#62 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
967 reviews
Welcome to another series of flight reviews.
Although I'd already flown on the British Airways A350-1000 many times in Business, this would be the first trying Premium Economy on this aircraft. For this short school holiday trip we opted for Premium Economy, as I always find it to be a good compromise when Business class prices are too high. Although we live in San Diego, we occasionally fly out of LAX when better prices and schedules make it worth doing the 2-hour trek up the coast. In this case, prices out of LAX were about $500 less per passenger—a significant savings for a family.
Reviews in this series:
We arrived at the LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) about 3 hours before scheduled departure. There was already quite a long queue for the Economy check-in, whereas the First/Emerald lanes, to which we had access, was completely empty.
Bags were checked through to Copenhagen and boarding passes were in hand within minutes.
The TSA Pre-check security lanes were a breeze as there was absolutely no one in line. I always find the Pre-check lanes at TBIT to be much quieter than any of the other terminals.
We were airside in less than 60 seconds.
As we had plenty of time before boarding, we headed over to the playground behind the food court so our son could run around and have some fun before the long 10-hour flight to London.
We then headed upstairs to the Qantas First class Lounge, to which we had access thanks to our oneworld Emerald frequent flyer status.
The lounge is spacious and light-filled with plenty of seating. The decor is very similar to the other Qantas First lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, minus the nice views and lofty ceilings of the beautiful Sydney First lounge.
Though there's plenty of light in the lounge, there are no direct outdoor views, unfortunately.
There's a large restaurant area with table service.
It was nice to be there around lunchtime as the menu offered more options than on our last visit earlier in the year during breakfast hours. Though the menu highlights Australian wines–and rightfully so–there are many more options, including champagne, available from the bar.
Though it is not on the printed menu, the champagne on offer is Taittinger.
Appetiser:
Salt and pepper squid with green chilli dipping sauce and aioli
Main course:
Stir fried pork ssam with spicy cucumber and steamed rice
Dessert:
Spiced chocolate mousse with citrus curd
Everything was delicious. I enjoyed how the menu had a mix of Californian and Australian inspired elements.
After lunch, we relaxed in a different part of the lounge for a bit.
There's a candy dish with chocolates and mints on the way out.
We left the lounge about 10 minutes before boarding time.
It was a short walk from the lounge as gate 152 is towards the beginning of the south concourse.
Boarding began shortly after we arrived at the gate. Although we already had priority boarding in Group 1, we were able to pre-board with other families with children. BA are generous with family boarding as they allow families with children 5 years old and under to pre-board, whereas most other airlines only allow pre-boarding for families with babies under 2 years old.
The Premium Economy cabin is quite large on the A350-1000, with 56 seats over 7 rows.
The cradle recliner type seats are laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration.
Aesthetically, the cabin is nice and modern, but looks less spacious than other BA aircraft on which I'd flown in Premium Economy–notably the A380 and 787, which have 2-3-2 configurations on those slightly narrower cabins.
It's still much more spacious, than the 3-3-3 configuration in Economy, with 2 less seats per row. Nevertheless, the 18.5" wide seats on the A350 are noticeably tighter than the 19-19.5" wide seats on the aforementioned A380 and 787.
Legroom is very good at an industry standard 38" seat pitch. These dimensions are very similar to Domestic Business/First class seats in North America.
There are foot-rests and leg-rests, which are quite helpful with getting a good "cradle" position for sleeping. The recline is amazing and better than any other other airline's Premium Economy I've tried. It's almost too good as the manual recline mechanism isn't always smooth and some passengers inadvertently slam back their seats. This actually happened to be on the return flight, which ended up spilling my hot coffee all over me–no big deal, nobody's fault–but a word of warning if you fly BA World Traveller Plus: Do be careful when reclining.
BA serve welcome drinks in Premium Economy, which included water, orange juice, and sparkling wine on this flight. This small touch certainly adds to the premium experience, in my experience. In comparison, most other airlines do not have a pre-departure beverage service in Premium Economy.
Each seat in World Traveller Plus has access to a combo 110v universal power outlet with USB port type A. Like in Club World, there is no USB-C port, despite the young age of the aircraft.
The noise-cancelling headsets provided in Premium Economy are the same as those found in Business class.
Another nice premium touch in BA's Premium Economy is printed menus, which were distributed by cabin crew during boarding.
There were three options of main courses for the main meal, and two for the pre-arrival service.
Boarding wrapped up early despite a full flight and doors were closed a few minutes ahead of schedule.
The new safety video played as we pushed back from the gate.
A nice line-up of oneworld tails at TBIT
It was a quick taxi to the departure runway and we were off within a few minutes.
Just over 9 hours and 20 minutes from takeoff to touchdown
Once the aircraft was over 10,000 ft in altitude, the Wi-Fi became available.
The Wi-Fi is free is first class, and paid in every other cabin. Messaging-only plans begin at GBP 2.99, while browsing & streaming plans begin at 4.99 for 4 hours.
