British airways business class

[THE TRIMMER]

Just back from round the world business class,on Cathay,British airways,Qantas.Cathay pacific was terrific,Qantas also,but British airways,the 1 forward facing, 1 backwards facing would have to be the most inconvenient seating arrangement .As I had a window seat having to climb over the aisle seat was very difficult.It,s the first time I have flown BA business I found it a most unsatisfactory arrangement.The service was good ,but the seating set out was not.Any other opinions

 

[BensAdventures]

I agree, I did a DONE4 a few months ago, and loved the experience, but found BA fairly average. I knew about the backwards seats, so I chose an aisle, even though I much prefer window seats. There are some here that love the backwards facing seats, I'm not one of them!

Cathay's new J seats are brilliant! I would have to say that the AA J seats aren't anything special for intercontinental flights though.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Cathay are thebest by far. Even leaving SQ behind.

 

[Skyring]

I try to avoid BA. I did JNB-LHR in J in April, had a window seat but luckily an exit row so I had good aisle access. Not a fan of the backwards/forwards layout. Like so much else in the BA way of doing things I find it a little bit mean, a little more bean-counter than passenger comfort.

I enjoyed the flight, but compared to other longhaul J I prefer other carriers. CX can be amazing, AA (especially their new product) is fabulous and QF very good. Obviously experiences differ according to the crew and the bird, but still BA is never going to be my first choice. Not unless they bring back the Concorde.

 

[vetrade]

Maybe I was just unlucky ............I returned from a Oneworld RTW in "J" last weekend and had expectations of our CX flight (CX738 from DXB - HKG) being one of the better ones because comments on AFF are usually so positive. For us though, the food & service were fine but hardly impressive compared to what we experienced on other airlines (including BA) and I did not find the J seats at all comfortable in the sleep position. When you recline the seats your feet are angled to the side of the torso section of the seat in front (we were in the middle seats) ie unlike QF J seats which extend forward directly behind the seat in front. Also the moulded enclosed "footwell" is narrow so I found that my feet became uncomfortable, since, irrespective of how I arranged them, one or both feet always seemed to be at the wrong angle or wedged up against the side of the footwell, forcing me to constantly reposition them during the flight - hardly conducive to a good sleep. I should add the caveat that I am tall and my shorter wife did not have the same problem.

The seat problem was exaccerbated when I tried my preferred position of sleeping on my side because I had the added nuisance of the edge of the seat frame poking into the top of my thigh. Net result was that I got no rest at all on this overnighter. I can add that on our IB flight from MIA - MAD we had the same seat arrangement which annoyed my feet but the padding was such that it was nowhere near as uncomfortable as on CX (that might be because the IB plane was new - but the food quality and service were fantastic - markedly better than CX, as well).

I guess the experience depends on both the airline AND the metal you are flying on.

 

[bachelorarbeit]

Does anyone here see advantages in the 1 forward facing, 1 backwards facing seating arrangement in J on BA?

 

[Skyring]

Does anyone here see advantages in the 1 forward facing, 1 backwards facing seating arrangement in J on BA?

For the airline, sure - it lets them put two lie-flat seats side by side. Typically the "head and torso" section of any lie-flat seat needs to be wider than the feet end, so this arrangement lets the wide and narrow ends fit well together. More seats = more revenue.

The disadvantages are all on the passenger side. The seats themselves are about as good as any other business seat. Perhaps a little lacking in storage unless you take a window seat in the upstairs cabin, in which case there is oodles. But the window seat passenger has to step across the aisle passengers legs to access the facilities (there is a small snack bar area with lots of salty/sugar/fatty/delicious munchies), and of course you are flying backwards.

I didn't find this latter too negative, but it is unusual, and you get a bit more face time with your seatmate than you might really desire.

 

[amaroo]

The middle seats are brilliant for a family of four.

Also it's the only OW airline SIN-SYD with flat J beds.

 

[kelvedon]

Does anyone here see advantages in the 1 forward facing, 1 backwards facing seating arrangement in J on BA?

Apparently rear facing seats are safer in an crash, in fact in the RAF VC10's all the seats were rear facing as this improved survivability . (Though it was recognised that rear facing seats for the pilots may increase the likelihood of causing a crash in the first place.)
http://www.defence.gov.au/health/infocentre/journals/ADFHJ_nov07/ADFHealth_8_2_76-81.pdf.

 

[blu]

We went Club World LHR-SYD UD 744. For companion seats I liked the window + aisle, facing each other. Although the aisle seats have little privacy, the window seat is very private. The Tattinger wasn't bad either.

 

[markis10]

Does anyone here see advantages in the 1 forward facing, 1 backwards facing seating arrangement in J on BA?

Upper Deck 744 window that has an emergency exit at its feet, hard to get a window that has aisle access!

 

[docjames]

Upper Deck 744 window that has an emergency exit at its feet, hard to get a window that has aisle access!

Best seats (one each side) in BA J on 744 IMO.

 

[wandering_fred]

If you are asleep. can you really tell which direction (relative to the plane) you are facing?

As long as the seat is wider than Y+, the recline is like a proper reclining armchair, and no one wants to climb over me, I figure that's enough.

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[bachelorarbeit]

you get a bit more face time with your seatmate than you might really desire.

Yes, that's what I was wondering about too... Isn't it awkward to face your seatmate for several hours? It's definitely a break in the trend towards privacy in premium cabins. But the sliding panel has probably been proven useful here.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Yes, that's what I was wondering about too... Isn't it awkward to face your seatmate for several hours? It's definitely a break in the trend towards privacy in premium cabins. But the sliding panel has probably been proven useful here.

The privacy panel completely separates you from your seat buddy, way more so than the pathetic attempt on the QF Skybeds

 

[JohnPhelan]

Does anyone here see advantages in the 1 forward facing, 1 backwards facing seating arrangement in J on BA?

Yes, I like the BA config. It's excellent if you're travelling solo. And especially on the top deck of the 744.

 

[bachelorarbeit]

The privacy panel completely separates you from your seat buddy, way more so than the pathetic attempt on the QF Skybeds

Yes, I like the BA config. It's excellent if you're travelling solo. And especially on the top deck of the 744.

Thanks for sharing your opinion

 

[Alanslegal]

I would take a flat CW seat than an angled QF skybed 1 anyday, any time. Even though I am risking potential inconsistent BA service.

 

[TonyHancock]

I invariably travel solo and have been fortunate to grab the window seats where it is not necessary to climb over anyone to get to the aisle. I have to say I much prefer the BA seat to the QF Skybed MkII. Nice an private and I always seem to get a decent kip.