Introduction to British Airways 787-10 Club Suites Review
After a recent trip to Europe to visit Christmas markets, I struggled to find award space for my partner and I back to the US. British Airways presented itself as one of our few options versus paying out of pocket to fly economy.
As I’ll discuss further in the review, British Airways is not an airline I typically redeem miles and points for due to high taxes/surcharges that are imposed on its flights. Given we had yet to review the British Airways Club Suites business class product, this seemed like a reasonable opportunity to try it despite the additional costs.
British Airways Business Class Review London to Chicago Details
- Route: London Heathrow (LHR) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
- Flight Number: BA 297
- Aircraft: Boeing 787-10
- Scheduled Departure Time: 3:45 PM
- Scheduled Arrival Time: 6:45 PM
- Seat Numbers: 14F and 14K
- Mileage Cost: 55,000 Alaska Atmos Points and $845 in taxes
Booking British Airways Club Suites with Miles and Points
British Airways is a member of the One World Alliance and award flights can be booked through its own Avios program or through other partners including Alaska’s Atmos Rewards and American’s AAdvantage. From a pure points perspective, you’ll typically find that Alaska’s Atmos program is the cheapest with business class starting at 55K points and first class starting at 82.5K points for the London to Chicago route. While those are attractive costs on their own, the kicker is the high taxes and surcharges on BA tickets. For this particular route, you’ll pay $845 in business class and $904 in first class. You’ll notice similar fares by comparison if you book through American Airlines.
These are some insanely high fees compared to most award tickets and are a reason many people avoid redeeming on British Airways metal. I’d consider booking first class instead of business class as the taxes are “only” $59 more for this particular route. In our specific case, first class award space wasn’t available but with economy tickets costing over $1,500 for a last minute ticket home, our business class redemption seemed like the best option.
I’d also like to point out that often times British Airways is very good about opening up award space close to departure compared to other airlines. Although I dislike the excessive fees, it’s nice to know British Airways is a reliable redemption option if you want to travel in a premium cabin and nothing else is available last minute.
Finally, I should mention you can avoid a portion of these surcharges by booking through Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles program. This applies more so on flights from the US to London and not as much the other direction. For example, flying from Chicago to London on British Airways would only cost 63,000 miles and a much cheaper $247 in taxes/fees. If you instead booked the London to Chicago route, taxes/fees are $650 dollars, saving you around $200 compared to Atmos and AAdvantage. See example screenshots below.
For my US counterparts, Asia Miles are not as easy to earn compared to Atmos and AAdvantage. Cathay’s Asia Miles also charges higher cancellation/change fees so this may not work well for everyone who need flexible travel options.
British Airways Business Class Seat Review London to Chicago (787-10)
British Airways has a variety of Airbus and Boeing aircraft in its fleet with an inconsistent business class product. The airline’s latest and best business class product featuring doors is referred to as Club Suites. You’ll find Club Suites in all of British Airways’ 787-10 aircraft, which was taking us to Chicago. If you are flying another aircraft type, I’d recommend finding your flight on Google Flights and identifying whether the seat is referred to as a “lie flat seat” or an “individual suite”. The individual suite is going to be the latest British Airways Club Suite.
Below is an example of the “individual suite” vs “lie flat seat” result from Google Flights.
I would avoid redeeming your hard earned points or cash on any of British Airways’ flights not operating with the Club Suite business class product. The older non-Club Suite configuration has a highly outdated seat that lacks privacy and the seating arrangement even includes a laughable middle seat in business class. The older seating arrangement may even have you looking face to face towards a stranger during takeoff and landing (as the privacy walls must be lowered). You may also have to step over another passenger’s legs if they are sleeping to access the aisle and restroom.
British Airways 787-10 Seat Map
Below is the premium cabin seat map for the British Airways 787-10 taking us to Chicago. The cabin features 8 first class seats followed by 2 sections of Club Suites. Club Suites are in a 1-2-1 configuration so all passengers have direct aisle access. Three bathrooms and galleys are located between the business class cabins so I’d avoid rows 11 and 12 if possible to avoid the noise. My partner and I were in an aisle and window seat, 14F and 14K respectively.
