BA 286, SFO-LHR, Club World

August 2015

After a hour or so of relaxing in the British Airways lounge (link), it was time to get on our flight, BA 286, from San Francisco (SFO) to London Heathrow (LHR), aboard a 747.

The departure time was 7:05pm, but we were slightly delayed. I’d been on this flight before, so I knew to expect that we would board directly from the lounge, but that was a first for my companion. He thought this was rather novel. It really is nice to not need to re-enter the main terminal and avoid the chaos!

Seat & Amenities

The seat and amenities all left something to be desired, not up to par with other similar priced business class offerings.

Cabin.

We were flying in Club World, aka, business class, and it was my first time. Yes, I’d been on BA286 before, but, due to Emil’s awesomeness and generosity, I was able to fly in First Class last time. So this was a first for me, and I was eager to explore my seat.

We opted for the upper deck, since it is a smaller cabin, rather than the main lower deck where most of business class is located. Every frequent flyer I talked with recommended the top, as the ratio of cabin crew (2) to passengers would be much better. It really was a lovely, tranquil cabin, and felt a lot like a small, private plane. I was slightly concerned about this, since I’ve been on the upper deck of a 747 before (on Qantas), and although lovely, my companion and I both felt the deck shook a lot when people walked by, which was really frustrating when trying to sleep. We hoped BA would do better.

The cabin layout was also very different from Qantas. The seats are arranged in a 2-2 configuration, with quite a wide aisle. But the unique aspect is … the window seats face backwards. So in the pair of two seats, you sit facing each other. Since I was flying with someone I knew it wasn’t strange, but with a strange, it would have felt a bit odd. Of course, there is a divider to put up once underway, but it needs to be down for takeoff and landing. This was actually really nice during meal service, as my companion and I shared most of our food, and it was really easy to pass things back and forth.

The configuration makes the seats not all created equal. Aisle seats have direct access, but window seats do not, and require hopping over the legs of another person (not the person you are looking at). But window seats have large storage compartments, and given how little seat storage there is (more on that later) I knew this was essential.

My Seat: 62K.

So most people need to choose: storage or aisle access? But luckily for me, I was able to get both. My status allowed me to select one of the best seats: 62K. This was a window, so I had the storage bins I wanted. But also, it is also the exit row, so I did not have someone to hop over. I got the rare combination of aisle access and storage bin, so I was thrilled.

The seat lays fully flat, but was rock hard, and quite uncomfortable. Only a single small pillow is provided, along with a small blanket, that barely covered me. The seat, and bedding, definitely do not compare to other business class flights of similar price point.

Side Cubbies.

The window storage bins were just about the same as Qantas, very nice to stow my laptop bag, blanket when I wasn’t using it, etc. But this is nearly all the storage the seat had. No compartment to put a phone, or even a magazine. Where would my glasses go during the flight? And, I was at a total loss as to what to do with my phone. During the flight it was fine, I could use the side bins, but this left something to be desired.

Foot Locker.

Ok, I lied, there was one small locker on the floor. It could fit shoes, or a laptop and power cords, but not much else. Next to it was the power jack, nice to have. No USB ports, just regular power.

Amenity Kit.

As we settled in, amenity kits were distributed. They had only a single kit for both men and women. It didn’t come in a nice case like most other kits I have received, rather, it was in a cotton bag. I have a slew of other kits, so it isn’t like I needed more, and the bag seemed useful for perhaps putting shoes in when I travel? But it didn’t feel nearly as luxurious.

The bag also didn’t have much to it. Some simple socks, earplugs, and eye mask. All low end. Toothbrush and mini toothpaste, pen, pretty standard, The products were Elemis brand, a nice touch. The kits had a small lotion, face cream, lip moisturizer. The bathrooms also stocked Elemis products (soup, lotion), and the BA lounges do as well.

Dining

Our flight served two meals, dinner after takeoff, and breakfast before landing.

Dinner

Menu.

We were given menus before takeoff, but our dinner orders were not taken until we got underway. The menu was … lackluster. Compared to my previous experience in First Class, I could tell this was going to be quite different.

Pre-Takeoff drinks were offered (water, sparkling wine, juice), but I just opted for water having been drinking wine in the lounge.

Drink Menu.

