[Tallinnman]

Definitely better to have Club over 2 floors – hated LH experience, felt like a battery chicken, SQ better but still the effect of so many business class seats is underwhelming.

[openfly]

If WTP is going to be so good, then there is no need to book Club World. Could save a load of money. Thanks.

[JonathanM8]

Openfly – you are so wrong….take it fromTallinman and myself who have been on A380’s for longer than the 1hr 10 minutes to FRA. I felt like a battery chicken myself on QF.

Smaller cabins on both decks will ensure more personal service (or at least the opportunity for more personalised service, which is I guess part of the CW experience). WTP may be a good option for a day time flight (maybe even 11 hours to LAX) but no subsutitute for a flat bed if you want to get some decent sleep overnight

[Inquisitive]

Inflight service purely depends on Airlines strategy, training of crew and consistency of crew delivering the service. Cabin arrangement has a very limited impact. I have travelled on SQ A380 and A340 many times where all business class at the same level. I never felt like any battery chicken. The services were always impeccable. BA need to concentrate on service, considering the hard product is at the bottom rank comparing with the main competitors.

[pdtraveller]

Have flown F and J on QF A380 and was very impressed. QF installed a brand new seat in F and fully flat sky bed in J. The latter is not truly flat however as with wear the leg rest cannot support a human and the seat tilts. Not with standing prefer this to young yang pack’em in in club world.

The exclusive feel of the upper deck being principally business felt great. I never felt cramped or hemmed in and the service was very good.

Sadly BA have gone for the accountants layout with climb over cramped seating and new old first with a bit more space. 2 toilets for club downstairs seems barking mad.

Given the choices now available on say LAX and HKG I for one will be using the far superior products of AA and CX which are by far light years ahead if BA.

[Tallinnman]

pd traveller – Think you’re spot on with your comments re CX and AA new product and that BA are being lead by the accountants. The CW product still works well in my opinion but I’ve recently made a booking back from the US via LAX to get the new AA product. Previously I would have moved heaven and earth to avoid AA so it will be interesting to see what the future holds for CW.

[Irons80]

@Tallinnman – with the JBA between AA & IAG, it actually won’t worry the accountants at all if you choose to fly AA to the US over BA as they will get the same cut of revenue whatever the metal

[Tallinnman]

On paper but why then are AA so keen to roll the new business class product out on JBA routes as opposed to Asian/South American routes?
I notice Miami starts from January.

[IanFromHKG]

The reality is, I suspect, that although they share revenue they may not share it equally. It would make perfect sense for the airline which actually carries the pax to get a higher proportion of the fare. This is particularly so since you have to bear in mind that it isn’t just BA and AA in the revenue-sharing arrangement – Iberia and Finnair are in there as well.

I haven’t found any detail on the revenue-sharing arrangement (unsurprisingly) but one paragraph from an FT article back in 2010 when the arrangement was announced stood out for me: “Under the terms of the agreement, a share of the revenue from a transatlantic flight booked by one of the three carriers will redound to that carrier, even if the flight is not ultimately operated by that carrier”. This implies that the revenue share is tied to the TICKETING airline – but nonetheless one can only imagine that the actual carrier will still get the lion’s share.

[Gold-2K]

But the best outcome must be that BA get the message loud and clear that they are no longer the customers preferred member of the JV with AA. I’m sure they can live with losing modest market share to Emirates or Singapore, but getting their ass kicked on Transatlantic by their JV partner, may even force Wille Walsh to pull out the IAG cheque book and return to the days of innovation.

Some of the worst flights I have ever taken have been on AA, truly awful, but I am very tempted to try the new business class on an upcoming LHR-DFW trip …… and I didnt ever think I would say that!!!!!

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

@Inquisitive

Plus one.

[pdtraveller]

Gold 2k……..I would thoroughly recommend the 777-300 on AA. Like you would have moved heaven and earth to avoid them but my recent LHR LAX was truly superb, bordering on faultless and mostly driven by that seat. I can handle most things if comfortable even lousy crew but have to hand it to AA they were outstanding.

They do not have a great ground product but I can cope with that and T3, to have direct aisle access and about the same personal space in business as BA offer in first. And that’s the rub, I have yet to see any comparison made between this product and club world, it is always compared to BA First and that says it all.

Still have to return and just hope it is as good.

[RonBrown]

I flew on it to FRA the other day in 15A, a terrible seat, all you see is the wing and all you hear is ,the loo, I moved, would not sit in that cabin if ,you paid me!!

[Author]

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