Flight Number BA 163
Departure from London at 09:10 PM
Seat 8F
After a very pleasant flight on board ELAL’s 787-9 Dreamliner business class to London, I was excited to see how BA’s new flagship business class would compare on the reverse route from London back to Tel Aviv.
Check In
This flight, as well as most of BA’s flights depart from Heathrow Terminal 5. At the right end of the departures hall is the business class check in area (Area H) which didn’t look special at all, though I imagine it can be useful when the airport is very busy. When we arrived for check in, there were hardly any other passengers in the departures hall. Check in was quick and we were headed to fast track security and then the Galleries South Lounge within a few minutes.
Our flight was departing from C gates which requires us to take the underground train connecting the main terminal building to the satellite terminals. Trying to maximize time in the lounge, we only made it to the gate for final call and were boarded immediately.
Cabin and Seat
My first impression of the new BA cabin was…fine. It looks nice, though not nearly as elegant and eye-catching as ELAL’s new business class cabin despite BA having an overall better seat.
The A350 business class is split into two cabins with 11 rows of 4 seats the main front cabin and an additional 3 rows of 4 seats in the second back cabin for a total of 56 business class seats.
Main Cabin
Mini Cabin
The window seats are all meant for solo travelers and face towards the window for maximum privacy. The middle seats are meant for couples and are all angled away from the aisle with a partition that can be opened or closed between the seats.
Open
Closed
My partner and I selected seats 8E and 8F, two middle seats towards the back of the main cabin. The seat was comfortable with a great amount of privacy and storage, as well as a great IFE system.
To the right of my seat, a door can be closed for extra privacy. This does very little to increase privacy when seated upright, however does a great deal when in bed mode.
To the left of my seat were two storage compartments where I stored my wallet, phone, passport and glasses. The larger of these two compartments houses the IFE remote as well as USB charger and power outlet.
Below the storage compartments are the seat controls which were very easy to use.
In front of the seat is the IFE screen as well as tray table which can be pulled out from under the screen. The table is one of the larger tables you’ll see in business class and can be folded in half as well to perfectly fit a small laptop or tablet.
This seat is definitely among the best business class seats in the sky. I would be perfectly happy with this seat on an ultra longhaul flight, so getting it on a short fight to Tel Aviv is a real treat. I’d probably go as far to say this is the best business class seat of any European airline for the time being; great job BA!
Food
Given our late departure time and already limited time to sleep, I figured BA would serve a very quick dinner service on this flight. To my surprise, the menu was quite extensive with an option for an express meal or for a full multi course dinner.
The menu read as follows:
After takeoff I was offered my choice of drink and some mixed nuts, as well as a bottle of water and hot towel.
I asked to try two of the red wines on board which were both tasty as were the nuts which were served on a nice black dish.
I had hoped the meal service would begin quickly on a short overnight flight like this, however it took over an hour until I was brought my appetizer. The wait was certainly worth it as the beef, soup, bread and salad were all delicious.
I ordered the lamb for my main course and really enjoyed it as well, however I was so full by that point that I couldn’t finish the entire dish.
I debated on whether I should try the dessert and eventually gave in and had the cheese plate and chocolate mouse, both of which were beautifully presented and tasty.
This was without a doubt the best meal I’ve had in business class on a medium haul flight and even better than many meals I’ve had on longhaul business class flights. The dinner service greatly exceeded my expectations, though left me with little time to sleep.
Service
Service began with a welcome drink as I was getting settled into my seat. I asked for a glass of champagne and water which were brought to my seat immediately. Later distributed were the amenity kits and menus.
Despite having a nearly full main business class cabin, the crew were very efficient and extremely professional and kind. I’ve heard mixed reviews of British Airways’ service, however all of my experiences with them including this one were excellent. My only complaint would be the pace of the meal service which I would have preferred to have been finished within one hour, however took over two hours on this flight. Of course, those who wanted to go to sleep could have skipped the meal, however I wanted to try out BA’s catering and am very happy I did!
Amenities
British Airways gives out a small but nice amenity kit from The White Company on this medium haul flight, however no slippers or pajamas like I received on my BA flight in first class.
At each seat upon boarding was a large pillow and a bag of linens consisting of a thick and small blanket, as well as a thin mattress pad.
Aside from Qatar Airways, this was the best bedding I’ve ever seen in business class and especially for a short flight like this one! I was honestly blown away and slept very comfortably once the meal was over.
Each business class passenger receives over the ear headphones which were about average quality for business class, though I experienced some periodic sound quality issues with mine. I normally bring my own Bose headphones when I travel, but I sadly forgot them for this trip.
The IFE system was pretty good as well with a nice selection of content, it certainly ranks among the better entertainment selections in the sky.
BA’s A350s feature a business class bar/snack area, though it wasn’t really set up for this flight. On a longer flight, there would be snacks and drinks available in the back galley throughout the flight.
Bottom Line
This was easily the best medium haul business class flight I’ve taken, and one of my favorite flights in general. The new BA “Club Suite” business class was, comfortable, private, and practical with plenty of storage and a great IFE system. The service, food, and other amenities offered greatly exceeded my expectations as well.
Both British Airways and ELAL offer their newest business class products on the Tel Aviv to London route and I had the pleasure of trying them both on this trip (see my ELAL review here). While both were enjoyable experiences that I would happily fly again, British Airways had significantly better food and drink, service, and seats. I’m looking forward to when BA makes this new business class seat available on more routes, as it’s currently available only to a handful of destinations.