[cybertravller]

The BA culture has always been LHR first, LGW dead last. Especially when investing in hard and soft products, crew and routes. Once the very old 777s are done, they will probably move the slightly younger 777s down from LHR and use the new aircraft as replacements.

Considering how long they kept the very clapped-out old 737s, I don’t hold much hope for anything new.

[BackOfThePlane]

As mentioned, the only slight issue with that is the fact that, assuming all the LHR 777s are soon fitted with the new Club Suite, those Club cabins will be too big for LGW routes so they would then have to spend money taking out relatively new, very expensive suites as well as adjusting existing WTP & WT cabins.

However, unless I’m missing something, and as you allude to, I don’t see where the LGW fleet is getting any new aircraft from. The new 777-9s will surely all be used ex LHR and I’m not aware of any other significant, long haul aircraft orders.

Perhaps I’m missing something…..

[Sarah Stemp]

Same issues on an overnight Club world flight JFK to Gatwick on Sunday. I will never book it with BA again. No sleep due to other passengers having to climb over me to get out of their seats and constant trays being balanced above my head whilst the privacy screen is being raised and dropped.

[david]

Could be they’re thinking about the expense or catering to a different crowd. But yeah, those 777s won’t hold up forever, so sooner or later, an upgrade’s gotta happen.

[TominScotland]

cybertravller, just flew on one of those younger 777-300s, LHR-DOH and return and the 1-2-1 seating in the suites were really comfortable and private with or without the sliding door closed. They were day flights on both legs and I found the working space and ambience perfect – and the crew were friendly and engaged. I continued on to Hong Kong with Qatar on their 777-300 with similar 1-2-1 seating – not QSuite but as spacious without the sliding door. The seat was wide and I slept well. But I preferred the service on BA – QR crew seem to have little discretion or room for common sense – so I asked for just fruit and coffee for breakfast prior to landing and received the full place set up with cloth, full cutlery setting and mock table candle etc for a (very good) fruit platter and a mug of black coffee!!

BTW, you might wonder why I flew GLA-LHR-DOH-HKG for my relatively rate Business class flight when I could opt for just a one stop via LHR or from EDI via DOH? Unashamedly, tier points (640 return) compared to 400 one stop via LHR and 560 via DOH.

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cybertravller

[cybertravller]

Hi TominScotland,

It is great to hear that the 777-300s have the new club suite; the yin-yang of old was the bain of my existence when trying to provide a premium service to passengers. I agree that compared to QR, the BA crew is more engaged.

QR crew are petrified of their own shadow and don’t want to lose their jobs and all the nonsense that entails when being stuck in Qatar.

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MarkivJ, cwoodward

[FDOS]

QR crew seem to have little discretion or room for common sense – so I asked for just fruit and coffee for breakfast prior to landing and received the full place set up with cloth, full cutlery setting and mock table candle etc for a (very good) fruit platter and a mug of black coffee!!

This is called having operational standards, that are consistently delivered.

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MarkivJ, esselle

[cybertravller]

“This is called having operational standards, that are consistently delivered.” That would be nice on their hard product. The economy class on their A330s are woeful. The IFE was barely usable due to the age of the system.

Then you get Q-Suite which is incredible, that sort of consistency would be greatly appreciated.

[MartynSinclair]

“Then you get Q-Suite which is incredible, that sort of consistency would be greatly appreciated.”

I know Q Suite is popular, but I find the consistency of service and COMFORT (onboard) QR, very consistent across their 3 (or is it 4) longhaul business class offerings.

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esselle

[BackOfThePlane]

We are now well and truly off-topic!

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Johnnyg

[MartynSinclair]

“We are now well and truly off-topic!”

@BackOfThePlane – not sure we are off topic. The discussion just widened to the fact that if BA were to provide a consistent and high quality onboard service, across all their club world offering, then like QATAR, perhaps passengers would not mind flying the clapped out 777’s with ying yang.

I remember Thai F with their peculiar set up in F on their clapped out 747’s (a few years back). The aircraft were old, but the seats and service were consistently very good.

Sure we would all like to benefit from newer versions of club world, and people not needing to step over legs, but if the onboard service was sufficiently memorable for positive reasons, perhaps passengers would be more accommodating with older versions of the seat, as is the case with Qatar….

Just a thought….

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DerekVH, cwoodward, cybertravller, Jacob, esselle

[Greg]

@jah13 Same here. I flew out LGW to MRU on 2 Jan returning 29 Jan and enjoyed Club suites on both legs

[CAI]

Please note anyone from BA reading this forum – whenever possible I am now actively avoiding any BA flight with the old CW layout. It’s undoubtedly the worst long-haul business class in the skies. I would even book a one-stop flight with ‘direct-aisle’ biz class over a direct flight with old CW.

For a recent Avios redemption flight to Chile I had booked CW outward, dreading the 14 hour flight, but thankfully was able to pay for an upgrade to First. For the return I flew Iberia via Madrid, with biz class on their new A350s vastly superior to BA old CW.

How sad that this September is the 5th anniversary of the introduction of the Club Suite and yet there are still many BA planes flying with the Old CW.

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usflyer, Greg

[MarkivJ]

I know I’m being off topic and apologies in advance – but I’m so glad reading the comments that I’m not the only one who feels that way about QR. FA’s are so incredibly robotic, can’t engage in convos for toffee and have probably been told to not use common sense or voice their own opinions.

Also save for Q suite, rest of their offerings are sub avg

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DerekVH, cwoodward

[Author]

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