British Airways 787-10 Business Class Seat Review, London to Chicago
British Airways utilizes the Collins Aerospace reverse herringbone seat with privacy door which is a perfectly nice product. It’s not quite as nice as Collin’s latest and greatest Aerospace Elements business class seat found on our recent Starlux flight which features better tech and a wider footwell but otherwise it’s virtually identical.
I like the color scheme and seat finishes British Airways has utilized along with the lighted logo at the front of the cabin which deliver a premium feel. If you are sitting in the aisle seats there is a small privacy shield you can close if you do not know your seat mate.
The window seats are essentially the same, and I had access to two windows from my seat. Along the windows you’ll find the traditional Boeing 787 dimmable window buttons.
My sidetable definitely needed a better wipe down and had a good stain on it. I used the hot towel provided shortly after departure to wipe things down a bit.
Taking a look at the front of the seat, you have a 17 inch high definition display which is a tad smaller than the 24 inches you’ll get on the new Starlux Collins Aerospace element version of this seat.
Below the screen is the pull out tray table, which can be expanded to a larger size. I found the space sufficient for inflight dining and working on a laptop.
Below the tray table is the footwell which is on the tighter side compared to some of the more modern business class seats out there.
Moving onto seat storage, there is a variety of compartments along the side table. In the larger compartment you’ll find an entertainment remote, charging outlet, two USB-A ports, and a headphone jack.
Towards the rear of the seat is an additional storage locker and mirror.
One final compartment is located near the floor and, like my side table, definitely could’ve used a better cleaning.
Seating adjustments can be made utilizing the touchscreen near the side table along with quick press buttons for upright, lounging, and lie flat modes.
A couple of lighting options are also available around the seat including a reading light next to the storage locker. You can adjust the brightness of this light.
Each seat also has an overhead light. Unfortunately no air vents are available to help regulate the temperature, and I did find the cabin to be a bit too hot for my taste throughout the flight.
On the opposite side of the seat is an adjustable armrest followed by the privacy door.
These doors are nothing too revolutionary and match the industry standard for business class. You can see over the doors while walking through the aisle but I do think it helps drown out some of the aisle movement and sounds when sleeping or working. The doors are locked open for takeoff and landing but you can close it during cruise if desired.
Even with the doors open, privacy levels are still solid with privacy dividers surrounding the seat. This is our view of the other seats surrounding us to give you a sense of the privacy.
All in all, British Airways Club Suites on the 787-10 check all the right boxes for business class having good amounts of storage, direct-aisle access, sufficient privacy, and a comfortable lie flat seat. Some competitors across the Atlantic offer larger footwells/entertainment screens, wireless charging, and bluetooth wireless audio, but I wouldn’t consider those strong enough reasons to actively avoid this seat.
British Airways Club Suites Amenities Review
Awaiting at our seat upon boarding was a good array of amenities. First up is the White Company branded amenity kit, and we liked the compact size and design.
Contents of the amenity kit included an eye mask, socks, ear plugs, dental kit, lip balm, moisturizer, and pulse point oil. I’d consider this a pretty competitive amenity kit for trans-atlantic business class service.
In addition to the amenity kit was a set of noise canceling headphones. These were not the most comfortable to wear during flight and the audio quality wasn’t the best. I certainly preferred to listen to audio on my AirPods Pro of my iPad instead.
Finally, the seat included a bottle of water, pillow, and bedding set. The bedding consists of a mattress pad and a blanket. While I appreciate the inclusion of a mattress pad it was pretty thin and didn’t adhere to the seat all that well. I prefer the bedding offered on Air France, Virgin Atlantic and United by far.
Boarding and Taxi British Airways 787-10
As boarding continued, the cabin crew came through to offer pre-departure beverages and take meal orders. Pre-departure beverage options included still water, orange juice, and champagne.
As we pushed back, the safety video began playing, which had a fun theme that reminded me of Bridgerton.
As we taxied out to runway 9R, I enjoyed views of a variety of British Airways planes and an Air Canada 777 with an older livery.
We were in a cloud layer for a short period of time but once we broke out, there was a nice sunset taking place.
British Airways Business Class Meal Service Chicago to London Review
After reaching cruising altitude, the first meal service began. Below is a gallery of the menu on offer.
