Review: British Airways Club Europe Business Class Airbus A320neo (MUC-LHR)

Sounds like typical British Airways, past 4 times I've flown with them they ran out of one or both of the business class meal options before reaching the last couple of rows. Got given economy buy on board snacks for free as their way of apologising. But why they cater such a small amount of food seems ridiculous

Ben I dont understand why you're paying 16k avios + $25. BA gives you multiple pricing options and in my opinion the best one is 9k + $50, no?

@ GRKennedy -- Interesting point. When I booked, I just automatically decided to use the maximum number of Avios and minimum cash. Looking at the options now, here they are:
-- 16250 Avios + $ 25.00
-- 15500 Avios + $ 35.00
-- 13250 Avios + $ 45.00
-- 9750 Avios + $ 65.00
-- 7250 Avios + $ 100.00
-- 5750 Avios + $ 130.00

There's potentially merit to pay more cash and redeem fewer Avios, you're right. However, I also have a sizable balance of Avios that I earned with a transfer bonus, so I don't mind redeeming them.

Ahh the famous BA hot 'nightstopper' breakfast which is brought over on the inbound flight from London the night before (hence why the packaged breakfast bar & survivable fruit pot are provided as they are stored onboard overnight.

All catering is provided on Club Europe flights from London, no out source catering.

The available legroom on the BA 320 is pitiful in any (normal) row. A319 or A321 is much more comfortable.

A 4.5 rating is too high considering those "business class" seats with no seatback IFE.

Same legroom as economy. What a joke to call this business class, it is not even premium economy.

He is probably rating it within the standards of European business class.

I checked this article just because I was curious about the meal... and yes, it's still non-appealing as what I remember from two years ago when I think it was the last time we used BA.
LH group made a giant leap forward here with pre-select meals.

Only up to exit rows (where it can be turned into CE). Behind that you get slightly less leg room and… believe it or not a less comfortable seat without the adjustable headrest. This truly is the best of British…

Did the exact same flight a few weeks ago
The only difference was it used an Airbus 319. Club Europe is a joke. Old plane and seats worn out, should be scrapped. No leg room terrible breakfast, but nice crew
They get away with murder

I looked up the seat pitch for this model: 30 inches! That one inch more legroom than Spirit and Frontier. I still can’t stop laughing at anyone buying a business class ticket and getting a 30’ seat pitch.

Makes me appreciate Qantas domestic Business even more! Meal, lounge, real business class seat, entertainment, baggage, beer/ wine / spirits and wifi all included

Would seem like BA should offer you some additional 'consolation prize' for not fulfilling their business class service by negligent catering....

Let's hope the hot portion is also not stored in the galley overnight but is indeed catered locally... Otherwise one might expect a generous helping of food poisoning !

The meal is suspiciously similar to a low end Economy brekkie from days of yore.

Place it in on a plastic/disposable tray and that 'business class' hot breakfast looks indistinguishable from an economy class breakfast. It even comes with a cheap looking plastic-wrapped 'breakfast bar' of some description (Lord knows how people eat those horrid things) and a small cup of fruit. So much for BA business class catering.

Sounds like a typical BA short haul flight, generally excellent crews and food. Sometimes the empty centre seat has a table fitted, sometimes not, but that is not the end of the world.
Ref food options, I always pre book my seat in rows 2 or 3, have never had a problem with my preferred choice.

That’s one of the better Airbus NEO jets. Get one of the dozens of older CEO versions BA still uses and it’s 28”. Plus the guy in front can also recline his seat!

Club Europe is great if you're lucky - when things go right it's one of my favourite shorthaul business products outside Asia. But their breakfast offering is simply a disaster (personally I don't even bother upgrading morning flights on BA anymore), and the issue with them running out of meal choices all the time is too real.

Paying for J and then getting a choice to either eat that disgusting meal on pictures or nothing.. thanks but no thanks.

Nothing is catered locally at European stations. It all comes from London the evening before. No reason for the food poisoning if it's stored properly - I have encountered situations when "fridges" went IROP during overnight and no meal was served on the inbound.

Ben, are you aware there are two different physical seat products on the BA a320? rows 1-12 are what you show, and flexible to be in business cabin or economy by moving divider. Rows 13 and back are a different model seat, that is physically narrower, has different tray tables, and is similar to a ULCC carrier seat, and does not recline. Row 13 perhaps the worst since someone can recline into your space, but your seat does not recline to recoup space.

Also, the T5 "First" lounge has all new furniture, and a somewhat updated dining space/concept, FWIW

Just as a data point, I’m BA Gold (OWE Emerald) and if I’m towards the back of the cabin the crew normally checks what breakfast choice I want before they start serving non-Golds. Which I appreciate, since I also hate their take on a full English (last week the alternative was a rather nice burrata and prosciutto plate).

I don’t know if they extend the same courtesy to non-BA OWEs.

Realizing this was a BA European short haul Business review, and that many folks gripe generally about what they do and don’t get on European short hauls, I’m reminded of an extraordinarily good Iberia Business experience a couple of years ago, MAD-LIN (part of a routing that began and ended in BOS).

My wife and I were able to upgrade to B for about $25 each way per person on the European legs (with no status and flying Premium Economy TATL). For that modest fee, we enjoyed: priority bag check in, priority security, access to the BA lounge in LIN, priority boarding, the blocked middle seat, a hot breakfast (only one selection), among the first off the aircraft, and perhaps best of all, a wonderful cabin crew experience. Outstanding value for the two 90-minute segments!

Please tell me more about this transfer bonus (do you have a post on this?). I have never collected Avios but it seems to make sense since intra-Europe flights on BA can be very expensive.

It is worth noting that Club Europe seats on most BA aircraft are a better physical seat than economy. It’s a different model seat with better padding.

How can they call it a full English breakfast? There are no beans.

I remember a time when I was flying back from Istanbul in Club. There was an American couple (obviously returning after a cruise), behind me. They were NOT happy with the seating config; loudly and constantly complaining to the the poor FA. I guess, they assumed that the seats will be similar to most American airline's domestic First Class seats.
I still wonder how most Asian and American Airlines manage to have a profitable, 'set' business-class , with proper 2x2 lounger seats, while the Europeans still stick with flexible 3x3 business/economy seats??

*Some not most* & also worth mentioning the ongoing catering cuts... Inc cream tea with no cream, absence of customer service on the ground and failed IT systems

Beans have NEVER been part of a traditional english breakfast

I al a frequent BA Club Short Haul flyer and have a couple of comments:
- 16k avios + USD 25, dépends on how you value avios, but I'd say the best value is 9k avios + USD 50
- No meal option (and very slow service) when sitting last row is pretty typical on BA, which is why I always assign myself the available seat which is most in front
- In terms of WiFi, not only it's reasonable, but for this price streaming also works (while in AF you need the 17€ WiFi to get some streaming)

Actually, a waste of money. Same seats in economy, no in-flight entertainment. Typically, this is the case with all narrow-body planes in the EU. I usually check the plane type before buying business.

Otherwise, it is not worth paying 2 times of a regular ticket.

We have booked business flights from Rome to London next year , tried to reserve our seats and they wanted an extra $91 aus dollars for the privilege, we paid $800 each and now they want more !!!. I honestly hope the service on the flight is worth what we paid .