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Home » Trip Reports » Review: British Airways A350-1000 Business Class
British AirwaysFlight Reviews

Review: British Airways A350-1000 Business Class

Matthew Klint Posted onSeptember 9, 2019November 14, 2023 15 Comments

a plane at an airport

Even on a short route like London to Madrid, I quickly recognized what a game-changer the A350-1000 is. British Airways’ latest aircraft offers a stunning new business class that can compete with leading business class products of the world. 

I say compete, but stipulate at the outset that so much of competition is perception. British Airways currently has a business class seat that is widely regarded as inferior…but I like it. I like the unconstrained foot room and sleep just fine on it. But eight passengers across in business class is a tough sell and the new business class seat and cabin gives British Airways bragging rights that it offers a closed-door suite on par with many of the best airlines in the world.

While British Airways will operate the A350-1000 on longhaul routes, it is currently flying them from London Heathrow to Dubai and Madrid. My destination was Barcelona, but I booked an extra stop in Madrid in order to try out the new aircraft. Even though (well, actually because) I booked the day before, there was plenty of award space on the BA flight. In fact, it went out with open seats. British Airways is very good about releasing award space at the last-minute on shorthaul routes when there are unsold seats.

I spent some time in the British Airways lounge in T5 before making my way to the C-Gate area to board. By the time I arrived, boarding was about to commence. 

an airplane at an airport

British Airways 464
London (LHR) – Madrid (MAD)
Thursday, August 08
Depart: 04:45 PM
Arrive: 08:05 PM
Duration: 2hr, 20min
Aircraft: Airbus A350-1000
Seat: 9A (“Club World” Business Class)

As I stepped onto the plane, I noticed a self-serve buffet area just inside the door. It was not set up, of course, and would not be on the short flight to Madrid, but there was a refrigerator for beverages, shelves for snacks, and plenty of counter space. With nice cabinets and the silver-colored “Club World” logo, the whole area looked classy.

a hallway with cabinets and a door

a refrigerator in a room

a room with a door and a woman sitting in it

a close up of a machine

a cabinet with shelves in it

a shelf in a room

a room with a fridge and cabinets

British Airways A350 Business Class Suite

As I turned left to enter business class, my first thought was how much the large business class cabin reminded me of the large business class cabin on United’s 787-10. British Airways offers 56-seats in its A350-1000 business class cabin, but 44 of those seats are in the forward cabin, creating a very large space.

The reverse herringbone seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, with direct aisle access at each seat and a privacy door that can be engaged once in-flight.

an airplane with rows of cubicles

an airplane with rows of seats

an airplane with rows of seats

an airplane cabin with seats and windows

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of computers in an airplane

a row of seats on an airplane

a seat on an airplane

a seat on an airplane

a close up of a sign

a seat in a plane

a seat in a plane

a seat belt on a seat

a cross on a fabric surface

While the privacy is nothing like the Emirates First Class Suite or even the Qatar QSuite, when your door is closed and your seat is reclined it does feel fairly private.

a seat in a plane

a seat in an airplane

a seat on a plane

a seat in a plane

a seat with a tv and a screen on the side

a seat in a room

a close up of a board

a screen on a plane

a close up of a screen

a sign on a door

No blankets were available on this flight, but the white pillow resting on each seat was among the softest and most comfortable I have experienced in business class. Longhaul flights will offer a comforter and mattress pad as well.

I found there to be plenty of space for your feet and the tray table did not inhibit my knees like it recently did on Virgin Australia. Three personal storage compartments offer a power outlet, two USB ports, and a mirror. There’s a fourth compartment under the armrest of the chair that is intended to store a water bottle as well as a built-in coat hook and reading light.

a close up of a table release

a black chair in a black box

a person's legs in a tv

an airplane seat with a screen and a window

a wallet in a tray

a black outlet with green and blue lights

a black electrical outlet with a green and white usb port

a black rectangular object with a blue light

a arm rest of a car

a card in a seat

a close up of a black and white object

a close up of a device

The seat can be adjusted with a touchscreen unit embedded into the seat. Touch once to turn it on, and a second time to access the seat controls.

a screen with a green light and buttons on the side of the seat

a blue screen on a vehicle

a screen on the side of a seat

 British Airways A350-1000 Business Class Dining

Menu cards were offered after takeoff along with a choice of beverage and a hot towel. For dinner, I chose British roast chicken with green beans, peas, and potato risotto. It was served on a tray with Mediterranean courgette, a bread roll, cheese, and chocolate moouse.

