By the time I’m through security, it’s 13h15. My flight to Seattle should start boarding before long. The exact gate has not yet been assigned to the flight, but the display shows that it will be leaving from the C pier, which is the second satellite of T5. There is no Business Class lounge on the C pier, but I figure I won’t be there for long anyway.

Boarding

The flight is delayed from 14h55 to 15h15. Boarding eventually starts with group 0, which is passengers with children and passengers who need assistance. I greatly appreciate that BA strictly enforces boarding by zones. The only downside, of course, is that they have a tendency to keep passengers waiting in their respective queues for quite some time before boarding eventually begins.

The Cabin & Seat

The Business Class cabin starts right behind First Class and is divided in two sections. There is one larger section between the First Class cabin and the L2 door, and then a smaller cabin of five rows between the L2 door and the L3 door. I’m seated on 15K in the aft section, right over the wing, which is great if, like me, you enjoy watching the wing flex and work during the flight. It’s perhaps not ideal if you prefer a view of the ground. The seats are arranged in a 1+2+1 reverse herringbone configuration. The way the seats are arranged, they offer a lot of privacy – I can’t see the passengers sitting across the aisle on 14 or 15F.

This aircraft is just over one year old. And it shows, because it looks new and has no signs of wear and tear. It’s also very clean. The seat has a lot of storage space conveniently located within easy reach for small items like a mobile phone or Kindle.

Amenities

There is a large pillow, padded seat cover, and blanket at my seat when I arrive. The latter two are folded together in a protective cover, which I like a lot, as I’ll likely store them on the floor under the footstool until I use them.

In the side of the seat there’s also a half litre bottle of still water and an amenity kit.

Our delay drags on. Eventually, by the time we finally do take off, we’re running just shy of one hour behind schedule.

The Service & Crew

The crew on this flight are a friendly, professional lot. Even though Christmas is over, they’re obviously still in a festive spirit, which is kind of nice. While we’re still on the ground, they pass through the cabin with welcome drinks. There is a choice of orange juice or champagne. Next, they hand out the menus for the flight and explain that they’ll come to take orders after take-off.

Once we’re finally airborne, the service continues with the distribution of scented hot towels, followed by a drinks service. I ask for sparkling water, which is served with a packet of roasted nuts and chickpeas.

The Meal – Late Lunch

The menu is extensive and features some interesting options for all courses. Eventually, I settle for the burrata for the starter, which is lovely and refreshing. The tomato pesto and the courgette cream complement the burrata and the olives nicely. The first course is served with three rolls of bread and a small side salad with a piece of grilled courgette and bell pepper, feta, and artichoke hearts.

For the main course I have the traditional Christmas dinner, which is just so lovely and brings back many fond memories of when I used to be a kid. The turkey is still nice and moist and the stuffing is just perfect.

The crew come to clear away my main course and inquire if I’d like dessert. I tell her I’m torn between the bread and butter pudding and the cheese. To which she suggests bringing me the bread and butter pudding first. If I’m still hungry, she’ll gladly bring me the cheese after that… The bread and butter pudding made with panettone and served with warm custard is divine, perfect comfort food. It’s so, so good! It has the right amount of sweetness and the custard is thick and creamy.

The cabin crew returns to clear dessert and asks me, “so what about the cheese, I’ve still got some”. Oh, okay then. It would be a shame to waste it. With the cheese I have a glass of port. And once I’ve demolished that, the meal service ends just over two hours after take-off from London. Not bad at all.

The tray is cleared away and the crew bring me a black coffee with two shortbread biscuits, just in case I’m still hungry… or something.

I spend the rest of the flight napping, reading in my Kindle, and watching a thin sliver of daylight dance along the horizon until eventually, as we approach Seattle, it briefly turns brighter before turning into darkness.

Second Service – Afternoon Snack

Seventy minutes out of Seattle, the lights go on in the cabin and the crew come through taking orders for a light afternoon snack. The meal consists of a Niçoise salad, a choice of focaccia with courgettes or a brioche with gammon and caramelized onions, and a chocolate muffin. The brioche is good. Unfortunately, I don’t touch the salad as it contains broad beans. I have thalassemia and G6PD deficiency, both of which are inherited genetic defects. While the thalassemia is harmless in my case, the lack of the G6PD enzyme in my body is not and could be very dangerous, for example if I eat broad beans.

Arrival in Seattle

We land in Seattle at 16h56, one minute behind schedule, despite our fifty minutes delay in departing Heathrow. The Virgin Atlantic service from London, as well as the Turkish flight from Istanbul have landed just ahead of us. Even so, immigration is quick and efficient. Without any checked luggage to collect, I’m landside within thirty minutes of landing.

Getting into Seattle

From international arrivals I follow the signs to what the Americans refer to as a light railway, and we in Switzerland would call a tram. The way to the station is clearly signposted and it’s only about five minutes on foot from arrivals to the tram stop. Fortunately, the trams run frequently. The journey downtown takes about forty minutes. A single adult ticket will cost USD3.-.

Conclusion

This was an interesting experience with British Airways. The cabin and seat on this aircraft were very nice and comfortable. It’s quite amazing how much space there is in the seat. I’m 184 cm tall. In the bed position I could comfortably stretch my legs. The bigger surprise was the catering. That is something they do exceptionally well at British Airways. As far as Business Class catering is concerned, of the three major European carriers, I would put them in first place, with Air France in second and Lufthansa in third position. The menu had variety. The presentation of the meal was also very nice, and the size of the portions certainly won’t leave you hungry. On the downside, British Airways’ hub is London’s Heathrow airport, which is a fascinating place in terms of the amount and variety of traffic it handles. But that has its downsides for the passengers: the terminals are overly crowded and delays are more or less treated as a fact of life.