London (LHR) to Philadelphia (PHL)
On the Ground: I checked in online the night before and had our boarding passes printed by the front desk at the Corinthia Hotel. My wife and I had crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 and spent a few days in London visiting friends. A prearranged car service took us to Heathrow — a fortunate choice, as the trains were halted due to a service disruption. Luggage drop-off and security screening moved quickly. I had hoped to relax in the British Airways lounge, but a traffic delay cut that short. We used the airport train to reach the gate and waited to board.
Pre-Flight: When boarding began, both of us were selected for an additional security check. The screening was thorough: we took an escalator down into the jetway where a temporary security team inspected luggage and asked passengers to lift garments for a quick check. The selection did not appear to follow any obvious pattern, so it may have been routine. After clearing the check, we returned upstairs and joined the queue for the aircraft.
Settling into our seats and stowing carry-ons took a few minutes. Cabin crew circulated with newspapers and Champagne as boarding finished. We were seated in a row of four in business class and offered the middle two seats. For a couple this worked fine; as strangers the layout could feel awkward. I was looking forward to sampling British Airways’ wines — the airline does well in international surveys — and getting comfortable for the transatlantic day flight.
In-Flight: The Club World seating configuration can feel unconventional. My middle seat was rear-facing, which placed me directly facing a fellow passenger in the aisle seat. We chatted briefly and then both agreed to raise the privacy screen after takeoff. The passenger behind the aisle seat did not recline fully, so I had unobstructed access to the lavatory throughout the flight; otherwise moving past him would have been tight.
Once airborne, cabin crew handed out amenity kits and began the meal service. I ordered a scotch served in a cut-glass tumbler with warmed nuts — a pleasant touch. The flight was not offering some of the top-ranked wines from our annual Wines on the Wing survey, but the flight attendant recommended a Château de Ruth 2017 Sainte-Cécile Côtes du Rhône Villages to pair with my seared British beef filet, which proved a good match. After the main course, cheeses and desserts were presented, and tea service with sandwiches was offered before landing.
Because this was a daytime crossing, I watched several movies including The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I also used British Airways’ onboard WiFi for a reasonable fee and spent much of the flight emailing my team — the connection was reliable and made the time productive.
British Airways is rolling out several updates that passengers will notice. The airline recently introduced a new uniform by designer Ozwald Boateng, which has been well received by crew. Over the next five years BA plans significant investments — roughly $5.7 billion — to improve inflight connectivity and power at every seat, refurbish 128 long-haul aircraft interiors, and take delivery of 72 new aircraft. A redesigned Club World seat offering direct aisle access is due next year, timed with the airline’s centenary, and should help BA align with newer business-class products from other carriers.
Top Takeaways:
◆ The upcoming Club World seat redesign should strengthen BA’s position among leading international business-class products.
◆ Philadelphia International Airport could improve its baggage handling and delivery process.
◆ A solid movie selection and dependable WiFi made this daytime transatlantic flight comfortable and productive.