The full flight pass costs GBP 19.99. This is the option I usually purchase on longer West Coast flights. I don't find to be as good of a value on short 6-7h East Coast flights.
The in-flight service began with an apéritif shortly after levelling out at cruising altitude. I had a sparkling wine–it's definitely not actual champagne in Premium Economy, but I don't remember what kind it was. It was nothing special, which is fine considering it was served in a plastic cup.
Outside, it was beautiful day for flying.
As usual, my son's pre-ordered child meal was served first, which I always appreciate. It was a lot of food for a four-year-old, but a much more manageable portion than the huge appetisers and mains we're used to him being served in Business class. Again, the ingredients were perfect for kids with pasta and chicken in a creamy tomato sauce.
For my dinner, I selected the Grilled chicken option. The catering in long-haul Premium Economy is very similar to what you'd get in Club Europe short-haul Business class. Note that the main meal service does include a real wine glass.
Appetiser:
Red quinoa salad
Main course:
Grilled chicken breast, pistou vegetables,
rosemary mashed potatoes, thyme jus
Overall it was quite good and a bit above average in quality for what I'd expect in Premium Economy, based on past experiences. I'm not a huge fan of quinoa so I didn't care much for the appetiser, but that's a personal preference, otherwise it was perfectly acceptable for Premium Economy. I did really like the main, which was well-seasoned–also, the chicken was still juicy and not overcooked.
Here's a look at the beef meatball option:
Beef meatballs with rigatoni,
slow roasted tomato sauce
Checking out the in-flight entertainment after dinner, there's something for all tastes. There are hundreds of films, TV series, documentaries, music, games, and children's programming. The interface is fast and intuitive and the screens on this newer aircraft were perfectly sensitive, meaning only a light touch was necessary to avoid bothering passengers ahead. Most content is dubbed into multiple languages, though the interface itself is only available in English and Spanish.
Cabin lights were dimmed for the night at the end of the meal service.
We were making good time, thanks to some good tail winds. Combined with our early departure from LAX, we were due to arrive about 40 minutes ahead of schedule.
Sleeping is not bad in World Traveller Plus thanks to the very deep recline, which along with the leg and foot rests, makes for a comfortable position for rest. I slept for much of the flight–probably 5 hours or so–and only woke up just as the breakfast service was beginning.
I opted for the full English breakfast because of course I would on BA!
Beautiful morning light outside.
And of course, it wouldn't be a proper arrival into Heathrow if we didn't have to do a few circles in a holding pattern over the countryside and London suburbs.
The clouds cleared out over the area making for gorgeous views of the city.
It was a veritable tour of London's famed landmarks.
From the Canary Wharf to London City and Tower Bridge, to the London Eye, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace, passengers on the right side were treated to beautiful clear views of all of London.
Despite the holding pattern, we were still due to arrive well ahead of schedule.
Beautiful clear days like these are an unexpected surprise in autumn.
We arrived at the gate a half-hour before scheduled arrival time, having only lost ten minutes in the holding pattern.
Deplaning is quick from the Premium Economy cabin as it's only a few rows from the door.
Welcome to Heathrow! Time to hop the underground train to the main T5 terminal to connect to the next flight.
An overall pleasant flight in World Traveller Plus with the little premium touches and extra space making the price premium over Economy worth it, in my personal view. While the seats are indeed a bit narrower than Premium Economy on other BA aircraft types on which I'd previously flown this cabin, they are still very comfortable--the deep recline lends itself well to managing some decent sleep.
Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 23 avis concernant 4 compagnies sur la ligne Los Angeles (LAX) → London (LHR).
La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Virgin Atlantic avec 8.2/10.
La durée moyenne des vols est de 10 heures et 26 minutes.
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16 Comments
Love the QF F lounge...just wish it has actual windows to outside, or better yet outdoor space like some of the lounges in TBIT. At least there's the Taittinger haha
It was great...light and airy...and I love me a tuile! And there were so many hah
Thanks for your comments!
Thanks for stopping by!
That could easily double depending on time of day ;)
Very true, an artifact of there being few PreCheck eligible passengers originating from LAX relative to the total passenger volume.
Pretty much a universal problem for all lounges at LAX since they positioned them landside opposite of the gates except for KE. The QF Business lounge is already huge and better than the *A Lounge, the QF First Lounge just puts the *A First “side room” to shame. OW has the best lounge in TBIT for sure.
Agreed, the advantage of the B777 is its wider cabin that makes all classes feel more spacious (sans Y in 3-4-3) than the A350 or B787. SQ and JL have 19-19.5” wide W seats in their A350s, wonder why BA didn’t design their new cabins to better utilize space and increase privacy (i.e., new JL W).
