I flew business class for the first time on British Airways' new A350, and the cocoon-like privacy impressed me far more than the food or the lounge

Rachel Hosie,Rachel Hosie

Aug 7, 2019, 21:30 IST

I flew business class for the first time on British Airways' new A350, and the cocoon-like privacy impressed me far more than the food or the lounge

Rachel Hosie club suite british airways c Nick Morrish

British Airways recently launched new business class Club Suites, and Business Insider was invited to be among the 30-ish journalists who were the first to experience them.
The suites are being introduced on board the airline's new A350 planes, and the inaugural commercial flight from London to Madrid took place on Monday August 5.
The journey was significantly shorter than a transatlantic flight, but as a first time business class flier, it gave me a taste of what long-haul travel in the new Club Suites will be like.
I wasn't disappointed, though the journey wasn't completely flawless.
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Long-haul flights in first or business class are, for some people, more exciting than the holiday itself.

For me, at least, a whole day of reclining in a comfy bed, being brought endless food and drink, watching films, and snoozing has always sounded like a dream.

Until this week, however, I'd only ever flown economy.

In what is being considered something of a game-changer in the aviation industry, British Airways recently launched its brand new business class Club Suites on board the airline's newest plane, the ginormous A350 - BA's most eco-friendly plane yet, with 25% reduced CO2 emissions and cabin air which is completely refreshed every 2-3 minutes.

At the length of a soccer field (74 metres!), the Airbus A350-1000 is the largest A350, and BA is the third airline to use it.

Its Club Suites, meanwhile, have been named as such because each seat can be shut off into a private booth, and each traveller will have access to the aisle - as someone who hates clambering over fellow passengers to get out for a bathroom break, this was already a win for me.

Business Insider was invited to join a group of journalists on the A350's first commercial flight this week, when it travelled from London to Madrid.

While the aircraft will soon travel between London and Dubai, Toronto, Tel Aviv, and Bangalore, for August, the plane will only be flown between London and Madrid to allow for crew familiarization.

The journey was significantly shorter than a transatlantic flight, but it gave me a taster of what long-haul travel in the new Club Suites will be like - and at what business class travel is like in general.

Here's what it was like:

I arrived at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and made my way to the Premium BA desks, where I was greeted by BA's PR team and proceeded to have the friendliest check-in experience of my life — perhaps unsurprising given this was not just the inaugural flight but also a press event.

After skipping the security queue and sauntering through the fast-track checks, it was time to make my way to the lounge. Evidently not a seasoned business class traveller, I got lost and ended up at the wrong lounge. It turns out there are loads of British Airways lounges at Heathrow, and ours was a bit of a trek to get to.

Finally, I made it to the right place (the B Gates Galleries Club Lounge) and after a friendly welcome was shown to a designated press area where we were offered a selection of breakfast nibbles and canapés.

There were fruit skewers with a yoghurt dip, pastries, smoked salmon blinis, and mini frittatas. This wasn’t the usual lounge offering, though — we were being served separately for a press conference.

There was also English sparkling wine (complete with a label commemorating British Airways’ centenary, which is this year), regular wine, juice, and water on offer.

It was strange to me that there was no tea or coffee, but those of us who asked for one were brought hot beverages from elsewhere.

I may also have had a sparkling beverage, just to get into the mindset of the business class flier, you understand. And it had been stressful trying to find the lounge.

The lounge itself was not as fancy or luxurious as I’d imagined — the decor was pretty dated, but at least there was a nice view of the planes. BA's CEO Alex Cruz told us that the airline is working on not only opening new lounges across the world but also redoing existing ones, so perhaps this area will be given a makeover soon.

Soon it was time to board, but not before munching on a celebratory cupcake, which were on offer for all the passengers on the flight.

Frequent business class travellers probably feel fairly blasé about it, but when it’s your first time, boarding a plane and turning left feels pretty awesome.

It was clear straight away that the suites were very luxurious, shiny, and new. The configuration is 1:2:1, which means you can avoid clambering over the sleeping passenger next to you to get to the aisle (and get that much-needed bathroom break).

I had one of the central seats with no window view, but I wasn't complaining.

