Great award availability but beware the taxes: British Airways business class review

How much does it cost to book British Airways business class?

The cost of a British Airways business-class ticket depends on your origin and destination, dates of travel and whether you are flying one-way or round-trip. My flight from Los Angeles to London would ordinarily cost $12,000 each way or about the same round-trip (airline logic, go figure).

However, I was able to book my ticket as an award … but not how you might think.

Checking into and boarding British Airways business class

British Airways business-class passengers can enjoy the following priority services at the airport.

I arrived at LAX about three hours before my flight and made my way to the check-in counters, where there were separate lines for economy, business- and first-class passengers. No other passengers were waiting when I arrived, so I checked my bag and received my boarding pass within about two minutes.

How comfortable is British Airways business class?

British Airways’ Boeing 777-300ERs have a very premium-heavy configuration, with the first- and business-class sections taking up around half of the plane’s interior.

First class comprises two rows of four seats, each arranged in a 1-2-1 pattern, at the very front of the plane.

Behind that, there are three business-class sections with a total of 76 seats. These Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats are laid out in a reverse-herringbone 1-2-1 configuration. Those along the sides are angled out toward the windows while those running down the center of the cabin are angled toward one another, making them better for companions traveling together. (Don’t worry, if you get assigned one of these seats as a solo traveler, there’s a sizable privacy divider between them.)

The first section of business class has three rows of four seats each. The second and largest section has 42 seats, with 10 running along the sides and 11 down the middle. Finally, the back section has five full rows of four seats each, plus two center seats up front.

My seat was 19A along the left side of the largest cabin. I had selected it since I was traveling solo. Because I don’t have British Airways Club status, I had to pay around $150 for this particular assignment.

It was 22 inches wide between the armrests, though the thicker one along the aisle could be lowered for an extra 5 inches of space.

It reclined to a fully lie-flat bed of 79 inches long, and the foot cubby was comfortable but slightly tight at just 12 inches high and 17 inches deep.

The single most important feature of these seats, however, is the fact that they have closing doors that slide shut for privacy. These measure 44 inches high from the floor, so they are not as private as fixtures on some other airlines, but they provide plenty of protection from activity on the aisle and are easy to use. Flight attendants keep them in an open position for takeoff and landing but unlatch them during the rest of the flight, and they are easy to maneuver, though they do require a little tugging.

Seats have small storage cabinets adjacent to the seatbacks with vanity mirrors on their doors. The window-side cubbies (or center ones for the middle seats) have two compartments of their own, including a shallow one to store personal items and a deeper one with a universal power plug, two USB-A ports and a headphone jack for the inflight entertainment system, plus a corded touchscreen remote for the entertainment system.

The seat controls were a touchscreen embedded in the armrest with various preset positions, including upright for takeoff and landing, a lounging position and lie-flat mode, as well as ways to move individual sections of the seat. There was also a button for the overhead light.

Near the footwell, there was a small cubby with the airplane’s safety brochure. This was a convenient place to stow a bag of personal amenities.

The seat’s bifold table slid out from under the entertainment screen via a track and unfolded to a full area of 16 inches wide by 18 inches long, which made it handy for working on my laptop between dining services.

In lie-flat mode, the seat felt spacious, especially with the aisle-side armrest down, which provided an extra 5 inches or so of width. The foot cubby provided plenty of room to maneuver (and I’m a side sleeper who tosses and turns).

Unfortunately, British Airways’ Boeing 777-300ERs do not have individual air nozzles in business class, so you must hope that the crew keeps the cabin temperature at a degree of your liking. Luckily, the cabin was cool and comfortable throughout this flight.

All business-class passengers share a set of four lavatories between the first two sections of business class. That’s not a huge passenger-to-lavatory ratio, but I never encountered a line. They are provisioned with The White Company geranium, neroli and eucalyptus soap and hand lotion.

Overall, British Airways’ Club Suite cabins feel sleek and slightly futuristic thanks to blue-tinged mood lighting and seats with charcoal upholstery accented by white stitching and metallic accents. It all adds up to a pared-down but timeless look.

Amenities in British Airways business class

British Airways business-class passengers can expect a lightweight blanket, a seat cover and a midsize pillow courtesy of the airline’s partner brand, The White Company. I find these to be comfortable and breathable, and the cover is a nice touch so that you’re not sleeping on a surface where multiple passengers have sat.

On this overnight flight, passengers were given The White Company white leather amenity kits with The White Company geranium, neroli and eucalyptus moisturizer, lip balm and lavender, clary sage and peppermint pulse point oil, and other usual inclusions like an eye mask, ear plugs, a dental kit and socks.

The airline also provides passengers with sets of basic noise-canceling headphones to use with the entertainment system. Unfortunately, there’s no Bluetooth capability for passengers to use their own headphones.

Speaking of which, these seats’ entertainment screens are 18 inches across, diagonally, and are loaded with hundreds of movies, including new releases like “Moana 2” and “Conclave.” Among the many TV shows on offer were “Yellowstone,” “The Great British Bake Off” and “The Day of the Jackal.” There were also plenty of musical playlists, podcasts and games, such as “Angry Birds World Tour.”

