announced! - Business Traveller

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16 | MAY 2011
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First class
Business
class
1
2
3
4
21
22
23
24
25
26
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
37
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43
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50
Ecomomy
Premium
Economy
Kitchen
Toilet
W SAMOLOCIE: LONDYN – CHICAGO
British Airways
B777-300ER Premium Economy
CHECK-IN�I�arrived at Heathrow Terminal�5
at�0940 for my�1140 fl ight BA295
to Chicago. Having checked in online,�I�headed
straight to one of the many
fast bag-drop counters, which had minimal
queues, then proceeded to security,
which was also quiet.
BOARDING At�1105�I�headed for
Gate B43, taking the transit to the Satellite
B building then up the escalators
to the gate area.�I�boarded immediately
and was offered a�newspaper once�I�was
settled.
THE SEAT BA’s new four-class B777-
300ERs feature its upgraded World Traveller
and World Traveller Plus products
(see “New seats for some”, businesstraveller.com/archive/2010/october-2010).
These will also be fi tted to the airline’s
forthcoming B787s and A380s, and will
be retro-fitted on�18 of its B777-200s.
First class was configured�1-2-1, business
was in a�2-4-2 herringbone formation,
and there were two economy
cabins in a�3-3-3 layout (see seat plan,
right). The�premium economy cabin
had six rows numbered�21-26 and confi
gured�2-4-2 (A-B,�D-E-F-G, J-K). There
were no seats A-B or J-K in the front row
(21), this being the exit row.�I�had preselected
seat�23B but as the seats behind
me were vacant – the cabin was about
a�third full –�I�moved to�24A. The seat
was comfortable and upholstered in
dark blue fabric with a�pale silver hard
back. There was a�built-in adjusta-
ble headrest and a�fold-down footrest.
Legroom was decent (38in/96.5cm, the
same as the�older product), though�I�felt
quite�constricted when the seat in front
was fully reclined.
The control for the in-flight entertainment
(IFE) system was fitted to
the shared middle armrest, from which
my table folded out – this bounced a�bit
when�I�worked on�a�laptop. The recline
button was also in this arm. The seatback
screen was�10.5 inches in size,�60
per cent larger than in the older premium
economy. Universal plug sockets,
two USB ports and an RCA port for linking
your devices to the IFE system were
also built in. A�blanket, pillow and an
amenity pouch containing socks, an eye
mask, earplugs, a�toothbrush and paste,
and pen were provided, along with goodquality
headphones.
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE?
Seats�22A-B and J-K had the most legroom,
there being no seats in front of
them. Seats�21D-E-F-G, facing the bulkhead,
also had more space in front. Passengers
in these seats disembark first
but are also closest to the washrooms in
Club World (premium economy passengers
were also using these, as the nearest
other ones were between the two economy
cabins – perhaps we shouldn’t have
been, as they were behind a�curtain, but
we weren’t stopped from doing so, possibly
because Club World was very quiet).
Avoid the back row (26) as there is less
space to recline and it is separated from
economy only by a�bulkhead partition,
behind which were the bassinets.
THE FLIGHT We pushed back slightly
late at�1145 and took off�20�minutes
later. Half an hour after take-off,
drinks and a�small bag of snacks were
offered, followed by a�meal half an hour
after that. There was a�choice of chicken
or beef –�I�had the former and it was
served with celeriac mash, rosemary
jus and green vegetables. It tasted fi ne.
There was also a�salad with a�sachet of
honey and mustard dressing, a�roll and
a�vanilla mousse.�I�had a�mini bottle
of red wine with it – there was a�choice
of two and�I�had a�Malbec, which was
nice. Service was friendly and swift – so
swift, in fact, that the coffee came out
while�I�was halfway through the meal.
Juice and water were offered periodically
throughout the fl ight.
After eating,�I�tried out BA’s new
Thales audio-video on-demand system,
which has been fi tted in all cabins. It’s excellent,
with more than�80 movies, a�wide
range of TV and radio shows, games, audio
books and more than�400 albums.
However,�I�found the touchscreen wasn’t
always responsive, and�I�had to press repeatedly
to get it to work (I�didn’t have
this problem on my return). About�80
minutes before landing, hot towels were
brought around, followed by a�sandwich,
Kit�Kat and tea or coffee.
ARRIVAL We landed at Chicago
O’Hare’s Terminal�5 fi ve minutes late
at�1425. Immigration was close by and
was the smoothest�I�have experienced in
the US, with minimal queues. My bag
was out quickly.
Michele Mannion
SEAT CONFIGURATION 2+4+2
SEAT WIDTH 47 cm
SEAT PITCH 96.5 cm
CONTACT ba.com