The drink menu was decent, BA always does a good job here (I think it is not a coincidence that this is Emil’s airline of choice!). To start, there was a choice of the classic Kir Royale or Buck’s Fizz, or Taittinger Brut Reserve or Champagne de Castelnau Brut Rose.

A bar selection of standard liquors, soft drinks, and sparkling waters was also available.

Kir Royale, Sparkling Water, Nuts.

I vaguely remembered liking the Kir Royale last time, so I opted for it again.

It took a while for our drink order to be taken. We reached cruising altitude, I went to the bathroom, and much other time elapsed before my drink order was taken (in fact, my dinner order was taken before my drink!). I was parched, and really wanted water!

Anyway, my kir royale was fine, it felt festive, and since I don’t really like champagne that much, a kir royale is always a bit more fun, the creme de cassis takes a bit of the edge off. I also opted for sparkling water since I was so thirsty, and it was offered with ice and lemon.

When my drinks arrived, I was also provided with a bag of mixed nuts. Oh, sadness. Just a package of nuts? Where were my amazing candied nuts from First Class! Not even served in a bowl? Doh, this was going to be different.

Dinner Menu.

The dinner menu began with a choice of two cold starters:

Beetroot smoked salmon with horseradish cream
Goat’s cheese and chipotle pepper mousse with grilled vegetables and balsamic glaze.

Next was a single salad:

Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette.

Then a choice of 4 mains, your standard steak/fish/chicken/veggie options:

Seared fillet of Midwest beef with garlic and parsley mash and mustard jus
Roasted seabass with spiced green lentils and grilled asparagus
Moroccan vegetable tagine with apricot and chickpea cous cous
Chilled main course salad of sweet chili organic breast of chicken with Asian-style noodles and Asian-style dressing

And finally, dessert of course, a single sweet and a single cheese:

Wildberry and vanilla crisp
Jersey Girl and Stilton blue cheese with quince paste

Besides the crisp, there was not much here I was excited by.

My companion and I agreed to each order different starters, so we could try them both. For the mains, he went classic and opted for the steak (even if the steak was overcooked, the mash might be good, was his reasoning) and I went for the chicken salad. Yes, laugh away, but I’ll explain. I certainly didn’t want the moroccan tagine as I don’t tend to like moroccan spices nor cous cous. And the fish seemed possibly ok, except I hate lentils, and I had seafood the two nights in a row before for dinner, so wasn’t really in the mood. Did I want chicken? No. But I was drawn in by the promise of sweet chili sauce and “Asian-style noodles”, whatever those were.

The first round of meal service was done from the cart, even though we already ordered our starters in advance, and we were re-asked our selections.

Wine List.

Moving on to wine to go with dinner, I really appreciated the menu. While not extensive (2 red, 2 white), the menu was full of descriptions and included tips on what dishes would go best with each wine. The white selections were:

Chablis 2014, Domaine Sainte Claire, Burgundy, France (recommended as an aperitif, with chicken, or with any starters)
Roero Arneis DOCG 2014, “Villata”, Piedmont, Italy (recommended as an aperitif)

For reds:

Chateau Landat 2010, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France (great with food, perfect with meat or cheese)
Ermita de San Felices Reserva 2009, Rioja, Spain (great with roasted meats, especially lamb … which was not offered on this flight).

Wines were served from a cart, with the starters. No hand towels or wipes were provided.

Chablis.

Since I ordered a starter and chicken, I went with the recommendation for the chablis. It was … fine. It wasn’t too dry, it certainly wasn’t sweet. So, no complaints.

***.

Starter: Smoked Salmon, Salad.

"Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette."

All trays contained a basic salad, with a small bottle of vinaigrette alongside. The salad was just mixed greens, a few token olives, and a single sundried tomato. The lettuces were kinda wilted, and not great. The sundried tomato was flavorful enough. **+.

Also on the tray was a small packet of salt and pepper to spice things up a bit, and a dark chocolate. Why was the dark chocolate on the starter tray? I have no idea.

"Beetroot smoked salmon with horseradish cream."

The smoked salmon was … fine. Three thin slices, not particularly great, but not offensive. I didn’t taste beetroot, but I guess it was smoked with it? The horseradish cream however was not at all what I expected. Primarily because, well, I didn’t taste any horseradish. And it was sweet. I liked it, but, really strange, and not at all as advertised. And a sweet cream was a bit strange with the smoked salmon. ***.

This was the better of the two starters however.

