This “Club World from London Heathrow Airport to Hong Kong” is a reader review by contributor Sarah.
You can follow Sarah’s travels on Substack at sarahkerrigan.substack.com.
Terminal 5 was an unexpected oasis of calm in the pre-Christmas rush as I headed to the First Lounge on the Saturday before Christmas. Since I was the only passenger, I was able to get through First Wing security in a few minutes. I expected Heathrow to be busy as Christmas approached, but as it was one of BA’s last flights to depart, the crowd must have already passed through the terminal.
The entrance to the first lounge after passing through security was very festive with a large Christmas tree decorated and Susan the horse looking smart with a Christmas wreath around her neck and a winter blanket.
I used a British Airways American Express Companion Voucher to fly to Hong Kong and book a ticket back to London from Tokyo Haneda, paying around £550 in tax per person. At the time of booking, award seats were already released, so we adjusted our trip itinerary based on the availability we found on an open-jaw basis. After all, two countries (and anywhere else we decided to travel through!) was more exciting than one. Plus, a quick stop in Hong Kong will give you a little warmer weather before heading to Japan for the winter.
My flight was scheduled to depart at 8:45 pm, so the lounge was understandably quiet. I was also able to take photos of the stylish new furniture in the first lounge. However, it would have been nice if there were a few more charging points. That seems to be the area where the T5 First Lounge really falls short of expectations.
For the most part, it wasn’t festive, except for the Christmas carols playing in the lounge. However, I don’t think everyone celebrates Christmas. The food and drinks in the lounge were the usual, but the buffet also featured some mini turkey pies. It was very tasty, but I wish I had saved some space for an on-board meal. On long flights, we rely on meal service as part of the journey.
This flight was on a Boeing 787-9, which still has the old-style Club World seats (also known as dorms). This fleet appears to be one of the last to be equipped with the new Club Suite. I’ve ridden the old Club World seats many times and still love them. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to try out the new Club Suite yet. First world problems, I know!
I was seated in the small Club World cabin, just behind the first class, in front of the galley and boarding door. I much prefer this method to turning right into the large Club World cabin to the right of the boarding door. Because it would be a left turn in the traditional sense, and the rest of the plane, the world travelers (economy) and all the passengers, would be unable to board. A premium economy passenger will pass your seat to get to the back of the plane.
Despite a late takeoff from Heathrow due to strong tailwinds from a passing storm, the plane arrived in Hong Kong early, resulting in a breezy total flight time of 12 hours and 20 minutes.
As I took my seat and put my luggage away, a flight attendant came over to offer me a glass of champagne. It was gratefully received. It’s often said that you can tell how good a flight attendant is within five minutes of boarding, and I’m glad that my first impression was positive and that the service was attentive and friendly throughout the flight. One of the flight attendant girlfriends who served me certainly looked festive wearing a headband with reindeer antlers on it, and the entire crew was cheerful and professional throughout the flight.
The flight attendant took my food and drink order before takeoff, and knowing there were only a few options left for one meal, I immediately proceeded to the galley to put my order in and eat before anyone else could pick it up. I made a reservation.
The plane pushed back a little late and I got used to the long journey. I have to say that the new safety video is pretty disappointing. The previous game had some parts that were a little irritating, but this time it was just “meh”.
There was no Wi-Fi on board, but since it was a night flight around Christmas, I didn’t really care. I’ve been on this type of plane before and was able to successfully connect to the Wi-Fi, so I don’t know if it was just not working, but in any case the flight attendants said nothing about it. Didn’t mention anything.
The meal service started well with a smoked salmon starter that looked good. The warm bread was also delicious!
For mains we went for the roast turkey dinner which had a pig in a blanket, chestnut stuffing and all the other trimmings. I was a little disappointed in the presentation, but it was very tasty.
Dessert was a chocolate orange mousse that was just right without being too heavy.
All that remained after that was to order an after-dinner port while I settled down to watch the in-flight entertainment. There was a decent selection of movies, but there were definitely enough movies I hadn’t seen yet to keep me entertained on the flight. After watching Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, I watched a Barbie movie and then tried to get some sleep. Despite the flat bed and cozy White Company bedding, I always find it very difficult to sleep on airplanes, but I can say that I was comfortable for at least one night’s sleep.
When a staff member came by to take my breakfast order at an inconsiderate hour, I decided to decline. But they didn’t accept the answer and brought us cold appetizers of fruit, yoghurt and pastries along with our tea. . It was actually a nice touch (not pushy!) and I didn’t regret ordering the hot breakfast as well. They knew me better than I knew myself! I’m not sure many people feel like eating at 4am, but it’s at least something to do to kill time.
Overall, it was a very comfortable flight. The flight was smooth and the crew were courteous. I think it certainly helped that the plane wasn’t full. As such, the service was excellent and relaxed. This experience matched well with his previous BA long-haul flights and I have no complaints.
There’s not much to say about the old Club World seats as they haven’t been talked about yet. It’s a late upgrade, but I still think it’s good for couples traveling as it’s comfortable and it’s easy to talk to the onmyoji seating layout when the divider is lowered.
Honestly, I have no problem stepping over someone’s leg to go to the bathroom, and sitting in an aisle seat in the front cabin doesn’t impede much privacy or traffic flow. However, it might be different if you’re sitting in the larger Club World cabin further back.
We were satisfied with the overall experience, considering the use of companion vouchers and the lower overall cost by only paying taxes compared to cash fares. Anyone who can redeem points for a business class cabin this way should be happy. Overall value and experience.
The ability to book open-jaw tickets with a companion voucher is sometimes overlooked. So if you haven’t booked award seats when they go on sale, or if you can’t find seats available on your desired route and dates, we strongly recommend expanding your search to see if there are other itineraries you can combine. Recommended. The open-jaw rules are simple: the distance between the arrival and departure airports must be less than the distance on either the outbound or return flight. You can book your outbound journey online. You will then need to call BA to add your return trip to your companion voucher booking.
I arrived at Hong Kong airport in a very festive mood. It was sunny and a very comfortable 17 degrees Celsius. I will conquer gray and chilly England!
