10 hrs transatlantic in the new Club Suite
We started a US road trip in Seattle, which meant we could spend some serious time in the new club suite. BA’s West Coast flights are some of their longest. Seattle is an important US city for the airline, with two daily flights from Heathrow, and a recent investment into their dedicated lounge.
How we used points for this flight
We travelled in May 2025 and booked this flight in November 2024.
We used a total of 180,000 Avios points to fly from Manchester Airport to Seattle (via Heathrow) and then back to MAN from Portland (again, via LHR). The first leg was in Club Europe, and the long hauls to the US were in Club World.
We then went back to Manchester in Euro Traveller. The latter was down to no business class availability. Or at least nothing on a connecting flight that was close to when we landed in London
We used an American Express 2-4-1/companion voucher to halve the number of points needed. This booking was an open-jaw flight, as we flew back from a different city than where we flew out to.
The challenge around open-jaws, and how it went a bit wrong for us.
If you want to fly out to one destination and then fly back from another using a companion voucher, you have to call the BA call centre. Usually, this means a fifteen-minute phone call. We ended up on the phone for over half an hour. We came away a little concerned as the agent seemed to struggle with our booking, although he said it had gone through.
A few weeks later, we noticed that our booking didn’t have a ticket number assigned. This is a classic sign that something has gone wrong. We spoke to BA, and they said there was an issue with payment on their side.
A support ticket was raised, and then a few weeks after that, we received an email asking us to call back. We did, we were told this issue would be fixed in a week. The process repeated itself (Another email, another phone call). In the end we had spent close to ninety minutes on the phone with various agents.
In the end, the ticket wasn’t fully issued until 3rd Jan 2025. The original booking was made on 11th November 2024. I ended up writing about how to handle a BA ticket without a ticket number.
Having to speak to the call centre is a frustrating part of utilising a companion voucher on an open jaw. In all the times we have done this, it’s never been this complex. I hope that at some point in the future, BA can allow online bookings for open jaws; it would certainly make it less costly to service them.
Checking in with BA
We started our journey in Manchester, where BA fly from the ageing T3. At some point, this is going to change, with BA moving to T2. However, as of May 2025, there’s no set date. The terminal move will bring benefits (it should be faster to get through security). It will also bring some negatives (the lack of lounges and lounge capacity at T2).
Manchester is our home airport, so we’re familiar with the experience and the challenges.
The first issue at MAN is that BA does not open the check-in desks until two hours before the flight, leading to large queues. They also understaff the desks, which means that if there are any challenging check-ins – where they need to do something complex for a passenger – it leads to a very slow moving line.
The second issue at MAN is the security process. There are plenty of reports of people getting through in less than ten minutes, but apart from our last trip on Christmas Day, we have yet to experience this. On this trip, it took us twenty-five minutes to get through security despite being in the fast-track queue.
Finally, BA has had a rotating set of lounges at Manchester. A long time ago, BA had a large, ageing but ultimately pleasant lounge at MAN. Post-pandemic, this was closed, and customers were accommodated in the Escape lounge, which is owned and run by the airport. More recently, BA passengers at Manchester ended up in a spin-off lounge that was heavily overcrowded.
That lounge, which was only opened last year, is now closed again, and we’re back to the Escape lounge. That Escape Lounge is due to close at some point soon in order to be refurbished, possibly before BA moves to T2. It’s a confusing mess.
The Escape Lounge at Manchester Airport
The Escape Lounge is a paid entry lounge run by Manchester Airport. In theory, you can use a lounge access card to get in, but in reality, it’s very difficult to use a Priority Pass (or similar). If you’re not flying BA, the best way to get into the lounge is to buy access via the Manchester Airport website. Entry costs around £45 per person.
BA passengers who have silver or higher status, travel in Club Europe, or connect to a Business Class or First Class flight can get into this lounge. You should be told about the lounge at check-in. If you travel in Business Class, you’ll also be entitled to use the Fast Track security line too.
The Escape Lounge is split into two. As you enter, there’s a large seating area with tables for couples or larger ones for groups. One wall of the lounge is fully glazed and has views across the jetways and the runway. It’s one of the best lounges at MAN for views.
To the left of the entranceway is the food area, which includes hot options, self-service soft drinks and a bar for alcoholic drinks. Over the years, we’ve travelled through this lounge for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the options are decent, although it can get a little busy around the food stations. There’s also a decent self-service coffee machine which is past the food area, on the left-hand side.
