What’s flying Sydney to London in Club World like on a British Airways Boeing 787-9?

Flying from Sydney to London clocks in at almost 24 hours, including a refueling stop along the way. British Airways flights land in Singapore en route, with the plane spending an hour and a half there before continuing on.

At the moment, services are operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for an interim period. Later in 2022, they will return to the Boeing 777-300ER, offering more capacity and the modern Club Suite in business class.

Sydney Airport

Check-in was smooth in Sydney and I passed through outbound immigration and security very quickly. That meant I had plenty of time to enjoy the dining in the Qantas International First Lounge.

Eventually it was time to head to the gate. When I arrived there, I discovered an old friend boarding passengers and it turns out he is the Airport Manager for BA at the Sydney station. A very unexpected chance encounter!

BA16 – Sydney to London via Singapore (SYD-SIN-LHR)
14 July 2022
Boeing 787-9 – G-ZBKD
Seat: Club World 7A
Departure SYD: 14:50 Arrival SIN: 21:05
Departure SIN: 22:35 Arrival LHR: 05:30+1

Once on board, I turned left and found seat 7A, one of the four window seats that has direct aisle access. You can see that on the seating plan, and that meant I did not have to step over anyone when leaving my seat.

British Airways Club World

Quite a lot of people complain about these older style forward and backward facing seats. Storage is difficult to access at your feet, there are no shelves to put things on and with the divider down you look directly at the person in the aisle seat.

That being said, the seat is comfortable enough and the bedding provided is really nice. The new Club Suites are being rolled out relatively quickly, so these seats will be gone in a few years time.

Wi-Fi, Toilets and Champagne

My friend visited me on board for a quick chat before we left, and eventually we headed out into the sunny Australian sky. Masks had to be worn on the Sydney to Singapore leg, since they were required by Singapore law at the time. I decided I was going to use the inflight Wi-Fi as well and found it to be quite good.

While noodling around on the Internet, the Cabin Manager came by and asked if I’d like a drink from First. I gladly took a glass of Champagne which was really very delicious… and one more a little later on.

Food O’Clock

British Airways offer a single tray service in Club World at the moment, with a small starter, standard size main, a small dessert and a hilariously misnamed “Cheese Board”. It’s pretty ridiculous when compared to the competition, but at least the quality is good.

Naturally I ate everything put in front of me, as is my wont. Rumours are that the usual service will return later in 2022 with the incoming northern Winter schedule. Here’s hoping!

Club Kitchen

One of the nice things about flying British Airways Club World is the Club Kitchen. In an article from their June 2021 magazine, it describes it as “offering pre-packaged snacks such as nuts, biscuits, chocolate and crisps.”

As you can see above, the offering is meagre, with some bags of crisps and biscuits on offer. You can also help yourself to some wine if you like. It’s a far cry from 2016 when a BA media release touted the new and improved offering, isn’t it?

A Pre-Landing Snack

Not long before landing, a second service takes place. This comprised of a wrap, a packet of crisps (BA seem to dole out crisps at every opportunity), a small (of course) dessert and a drink.

Once done, I sat back and relaxed before we landed on time in Singapore. Everyone has to collect all their belongings and leave the plane during the stopover.

A Singapore Interlude

Changi Airport is always a nice place to stop. People headed off to the outside Cactus Garden where you can smoke, while others headed off to the lounge to relax or shower.

While there is a BA lounge in Singapore, you can also use the Qantas Singapore Lounge, according to the oneworld Alliance lounge website. It has superior food and is much larger, so the general idea is eat there if you’re hungry.

Sydney to London Continues

After passing through security at the gate, we waited a short time in the gate lounge before boarding the plane once again. This time the flight was much busier. Service followed the usual familiar pattern, with a welcome drink offered on the ground.

Once everyone boarded, we took to the dark sky above Singapore and set course for the United Kingdom. A post-take off drink was offered before the meal and this flight was already more comfortable as masks were not required.

Eating, Eating, Eating

For my midnight dinner, I decided to have the pasta. You will see that the tray looks very familiar, with everything laid out in the same manner. Consistency!

Again, everything was quite tasty. By this time I was quite stuffed, so I used the Internet for a bit and then bedded down for several hours. The seat is relatively comfortable for sleeping, though I did wake every time I needed to roll over.

No Breakfast For Me?

When I woke up, I cleared up the bedding and put it into the overhead. Breakfast was being served in the dim cabin, with various people around me receiving meals. They seem to have forgotten about me, so after quite some time I went to the galley and asked if I could also have some, and it arrived shortly after.

Quite frankly I am not a fan of baked beans and I also find the “omelette” to be pretty gross. I’ve never been a fan of this when flying BA, though I do like the wedges, mushrooms, yoghurt and Danish. Since Club World passengers arriving into London are able to access the British Airways Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 5, you’re better off eating there. We eventually landed into London without incident and the long journey was over.

Overall Thoughts

Flying Sydney to London in business class is always nice, but honestly I would rather fly any airline other than British Airways on the route. On the way out, I flew Qatar Airways from London to Doha, followed by a connecting flight from Doha to Sydney on their Airbus A380. You can see from those two reports that the service is far, far better than what BA are offering.

I think the service at the moment is adequate at best. Things will improve once the Boeing 777-300ER with Club Suites hits the route and when the catering returns to normal. In the meantime, if you have an alternative choice, take it. For the prices being charged, you’ll get more bang for your buck on another airline.

What do you think of the British Airways service on a flight from Sydney to London? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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