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It’s not really a secret that British Airways’ Business Class product (Club World) is nothing to get excited about. Where once the airline led the way with an innovative Business Class cabin design and lie-flat seats its Club World offering now sits a good way down the list of premium cabins most would choose to spend their hard-earned money on. But BA is trying to change….at least a few things.
The PR machine at the BA’s Waterside headquarters has been highlighting a £400m (~$515m) spending plan for Club World for quite some time…and now we’re about to see the first enhancement that this cash is set to deliver.
From 1 September British Airways will offer a “restaurant-style dining experience” in its Club World on flights between London Heathrow and New York JFK.
In case you’re wondering what “restaurant-style” involves you’re not the only one…but fortunately BA has explained:
Travellers will be able to select their choice of freshly prepared starters and desserts from new display trolleys, which will be served by the crew on to new table settings.
This is exactly what Cathay Pacific offers in its Business Class cabin so at least BA is following in the footsteps of a premium airline for once.
British Airways gave us an insight into this new offering back in April when it used a special Dreamliner flight to showcase the service.
The menus for this service have been released and include…
Starters:
- Loch Fyne smoked salmon tartare with wasabi crème fraîche
- Burrata and tomato carpaccio with olive oil and balsamic dressing
- Creamy butternut squash soup with chive and sour cream
- Fresh seasonal salad, grilled vegetables and a choice of French dressing or olive oil and balsamic dressing
Entrees:
- Best of Heritage beef homemade gnocchi in Café de Paris sauce and pan-fried green asparagus
- Line-caught grilled Cornish Dover sole with Mediterranean lentils, celeriac mousseline and lemon butter
- Homemade artichoke ravioli Parmesan
Dessert:
- DO & CO‘s double chocolate medley
- Lemon tart
- Viennese-style apple strudel with vanilla sauce
- Fresh strawberries
- Cheese board with Somerset brie, Keen’s cheddar, Cropwell Bishop stilton, walnuts, grapes and fig chutney
The food service is apparently not the only thing getting a makeover….the drinks selection is have a refresh too (pun not really intended!).
Per BA:
The carefully curated wine selection will feature white wines and Champagnes presented on top of the trolleys in large, silver wine coolers, while regiments of red wine bottles stand alongside them.
The wine menu includes a Bourgogne Chardonnay 2016, Patriarche Père et Fils from Burgundy, a Tiki Sauvignon Blanc 2016 from Marlborough, a Las Olas Malbec/Bonarda Reserve 2014 from the Famatina Valley in Argentina and a Reata Three County Pinot Noir 2013 from California.
The champagne options are Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain NV, Champagne de Castelnau Brut Réserve NV and Champagne de Castelnau Brut Rosé NV.
All three Champagnes retail from between £30 and £40 (~$39 – $52) so there’s not too much to get excited about there…but I have hopes for the Malbec and the Pinot Noir.
Aside from the food and wine the table settings will be changing too.
BA’s head of catering, Colin Talbot, is quoted as saying:
We’ve really focused on attention to detail with the new Club World menu, with the aim of delivering a real restaurant experience in the sky.
We’ve considered everything from flavours and textures, to look and feel, all of which have to work at altitude. The dishes are designed to pop with taste and the table settings are both elegant and practical, with thought-through details such as stemless wine glasses.
Disappointingly (for me) this service upgrade won’t be rolled out throughout the rest of the British Airways long-haul network until 2018 so I don’t have high hopes for my Club World flight in early January.
What Else Is Set To Change
Starting this fall BA will be rolling out new bedding and amenity kits in Club World in conjunction with The White Company:
The iconic British retailer will supply bedding including an elegant day cushion, a bespoke, luxuriously soft large pillow, a super-soft woven blanket with satin trim and a specially developed luxury duvet to improve their quality of sleep, as well as a padded mattress cover giving an extra layer of comfort.
The White Company will also supply amenity kits in an elegantly designed bag, containing the retailer’s ‘Restore & Relax Spa Collection’, as well as a soft jersey eye-mask.
Perhaps this will be in place in time for my January flight.
Bottom Line
What most of us really want isn’t a new style of food service or a new set of bedding – what we really want is a new Business Class seat that’s in tune with the 21st century.
Put simply, most travelers want a less dense Business Class cabin with spacious, comfortable seats that all offer direct access to the aisle….anything else is garnish.
Still, we’re not going to get that anytime soon from BA so we have to be thankful for what we can get….and this is it.
If anyone is flying LHR-JFK/JFK-LHR next week it would be great if you would report back (in the comments section) and let us all know what the new service is like. Thanks!