a blue and white card on a black surface

a blue book with a logo on it

a menu of a restaurant

a menu with text on it

a menu of wine and spirits

a tray of food on a tray

a chicken in a bowl

a close up of a piece of meat

a bowl of food on a tray

a close up of food

a bowl of cheese and jam

a close up of food

a spoon with a chocolate cookie on it

a tray of food on a tray

a screen on a computer

The entire meal was honestly tasty, though I appreciated the cheese the most. Both cheeses were British and included Red Leicester and Cropwell Bishop Blue Cheese. The sourdough crispbread crackers included with it were perfect, as was the fig chutney.

a bag of crispbread on a table

a hand holding a cheese on a cracker

I finished the meal off with coffee and shortbread cookies.

a screen on a table

a cup of coffee and a drink on a table

I don’t drink beer, but there was a special BA Speedbird 100 IPA blend offered onboard, in commemoration of BA’s 100th birthday. “Speedbird” is BA’s call sign.

a can of beer on a table

British Airways A350-1000 Business Class IFE

My in-flight-entertainment system did not work. One veteran flight attendant told me he had never seen anything like it in all his decades with British Airways. It was a new plane after all, but just a standard Panasonic IFE system. Despite numerous attempts to restart the system, it simply would not work for my seat and the two seats in front of me.

Thankfully, there were other open seats in the cabin and I was invited to move a few rows back. In browsing the IFE selection, I found a mix of movies, TV shows, games, flight map, audio, and info about a BA.

a screen with a blue and white text

a screen with images on it

a screen with a picture of people on it

a screen shot of a television

a screen shot of a television

a screen shot of a device

a screen shot of a computer

a screen shot of a television

a screen with text on it

Noise-cancelling headphones were provided.

a pair of black headphones

IFE could also be controlled by a hand-held unit located in one of the storage compartments.

a device in a seat

a screen on a device

Wi-Fi was available onboard, though I found pricing to be very uncompetitive. Sadly, British Airways has taken the data-based charging approaching for its A350. Packages range from GBP4.99 for 25MB to 17.99 for 150MB. That’s absurd, as far as I am concerned, so I did not bother to connect.

a screen shot of a computer

a screenshot of a computer

More so than the IFE, I enjoyed browsing a special anniversary edition of High Life, the British Airways magazine.

a book and a cup of coffee

an open book with a picture of people in the plane

British Airways A350 Business Class Lavatory

Lavatories are located in the front of the aircraft and between the larger and smaller business class cabin. Lights built into the mirror provide abundant light. Hand wash and hand balm from the White Company are available and the white countertop gives the lavatory a very nice look.

a bathroom with a sink and toilet

a sink in a plane

a group of white bottles with black text on them

a mirror with lights on it

British Airways A350 Business Class Service

When customers are happy, the crew is generally happy. You should seen the gasps and looks of amazement as travelers, many of them regular BA flyers, saw the new business class cabin for the first time. Everyone loved it and the cabin became the “selfie cabin” during the flight (sorry, no selfies from me).

The crew was very proud of the new aircraft and new cabin and very diligent in flight. It was a “mixed” crew meaning old and young flight attendants, but everyone provided professional and warm service onboard.

British Airways A350 Cockpit Visit

After the flight, I ventured up to the flight deck to check it out. The captain and first officer were very friendly and happy to show me around the “front office”. I felt like a kid again…

two men sitting in a cockpit of an airplane

Here are some shots I took out my window during the flight:

an airport with airplanes on the runway

an aerial view of airplanes at an airport

an aerial view of an airport

an aerial view of a city

an airplane wing and blue sky

an airplane wing and the sky

aerial view of a landscape with a river and mountains

an airplane shadow on the ground

a shadow of an airplane on a field

CONCLUSION

I loved the comfortable, private new suite onboard the British Airways A350-1000 in business class. Other than the IFE issues and absurd wi-fi prices, the flight was nearly perfect.

In addition to Dubai and Madrid, BA will deploy its new A350 to Toronto (starting October 01, 2019), Tel Aviv (starting December 01, 2019), and Bangalore (starting January 01, 2020). You can also catch this new hard product on 777-300ERs to New York JFK. With BA’s improved soft product and new hard product, I’m really looking forward to giving British Airways another try.

an airplane on the tarmac

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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15 Comments

  1. Mike Reply
    September 9, 2019 at 12:18 pm

    Great report and pics.

    You gotta love that wing!

    • L Neal Meagher Reply
      September 9, 2019 at 10:22 pm

      I’m a window-looker. After 35 years of flying for business the views outside beat anything I’ve ever seen on an excel spreadsheet with laptop open.

