Hello from Seattle everyone. I just got here a day ago after what seemed like an endless travel day that lasted over forty hours due to missed flights and reroutings. For my current trip to the United States, I chose to fly with one of my old favourites, British Airways. The reasons were two-fold. One part is always the cost consideration. The second is the equipment flown. In my case, I ended up positioning in Bangalore because of both of the reasons. The flights out of Bangalore for a premium economy fare were working out much better than out of Mumbai, and I got to fly the very new British Airways A350-1000 aircraft, which is only being flown to/from of Bangalore at the moment.

In the process, I also managed to upgrade myself for this long 11-hour trip, because what good are Avios if you don’t use them on such long trips. Here are some pictures and my first impressions of British Airways Club Suites which debuted on this aircraft.

First and foremost, the plane itself. The A350 series is one of my favourite aircraft, and the A350-1000 makes it even better because it is the larger of the two variants of the product. British Airways only started inducting the A350-1000 in July 2019 and has 18 of these aircraft on order. Isn’t she a beauty to look at, especially with the Speedmarque on it.

Once I stepped inside, I noticed the world of difference that the Club Suites were compared to the earlier British Airways Club World product (which still flies on most routes at the moment).

The new British Airways Club Suites are organised in a 1-2-1 fashion, with the airline installing the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond Business Class seat, which comes in a reverse herringbone configuration. As an added touch, the airline has added a door to the product as well. This door is not about complete privacy, but it is about giving you your personal space.

The hard product also includes a new IFE system in place, which debuts on the A350s. This one is much better and scrolled better and was more responsive than the earlier system. Also, there is a bigger screen. Additionally, it seemed there was more content as well.

In terms of F&B and hospitality overall, British Airways did well as well. They had a great set of the crew on this flight, which is one of the longer ones they operate, and this was no mixed crew flight. My aisle was handled by the cabin lead herself, and she was very attentive to detail. There was some excellent food on offer. For instance, the Traditional English Breakfast, and the lamb for lunch, both of which were delicious. I don’t usually even go for Lamb on planes, but this one was done well, was moist, and the jus was done very nicely, and it smelt good.

Lastly, for me, the quality of a Business Class British Airways flight and crew are almost always judged by how well they deal with the Club World kitchen. Sometimes these fridges are just used to stock the purses of the crew, and I’ve seen these being unstocked many a time. But on this flight, it was all full. From juices to champagne, from sandwiches to hummus, from wafers to popcorn, it was all there through the length of the flight.

All in all, I had a great first experience with the British Airways Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, especially in the Club World cabin, and would perhaps consider positioning myself to Bengaluru for this flight again. Watch out for my full review of the product on the first opportunity.

What do you make of the new British Airways A350 Club Suite experience? Have you experienced it yet?