When is business class not business class

andycris3107

On Xmas eve I flew business class on BA from London to Barcelona. I've flown this route many times in both business and economy but this time I feel I have paid for business and flown economy.

I chose business as it was Xmas eve and I was heading home after a long stint working away, and the business class experience is much more relaxing: you sail through security, have priority boarding, and on board you have a three course hot meal and a relaxing seat. At the other end you have your baggage come out first and get to leave the airport with little waiting around. The whole experience is much more relaxing than economy.

On Xmas eve though the flight was completely the opposite. The flight was very full, however there was no order during boarding - essentially it was a free for all reminiscent of the olden days of Ryanair. Business class were not called forward for boarding at all and hence it was a complete mess. On board our hot meal was replaced by a plastic sealed sandwich the same as those served in economy. The only difference being that ours were served on a plate. I say sandwich whereas it was actually a 'finger' sandwich where the entire thing consisted of less than one single slice of bread. It certainly was not a hot meal promised, and normally received on BA Business.

At the other end for some reason the business bags came out the carrousel last instead of first. I was around third last person to leave the baggage hall having waited almost an hour.

At the end of the day I felt short changed. I paid for a premium service and didn't get it. Just in case I had missed something I checked the BA website just to see if there were a logical reason - had they changed their service levels? No. Was there a change in service because it was Xmas eve? No. As expected they should have provided a priority service and hot food on board. So I complained to BA and received a standard reply - we are sorry, your complaint is important to us, thank you for informing us. They didn't offer any explanation. So I replied again requesting an explanation. They replied again saying we are sorry you didn't like our reply, your complaint is important to us, thank you for informing us. Again no explanation.

All I want to know is what happened. Why did their service not live up to their own standards.

Am I being unreasonable or just making a mountain out of a mole hill?

notanewuser

We flew London to Barca with BA in October. Business class customers didn't get priority boarding or a hot meal. We had no hold luggage so no idea whether their bags came out first.

jpsartre

Agree you should have been priority boarded but the other things you mention (hot meal, priority luggage delivery) are not part of the advertised benefits of flying Club Europe so you need to chalk those down to unrealistic expectations. For me, the main benefits of Club are now down to the extra tier points and lounge access and since I'm currently Silver I get the latter anyway.

andycris3107

jpsartre wrote: »

Agree you should have been priority boarded but the other things you mention (hot meal, priority luggage delivery) are not part of the advertised benefits of flying Club Europe so you need to chalk those down to unrealistic expectations. For me, the main benefits of Club are now down to the extra tier points and lounge access and since I'm currently Silver I get the latter anyway.

Both of the above are advertised benefits of flying Club Europe:

http://www.britishairways.com/en-ie/information/food-and-drink/business-dining

Just spoke with CS (after 30 minutes on hold) and they agree that I should have received a choice of hot and cold meals and priority luggage. They've promised to call me back once they've investigated.

Roger1

BA Club Europe from/to LHR and LGW is no longer 'business class' on board in the traditional sense. Seats are now (or will shortly be) the same size/space as Economy but with the middle seat free.

Afternoon catering on shorthaul sectors has been 'enhanced' to 'afternoon tea' with those lovely sandwiches and no hot offering available.

Other than strategic reasons mentioned by jpsartre, there's generally no point in travelling Club Europe IMO.

There's one major exception: BA CityFlyer flights from London City to Europe. No free middle seat (it's 2+2 configuration) but the catering is superior to LHR/LGW mainline and normally a warm selection.

jpsartre

andycris3107 wrote: »

Both of the above are advertised benefits of flying Club Europe:

http://www.britishairways.com/en-ie/information/food-and-drink/business-dining

That page is misleading which is unfortunate. The correct info is here:

http://www.britishairways.com/en-ie/information/travel-classes/business/club-europe

Basically, whether a hot meal is served depends on the time you are flying and the route. Sounds like you got the afternoon tea with finger sandwiches. What time was your flight?

Priority luggage delivery is not an advertised benefit of Club Europe. They put the tags on but the general consensus is that they are for show only.

w211

I regularly fly Club Europe.

As mentioned, the meal will depend on the time of day.

Usually a hot breakfast (in the morning), can be afternoon tea during the day, and dinner time could be either a hot or cold meal.

Flying to Milan a couple of years ago (similar sort of distance), I received a cold meal - salmon/chicken salad, I think, will cheese and a sweet dessert for afters.

Shorter flights later in the day e.g. Dublin/Amsterdam, I usually receive something small and quick like a salmon/assorted meat salad.

With luggage, I've always received a priority tag when checking luggage in.

Also, were you flying from London City? (if there are any flights from there to Barcelona). From experience, there is no priority boarding there.

w211

Also, this may help:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1540396-short-haul-catering-guide-2014-a.html

Looks like you had the afternoon tea, as others suggested?

This thread may also be of interest, if you wanted an alternative next time.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1642907-ordering-special-meal-lieu-ce-afternoon-tea.html

SW17

andycris3107 wrote: »

All I want to know is what happened. Why did their service not live up to their own standards.

Am I being unreasonable or just making a mountain out of a mole hill?

You should have had priority boarding, though there could have been a lot of people with this right, since any BA/OneWorld frequent flyer with status can have this.

If you flew on an A320, likely it was the new seating, with less legroom than old Club Europe.

The meal situation is well documented above, "afternoon tea" is a pet hate of many of BA's frequent flyers. Some order special meals to avoid it, though still won't be a hot meal.

Priority baggage handling seems to be a lottery, though I rarely check baggage on short haul flights myself.

To try and answer your title question, BA Club Europe is heading to the point where the difference between business and economy is negligible, especially for frequent flyers who have lounge access etc already.

w211 wrote: »

Also, were you flying from London City? (if there are any flights from there to Barcelona). From experience, there is no priority boarding there.

There are no BA flights (currently) from LCY to BCN. However, BA does offer priority boarding at LCY, but only to people actually flying in Club and those who are Gold (and above) frequent flyers. Silver/Bronze don't get it.

andycris3107

Result. Had a call back from BA who have credited my executive club account with enough miles for a free one way business class ore return economy flight to Barcelona. Now I only need to find a reward seat available - nigh on impossible these days.

Mands

andycris3107 wrote: »

Now I only need to find a reward seat available - nigh on impossible these days.

Masses available.

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Mands