Starter: Goat's Cheese, Salad.

"Goat’s cheese and chipotle pepper mousse with grilled vegetables and balsamic glaze."

The other tray had the same salad and condiments, but came with the other starter. I hate goat’s cheese, but I was interested in the grilled vegetables in this one.

The mousse was, well, goaty, and chipotle pepper flavored. Served super cold, so not really fluffy. If you like goat cheese, maybe this was good? I quickly passed it off to my companion.

The grilled vegetables were a red pepper, zucchini, and summer squash. All were … fine? Not particularly flavorful or interesting. The “balsamic glaze” was just a drizzle on the plate. **+.

Overall, the starters were a bit lackluster, but, about as expected, and I did appreciate that they were served on real dishes, and before the main courses, not as a single tray with everything. Speaking of trays, the trays were tiny! Once you added beverages, there just wasn’t much room to move anything around.

After we finished our starters and salads, the trays remained, but they did clear the dishes from the starters (but not the salad dressing bottles, the wrappers, etc). Little service things like this added up.

Bread.

Along with the starters, a bread basket was passed around, with 3-4 different breads. No descriptions were given, but I opted for the dark one. The rolls were served warm, a nice touch. And actually, the roll wasn’t bad. Crispy exterior, fluffy interior, hearty flavor. Our trays also had a pat of butter on them, which helped enhance the roll. This was better than most airline bread.

The basket came by several more times throughout the starter service, but never alongside the mains. I think it was the best part of the savory portion of meal.

***.

Main: beef.

"Seared fillet of Midwest beef with garlic and parsley mash and mustard jus."

As I said, my companion opted for the beef. It was … very well done. As in, the fully cooked kind of done. I didn’t try it. Nor did I try the veggies on the side. I tried a few bites of the mash, piping hot, but fairly flavorless, and honestly, they didn’t taste like potato. You could have told me that it was cauliflower mash and I would have believed you. There was also no taste of garlic or parsley as described.

Bo-ring. **.

Main: Salad.

"Chilled main course salad of sweet chili organic breast of chicken with Asian-style noodles and Asian-style dressing."

My “salad” wasn’t quite what I expected. First, no greens, so not what I’d call a salad, but given the quality of the greens in the starter salad, I wasn’t saddened by this.

Next, it was warm. Well, the grilled chicken was warm. The chicken actually seemed decent, it had a bit of char to it, looked pretty moist, but I really hate chicken, and only got this for the other components. My companion enjoyed a few slices of chicken. Oh, and the “sweet chili”? Nonexistent.

The “Asian-style noodles” were cold, thin, rice noodles. Cold and plain, they were boring, but with the dressing they were tasty enough. The noodles weren’t clumped together, weren’t mushy, and weren’t too al dente, so, no complains there. Mixed in the noodles were a few chunks of broccoli (meh, but decently cooked), red peppers (slimy), and yellow peppers. I liked the yellow pepper slivers, but I did not like the rest of the veggies.

The “Asian-style dressing” was actually pretty good. I can’t really describe it though. It was kinda sweet. Kinda peanut-y, although I don’t think it had peanuts. Very flavorful at least. The dressing was on the side, so I was able to add it as I desired. And, it turned out, I desired it. I used my entire container of dressing, no problem.

So, overall, I’m pretty sure I made the right meal choice. Cold noodles and tasty sauce? Not an amazing meal, but, good enough. The flavor was there at least. **+.

Dessert: Wildberry & Vanilla Crisp.

Dessert was a no brainer. Cheese, fruit, or an actual dessert? Duh. Obviously I wanted the "real" dessert! Dessert was also served from the cart.

I had no idea what to expect from a “wild berry and vanilla crisp”, and, honestly, BA isn’t known for its desserts, but this was unexpectedly quite good. A crisp it was not, but, who cares?

The base and top were a sweet crumble. Sorta graham cracker bits-eque? But very sweet. I liked the texture they added. I guess this was the “crisp” component?

Above the base was a layer of what I guess was the “wildberry”. I couldn’t quite distinguish which berries they were, but there were at least blueberries and some sort of seeded berry. Sweet again, but a decent flavor.

And then on top of that, the majority of the dessert, was the “vanilla” I guess? It was basically a thick cream, almost a mousse, almost a cheesecake. Hard to describe. Not particularly vanilla flavored, but, a nice texture and it completed the dish well.

