A Ride of Nostalgia: BA A380 Club World London to Johannesburg

Welcome to what could possibly be my last ever classic Club World trip review – well, if things go to plan with BA’s retrofits, that is.

For a multitude of reasons, I don’t fly British Airways long-haul business class often. My travel stats would show that if I’m flying BA, it’s most likely either First Class or World Traveller Plus. This time, I booked using my Barclays Premier Upgrade voucher, which meant First Class simply wasn’t an option.

I’d flown Club on the A380 to Chicago back in 2022, but never planned to review that.

Despite creaky floorboards, a dated cabin and being forced into unwanted intimacy with strangers, I genuinely enjoyed the flight. The overall experience was much better than I’d braced myself for.

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Flight Details at a Glance

• Route: London Heathrow (LHR) → Johannesburg (JNB)
• Flight: BA57 on Airbus A380
• Cabin: Club World Business Class (Upper Deck)
• Seat: 58K (Window)
• Travel Time: July 2025
• Duration: 11 hours

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Pre-Flight: Terminal 5 Surprises

Check-in

I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 almost four hours before my flight – because nothing says “seasoned traveller” like airport paranoia. My record of too many missed flights warrants it !

BA has moved the Club World check-in to the far left end of the terminal, where I was able to drop my bag very quickly.

Fast Track security was also a breeze after this.

The Lounge: When Pigs Fly ?

Much like the flight itself, I had very low expectations of BA Club lounges.

Right past North security, you can catch a quick glimpse of the occupancy status of each BA lounge, and to my surprise, I saw the Galleries North Lounge was only about half full.

I had never seen this – like ever?!

And it didn’t stop there. Not only was the lounge far more pleasant than I’d ever experienced, but the food on offer suddenly looked far more appetizing than usual.

I started questioning – had BA actually changed caterers? When did this happen?

My original plan was to go straight to the B gates lounge, so I only stayed here for an hour before heading there. Yes, it did get much busier in that one hour I was there.

Full new review here: BA Terminal 5B Club Lounge

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Boarding

Our boarding gate for BA57 was designated C57. Remote as can be. It was a 15-minute trek from the B gates lounge.

With a full hour to departure time, our boarding gate was packed tighter than a London tube during rush hour.

I’d noticed 2 weeks out when trying to select a different seat, only to find every single Club World seat except one already assigned. Either BA’s pricing strategy works, recent status shuffles had made little difference to numbers yet, or people really enjoy expensive disappointment?

Our aircraft had not one but three different boarding bridges – the A380 is too magnificent for peasant single-bridge treatment – and yet there was still congestion getting on board.

By the time I reached the upper deck, my cabin already looked full, with many struggling with their bags.

It was impossible to take any cabin shots without becoming part of the luggage chaos.

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BA A380 Club World London to Johannesburg

Seat 58K with minor perils

I settled into seat 58K, a window seat thankfully, but not the best one since I still had to perform the awkward leg-climbing dance every time nature called.

The cabin and seats looked well presented and reasonably clean – though “reasonably clean” on BA is like “reasonably sober” at a wedding: better but I’d still carry my sanitizing wipes !

Something you simply couldn’t ignore was the creaky floorboard, which was slanting in different directions. Perhaps not great for someone with a nervous disposition!

Has anyone else experienced this on a BA A380, or was I just lucky enough to get the “character” seat?

The Neighbour Lottery: I Lost

My neighbour was an American lady on her second long-haul flight, traveling as part of a group.

Their conversations from the get-go took over this whole side of the cabin like a very polite invasion. She was friendly, we exchanged pleasantries. But what is talkative in a normal setting would prove positively garrulous in a plane.

I also observed our cabin had an unusual number of oversized passengers – and before you ask, no, none were American!

As everyone settled in, hot towels and welcome drinks were offered. I opted for champagne.

It was at this time that I discovered the seat divider wasn’t working.

I tried multiple times and informed the staff, who supposedly tried to “reset” it. Nothing worked. To illustrate the POV with divider down..

Well, this was set to be a fun 11-hour flight !

Club World Amenities

Already placed on my seat were the menu, bedding set, amenity kit, and a bottle of water near the floor storage unit.

The amenity kit contents included the essentials and them some SPA lib balm, moisturizer and a Relax lavender pulse point..

Speaking of storage, there’s an abundance of it in these A380 window seats.

There are not one but two huge closed units by the side of the seat and fuselage walls, enough to fit a couple of regular-sized backpacks each.

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Departure

Our flight was being pushed back on time with the still new-ish safety video assisted the crew demo.

Meanwhile a stunning sunset glowed across the whole of Heathrow.

It felt like a genuinely magical moment – being in an A380 upper deck while anticipating an exciting trip that would include my 96th country ( not South Africa, I’d been there over five times already)

Our flight path would take us north, before turning south with a stunning backdrop. After a smooth climb out, service began with hot towels and drinks of choice.

First drink and meal choices had been taken on the ground – a little organised efficiency helps the malfunctioning seats woes.

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The Dining: When Low Expectations Meet Pleasant Reality

The menu was as follows:

In all, pretty good I thought.

Post take-off drink service kept me suitably refreshed while I was transfixed on the sunset..