Wi-Fi was available. British Airways Club members could log in through a single device for free messaging throughout the flight. Additional devices cost 2.99 British pounds ($3.10) for an hour or 4.99 pounds ($6.50) for a full flight pass. Streaming packages ranged from 4.99 pounds ($6.50) for an hour to 11.99 pounds ($15.50) for four hours to 19.99 pounds ($25) for the whole flight. First-class passengers received complimentary full-flight access.

As it was an overnight flight, I just chose the free messaging plan for a single device and was able to text and see that I was receiving email and Slack messages, though I eventually gave in and purchased the hourlong pass in order to be able to reply to messages. I clocked decent upload and download speeds while using it.

How was the food in British Airways business class?

Other than special dietary needs, meals were not available for preorder in British Airways business class.

Shortly after most business-class passengers had boarded, flight attendants came through the cabin passing out handsome dark-blue printed menus. They also offered a choice of orange juice or Champagne as a predeparture beverage.

A few minutes later, they came back through to take orders for dinner, which would be served shortly after takeoff and included a choice of appetizers accompanied by a variety of warm bread choices. The options were:

• Olive oil-marinated king prawns with pickled radish, hummus creme fraiche and paprika oil
• Pesto orzo salad with charred broccolini
• Cheddar soup with pumpernickel croutons

I selected the king prawns, a hearty but fairly light way to start the meal, which commenced about an hour after takeoff. Before they were served, passengers were offered their choice of postdeparture beverage, plus a packet of nuts.

The mains on the menu included:

• Braised beef short rib with chive pommes macaire, green beans, baby carrots and thyme jus
• Grilled Atlantic salmon with aubergine and potato curry, roasted fingerling potatoes and chimichurri sauce
• Ricotta and kale lasagna with slow-roasted cherry tomato sauce

This was accompanied by a side salad with quinoa, carrot and maple-lemon yogurt dressing.

I chose the short rib, which was surprisingly tender and served with vegetables that tasted fresh and crispy. Along with it, I had a glass of Chilean pinot noir.

I appreciated the fact that meal service was accomplished by delivering plates directly from the galley to passengers individually rather than via a trolley since this kept the aisles clear in case you needed to leave your seat.

The bar options included specialty cocktails like the Gin Zing (gin, citrus and sparkling water on the rocks) and the Johnnie Ginger (whisky, mandarin orange syrup and ginger ale served with a slice of orange on the rocks). There were also mocktails like the Fizberry (cranberry juice and Fever Tree tonic on ice).

Among the other wines on offer were:

• Nicolas Feuillatte brut Champagne from France
• Wiston brut from Sussex, England
• Goldwater reserve sauvignon blanc from New Zealand
• Swartland Winery Bush Vine chenin blanc from South Africa
• Montes limited-selection pinot noir from Chile
• Leeuwenkuil shiraz from South Africa
• Graham’s Six Grapes reserve ruby port

Finally, for dessert, there was a selection of:

• Banana-chocolate dome with caramel sauce
• Blueberry bread butter croissant pudding with vanilla sauce
• Artisanal cheeses, including butterkase, gran queso and Statesboro blue with savory crackers, fig chutney and walnuts

The “dome” was sort of like a pudding with a hazelnut crust underneath, and it was delicious.

I was about halfway through the business-class section and had no problem securing my first choices of king prawns and short rib. The flight attendants told me I could order breakfast later.

After meal service, the crew set up a self-serve station in the galley for drinks and bites, including yogurt and small sandwiches.

The breakfast menu was served about 90 minutes before landing. It included a starter of fresh fruit and green apple buckwheat muesli with quinoa granola and mixed berries accompanied by warm pastries.

After that, passengers could select from the following:

• Full English breakfast with scrambled egg, pork sausage, bacon, mushrooms, tomato and hash browns
• Mushroom omelet with sauteed spinach and sweet corn-potato rosti
• Cinnamon French toast with mixed berry compote and chocolate sauce

There was also a tea and coffee menu that included a variety of Twinings teas, Union Coffee drinks and Cadbury hot chocolate. Oat milk was available upon request.

I selected the full English breakfast because this was British Airways, after all, and was impressed by the large portion. While it wasn’t the healthiest, it was a hearty meal that would tide me over until dinnertime in London.

Would you recommend British Airways business class?

British Airways Club Suites are a great way to fly between the U.S. and the U.K. Not only are they spacious, but they feel very private thanks to their doors. The provided amenities, including The White Company bedding and skin care products, give the experience an elevated feel, and despite an unusually large cabin, flight attendants were friendly and efficient at getting the meal services completed quickly.

Another plus? British Airways business-class award availability, including for awards booked with partner points or miles, is among the most plentiful you will find on transatlantic routes. On the downside, taxes and fees can be outrageously high, but you can shave a few hundred dollars off depending on which type of frequent flyer miles you use (Asia Miles is my pick for the winner in this respect).

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