There are 17 rows, so 56 Club Suites altogether. On this flight, they were all reserved for journalists and bloggers, and we boarded before the rest of the plane's passengers so we could look around and take pictures.

While the World Traveller Plus (premium economy) cabins were certainly more basic than the Club Suites ...

... you could still tell that they were brand new.

The World Traveller (economy) still looked far nicer than what you'd get on a budget airline, too.

After a quick look I headed back to the Club Suites, desperate to make the most of all my time there.

The first thing that struck me was the size of the screen (18.5 inches wide) and the amount of legroom — when fully flat, the bed is 6'7" long, which enough for even the tallest of people. I certainly wasn't in economy any more.

There was a plush pillow with a crisp White Company case covering it and a BA Centenary velvet cushion waiting for me on my seat.

Pretty much the whole suite is in shades of charcoal, but for our flight there was a special headrest cover marking the inaugural flight. A nice touch, although who knows what they'll do with them afterwards.

I took one final look around the cabin before settling into my suite.

I may have been just a touch excited about it.

A seatbelt came out from above the shoulder which ensured I felt nice and snug in my seat, but it also meant I couldn't reach down and pick anything up off the floor with it on, as it wouldn't stretch far enough. As someone who drops things a lot, this was somewhat annoying.

Pretty much as soon as I sat down, I was offered a glass of Champagne (in a real glass, might I add) and a little dish of roasted nuts and crispy peas, which were delicious. If you didn't want Champagne you could have any other drink, but I took one for the team and kept my bubbles.

Cruz had told us the suites were designed with the small details in mind, and that was clear. There was a lot of storage space (apparently 40% more than before), such as this magazine holder where I placed my magazines and duly ignored them for the whole flight.

There was a divider between the two aisle seats, meaning if you're travelling with someone else and want to talk to them you can, but you can also have your privacy if you're alone, which was good. Needless to say I closed mine immediately — I was not there for small talk.

The overhead locker was huge — there was way more space than any one person could fill — and after you opened it, it lowered itself down. Very slick.

A little reading light popped out from the side of the chair, with the option to choose the angle of it.

The leg room was one of the main highlights, though — I'm 5'9" (so not a short lady), and I had ample space.

The tray table pulled out and had three position options — halfway out ...

... the full way out ...

... and folded out fully.

There was a handy water bottle holder, since nearly everyone carries a reusable water bottle these days.

To the left of the seat there were two storage areas where you could pop bits and bobs like your glasses or phone.

Next to that was another storage area which also included the remote for the TV and pretty much any power outlet you could need.

I was impressed that you could close the lid properly even with a cable coming out.

Beside my seat, there was also an upright door which opened to reveal ...

Me! The vanity mirror is a new addition to the business class offering, and although it seemed a bit unnecessary to me, presumably there are people who want to check themselves out mid-flight or perhaps use it to apply toiletries and freshen up before landing.

There was a sizeable arm rest on the inner side of my seat — what a joy not to have to fight someone else for it! — and one on the aisle side which could be raised up or down.

I was soon given this special edition leather pouch, which looked and felt very luxurious and contained goodies from upmarket British brand The White Company.

There was an eye mask, socks, toothbrush and paste, ear plugs, a pen, lip balm, moisturizer, and a relaxing pulse point roll-on. Passengers wouldn't normally be given these on a short-haul flight, but we were essentially being given the long-haul experience in a short-haul taster.

While the screens worked before take-off, Wi-Fi wasn't available until we were in the air. It's not free though — you could pay £4.99 ($6) for 25MB, £11.99 ($15) for 75MB, or £17.99 ($22) for 150MB. As press, we were given codes for the top level so that we could experience everything, and while it did work really well, I wouldn't have paid for it myself, even on a long-haul flight.

Along with the WiFi instructions, shortly after take-off I was brought a menu and a hot, damp towel, which is always nice even though I'm not really sure what you're meant to do with them.

One of my favorite things about long-haul travel is being able to watch endless movies, and the wide touchscreen was certainly a huge upgrade from anything I've ever experienced (you could also control it with the remote).

I decided I'd watch "Crazy Rich Asians," but it was going to be tight given the short flight time. I plugged the comfy headphones in and cracked on while we were still on the ground, however I did think it was slightly odd that there was no option for people to connect using their own wireless Bluetooth headphones.

