[stevemac]

I think the BA layout works quite well for a number of reasons
Premium passengers are all forward and therefore get to immigration a bit quicker.
Lots of smaller cabins are far nicer than cattle trucks (I include Emirates Business on the upper deck) and exec card holders who can choose can pick the better cabins including economy on the u/d.
Whilst the product from BA does not appear to be any different I also appreciate consistency instead of getting 3 different products on 4 sectors with EK a couple of years ago.

[GordyUK]

i have to say if this is accurate, i’m fairly dissapointed. I get why F is downstairs as far as the airbridge is concerned but EK manage F upstairs and those suites are absolutley gorgeous. You’re only on the bridge for minutes vs the seat for hours. There is a feeling of exclusivity upstairs..

but the biggest dissapointment is the waste of space at the front of the upper deck. I know VK will say its just a gimmick, but the shower suites on Emirates were amazing and great use of an odd shape of space. WHat have BA done?. plonked two toilets.. well woop de doo!.. I didn’t think anyone could do anything more boring than AF but well done, they’ve managed it

[sparkyflier]

http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/Thai-Airways-A380-800-Royal-Silk-%28business-class%29

As can be seen in this trip report by SwissexPat, he finds the Thai A380 offering vastly superior to the BA Club Product.

If BA do not change their product soon, they will be outgunned on many of their long haul routes, including the most profitable.

“Middle Seats” are so last decade, indeed more last century in Business Class.

[VintageKrug]

And yet many find BA’s Club offering excellent:

http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/British-Airways-B777-200-(Four-class)-Club-World-4

simonlawslondon – 22/11/2012 10:37 GMT
I flew BA73 Club to Abu Dhabi on 16th November.

I am lucky enough to be able to use the Gold Lounge at Terminal 5 which continues to provide a comforting environment. Whilst not as glitzy and overstated as the Virgin Club House the selection of drinks and buffet style food is excellent and of high quality. They use top of the range spirits and very nice white and pink vintage champagnes.
On boarding the flight I was greeted by name and this was used throughout the service process I think this is an important touch for the regular traveller.

The lunch menu demonstrates their ‘new’ experience. It delivered what was on the tin, simple but carefully prepared food which is close to reasonable restaurant food. The main course sea bass with al dente full colour vegetables was a delight. Either they have got the design right for 39,000 feet or someone has at last taught the cabin attendants how to use convector ovens. A minor gripe if you over chill a seafood starter it will have a blandish taste. The vanilla and raspberry desert was a minor triumph. BA is now sensible in reducing its wine menu but giving ample choice – no longer the past where at least 1/3 of the offer was in fact not on offer.

Afternoon tea is a bit of a waste of space rather poor sandwiches pre packed. For the price of Club either don’t bother or present something that at least looks better than yesterdays offer in M&S
I think they have a new entertainment system – very easy to negotiate with all current functionality and a good selection

As always the service in BA is courteous and professional – engaging if you want it to be reserved if thats your preference. They are the best team in the sky. On this occasion they did unload the Priority Bags first something that is still hit and miss

I flew to NYC in August with Virgin Upper, the first time for 6 years as I have always preferred British Airways. The experience confirmed my preference. The Club House, interior design of the planes and ‘brand’ of the cabin crew may appeal to those with little colour in their life but quite frankly: average food, poorly manufactured seats and staff who imagine they are in that churlish advert are not for me.

[Henkel.Trocken]

Such a missed opportunity that BA have nothing new to offer on the A380, unlike any other airline which has introduced it.

So, there will be an F product which falls far below the standards of others like LH, AF, EK, EY, CX and SQ. A C product though called ‘new’ isn’t. It’s years old and some carriers are on a revamp of C products that are newer than BA C – the common one because of course there are now four variations of BA C if you include shorthaul. It’s a pity that they haven’t planned to use the product on the A321s specified by BD, it’s far better.

SO really, there’s nothing to look forward to on the BA A380.

[dutchyankee]

@Henkel;Trocken, you are always such a pessimist when it comes to BA. I wonder if it is only to entice VK into a war of words, or if you have actually even experienced the cabins and carriers you talk about. While I do feel there are some more ‘impressive’ business cabins, the one thing with BA you can at least count on is consistency. For the vast majority of BA’s Long Haul fleet, you know what to expect, and even with the 767’s the seat is the same with the exception of the old fan divider versus the more solid divider. You can not say that about all the other airlines you list as it is a crap shoot on what style seat you get with them depending on the aircraft, route, day of the week, etc, whether F or C.

