There’s a certain expectation when flying business class: more space, more comfort, and in today's world, direct aisle access. But on British Airways’ Airbus A380, what you get might leave you questioning the value of your business class ticket.
While most modern business class cabins aim for direct aisle access for every passenger, British Airways has opted for a layout that packs in seats at the expense of ease. On the lower deck, it’s a 2-4-2 configuration. The upper deck is slightly better at 2-3-2, but still far from the 1-2-1 gold standard passengers have come to expect—especially on an A380.
If you’re sitting by the window in one of the rear-facing seats, you’ll need to climb over the footrest (or flatbed) of the aisle seat next to you just to get out. Not only is this awkward for you, it means limited privacy for the passenger on the aisle. This is also the case for the middle seats in the upper deck of the A380. Here, you get the choice of two different people to climb over.
The inflight entertainment system is loaded with movies and TV shows, but it’s delivered on a small, outdated screen.
The aisle seats offer less in the way of personal storage than the window seats . On top of that, the privacy is minimal unless you're in a middle or window seat with the divider up. For a cabin marketed as premium, it’s an oddly exposed and cluttered setup.
Clark Wilkins has shared what it’s like to be in that ‘horrid middle seat’ and you watch below.
British Airways claims that every seat in Club World has direct aisle access, which is technically true—if no one is using their footrest or lying flat. So essentially, everyone has aisle access before takeoff and just prior to landing. The rest of the time, unless you’re in an aisle seat, you have to climb over someone.
In fairness, British Airways’ A380 still delivers on soft service, with a solid menu, plenty of choice, and crew that are often praised. Let’s not forget the excellent cup of tea you can always count on with BA too.
For the majority of us who only fly economy, these “issues” might seem ridiculous, and you would gladly ‘endure’ them to fly business class. This author completely agrees with that statement however, if you’re paying a hefty price to fly business class and can get a far better cabin layout and seat on another airline, most passengers would. This outdated product simply doesn’t meet the price point anymore.
Have you flown this cabin? Let’s hear your horror (or happy?) stories.
Have questions or want to share your thoughts?
