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laurieb

By laurieb,
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laurieb

laurieb

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What are your thoughts on business on BA 388?  I haven't read anything positive on seatguru, figured you all would have more experience 🙂

There will be 2 of us flying together

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laurieb

laurieb

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58 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

BA 388? Is that a flight number (which can change, or be used on multiple flights in a day) or referring to the plane type and model...an Airbus 380-800?

plane type

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Although it is the old Club World seat on the A380s it isn't all bad news if you're flying with someone else.

 

The old seats are still fully flat beds but in pairs with the window and middle seats facing backwards. There's a divider that drops down so you can directly face eachother and chat, if that's your kind of thing. The aisle seats are quite exposed and the window seat occupant will need to step over the legs of the person in the next row's aisle seat to get out (a common cited gripe that's massively overblown IMO, especially compared to older business class paired seats where it can be very difficult to get out from a window seat) but that's about it.

 

When flying with my wife I certainly still prefer the newer "Club Suites" but if you can pick the right seats the "old" Club World isn't that awful, IMO.

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laurieb

laurieb

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27 minutes ago, fbgd said:

Although it is the old Club World seat on the A380s it isn't all bad news if you're flying with someone else.

 

The old seats are still fully flat beds but in pairs with the window and middle seats facing backwards. There's a divider that drops down so you can directly face eachother and chat, if that's your kind of thing. The aisle seats are quite exposed and the window seat occupant will need to step over the legs of the person in the next row's aisle seat to get out (a common cited gripe that's massively overblown IMO, especially compared to older business class paired seats where it can be very difficult to get out from a window seat) but that's about it.

 

When flying with my wife I certainly still prefer the newer "Club Suites" but if you can pick the right seats the "old" Club World isn't that awful, IMO.

Thanks!  Is the upper level any better than the main level?  The backward facing seats just seem so strange.

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FlyerTalker Excellent Advice! Rare

FlyerTalker

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4 hours ago, laurieb said:

I haven't read anything positive on seatguru,

 

Seatguru has been effectively abandoned by Trip Advisor, its owner.  Lots of incorrect information there.  Use at your own risk.

 

 

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laurieb

laurieb

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46 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Seatguru has been effectively abandoned by Trip Advisor, its owner.  Lots of incorrect information there.  Use at your own risk.

 

 

I didn't know that; thank you!  Where do you suggest I look for reviews?

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CDNPolar Excellent Advice! Rare

CDNPolar

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We have been very pleased with BA business class regardless of the aircraft.  To us it is not just the seat but the service.  We find BA Flight Attendants in Business Class to be a step above many other airlines in their efficiency, and friendliness.  We choose BA business class where possible for these reasons.

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laurieb

laurieb

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2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

We have been very pleased with BA business class regardless of the aircraft.  To us it is not just the seat but the service.  We find BA Flight Attendants in Business Class to be a step above many other airlines in their efficiency, and friendliness.  We choose BA business class where possible for these reasons.

thank you!

 

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laurieb

laurieb

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So final destination is NCE; besides AA, what other airlines might you recommend that have decent business fares from LAX?  I haven't really found much.  Flying home from AMS, BA and AA seem to have the best times and fares

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FlyerTalker Excellent Advice! Rare

FlyerTalker

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16 minutes ago, laurieb said:

So final destination is NCE; besides AA, what other airlines might you recommend that have decent business fares from LAX?  I haven't really found much.  Flying home from AMS, BA and AA seem to have the best times and fares

 

Dates always help.

 

 

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FlyerTalker Excellent Advice! Rare

FlyerTalker

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Your best pricing for business would be with SAS.  Around $3500 r/t pp.  This would however involve an overnight in Copenhagen in both directions, with the hotel at your expense.

 

Another option for you to consider is Turkish.  Around $3800 pp.  You could easily take advantage of their free stopover program, and would be able to get hotels on TK for time you would spend in IST.  Personally, I'd go with this option and spend a couple days there to stretch out your vacation with another city to visit.  And there is so much to see and do in IST.

 

After that, you're pretty much jumping up to $4500 or more on other carriers.

 

I've been a big fan of TK - solid inflight product, IST airport is excellent, and pricing is attractive.

 

You may need to leave a day or two early on the outbound, and a day later on the return to get the best pricing.  Be flexible.

 

 

 

 

Edited by FlyerTalker
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On 1/5/2024 at 5:38 PM, laurieb said:

Thanks!  Is the upper level any better than the main level?  The backward facing seats just seem so strange.

 

Upper deck seating is 2-3-2 in Club World and you do get the side bins, similar but a little smaller than the ones on the 747 upstairs.

 

Flying backwards seems to be mostly a gripe from those who have never tried it. Other than the very initial stages of climb out and when you land you can barely tell the difference. In fact because aircraft fly slightly nose up it's considered you sleep better in rear facing seats since your head is above your feet when lying flat.

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Globaliser

Globaliser

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On 1/5/2024 at 10:38 PM, laurieb said:

Is the upper level any better than the main level?  The backward facing seats just seem so strange.

 

Personally, I prefer the upper deck. It's wonderfully quiet, so much so that it can be a surprise when the aircraft gets airborne because until that point it just feels like a fast taxi. And the forward toilets are a delightful use of what would otherwise be wasted space. But the layout means that many seats have distinct advantages and disadvantages - some of the disadvantages actually stemming from how quiet the cabin is - and there are no absolute winners (unlike on BA's 747 upper deck, which was pretty much my favourite way of routine flying).

 

As fbgd says, the aft-facing seats really take only a few minutes to get used to, and then you won't even notice. More than once, I've woken up in the middle of the night in one of these seats and had to think a bit before working out which way was forward and which way was aft. Personally, I think they're great for couples because you can talk to each other so naturally; there are a lot of reasons why I'll miss these seats when they're gone.

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jollyjones

jollyjones

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Maybe some can get used to rear facing seats, but I can’t. 
I have been stuck in one a few times, and find they make me air sick, not just at takeoff and landing, I can feel the difference in flight too. Absolutely miserable. 
So glad they are being phased out. 

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Globaliser

Globaliser

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10 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

I can feel the difference in flight too.

 

I don't think it's physically possible to feel the difference in flight, other than through already knowing that your seat is aft-facing.

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