There’s a smaller seating area at the far left hand side of the lounge, beyond the coffee machine. Previously this has been designated as the British Airways seating area, although that signage seems to have gone.
The Escape Lounge isn’t a terrible lounge, it’s just not a great one, and when you throw in some hen parties or stag groups, it can get a little noisy. I don’t believe it’s the lounge experience that BA really want, but right now it’s the only choice they have.
Checking in at Heathrow
Our Seattle flight was at 9:45am, so we chose a connecting flight to Heathrow that got us in the afternoon before, and we overnighted at the Sofitel hotel connected to T5. We collected our luggage at LHR, so that meant checking back in.
Heathrow is built for volume, and the check-in process was efficient. We were through and queuing for security in less than ten minutes. As we were flying in Club World, we could use the fast track, which was fairly speedy. Fifteen minutes later, we were heading for the lounge at the B gates.
As it was quiet, I’ve finally managed to do a review of the BA lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5B. I even managed to record a video and take pictures of the underground walkways that connect T5A, T5B and T5C.
Boarding the Seattle flight
Our flight was due to push back at 9:45am, and boarding was due to start at 8:45am.
Boarding was delayed for ten minutes as they were waiting for the final member of the cabin crew to arrive. Once it started, boarding was incredibly fast. We went for a final bathroom visit – and we were very quick – but when we got back to the gate, we were one of the final passengers to board. I am still nonplussed as to how they got everyone on so fast.
We were taking a rare morning flight to the US. This got us into Seattle just before lunch and meant we had a good half a day to explore the city. The jury is still out on whether the afternoon flight would have helped us with more with jetlag.
The plane ended up pushing back at 9:58 am, 13 minutes late. Thad had no impact on our expected arrival time; in fact, we ended up landing 10 minutes early.
Seats and Experience
We were flying on a 787-10 in the latest Club Suite. You’re now more likely than not to get this seat if you fly BA business. At some point in the future, the entire fleet will have this one seat type. Even the ageing A380 will get the Club Suite starting this Summer, alongside the hotly anticipated new First Class suite.
The Club Suite is the most functional business class seat that I’ve flown in. There are fancier ones (Qatar’s Q-suite and Emirates), but what I love about this seat is the space and the storage. I can have my laptop on the tray table, my phone on the side, a Kindle in a compartment, and there’s still plenty of storage for headphones, sweets and everything else I like to have. You don’t have to keep getting up and putting things in or taking things out of the overhead storage.
Speaking about the overhead storage, there’s a lot. Every seat has its own, apart from a couple of seats where the storage above is for crew only. The overhead bins are huge, and I have yet to see a full one or even a half-full one.
Regarding the space you have in the seat, I’m 5ft 10, and when I’m sitting upright and stretch out my legs, I can’t reach the end of the suite. When you put the bed into a lie-flat position it’s just as comfortable for me with a good few inches of spare space. I’ve had the best night’s sleep on a plane in this seat type, bettered only by the full bed in the Etihad Residence.
The seat comes with a large pillow. I have a feeling this has been upgraded at some point, as it’s pretty plump compared to a few years ago. It feels more like a pillow you’d have on a bed than just a cushion. You also get a blanket and a mattress topper, both of which are sealed in a plastic wrapper.
There are a decent number of power options on this seat, with two USB-A and one universal power socket housed in the storage unit to the left-hand side of the seat. The design of this space means power cables can come out of it, and you can still close the lid.
The seat controls are to the side of the seat. A touchscreen allows you to move the seat position anywhere from fully upright to lie flat. It’s an incredibly comfortable seat, and I find it’s at its best when you recline it just a little bit. The touchscreen also allows you to turn on the overhead light, and the screen itself can be turned off so it doesn’t disturb you when you sleep.
There’s also a remote within one of the storage units that controls the TV screen.
The suite has an 18.5 inch touchscreen. There are bigger screens out there, but I think screen size reaches a point where another inch or three doesn’t really make any difference. I find the screen is great for watching movies or TV shows, and the choice of entertainment was perfectly adequate on this flight.
What’s the British Airways amenity kit like in Business Class?
BA partners with the White Company. The amenity kit comes in a nice leather pouch with White Company branding, and it contains:
- Geranium, Neroli and Eucalyptus moisturiser
- Luxury lip balm
- A Lavender, Sage and Peppermint pulse point applicator
- Socks
- Eye mask
- Ear plugs
- A dental kit
The amenity kit is in the vanity storage unit at the side of the seat, which has a mirror on the inside. When you board, you’ll also find a bottle of water in there.
