What I liked

• The service was friendly and professional
• The food was high quality
• There was a full bar
• The ticket price was good
  

What could be Improved

• The seat is the same as economy
• No In Flight entertainment
  

The Booking

I booked the flight in a BA sale. For a family of 4, we paid £660 ($800) to fly in Business. My son is an infant, so his fare was 10% of a full price seat. This represented excellent value for me. For this, we got

• Lounge access
• Meal service and full bar on board
• 2 checked bags per person
• Empty middle seat, which my son used
• Extra BA Avios and tier points earned
• Business Class check in desks

A couple of features are very interesting. In Club Europe, you get to check in 2 bags. In economy, you only get hand baggage. If you check in a bag, it's often better value to pay for a Club Europe seat.

In British Air Club Europe, you get a standard economy seat - with an empty middle seat. This upsets a lot of people, as they expect a proper business seat. For me, it works out well. I was travelling with my infant son and didn't buy him a separate seat. I was able to put him in the empty middle seat.

Visitors from the US often complain about business class in Europe. However, I disagree with this comparison. If you fly transcontinental business from New York to LA, you can get a fully flat bed. However, these flights charge upwards of $2,000.

Best Activities in London

When you fly with Club Europe, you’ll need to travel from London. London is a global city, with many amazing things to do. Below are my favourite activities, when you visit London.

My very favourite activity is a hot air balloon ride with Virgin Balloons. Book here. The cost is £169. Your ballon ride lasts for 4 hours. You can fly from locations all around the UK. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.

You can book a high speed Boat Tour on the River Thames. Book here for £60. The tour lasts for 1 hour and is rated 5* from 3,202 reviews. You’ll speed by some great attractions. Including the London Eye, Big Ben, St Pauls Cathedral, The Shard and Tower Bridge.

The most popular London Food Tour is by Secret Food Tours. The tour is rated at 5* from 1,264 reviews. Book here for £99 and get free cancellation. A local guide will help you sample the best of British and worldwide cuisine. Make sure you arrive hungry!

You’ll try Bacon and Egg Baps, Sausage Rolls, Fish & Chips, British Cheeses, British beers, British Gins, King Prawns, Jamon Croquettas, Slow Cooked Pork Cheek, Beef Rendang, BBQ Pork Bao Buns and a secret dish. I’m getting hungry now!

The Seat

The BA business class seat is nothing of the sort! It's just an economy seat with the middle seat empty. There’s a tray table on the middle seat. Because my son was using the middle seat, we had to ask for the tray table to be removed. This can be a tricky process, and not all flight attendants can do it.

This type of business cabin is fantastic for the airline. They can grow and shrink the business cabin, according to demand. On premium heavy routes like London to Frankfurt, most of the plane will be business class.

The seat has enough space for my modest 5 ft 6 inch frame. Good enough for my short hop to Amsterdam.

I flew China Southern Business Class, on their short haul service. From Guangzhou to Siem Reap. They had a proper business class seat – similar to international premium economy. However, I still prefer BA Club Europe! China Southern had no bar service and the food was pretty average.

The seat configuration is standard for business class in Europe – all airlines do it. Most airlines don’t have a tray table in the middle seat. I personally don’t like the tray table. It doesn’t serve any purpose. I prefer to have extra space, so my kids can stretch out and sleep.

BA don’t have any in flight entertainment in their short haul aircraft. It’s not an issue on a 1 hour flight. However, I would like to see IFE installed on short haul aircraft. My kids are easily bored, and its great to put them in front of the TV.

Marriott Timeshare Offer. Book for a 75% discount

Marriott Timeshare have 3 resorts in Spain. Marriott Playa Andaluza, Marriott Son Antem and Marriott Marbella Beach Resort. You can book one of these resorts for €269 for 3 nights. Get free car hire and 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points too.

This is a 75% discount on the cash rate.

You’ll need to attend a 1 hour timeshare presentation. Where you’ll learn about Marriott Timeshare. There is no obligation to buy anything.

The packages are popular. If you want to book one up, then email me. Give me your name, email address, telephone number (with country code) and the city you live in.

If you’re not a member of Marriott Bonvoy, then I suggest you sign up via this link. You get 2,000 bonus points for each of your 1st five bookings. You don’t get this bonus if you go direct to the Marriott website.

The Food

The food surpassed my limited expectations. In the 1 hour flight, there was a full meal and drinks service.

I had a vegan breakfast. It contained veggie sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes and scrambled tofu. It was served on one tray, also with a fresh croissant, oat biscuits and a chia seed dessert. The food was a proper meal and tasted decent.

I’m not a fan of scrambled tofu, but it’s the default vegan option. It’s similar to steak houses, who often offer risotto to vegetarians!

In BA Business class on long haul flights, the menu is far bigger. You get a full 3 course meal. This article is a review of my business flight, from London to Denver. The main meal was a choice of braised beef, chicken supreme and Indian veg curry. I had the curry. It was pretty good!

The Drinks

There was a full bar service, with champagne available. I didn't get involved however. I got up at 3.30am, before the morning flight. I had a long day planned with the family. I’m old enough to know that getting shitfaced won’t help me!

My family were sitting together on the left hand side of the aisle. I was alone on the right hand side, next to a stranger. He really went to town on the bar! He must have had 4 or 5 drinks during the flight. He stopped the crew every time they went by.

I had a coffee and a water. The coffee tasted like dishwater and was lukewarm! I find this to be a common problem on flights. Tea and coffee is never hot enough and is often bad. I normally don't drink coffee any more, but I was exhausted from my 3.30am wake up.

The Service

A special word of thanks to the crew, who were fabulous. This is one area where BA genuinely excels. The Middle Eastern airlines are rightly lauded for their premium cabins. However, the crews can be hit and miss. I find British Airways crews to be consistently friendly.

As we waited to board the flight, an attendant starting chatting to my daughter, as she was so excited. On board, the crew went out of their way to strap my infant son into his seat. I travel a lot with my family, and people are often very friendly. It’s not the same when I fly alone!

Conclusion

I was really happy with my flight. It helped that I paid a rock bottom price! The food, drinks and service were excellent. If you can look beyond the crappy seat, then BA Club Europe can be great value.

Club Suite is the name of British Airways Long Haul Business Class. I flew with them from London to Los Angeles. Review here. I had an excellent flight. The seat was comfortable, the food was good and the crew were friendly.

British Airways have a network of lounges globally. The flagship business lounge is in Heathrow Terminal 5. Review here. The lounge is a beautifully bright and well designed place. There’s also a model airport in the kids play area. It’s really cool!

I flew in Virgin Atlantic’s Business Class from London to Mumbai. The flight was pretty good. Although I found the seat to be a little narrow. The crew were terrific.

I hope you liked my article. You can sign up to my email list here. I’ll keep you updated on my latest content and the best travel deals.