British Airways currently operates flights to Hong Kong using its old-style Club World on the Boeing 787-9. This is not as great as the new Club Suite but is a long-standing and still important part of the airline’s premium cabin offering. Simple Flying’s Justin Hayward tried this out on a recent flight to the Chinese city - just shortly after COVID restrictions were mostly lifted.
Arrival and airport experience
This was a 17:50 departure to Hong Kong (BA31), and I arrived at LHR around two hours before. Check-in and fast-track security as a Club World passenger were straightforward, and I was through within about 15 minutes of arrival. This left me just over an hour to enjoy one of the British Airways lounges before departure.
Brirish Airways has two lounges in the main A gates area and a further lounge in the B gate satellite terminal. I frequently fly BA out of Terminal 5, and if time allows, I always head to the B gates. This lounge is much quieter than the A gates and offers the same food, drink, and shower services. The sign below shows the comparison – in many visits, I have never seen this satellite lounge busy!
It is designed to accommodate passengers departing from the B and C gate areas but is accessible to any Terminal 5 passengers. You can take the shuttle train to the B gate area and then return by the walkway to the main A gate area (this takes around 10-15 minutes). For this departure, the train was not in operation, so I had to use the walkway to access the lounge and again to continue on to my boarding from the C gates.
This was not a long visit to the lounge, but there was enough time for a glass of wine and a surprisingly good beef pie. BA has now stopped the app ordering service for food and drink in the London lounges and returned to a buffet offering. This is quicker, but (in my opinion) not as good. Most importantly, I made use of the showers – a great offering before leaving on any long-haul flight.
Boarding and departure
The flight boarded out of the furthest C gates – this was normal for long-haul flights in the past, but with lower numbers of flights, they are sometimes leaving from the A gates too.
The flight boarded on time, but we then spent around 40 minutes waiting at the gate for our position in the de-icing queue. This took around another 20 minutes for a departure about an hour behind schedule. With a window seat on the de-icing side, I quite enjoyed this!
The Club World cabin
This flight was operated by one of British Airways’ Boeing 787-9 aircraft. There is currently just one flight each day to Hong Kong, with an old Club World equipped 787-9 aircraft. Pre-pandemic, there were two daily flights, with one of these operated using an Airbus A380. The new Club Suite has not yet made it to this route.
It's fair to say that most BA passengers assigned to this older Club World cabin are a bit disappointed. The rollout of the new Club Suite continues, but many routes are still served with the old product. Hong Kong is one of them, with no confirmation of Club Suite yet. I took a trip with Club Suite last year - from London Heathrow to New York JFK, and was very impressed. You can read my trip report here.
For this flight, I chose seat 7A. This is a rear-facing window seat in the smaller forward cabin. Club World on the 787-9 is split into a smaller forward cabin with just two rows and a larger rear cabin with four rows.
It's a personal preference, but I prefer the smaller and quieter cabin. Seats are arranged 2-3-2 in alternating forwards and backward configuration. This was a revolutionary concept when it was introduced (British Airways used it to introduce the first flatbed standard in business class), but it is now somewhat dated compared with new business class offerings.
The Club World seat
One of the aspects of the old Club World cabin is the difference between seats. Most window seats do not have direct aisle access – you need to step over the adjacent aisle seats. Only four end of cabin window seats (including my choice of 7A) have easy aisle access. With a 2-3-2 configuration, there are also middle seats in the center with two neighboring seats. With the new Club Suite products, all seats are similar, with direct aisle access for everyone.
All window seats are rear-facing (as they are on all BA aircraft configurations). This is increasingly unusual with new business class products, but it is something I actually quite like. In this case, I had an excellent full-on view of the left engine for the whole flight! The 787 windows, though, are mixed for me. I appreciate the larger windows and extra light, but I miss being able to peek out during the flight when the crew decide its time for darkness.
Once the cabin crew centrally dims the windows, you cannot override this to see out (this is a contentious issue with many airlines. Some airlines – including United Airlines – are relaxing policies to give passengers the choice.