Finally, the seat comes with a set of headphones. If you’re not using them, they can fit into the storage space by your feet on the right.
What power options do you have?
You have three ways to power devices at this seat. There’s a universal plug socket that accepts UK, European and US style plugs, and that’s located in the storage to the right of the seat. Above that plug there’s a USB-A socket, and then on the other side of the storage you have another USB-A socket. Next to that is the headphone socket.
If you’re powering a laptop or a phone, you can run the cable out of the storage space, and still close it, meaning you don’t lose any valuable surface space.
Which seat did I sit in, and was it any good?
I sat in seat 16A, right at the back of the business cabin and on the left-hand side. My wife sat in the row in front.
This seat has only one window, although as it’s just in front of you you can still easily see out. This wasn’t an issue, and it’s probably a great seat if you’re flying back overnight and want to minimise daylight coming in.
What are the bathrooms like
Whether you’re in Economy, Business or First Class on BA you will end up with a bog-standard bathroom. Due to the plane layout you might enter one that is ever so slightly larger, or maybe even one with a window, but none of them are what you’re call luxurious.
On this flight the bathrooms were clean, and they came with White Company hand wash and hand lotion. One thing I really miss from other carriers is the facial mist they sometimes have in business class.
Connectivity on this BA flight
We travel BA a lot and I think they do a good job of providing passengers with connectivity. It’s not at the same level as the Qatar’s Starlink, but it’s always been enough for me to do some work and stay connected.
I was getting just under 6MB/s download and 2mb/s upload throughout. This is more than enough to do basic tasks like emails or even work on shared documents. Even though our journey took us over the Atlantic Ocean, I didn’t register a single dropout on the entire journey.
I’ve previously wrote about BA’s wifi and the costs, but I ended up paying £17.99 for the best package (called Stream) for the whole flight. You can get that same package for four hours for £11.99. A simpler service called Messaging is £4.99 for the whole flight, or £2.99 for four hours. That allows you to use just messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage, but if you’re a member of the BA Club, then you get access to that for free. If you’re not a member, you can join during your flight and then access it straight away.
Food and drink on BA long-haul in Business
We had a drink in our hands less than five minutes after boarding, with the crew offering the standard choice of orange juice or champagne.
Before we pushed back, orders were taken for the first food service. I chose the Cranberry Blush cocktail, alongside a glass of water, and as I’d overeaten in the lounge, I just had the fresh fruit. My wife had the Burrata to start and the Lamb cutlet and braised Lamb shoulder as her main.
The food and drink were served just under an hour into the flight. My fruit platter looked ok, but it was delicious. It came with a bowl of something that I’m not sure of, and a trendy bread roll thats made up of three different types. I love bread as much as, maybe more than, the next man, but I hate these Frankenstotties.
My wife’s feedback on her starter and main was that both were outstanding, although she said that the Lamb looked less appetising but tasted delicious
Between the first and second meals, I wandered to the snack wall, which sits on the right-hand side of the plane, in the galley area between the two business class cabins. If you time it wrong, you’ll end up with a limited selection of unpopular items, so it’s best to get in there early, just after a meal service.
The final meal of the flight was served an hour before landing, and I ordered the afternoon tea which included sandwiches, a sweet course and scones. This was a really well-presented meal, and delicious. Top marks.
Final thoughts on BA Club World
Like any airline, when BA get it right then you have a great expereince. There’s no doubt that they’ve been trying harder than ever to get it right more of the time. There have been changes for the better and for the worse over the last few years, but we seem to be in a place where the food, service and the hard product are of a good enough standard.
The crew can make or break an experience. On this flight, they were on point: attentive without being overbearing, ensuring we were fed and watered at the right times and they also made us feel a little bit special. Working at 40,000 ft isn’t an easy job, but it makes a huge difference to the passengers experience when a crew is happy and helpful.
One crew member saw my wife taking a picture out of the window, and she invited her up to First Class (albeit temporarily) to get some better shots away from the wing.
Until a few years ago, we wouldn’t have considered any other airline for long-haul travel. That’s partly down to our being Avios collectors and the limited use of the points on other airlines at that time.
Whilst we’ve spread our wings and now use Avios on Qatar, and Amex Membership Reward Points on many other airlines, we will always likely end up on a BA plane two or three times a year. Based on the experience on this flight, that’s absolutely fine.
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