Our flight was about an hour late due to the late arrival of the operating aircraft. When the plane finally arrived, they seemed to be hurrying everyone onto the plane in order to get away ASAP.
Flight 3: BA6321 Port Elizabeth - Durban
Boeing 737-400 | ZS-OAA
Departure time: 12:15
Arrival time: 13:30
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We booked business class (aka. "Club") for this sector as it wasn't that much more expensive than economy.
The business class configuration was a little weird. There was a 2-3 configuration with 3 seats on the right. There were also kind of 3 seats on the left but the middle seats weren't being used. We were seated in row 2 on the left, and the middle seat was missing. Literally.
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The plane did seem quite old and worn out. Which is not surprising as it was 22 years old.
We were offered a rushed pre-takeoff drink, which was swiftly cleared the second I consumed the last drop.
After take-off we were offered hot towels that weren't hot, followed by a choice of drink and lunch. There were four different wines to choose from and I enjoyed the one I chose.
There were two choices for lunch - both cold. One was a cous cous salad, and another was a chicken dish. We both had the chicken, which was tasty but IMHO slightly underwhelming for a business class meal.
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The service was friendly, but I wasn't blown away. There were no personal greetings or anything beyond what was required from the crew.
Before we even began our descent the seat belt sign came on and it remained on until we reached the gate in Durban.
As you've probably picked up by now, I found the whole "Club" experience slightly underwhelming. It wasn't bad by any means, but the seat wasn't the best (as well as the strange gap between the seats, my headrest was broken) and the service was just good - nothing more.
There wasn't really anything to separate the experience from that of a good economy flight. And there should have been.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad flight. I would fly them again in business, but only if the price was right.