experiences of BA but then they prioritise USA for best airframes, catering et al. I travel globally, roughly 70sectors a year.
Sorry I should have spent more time explaining - it’s a little bit complicated. I booked a British Airways Holiday: Jersey to San Francisco connecting at LHR & JFK then Los Angles to Jersey via BOS, JFK & LHR all business class with 5 nights hotel for about £2k (6 month advance purchase). Deduct about £100 a night for the hotel plus 1p per avios earned and then the rest is flights - proportion by distance and you get £350 for this leg. Thanks for watching
Nice, sorry mate, can you explain how you got so cheap again. I usually buy premium economy and then try pay for an upgrade but still more expensive than that , thanks
Booked a British Airways Holiday: Jersey to San Francisco connecting at LHR & JFK then Los Angles to Jersey via BOS, JFK & LHR all business class with 5 nights hotel for about £2k (6 month advance purchase). Deduct about £100 a night for the hotel plus 1p per avios earned and then the rest is flights - proportion by distance and you get £350 for this leg. Thanks for watching
I was about to book BA to New York for my whole family in business, (getting on for 10 grand return), but stopped dead when they wanted hundreds more to choose our seats. Ridiculous policy when already paying up for business, so we went Virgin. P.S. You need to work on your French pronunciation....!
Yeah paying for seats especially for business class seems bonkers. Fortunately for me, I have gold status with BA so seat selection is free from time of booking. Enjoy your trip to NY. I would love to try Virgin upper one day. Thanks for watching
BA still use clockwork IT systems and fail to clean or maintain their cabins, If you want; comfort, reliability or value then book elsewhere. Once a great carrier, today they're the UK brand of a Madrid registered, multinational that's simply harvesting cash from inherited slot dominance. #BestAvoided
It’s a single fare and I find it quite misleading to create thumbnails claiming the flight cost all that money as hardly anyone would book that ticket. I just got a return flight with ba for 1500 quid to Chicago. I
I had an eight hour layover at Heathrow and not once did I sweat to the point where I needed a shower maybe you should see a doctor about your Glandular problems.
Booked a British Airways Holiday: Jersey to San Francisco connecting at LHR & JFK then Los Angles to Jersey via BOS, JFK & LHR all business class with 5 nights hotel for about £2k (6 month advance purchase). Deduct about £100 a night for the hotel plus 1p per avios earned and then the rest is flights - proportion by distance and you get £350 for this leg. Thanks for watching
Im surprised to hear the HND route is not considered premium enough to have the new club suites. HKG is the dreamliner which still has the old club world and LGW is almost always older club world. It could be worse though … you could be at the back of the bus. Enjoy anyway and thanks for watching
I’ve recently done the same flights - old club world. Seats were dirty and not all power points worked on all flights. I hope you have a better experience, travel safely.
@@marttravels3753 When I booked HKG-LHR, it was A350 with new Club Suite. Then a month prior my departure, it switch to Old Club. I was shocked! Recently flew Cathay KIX-HKG in business, I find it has a much better lay out than Club Suite without door. Catering is better than BA as well 🥹
@@SoAnesu The only better experience with BA is their crews that I find them bubbly and friendly. Over all their hard and soft product have not impressed me at all. I would fly with Qatar, but lay over in Doha is a bit inconvenient when I don’t get enough sleep on long haul flights .