Dinner starter was served 50 minutes after take-off. I opted for the Red Pepper Soup:

This left a lovely aroma trail as it was served. I quite enjoyed it!

Excuse the low-light photos – it had been so long since I’d flown the old Club World configuration on a night flight that I’d forgotten whether they actually had overhead lights or not.

For Main Course I chose Grilled Salmon: Served piping hot, almost getting everything right as a balanced main course…

Dessert – Walnut & Orange Cake: I was pretty much full by this point, and entirely forgot to take a snap of it.

Service Quality: The Art of Adequate

The crew were attentive enough as far as Business Class expectations go.

There was an offer for further drinks before cabin lights were dimmed so everyone could catch some sleep.

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Sleep and Rest: The Ultimate Business Class Test

Making the Bed

About an hour after dinner, with 7 hours and 40 minutes to go, I made my bed and fell asleep. BA does provide good bedding by the White Company, with the quilt being comfortable without being too warm.

To my relief so had the chatter in the cabin.

I managed a solid 6.5 hours of sleep – which in airline terms is basically winning the lottery.

Restrooms & A380 Perks

There are 97 Business Class Club seats in these A380, spread between a smaller lower deck cabin.

There are two large restrooms in the front of the Upper Deck Club cabin, the very space where Emirates has showers !

There is also a standard sized one in middle of the upper deck cabins. However, something to note is that a smaller lower deck cabin has 4 restrooms there – a far better ratio.

This is something was noticeable in this flight during peak times with some waiting. Thus might still be a consideration even after BA completes refurbishment of the A380s with Club Suites. The only major change we know of so far is new First Class Suites

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Breakfast Service

The crew checked if everyone would like to be woken up for breakfast. I asked to be woken as late as possible.

I was glad the crew obliged, somewhat, but I woke naturally anyway whilst we were almost crossing Botswana airspace.

Breakfast Magic (No, Really)

Being up already, the peaked through to ask if I was ready for breakfast.

First Course: Started with fresh fruits and orange juice ..

Main Course – Cheddar and Asparagus Omelette: Served with potato rosti and Isle of Wight cherry tomatoes…

As far as business class breakfasts go, I was impressed. This was one of the best omelettes I’ve had on a plane – it wasn’t soggy, didn’t feel rubbery or overcooked, just almost perfectly done and smelt fresh!

In airline breakfast terms, this was practically gourmet cuisine.

The Tea Challenge

This elevated state didn’t last long, however.

When I finished breakfast, I wanted tea but couldn’t get the attention of any crew member – they’d apparently mastered the art of selective invisibility.

When they’d served my starter and asked for hot drinks, I’d requested tea to be served after the main course.

I tried getting the attention of one of the crew to no avail – So I pressed the call bell. Two minutes went by with nothing, so I cancelled and pressed it again. Another five minutes went by before I finally got the person who had originally served me.

She instantly remembered I’d asked for tea before – so hurried back to the front galley to fetch me some fresh tea and was kind enough to bring me some fresh croissants to go with it as well!

Twenty minutes later, my plates were all cleared and the captain announced the beginning of our descent into Johannesburg.

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Arrival

It was another smooth approach and landing into a clear and sunny morning in Johannesburg.

One of the things I love about flying to South Africa is that you have a long enough overnight flight with just a one-hour time difference. You’re able to sleep and land fresh and ready to enjoy your holiday from the morning of day one.

Except this time, I was actually headed for Mauritius less than four hours later on a different ticket.

Immigration Success, Baggage Epic Fail

We were able to use the diplomatic lane for speedy immigration into South Africa – a rare moment of VIP treatment when you’re merely just flying Business Class !

What wasn’t speedy, however, was my bag. After waiting for a full hour, when almost every 500 odd person had picked up their bags I was still waiting for mine.

Turns out my bag never left London!

Would I still be reunited with my bag for this trip? You’ll have to wait for my next trip report with an entirely new airline to find out.

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Final Thoughts

What Worked Well

• Storage: More space than a London studio and twice as functional
• Sleep Quality: Despite the social orchestra next to me, I got solid rest
• Food: Much better than expected
• Crew Recovery: When things went wrong, they made genuine efforts to fix them (eventually)
• Aircraft Experience: The A380 upper deck still has that “I’m flying in the future” feeling

What Needs Improvement

• Seat Maintenance: The broken divider and creaky floors
• Service Consistency: Great recovery, but shouldn’t need recovering in the first place
• Ground Operations: The baggage fail
• Seat to Restroom ratio: Somewhat inadequate

Overall, surprisingly not terrible.

Despite my expectations being low this was actually an enjoyable flight. Yes, there were issues – the broken seat divider, floors that sounded like a haunted house, and awkward sharing of personal space with neighbours  – but the fundamentals worked.

I slept well, ate better than expected, and arrived somewhat refreshed.

While it’s entirely possible these seats on the A380 or 777s would still be around on some aircrafts for 2 or 3 more years. This could be my last classic Club World flight, and in a way, I’m glad it was mostly a positive one for the diaries.

Let’s not forget the impact of this product 25 years ago that has no doubt influenced and shaped where the Business Class segment is now today. So it’s like saying goodbye to an old friend who was never perfect but was always reliably imperfect in exactly what you needed.