British Airway has significantly stepped up its game in the UAE. Dubai is the first long haul destination to get the ‘Club Suite’, British Airways’ brand new business class seat.
I recently had the chance to fly the new Club Suite between London and Dubai.
The new seat is a major upgrade from the airline’s current 8 across yin-yang configuration, a design that is nearly 20 years old. British Airways was the very first airline to launch a fully flat bed in business class back in 2000. At the time the layout was considered cutting edge.
However, the design has not been fundamentally altered over the last two decades. Today it looks very dated compared to rival business class products on the market such as Etihad’s Business Studio.
What is the Club Suite?
The Club Suite is a reverse herringbone seat in a 1-2-1 configuration. The outer solo seats are angled towards the windows while the inner pair are angled towards the centre. Think of the layout something like this: \ /\ /
Every seat has direct aisle access. Each ‘suite’ will also have a sliding door for added privacy. British Airways has promised 40% more storage space, fixing a frequent complaint about the old seats.
A similar version of this reverse herringbone seat is used by a number of other airlines including Cathay Pacific, Finnair and Air France. This is by far my favourite style of business class seat.
One of the advantages of this layout is that there are really no bad seats on the plane. Every seat offers the same degree of privacy and space. One of the negatives of both Etihad’s Business Studio and Emirates’ A380 Business Class seat is that half the ‘window’ and ‘centre’ seats are actually quite exposed to the aisle.
It is worth pointing out that over the last year, British Airways has made a major investment to improve its business class product. This has included upgraded menus from Do&Co, the premium inflight caterer and new bedding, blankets and pillows from The White Company.
Having flown a couple of recent flights with BA in business I can confirm that the new food is tasty and The White Company bedding, particularly the pillows, are very comfy.
Which flights from Dubai will have the Club Suite?
Initially, British Airways plans to operate a single daily flight from Dubai featuring the new seat. By March 2020 two of the three daily flights to London will offer the Club Suite.
The Club Suite debuts from Dubai on 3 September 2019. BA106 and BA107 will be the first flights to be operated by an A350 featuring the new Club Suite. The flight will initially operate with the Club Suite 5 times per week. This will be daily from 8th October.
BA106 is an overnight flight departing Dubai at 1.30 am and arriving at London Heathrow at 6.15 am. The return flight BA107 leaves London at 12.45 and lands in Dubai at 23.00.
From 2 March 2020, there will be a second daily flight with the Club Suite. BA104 departs Dubai at 1400 and lands in London at 1800. The return flight BA105 departs London Heathrow at 20.40 and lands in Dubai at 7.15 am the next morning.
I would hope to see the third daily flight also offer the Club Suite at some point. British Airways needs to have a consistent product across all flights out of Dubai if it wants to properly compete.
If you are flying beyond London certain flights to Toronto, New York JFK and Bangalore will operate with the Club Suite from October. From January onwards the Club Suite rollout will continue on to other routes. You can expect to start seeing the new seat appear on select flights to Seattle, Nairobi, Chicago, Abuja, Kuwait, Boston, Jeddah and Philadelphia.
How can I tell if my flight has the Club Suite?
All flights operated with an A350 will have the Club Suite. From October 2019 retrofitted 777s will start entering service. Check the seat maps on BA.com to see whether a particular flight has the Club Suite. The key thing to look for is 1-2-1 configuration in business class.
Booking the Club Suite with Avios
British Airways charges different redemption rates for peak and off-peak periods. The peak periods roughly coincide with the UK school holidays.
A one-way redemption in the Club Suite between Dubai and London will cost 50,000 Avios off-peak and 60,000 during the peak period. A return redemption cost 100,000 Avios off-peak and 120,000 during the peak.
Beware that British Airway charges hefty fees for Avios redemption tickets. The fees for a one-way ticket from Dubai to London will cost around AED 900. A one-way originating in London will be more expensive at close to AED 1650. The fees for a return from Dubai to London will cost around AED 2,700 which means it is cheaper to book two one-way tickets rather than a return.
British Airways also offers an option to reduce the number of Avios required by up to half by increasing the cash fee paid. This can be a really helpful option if you are just a little short of the number of Avios needed for a redemption.
How to earn Avios via UAE credit cards?
It is not easy to earn Avios in the UAE except by flying on British Airways or other Oneworld carriers such as Royal Jordanian or Sri Lankan airlines.
Unfortunately, there are no Avios earning credit cards issued in the UAE. However, American Express, Citibank and Marriot Bonvoy are all points transfer partners of British Airways Executive Club.
Emirates NBD Marriot Bonvoy Mastercard is currently offering 150,000 bonus points to new customers who spend $10,000 USD in the first three months holding the card. Bonvoy points transfer to British Airways at a ratio of 3:1.
Spending enough to trigger the bonus would earn sufficient Bonboy points to get 75,000 Avios. That’s close to what is needed for one return ticket in the Club Suite.
Is the Club Suite the best way to fly to London?
The combination of a fantastic new seat, Do&Co catering and luxurious White Company bedding may make British Airways the new favourite option for expats travelling between London and the UAE.
The Expat Flyer reviewed the new Club Suite on a recent flight between London and Dubai.
Sign up for my free weekly newsletter
The Expat Flyer aims to help expats in the UAE make the most of their miles, points and travel. I hope you found this post useful. If you did consider subscribing below to receive all new posts by email.
You can expect lots of information about Etihad Guest as well as Skywards, the loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai. I also plan to share my thoughts on the best credit cards for points and miles earning in the UAE.