One unique aspect of British Airways is they offer a Christmas menu during the month of December, and we decided to order the festive menu items available. Out of London, British Airways uses DO & CO catering which typically has good catering and this flight did not disappoint.
To start, my partner and I enjoyed the Winter Warmer and Johnnie Ginger cocktail. These were accompanied by mixed nuts. The mixed nuts were good but I’d like to see British Airways serve these in a proper dish rather than a packaging and would be nice if they could serve them warm like some of the competition.
The meal itself began with a parsnip and apple soup which was delicious. My partner also ordered the fizzbery mocktail that was light and not too sweet.
For the main course, we both tried the traditional Christmas dinner. I was pretty impressed as the turkey wasn’t dry and the stuffing had good flavor. Kudos to British Airways for offering something more unique compared to the competition for Christmas time.
To wrap up the meal, we had the praline bar and a cup of hot chocolate which were both excellent.
The cabin crew dimmed the cabin at the conclusion of the meal service and the service wrapped up about 90 minutes after departure.
British Airways WiFi and Entertainment
After the meal service, I tried connecting to the inflight WiFi. British Airways offers free WiFi in first class and free messaging to all passengers who sign into their British Airways account.
Paid options included a $16.49 option for 4 hours of WiFi access and $24.99 for full flight access. I wish these options were a tad cheaper but the performance was at least good.
Below is the result of my inflight speed test and I found the WiFi to be reliable throughout the flight. I was able to stream a couple of football games without issue on my iPhone.
Moving onto the inflight entertainment system, I found a good selection of movies and TV shows.
I liked the selection of newer releases available and the special Christmas movies they loaded. I enjoyed watching Caught Stealing during the flight.
Some options from Disney+, HBO Max, and Paramount Plus were also on offer.
I did find the selection of audio and podcasts to be a bit weak. I couldn’t find any current music or podcasts to listen to and what was available seemed highly random.
The entertainment system also included a selection of games and traditional flight tracking screens. Unfortunately, British Airways doesn’t have any tail cameras on this plane to look outside in real time.
Overall, I won’t give British Airways any awards for its inflight entertainment system selection but you’ll likely find some things to pass the time.
British Airways 787-10 Business Class Bathrooms
On the 787-10, you’ll find three bathrooms between the two business class cabins. Each was average in size with nothing special. White Company amenities were available to use and the cabin crew did a good job of keeping everything clean during the flight. Business class was probably half full on this flight and I never found a wait to use the restroom. I imagine these things will constantly be occupied on a full flight given there are nearly 50 business class seats.
Snacks and Pre-Arrival Meal Service
Given this was a daytime flight across the Atlantic, I didn’t spend too much time sleeping. During the flight, I enjoyed a few snacks available in the galley.
Pre-arrival meal service began about 90 minutes out from Chicago, and I selected the ham sandwich along with a chai tea. The tea and side chocolate muffin were quite good but the ham sandwich was pretty tasteless and disappointing.
British Airways London to Chicago Service Review
The crew on this flight was one of the better I’ve had across the Atlantic. Part of this may have had to do with the lighter loads on this flight but I came away impressed. Meal service was efficient for those looking to maximize sleep and ample drink refills were provided. Crew members roamed the aisle very frequently and proactively asked me if I wanted anything to snack on or drink between meal services. Service was warm and polite and pilot announcements were informative while being succinct.
British Airways 787-10 Review, Arrival
As we began our descent, it was fairly turbulent all the way through to landing.
Upon landing it was rainy and hard to get a great picture outside but there was a nice line up at O’Hare’s terminal 5 including Qatar, SAS, Swiss, Royal Jordanian, and Tap Air Portugal.
British Airways Business Class Review London to Chicago (787-10) – Pilot Debrief
It’s been quite sometime since I last flew British Airways in business class and the new Club Suites are a breath of fresh air compared to the old configuration with middle seats. The Club Suite seat, while not fully industry leading, is more than adequate and the warm service and inflight food offerings stood out on this flight. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending British Airways across the Atlantic but as discussed the high taxes/surcharges make it tough to consider when cheaper redemptions can be had with Air France, Lufthansa, American, United, etc.