The seat is comfortable and feels spacious, considering the dense layout. There is also plenty of space with a fully flat bed recline and a folding down footrest. The major difference between Club Suite and other business class products is the lack of a fixed table or storage area. Each seat has a drawer compartment at floor level, but no shelf or side table.
Those lucky enough to have flown Club World on the Boeing 747 with British Airways may remember the upper deck cabin. This was arranged just 2-2 across, and the window seats had large lockers next to them. Sadly, not on the 787.
The seat fully reclines and makes into a flatbed, combined with a fold-down footstool. I had no problems with the bed length (I am six feet tall), but the width is restrictive for different sleeping positions. It is hard to turn or sleep on your side (this may be easier in the more open aisle seats).
British Airways In-flight service
After boarding, we were served drinks, with a choice of champagne, orange juice, or water. It is good to see such features return to normal post-pandemic. We were given a wash kit (from The White Company), noise-canceling headphones, and White Company duvet, a sheet/seat cover, and a pillow.
Orders for the first meal service were taken before departure and served about 90 minutes after departure. I opted for the beef tataki starter and braised beef cheeks as a main course. Food choices frequently change on these flights, but I was impressed with this as a current offering.
After the meal service, the cabin lights were dimmed, and most passengers slept. I opted to do a couple of hours of work (it was still only around 8pm local time) and watch a movie. This is again where the confined space and limited storage of the seat become a challenge. There is sufficient space, but you have to move carefully with a laptop or other equipment.
A second lighter meal was served about 90 minutes before landing. I opted for a plowman's salad and cottage pie. This was a good filling option after a long flight, and the crew kept service running up to about 40 minutes before landing for those who wanted to maximize sleep time.
The inflight entertainment system is more basic, and with a smaller screen than Club Suite or many competing products. It is showing its age as well – the latch on my screen was broken, but we managed to wedge it in place using a set of hot towel tongs! Movie choices were good, including several new releases. I also like how British Airways arranges movies into categories – including “Best of British,” "Blue Monday Cheer," and “Excellent 80s."
There was no WiFi on this flight. British Airways is rolling out WiFi on all its aircraft, but this seems to be taking a long time. For long-haul aircraft, all 777s and A350s now have WiFi installed. Only some of the Boeing 787-9s (and none of the 787-8s) are yet to have WiFi. This is a shame on such a long flight, and there is no way to know much beforehand whether you will have it or not.
Arrival into Hong Kong
Following the delays leaving London, we arrived in Hong Kong about an hour behind schedule. The flight time was close to 13 hours, almost two hours longer than it would have been before the restriction of Russian and Ukrainian airspace. This has necessitated lengthy diversions to the South for many airlines. I enjoyed following this during the flight on the interactive map (and out the window when the electronic dimming allowed).
This flight was taken only a few weeks after testing and monitoring ended in Hong Kong, and I was surprised at the ease of entry into the country. We had to take COVID tests before departure, but this was simply a self-administered test with no certificate or proof required.
There was a small temperature check booth on the way to immigration (but this has been the case in Hong Kong for years). I was through immigration and bags claimed less than 30 minutes after landing. Not a bad way to return to Hong Kong after three years!
For those that are interested - I also took the chance to take a look around the aircraft after we landed in Hong Kong. First class service is still offered on the 787-9 (though not on the 787-8) and the picture below shows this small cabin. With old-style Club World, this still offers a decent upgrade, but the advantages are certainly more limited when compared to Club Suite.
The flight crew were also happy to let me visit the flight deck, and even the crew bunk area (located above the first class section). Again, some pictures of this are shown below.
Have you flown British Airways long-haul on the 787-9 or other aircraft recently? We would love to hear about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.
British Airways
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- BA/BAW
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1974
- Alliance:
- oneworld
- Airline Group:
- IAG
- CEO:
- Sean Doyle
- Country:
- United Kingdom