      That said, these reverse herringbone seats are at such a strong angle relative to the aircraft centerline that it must take a mighty effort to gaze upon the view outside. Seems to me that the very UA Polaris seats you mention on the 787-10 provide superior window glazing opportunities when seated in the odd numbered window seats.

      • Liam Reply
        June 23, 2021 at 12:50 pm

        I found that the seats were actually quite good for looking out the window, since the angle of the seats reduces strain on your neck, although for the most amount of window real-estate the Polaris seats are better.

  2. Aaron Reply
    September 9, 2019 at 12:36 pm

    “I quickly recognized what a game-changer the A350-1000”

    The plane or the seat? if it’s the seat, still too early to tell if other airlines will start putting doors on reverse herringbone seats. Now. Delta’s suite is arguably a game changer, since we’ve seen other airlines start doing the same as them (doors on staggered seats).

    “While the privacy is nothing like the Emirates First Class Suite”

    I’m not sure if that is the most fair comparison to make…I think it makes more sense to compare it to other business class suites, like the aforementioned Delta suite or Qatar’s suite…

    As for it being a competitive product, I would have to say BA definitely has one now. True, the old seats were comfortable for sleeping, as you said, but failed in offering decent storage space, aisle access (except for a few seats here and there), and privacy.

    Between the new seat and improvements in careering, BA finally has a business class offering that is worth seeking out.

    • Matthew Reply
      September 9, 2019 at 1:38 pm

      Agreed on all points. I’ll add a link to my QSuite review.

      I meant the product overall, with the updated soft product, new hard product, and high speed wi-fi.

  3. Alvin Reply
    September 9, 2019 at 12:38 pm

    Nice to see a review of this product from a seasoned flight reviewer. How do you think this compares to the QSuite?

    • Matthew Reply
      September 9, 2019 at 1:36 pm

      QSuite is better overall due to more space and privacy, though I found the service more polished and friendly on BA.

  4. Howard Reply
    September 9, 2019 at 1:35 pm

    Do they allow you to have the doors closed during boarding? If I’m in the rear cabin, I don’t want to have the plebians looking at me while they shuffle past to peasant class.

    • Matthew Reply
      September 9, 2019 at 1:37 pm

      Doors must remain open until plane levels off.

    • Chris Reply
      October 28, 2020 at 7:57 pm

      Don’t worry Howard, the “plebeians” aren’t looking at you as they make their way through to peasant class. They are too excited to be flying off somewhere for a holiday. I used to feel the same way too – when the business class “trash” used to try to sneak into first because the wine selection was better. Oh no, hang on a minute, no I didn’t because I’m not a disrespectful social climber with ideas above my station.

  5. Ryan Reply
    September 9, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    “Speedbird” was not restricted to Concorde. It is the ATC callsign for all BA flights. Name comes from the original BOAC which had a “speedbird” logo and, as such, predates Concorde.

    • Tony Reply
      September 9, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      yup. “Speedbird” is British Airways’ official ATC callsign, like “Cactus” for US Airways, or “Redwood” for Virgin America, “Dynasty” for China Airlines, etc.

  6. Chris_IOW Reply
    September 9, 2019 at 3:01 pm

    What Ryan said!

    But otherwise a good review and looks like a massive up guage from the current club world. Although like you I always found it some of the best seats to sleep in.

  7. Ak Reply
    September 10, 2019 at 12:39 am

    Excellent article.

  8. Mike Reply
    September 10, 2019 at 6:37 am

    Like the look of the new cabin.

    Pity BA have opted for a cubbyhole solution, though.
    Unconstricted foot space is definitely a plus these days.

    I disagree that the current Club World cabin is 2-4-2, unless we consider all staggered J class configurations 8-across as well. After all, you can easily redraw, say, the Emirates A380 J class, or, even better, Etihad’s layout minus the footwells and you end up with the exact same Club World seat density. Or vice versa.

    The fact that Etihad (closest to BA’s design) has all-seat aisle access does not detract from the fact that its seat width is equivalent to BA’s (20 inches, according to SeatGuru), which is what gives you the “true” 8-across on both fleets’ J class cabins.

    Emirates’ A380 staggered seat is even narrower at 18.5 in.

    So, while I appreciate that BA’s seat looks dated in design, and that it’s uncomfortable to have to climb over someone’s legs to get to the aisle (not to mention staring at someone else during takeoff and landing), it seems unfair to call Club World 8-across, and call Emirates, Eithad and everyone else using a staggered configuration 4-across.

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