Overall, was this a 5 star dessert? No. But I enjoyed it. Sweet, good textures, creamy, assorted flavors. I polished it off in seconds flat, and didn’t offer any to my companion (who opted out of dessert. What?!)

The after dinner cart also had tea, coffee, wine, port, and other liquors, but skipped right over me. No offer of an after dinner drink, not even tea or coffee, and not even a refill on my now empty sparkling water glass was provided. I waited a few minutes to see if she’d come back to me, but alas, it did not happen. Again, the little service misses added up. Eventually I decided to be a bit rude and chase down the FA to ask for more water.

After dessert was cleared, water bottles were distributed to keep throughout the night.

Breakfast

I know this sounds silly, but I was looking forward to breakfast. That is, until I saw the menu. The last time I was on BA286, I had really amazing waffles. Granted, that was First Class. Sadly, the Club World selection didn’t include any waffles. Or pancakes. Or french toast. Nothing like this at all. I also love muesli, and was looking forward to that. And again, sadly, no muesli. Doh. And how about a danish? Nope.

Breakfast Menu.

Starters were continental:

chilled juice
“an energizing smoothie of banana and mango”
“fresh seasonal fruit”
“greek yogurt with peach compote”.

Where was my muesli?

The “bakery” selection was a “warm bacon roll served with tomato ketchup”. Where was my danish?

For mains, there were 4 choices:

Traditional breakfast grill
Mushroom frittata with roasted potatoes, wilted spinach and grilled tomato
Continental breakfast platter of ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, and Cheddar
Warm ciabatta featuring bacon, scrambled egg, and sun-dried tomatoes.

No carb, no sweet, breakfast item to be found! And what exactly was a “traditional breakfast grill”? I assumed this was probably a platter with scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, potatoes, and a roast tomato? But it was odd to have no description.

I hate frittata, so that was obviously out. And really, some deli meats and cheese? Um, no. So the bacon ciabatta seemed to be the only real option I had, although I lamented the fact that they were serving a breakfast sando sans cheese. Who does that? Could I ask for some swiss or cheddar to go with?

Breakfast Starters, Coffee.

Breakfast began far, far too early. I’m pretty sure I still hadn’t fallen asleep. But the clatter of the breakfast cart was hard to ignore.

The first phase of breakfast came through served from a cart. Apple or orange juice, and the smoothies were offered. I didn’t try any. Coffee and tea were also offered. I opted for decaf coffee, knowing that I’d be drinking plenty of coffee throughout the day. It was instant, fine, I guess.

“Greek yogurt with peach compote”

I was given the choice of the fruit or yogurt. Since the fruit plate had melons, I had to opt for the yogurt. thought it sounded decent, but wow, this was … horrible. The yogurt itself I guess was fine, although not creamy or interesting. But the compote was dreadful. I certainly wouldn’t have known it was supposed to be peaches. It had an awful taste that I can’t even describe. The syrup, the fruit, all of it was just horrible. And it coated the entire plate. I couldn’t even salvage a few bites of yogurt, the compote ruined everything. *.

"Flavored croissant"

After my tray was given to me, a bread basket was passed over, with some rolls and pastries. I asked what they were and was told “rolls”, “croissant”, “flavored croissant”. Um, thanks? I could see that much! I opted for the most interested one, dubbed “flavored croissant”. There were no tongs, and I was supposed to reach into the basket, grubby airplane hands and all, like everyone else. I was careful not to touch anything else, but … was everyone? So gross.

The flavored croissant certainly didn’t look good, but actually, it tasted good enough. Served warm. The pastry wasn’t flaky, and it was oily/buttery beyond belief, and a bit gummy, but somehow it worked. Sprinkled on top with bits of pecans and inside was a pecan pie like filling. The filling was sweet and gooey. Was it a good pastry? Well, no. No quality here. Not fresh. But it was warm, it was carbs, it was decadent, and well, I, captive audiance, liked it. ***.

Fruit.

My companion opted for the lackluster fruit option. He tried the blueberries but didn’t bother touch anything else.

Bacon Roll.

"Warm ciabatta featuring bacon, scrambled egg, and sun-dried tomatoes."

A while later, the FA came through with two choices in her hands: “English breakfast or frittata?”, she asked. I was stumped. Where was the “warm bacon roll served with tomato ketchup”? And what about the other two main dish choices. I asked if those were our only choices. She said a salad was also available. Hmm.