UA’s finest to serve in a plastic cup^^ All in all, catering looks on par for W with the default back to pseudo-Y for the second meal (was that smily face bun for CHML or you?). As you said, the first meal is very on par with domestic F or intra-European J. Not sure how I feel about the quinoa salad as an appetizer though…
Fantastic pictures throughout and especially the arrival into LHR! Surprised you went SK versus some strange AY routing through HEL ;)
How very true, luckily it was a Saturday so it was a relatively easy drive. I just absolutely hate the 405, especially with the never-ending construction and the HOV lanes getting turned into paid Fast Track lanes...just makes it even worse than the post-apocalyptic hellscape it already way!
Exactly! My thought is that there's the lowest proportion of US-based passengers, who are basically the only people eligible, from TBIT than any other terminal.
The Business lounge is very nice for sure, but a bit too dark inside. Doesn't the *A lounge have an outdoor patio though?
Indeed, I was on a 77W on the return, and the difference was very noticeable and obvious.
Yeah, they have narrower aisles as a result. I can imagine Western carriers like BA probably prefer to keep wider aisles for the cabin crew for Union reasons or otherwise. So few carriers have the 2-3-2 configuration in W on A350s, which would be the most spacious of all, but 2-3-2 on a 787 is very good too.
Hah! Yeah...so back in my pre-kid days you bet I would have! But now I seek easiest and most direct routing whenever possible, especially since we only had a week break from preschool to work with.
Appreciate the comments!
It does have the outdoor terrace, but not particularly in a prime location in terms of tarmac views. Most of the *A Lounge is just as dark as any other lounge at TBIT. The terraces at SFO are nicer than LAX since they also have the one in G that is accessible from the concourse.
Ahh, unions, the same reason why you can’t expect anyone to lift a finger for you…
Good to know...I guess I can consider myself lucky to be a oneworld flyer then. For lounge access, there really is no better alliance--being able to access actual First class lounges as a oneworld Emerald is really a unique perk of oneworld that the other alliances don't have.
Best wishes!
I'm definitely a fan of Premium Economy when flying J doesn't make financial sense. As I said in the review, not all Premium Economy seats are created equal. While most airlines have similar Cradle Recliner seats, BA's by far have the best recline of any airline on which I've flown Premium Economy, which really helps for sleeping. Also having leg rests in every row is not common. Many other airlines only have a footrest in non-bulkhead, which is way less comfortable than having a full legrest and footrest like BA.
Thanks for stopping by!
Yes you are right I remember Tbit to be quite easy to go thru and with fairly short queueing times.
Funny it is thanks to your reports that I realise that not every airport do offer playground areas.
I love the colours of the lounge- just the opposite as a grey a## lufthansa lounge.
Food seems good but not sure about the main presentation lol.
The seats are comfy ok but it is a very busy looking cabin for a premium especially compares to my memories of the premium eco on the 380.
Pre-drinks is a plus indeed.
Shame BA hasn't switched to free wifi messenging service.
That's a lot of food indeed.
Amusing that the cake is different for kids too;)
Did your son manage to sleep?
Stunning views of the city!
Haha, Exactly! You get it ?
Yes, the design of the QF F lounges around the world is really chic...even their J lounges are very nice, notably thinking of the ones at LHR, SIN, and HKG, which are very impressive lounges for outstations
Yeah, I had the same impression. Event though the Premium Eco cabin on the BA A380 is technically bigger, it feels more open and spacious because of the 2-3-2 configuration, wider seats, and then the side bins along the walls make it even more spacious. The A380 W experience is definitely the best of the fleet IMO.
Yeah, it is weird, especially since sister carrier Iberia have it.
Oh yes, slept most of the flight. The BA Premium Economy seats have that really deep recline compared to other airlines so I find it easy to sleep. Whereas on AF in W I could never sleep right because reclining inside the fixed shell just never felt like you were actually reclined. Oddly JAL have the same seat as AF in W and I could sleep well on JAL, but that's because they have a lot more seat pitch than AF (42" vs 38") and allows the seat to recline much more.
Thanks for stopping by!
I agree that small touches like a PDB, a separate cabin really help emphasizing the Premium Part of Premium Economy.
Just a better seat à la LH doesn't justify the price difference.
The cabin does look dense, but it might have to do with the number of rows which is quite high for this cabin.
Slight inconsistency with the use of both platic and real glasses, but otherwise a really good product.
Beautiful views when seating on the right side indeed.
Yeah, it's so weird how LH don't even have a curtain to separate W and Y...just takes away from the "Premium" which is where the product's appeal and value should lie.
Yea, that's definitely part of it. and the fact that it's 2-4-2 with so many rows. In comparison, the A380 W cabin has even more rows, but looks so much more spacious with the 2-3-2 configuration. On the return the 77W W cabin was much more spacious. Seats were noticeably much wider.
Hah, yes. Seems to be common in W cabin on many airlines.
Arriving to LHR from the east is probably one of the best sightseeing treats one can get.
Thanks for sharing!
Sitting on the right side inbound to LHR is always a treat when it’s clear. Only on rare occasions have I not landed from the east.
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