Following up on my recent posts about Italy’s Blue Grotto and Air France intra-European business class, this post takes a brief look at British Airways’ intra-Europe business class ( Club Europe) from London (LHR) to Rome (FCO). At the end of the post I’ll reveal one European airline that takes a totally different approach to intra-Europe business class. Any guesses?
In April 2024, a comparatively paltry 128,000 American Airlines miles secured flights from New York to London and Rome in business class and from Rome to New York in first class. That’s good value. The price for round trip all-business class travel on this route normally falls in the range of 215,000 to 450,000 American Airlines miles. The deal was to good to pass up even though I dreaded connecting at London Heathrow.
I’ve had a couple of unpleasant experiences clearing security at LHR. Those experiences were so distasteful I avoided LHR for several years. This time, I was pleasantly surprised. Security was so fast and pain free it was practically enjoyable. Now if it were only possible to eliminate the awful LHR inter-terminal bus rides. Oh well, nearly all airports have problems of some sort.
Before boarding the flight I enjoyed a couple of hours in the British Airways First lounge in Terminal 5. The First lounge accommodates top tier members of the British Airways frequent flyer program, members in a oneworld airline frequent flyer program who have Emerald status (me), and British Airways first class passengers. I’ll share more on the lovely First lounge in a future post. Club Europe business class has access only to the slightly inferior British Airways Club Lounge.
Rather than the First lounge, British Airways first class passengers favor the luxurious Concorde Room. Like Chelsea lounge at New York JFK, the Concorde Room offers gourmet dining and beverages and an elegant ambiance.
My flight to Rome, BA554, departed from Gate A3, at the far end of the terminal from the First Lounge. Boarding was delayed but the gate agents handled the process efficiently.
Business class and high-ranking frequent flyers boarded first through a long gerbil tube. In this instance, most would prefer avoiding a stroll on the tarmac because, true to form, the London weather was inclement.
My seat was a window seat on the starboard side in row 2 of the small business class section of the A321neo. Just like business class on the Air France A320 that I reviewed last week, seating was 3-3 with a blocked middle seat. Otherwise business class and coach seating were identical.
Being a newer model than the Air France A320, this A321neo benefitted from newer seats with better cushioning and support. Unfortunately, being newer also came with a newer, densified seat configuration. Instead of 32 inches of legroom on the Air France A320, seat pitch on the British Airways A321neo was only 30 inches (76.2cm). That’s the same as economy and even tight for economy seating on a non-low-cost airline.
So if the seats are the same as economy, why pay more for Club Europe? British Airways says this is why:
- Access to comfortable departure lounges
- Dedicated check-in desks and priority boarding
- More personal space on board to work or relax
- High-speed Wi-Fi on most aircraft, with free messaging on your personal device for Executive Club Members
- Complimentary food and drinks
- Larger baggage allowance than Euro Traveller (economy)
- More Avios and Tier Points
Club Europe’s biggest advantages over economy are on the ground. In the air, it’s basically coach plus a meal.
The flight to Rome was short — only about 2.5 hours gate to gate. The direct distance is 899 miles (1446 km). Since the flight was short, limited leg room with an empty adjacent seat was tolerable.
I’m paying more attention to what I eat. So instead of relying on the standard normally high-fat, high-sodium “chicken or beef” options of the day, for this flight I preordered a special meal on British Airways’ website. Airlines offer a wide variety of special meals to meet just about any dietary or personal preferences.
British Airways Club Europe passengers may select from 14 special meals, including vegetarian, gluten free, lactose free, diabetic, baby food, child meal, asian vegetarian, Hindu, Muslim, and low cholesterol. When available, I recommend selecting one on your flight. The full list is here.
My low fat meal was Chicken Machboos. That is the spelling I’ve always seen. It is the national dish of Bahrain.
The traditional dish is made with roasted chicken and spiced Basmati rice cooked with chicken broth, and topped with toasted nuts.
Despite the potential misspelling, the caterer did a decent job with this dish. It was flavorful and not overdone. I’d prefer to have the chicken on top of the rice. Small salad, cheese, bread and dessert servings made a well-rounded and filling meal.
Beverage service included sparkling wine, and two choices of red and white wine. I thought the pinot grigio I selected made a good pairing.
The rest of the flight was extremely uneventful. There were no sights to see as Europe was covered in almost total overcast.
European Airlines That Offer Real Business Class
At least two European airlines offer business class on their short-haul, single-aisle aircraft that is in step with the rest of the world. Perhaps not surprisingly, those carriers are Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines. Thanks to Andy’s World Journeys for the tip on Turkish Airlines.
As part of an around-the-world package with Delta Air Lines miles, in early 2014 Aeroflot was the carrier on four flights between Moscow, Amsterdam and Sofia, Bulgaria. I was astonished to find that Aeroflot seats and service compared favorably with long-haul international standards of the day.
Click to enlarge the last two photos
Aeroflot’s A320s were outfitted with seatback and personal video devices, headphones, wonderful four course meals, huge recliner seats configured 2-2, real champagne and other top-of-the-line alcoholic beverages, and even fully stocked amenity kits.
These flights were only 2.5 to three hours. That is pretty much the same as many intra-Europe routes flown by the other European airlines.
Of course Russia is a country that spans seven time zones. Purely for domestic travel, it makes sense to have a more comfortable and better business class on Russian aircraft.
But I think Aeroflot’s over-the-top approach might have related more to Russian ego than making flights to Siberia enjoyable. January 2014 (pre Crimean invasion) was my only experience with Aeroflot. Given the current state of affairs, I doubt I’ll have another.
Bottom Line
Intra-European business class leaves a lot to be desired. Lounge access seems to be the best benefit, although credit cards provide access to Priority Pass lounges that are just as good in many cases. Looking at upcoming flights on British Airways one way LHR – FCO, Club Europe has more than a £200 premium over coach. That’s a big difference.
I flew Club Europe to Rome as part of the round trip fare from New York. Many who fly intra-Europe business class may do so as one leg of a longer inter-continental journey. What do you think of intra-Europe business class? Are there advantages I’ve overlooked or undervalued? Are there any other mold-breaking European airlines?
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