[Henkel.Trocken]

dutchyankee: Perhaps if you were a signifcant shareholder in BA, waiting for a dividend to be paid and seeing no innovation in the introduction of the most significant aircraft for years, you would be unhappy too. Consistency, when it’s poor and the product is old, is not a selling point.

[sparkyflier]

I think many of us WANT BA to be really good.They are certainly not bad, and can have great crew, but there seems to be a poverty of ambition on their part…

[dutchyankee]

Rubbish Henkel-Trocken! Booking Business on SQ to Auckland and having a different type of seat product on each of the four sectors flown is not what I would call a selling point. The same holds true for CX, and dont even start on AF, if you actually have ever flown them, you would know the vast disparity in their products. CW is not a poor product as most posters here will attest.

Finally, if you are such a significant share holder with BA, as you allude to being, then it does make one question first, why when you loath BA so much, and second why have you not taken action. A real significant shareholder would be able to make ‘waves’ as it were, something it seems you have not been able to do.

[Henkel.Trocken]

dutchyankee, Do you ever fly SQ? LHR-SIN-AKL will get the same seat in C throughout. There will be a difference in F if you use the A380 from LHR-SIN but on the 77W the seat will be the same.

CX are in the process of rolling out a new product so there will be differences if you are lucky enough to get the new products.

I find the tone of your post unhelpful to sensible debate.

[Str8Talking]

http://www.ausbt.com.au/singapore-airlines-upgrades-older-777-business-class-to-a380-seat

One of the two AKL flights is on a 777-200. Just saying.

SQ introduced their new business class only about a year after NCW! They’re still implementing the change!

[dutchyankee]

@Henkel.Trocken, As a matter of fact I do and have actually flown SQ, and you are mistaken as SQ have a number of 777 aircarft with a horrible old cradle seat config that was on the flight I recently took from SIN to AKL. Further their seat on their A330 is a disaster. Could this have been a substituition perhaps, but it was different from the seat I had exit AMS (not everyone on this forum flies from LHR only), and different from the seat I had on the A380. Hence my comment re Consistency. Is SQ Business good, absolutely, but it depends on which aircraft and which seat. I found their business seat on the A380 strangely too big and actually uncomfortable except as a bed. But that is a personal opinion.

As to my tone, Henkel,I often agree with you on this forum, even during your tirades against VK, but it is you that made an assumption that first I am not a share holder on BA while alluding that you might in fact be a ‘significant’ shareholder, and that as such your opinion means more than a non-significant shareholder. I would never invest in airline stocks as I feel my money would be safer under a mattress than in any airline, but that does not mean I do not travel extensively, in premium cabins, and I actually believe consistency is worth paying for.

Sensible debate does not mean a disgruntled shareholder’s opinion means more than anyone else’s on this forum.

[KSHaggag]

The cabin map i saw is indeed disappointing ..no creativity !..what s new ??NOTHING !…exactly the same configuration as for 747-400s and 777s ………….let s admit that MOST airlines operating the A380 have clearly failed to some great extent to come up with something NEW when it comes to the Superjumbo s seating ,etc….with very few exceptions ( e.g. KE,SQ,EK more or less ) and even not really outstanding ,all what those A380 operators have done is just squeezing in more pax with exactly the same comfort levels as on older aircraft ,albeit embarkation and disembarkation time on such an aircraft let alone taxiing time are good lessons to teach you PATIENCE ………I hope BA will innovate ..they have always been GREAT at this e.g. A318 LCY/JFK,Openskies ,etc………….fingers crossed ………..indeed !

[FCTraveller]

@Binman62, totally agree, there will only be real competition out of London when we have Boris Island and this is certainly why BA are not in favour.

As for the cabin layout, I don’t really know what the fuss is about. A new F product would have been great but given the amount of time it took to come up with NF, I would have eaten my hat if they had. Otherwise, I really don’t care if I’m on the upper deck or lower deck, once I’m in my seat in a A380, I quickly lose sense of which deck I’m on. They would have put the same number of F seats whether it was upper or lower deck so being on the lower deck will mean more space. For CW, it makes sense to have seats on both decks, that way, they can cater to people who have a preference. I agree that one long CW cabin on the upper deck smacks of a dormitory, actually CW already does the way passengers are sandwiched together.

If BA had copied the EK layout, everyone would have said they lacked innovation. In fact, they don’t have that many choices to begin with. All I care about is getting off the plane first, and not having to wait behind all of WTP and half of CW.

[BusinessTraveller]

BA has now confirmed the layout for both its B787 and A380 aircraft, which can be seen here:

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/ba-b787-and-a380-layout-confirmed

[Author]

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