BRITISH AIRWAYS CLUB EUROPE EXPERIENCE - Is It Worth the Extra Cost?

[@armychap007]

Another great video. When BA get it right, Club Europe can be a very good product, but sadly for me there is too much inconsistency in the service for me to book a shorthaul Club Europe flight with BA. There is a slight inaccuracy in your video at 0:56. You mention all check-in desks are exclusive to BA in LHR T5. There are in fact 8 dedicated Iberia check-in desks in T5 Zone H for their flights to Madrid.

[@GavTheFlyGuy]

Great point! thank you

[@richardstreet7518]

Technical issues ... mmm. I would put in an UK261 compensation claim and see what happens...

[@MarkSmith-ku4fu]

Understand your comments Gavin but members will also benefit from increased tier points (double in the case of BA holiday bookings) which helps retain status.

[@GavTheFlyGuy]

Indeed you are quite correct, members do also benefit from the tier points, thank you mark 👍🏻

[@thebeachhunter3750]

Gavin I like the idea of more personal space and comfort and fly business class long haul most times. Do you know how often BA use the middle seat in business class, I read only on emergencies like cancellations after a storm on catch up and a one off Nats disaster with air control. I imagine it is probably only a few times a year, as client has paid for the comfort and more personal space, any ideas on this, thank you

[@GavTheFlyGuy]

Hi there, thanks for your post. You're absolutely right-European airlines often prefer to maintain the flexibility of utilising the aircraft's full capacity when needed. In extreme situations that causes flight cancellations, business class seats may be used to manage sudden spikes in demand. As for regular operations, I’ve personally never seen the middle seat occupied in British Airways’ Euro Business Class (though it may happen on occasion). BA is one of the few airlines that physically blocks the middle seat with a tray table, making it far less likely to be used compared to other European carriers like Austrian and Lufthansa, who simply leave the seat unoccupied. TFG

[@Halfwayto100]

Really good video- fair and balanced. I love BA and far more often than not we have had super service from the doors at T5 to getting off the plane at the other end but things do go wrong. My youngest has just had outgoing and incoming flights cancelled but BA put them in a hotel, rebooked without issue and are giving €1600 in compensation. Frustrating indeed. I’ve flown with them since I was born (my Dad was staff for 46 years and during the World’s Favourite Airline era) and in all those many years, I’ve only had 2 flights cancelled. Agree with you on Club Europe- we love it but when you have status, it really isn’t always worth the money. Look forward to more videos 👏🏼

[@GavTheFlyGuy]

Hi Nicola, I totally agree, I also love BA and without wanting to jinx anything, I have always have received super service too. However just when your lulled into that false sense they hit you with a bat and do something to ruin your day. It is few and far between and isn't always in their control in fairness. I hope you enjoyed the review and hang about for some more, I'll try to mix it up as much as I can. Thank you for contributing and being part of the channel. TFG

[@Halfwayto100]

@@GavTheFlyGuy I’m on Flight Radar checking on my partners flight from Nice at the moment- 20 min delay, can cope with that! Really enjoyed your review and will be watching more. Subscribed! Happy flying ✈️🥂

[@GavTheFlyGuy]

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[@Fat_Cat_747]

The 30 inch pitch is not adequate. For those working with laptops you really need more and fat people simply cannot get the tray down to eat, having instead to twist to the central seat tray and the divider platform. BA would do well to restore 34 inches, while keeping the Euro-biz configuration and the cabin flexibility. I wonder what the figures are for business class utilisation. Really they could do it and it would be so welcomed. So what if a few lucky Economy passengers get to have more room too, after all BA could variously charge a fee, upgrade status holders, or accommodate tall people/disabled/pregnant who really need it. It would also tip the balance of choice for some going long haul, from going via AMS or FRA say, to going via LHR with BA. If I was magically in charge of BA I'd do this straight away and also give orders for a better flowing bar too. Make domestic business class more spacious and fun again.

[@GavTheFlyGuy]

Hi Cat, I do agree that the pitch on most Euro-Biz seats doesn't accommodate a wide range of people, however in Europe it does seem that were stuck with the cabin flexibility preference of airlines. BA are pushing ahead with their new short-haul cabin, and with the slimline seats on the Neo's there might be scope for greater pitch, although I'm pretty sure they will not do that. Thank you for taking the time to engage, I hope you like some of the reviews.

[@Fat_Cat_747]

@@GavTheFlyGuy Just to clarify, when I say restore to 34 inches, I just mean in the euro-biz cabin. They should restore business class seat pitch to 34. I agree that pitch in economy won't be going up just because of slimline seats. They already went slimmer before when pitch went down and use the slimmer seats as partial justification. The slimmer the slimline seats get the more they think they can get away with pinching pitch !