I was really pleased to find there was room for me to cross my legs even with the table fully out, as this isn't usually the case on plane seats.

There was a lot to play with and to take in even before we'd taken off. I noticed even the "fasten seatbelt" and "no smoking" signs had had a makeover.

With the pillow behind me, the seat felt very comfy, although I actually would've liked to have been able to raise the headrest a little. It seemingly wouldn't move. Still, the suite felt very spacious.

I put the socks on, and we took off. It felt a little odd as the seats face diagonally, but it was only for a few moments.

The doors to the suites were open for take off, but we could close them afterwards. As someone who likes her own space and privacy, I really enjoyed being able to close off my area, but I think it would've been better if the doors and walls were higher — they were eye-level for me when seated, and they could have been raised a little more while still allowing cabin crew to talk to you when passing.

Next, I perused the menu — we were going to be served everything at once rather than as separate courses due to time constraints, so were asked what we wanted from the two main course options in advance.

We were still given a choice of pre-flight drink, though, and there were plenty of options: English sparkling wine, Champagne, rosé Champagne, two white wines, two red wines, port, two gins, vodka, rum, three types of whisky, Baileys' Cognac, Cointreau, three beers, four juices, various soft drinks and mixers, and tea and coffee.

Lunch was served! I chose the curry.

There was a starter of burrata with rocket, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes, a mini bread basket featuring three types of pull-apart bread, chicken curry with courgettes, a mini bottle of olive oil with balsamic vinegar, butter, and a chocolate mousse.

We were being served a hybrid of a Club World and Club Europe meal due to the length of the flight. It was a joy to be served on proper crockery with silver cutlery (including separate knives and forks for each course) and a real napkin, however there was a small stain on the grey material covering my tray. Tut tut.

I loved that there were three different types of bread, which were all warm and soft, and the pull-apart aspect was a fun touch. Unfortunately the butter was too cold to spread, though, and I quite wanted a little dish to pour my oil and balsamic for bread dipping purposes.

The burrata was really rather delicious and delightfully big, however it too was a touch cold.

I had been mildly concerned that my curry would get cold if I ate my starter first, but it was still piping hot when I got to it. Mild and coconutty, with lots of tender chicken and sticky rice, it was delicious — however I could've done with more than three pieces of courgette.

By this point I was pretty full, but there was no way I was leaving dessert — it was a delectable chocolate mousse with a berry compote base and little pieces of millionaire's shortbread on top. Just as I got to it, I was offered a tea or coffee — I opted for tea, which was served to me in a real cup with milk already added, but it was too strong and actually not quite hot enough. It was still better than drinking from a cardboard cup and adding UHT milk sachets, though.

After the meal was over, I checked out the bathroom, which was pretty standard — but there was White Company soap and hand cream.

Feeling very full, and conscious that it wasn't long before we would land, I decided to test out the seat's reclining capacities, which would look like this if you had the full bedding of a long-haul flight.

We didn't get the full bedding, but I did sample a blanket which was brought out to show press and was delightfully cosy and soft, also made by the White Company.

The seats have three different pre-sets: upright, halfway reclined, and fully flat. However, you can also recline it to any angle you like, which is a feature I would quite like on the sofa in my flat. I was confused about how the reclining would work seeing as there was nowhere for the chair back to go, but then I realized the chair slides forward. Clever.

Having room to lie down fully flat was great, and I felt like I had plenty of space. Some of the more seasoned business class travellers in our group said the seats were more narrow than other competitors' offerings, but I had nothing to compare it to. When sitting up I could even sit cross-legged with my legs under me on the chair, which I always find comfortable.

I lay down for approx. five minutes before I was told we were coming in to land, so I'd need to put the seat up and open the door to my suite. I was devastated. And also concerned about whether I was going to finish my film.

It ended up being timed to perfection. Spoiler alert: just as the couple got engaged at the climax of the film, we touched down. I tried not to cry, both due to the romance of the moment and the flight being over.

Everyone on board was offered the centenary cushion to keep, which was a nice touch to mark the inaugural A350 flight. I took every opportunity for a photo op.

So what did I make of the new Club Suites?

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