Perplexed, I pulled out the menu, and directly asked. The first “warm bacon roll” was listed in the “bakery” selection, and that had clearly been replaced with the croissants and other breads. Ok, not a problem, the pecan danish was tasty enough, so I didn’t mind. But what about the other two main dishes? She didn’t acknowledge the continental platter, and no one in our cabin was able to get it. However, when I crept downstairs to use the bathroom, I saw plenty of people down there, in the other business class cabin, with it. Not that I wanted it … but, more service misses.

The “warm ciabatta” is what I wanted. So I asked, again, directly about it. She said, “oh, that comes with the bread basket”. I said , “and it has bacon and eggs and everything in it?” And she said, “oh, uh, yes”. I said it was what I wanted. Maybe it was supposed to be in our bread basket but had run out and no one noticed?

Bacon Roll: Inside.

I'm still not sure if what I got was the aforementioned Bacon Roll from the "bakery" or the entree warm ciabatta, as it didn't actually match either description. It didn't have sundried tomato as the entree one was supposed to, and it had some white stuff (cheese?).

It was served warm enough, the ciabatta crispy on the outside, and fluffy inside. The cheese was nicely melty. The eggs however were not good, and the bacon was quite soggy. Once I removed the soggy bacon and mealy eggs however, I did like it. The warm bread and melty cheese was pretty satisfying and filling, particularly for 3am, as it was in my time zone. **+.

Fritatta.

My companion went for the frittata. The frittata and mushrooms looked awful so I didn't bother try, but I tried the potato cake. It was mushy, unseasoned, and not good.

*+.

June 2016

The next summer, as with most trips to Europe, I headed out of San Francisco on BA 286, London bound. Our flight was delayed by 17 minutes, which we were notified of several hours in advance, long before we left our house. I appreciated this, as many airlines don't bother notify of such a minor delay. Our takeoff time was around 7:30pm.

Seat

Our aircraft was an A380.

53K.

For seats, I booked far enough in advance that I had great choices. Since the seats have virtually no storage, I wanted to be on the upper deck, and on the window side, for the storage bins. I also knew that unlike the 747, the 380 is a seriously stable plane, so the annoying bouncing you sometimes get on the upper deck wouldn't be a problem.

But most window seats have a serious disadvantage: you have to climb over your neighbor to get in and out, and, for an overnight flight, this can be annoying. So I selected 53K, the only window seat with direct aisle access (which, of course I knew!). The downside however is that it is adjacent to the galley. This turned out to be really, really annoying, so much noise, so much activity, so much opening and closing, after meal service, in the middle of the night, and all through the morning. I would not pick this seat again.

My seat had a full 3 window bins in which to stash my stuff. This is great easy access storage. Besides that, the seat was the same as any other BA Club World seat. The seat was never very comfortable for sitting up, and it was annoying for dining. The tray table wasn't capable of reaching close enough to be really over my lap, and there is not a small side table to just place drinks (it does fold in half, but, that is still fairly invasive). And of course, there is no real storage for anything like your phone, glasses, a water bottle, or even the provided headphones. Seriously, I really don't like this seat.

Our seats came with a single flat-as-a-pancake pillow and a single scratchy blanket. My companion has clearly gotten used to flying on other airlines, as he commented, "Wait, no mattress pad or sheet?" We also were not provided pajamas. As always, I tried to ask for extra pillows and blankets as soon as I got on board, and, for the first time, I was unable to acquire any. "One pillow and blanket per seat!", my FA told me. Doh. I've literally never struck out before, and in the past, they've even gone to get a pillow or blanket from another cabin for me. So I asked another FA. It turns out, he had overheard me ask the previous one, and reminded me that she had already told me no. But then, 20 minutes or so later, he showed up with an extra pillow and a smile. Encouraging my bad behavior?

The seat was decently comfortable to sleep, and very, very private. I did appreciate that element of the galley, as it meant I had a wall at my feet rather than any other people. Cabin temperature was shockingly good the entire flight, I wasn't ever too hot or cold, when awake or laying down.

But, I didn't get any sleep. I learned my lesson. Never again will I sit in front of the galley. It was just way, way too noisy nearly the entire flight. So much opening and closing of doors, so much clanking.