British Airways A350 Club Suites Nairobi to London (Chaos, Comfort & Champagne)

Flying British Airways’ flagship A350 from Nairobi back to London felt like the perfect finale to my three-week African adventure.

Kenya, my 97th country, delivered everything I’d hoped for – jaw-dropping wildlife, vibrant culture, and a food scene that could tempt many into permanent relocation. But now it was time for BA to prove itself on the nine-hour ride home.

It’s been almost six years since BA unveiled its Club Suites product, which I first reviewed back in 2019. Oddly enough, I’ve barely flown it since – just a short Dubai hop in 2022, which was more “Covid catering on a tray” than a real, fair test.

The question now: in a world where business class keeps getting more bougie, does BA still hold its own?

Flight Details at a Glance

• Route: Nairobi ( NBO) → London Heathrow (LHR)
• Flight: BA64 on Airbus A350-1000
• Cabin: Club World Business Class
• Seat: 10K (Window)
• Travel Time: July 2025
• Duration: 9 hours

Nairobi Airport Experience

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport’s Terminal 1D is… functional. Let’s leave it at that.

It’s the kind of place where even getting into the terminal requires a queue, a ticket check, and a dash of patience..

Other countries like Egypt do this too, so at least Nairobi isn’t a total outlier.

Security and immigration was efficient enough.

The British Airways does not have its own lounge at JKIA.

Instead you will get an invitation to the Plaza Premium Lounge in Nairobi – it offers comfortable seating, decent WiFi, and a great selection of hot and cold food.

The buffet featured a mix of international options alongside some local Kenyan dishes. Not bad at all.

Check-in and Boarding

Online check-in had worked seamlessly 24 hours prior, and the dedicated Club World check-in desk at JKIA moved quickly with minimal queuing.

I had originally selected 1K but I was able to check and change this to 10K ( was concerned about galley noise since BA mostly service Club World from front galley + good engine views on take-off and landing !)

The ground staff were professional and efficient, getting me checked in and through to the lounge within minutes.

Unfortunately, the boarding situation was utterly diabolical.

There was no priority line at all, just one line.

What followed was a masterclass in how even premium passengers can find themselves in a cattle-like scrum.

The gate area itself was so small, you had to wait in line outside it to get through the gate – again – before you had overflowing people in that small room. Agents seemed to have little control of the flow of people, it was “organized chaos” really.

I’m not sure if this is normal or not, perhaps gate 14 in NBO was not designed for a widebody aircraft?

I managed to squeeze through to the window side to be able to capture the Speedbird that would take us home..

British Airways A350 Club Suites Nairobi

Stepping onto BA’s A350-1000 immediately reminded me why this aircraft represents such a step up for the airline – and thankfully erased the frustrations of that boarding circus…

Club Suites Product

The Club Suite cabin felt modern and sophisticated, with a contemporary colour palette of deep blues and greys. Within moments my zen was restored.

The Club Suites themselves are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration across 56 seats which are spread over 2 cabins. Every passenger have direct aisle access – a crucial upgrade from BA’s older Club World seats.

My seat 10K, a window seat on the right side of the aircraft that offered both privacy and excellent views.

Already placed in each seat was a full sized pillow with bedding set, menu, amenity kit and a bottle of water.

It was a completely full cabin, not a single Club World seat was empty.

Seat, Space & Design

The Suite metrics are solid on paper.

At 79 inches when fully flat, the bed is long enough for most passengers, and the 22-inch width provides ample space to get comfortable.  Acoustic lining with strategic use of felt is a welcome added luxury.

The seat controls are intuitive, and I particularly appreciated the multiple positions available – not just upright and flat, but several comfortable positions for dining, working, or relaxing.

Storage is abundant with multiple compartments, including a large side storage area perfect for laptops, books, and personal items.

The small personal storage compartment by the window is perfect for phones, glasses, and other small items you want within easy reach.

One of the Club Suite’s strongest features at launch was privacy. The suite features sliding privacy door (though not full-height) adds an extra layer of seclusion. Though I still maintain my initial thoughts that they do not add a game-changing level of privacy and the doors can still indeed feel flimsy!

Entertainment and Connectivity

The 18.5-inch 4K entertainment screen is bright, crisp, and responsive.

BA’s entertainment selection was comprehensive, with a good mix of recent films, TV series, documentaries, and music. The system was fast and glitch-free throughout the flight.

WiFi was available for purchase (or free for BA’s top-tier members), and the connection was reliable enough for email and messaging, though not ideal for video streaming.

Club World Dining Experience

BA’s catering from Nairobi was a pleasant surprise, showcasing both international standards and some local influences.

The meal service began about 70 minutes after take-off, giving the cabin crew time to complete their service rounds and passengers time to settle in.

Welcome and Pre-departure

The cabin crew greeted Club Suite passengers warmly during boarding, offering a choice of champagne, orange juice, or water.

The Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve exclusive brut was served in typical BA glassware, which I opted in for my post-take off drink too..

It is a little odd BA serves a packeted snack but still the tray was a nice touch that immediately set the tone for the service to come.

Main Meal Service

The menu for this flight was as follows:

To begin, there were two choices of starters – I opted for the Butternut squash and Ginger soup..

The menu featured three main course options: a Roast beef shoulder that, a grilled Red snapper, and a Cauliflower Manchurian as the vegetarian option.

The meal was served on proper china with metal cutlery, and the presentation was elegant.

Here’s where BA genuinely surprised me – the beef shoulders was a solid main…

I’d gone in with modest expectations (airline catering far away outstations doesn’t always have the best reputation)

This was authentically spiced, with tender beef and perfectly aromatic potato gratin that actually tasted like it came from a good restaurant rather than a galley oven.

For dessert, I chose the warm Pineapple crumble..

This was followed by a cheese plate I had no business ordering but did anyway…

The entire meal was surprisingly good and left me wondering why BA can’t manage this standard more consistently across their network.

Service Standards

The cabin crew throughout were professional, attentive, and genuinely friendly. Service still at time felt like an assembly line rather than personal, which is kind of understandable, given the huge size of Club World.

There were some curious oversights that felt oddly un-British Airways. There was no sign of a hot towel service that’s practically a ritual on long-haul Business flights.

I kept expecting that lovely warm, lemon-scented towel to appear – at boarding, before dinner, after dinner, anywhere really – but it never materialized. It’s a small thing, perhaps, but these little touches are what separate premium airlines from the rest, and their absence was surprisingly noticeable.

Bed & Sleep

After dinner, I converted the suite to bed mode

The bed was reasonably comfortable with quality bedding, a proper pillow, and a lightweight duvet that was perfect for the cabin temperature. However, I slight issue I did not foresee..

There’s a noticeable gap that runs down the middle where the seat cushions meet, and despite BA’s best efforts with padding, it’s impossible to ignore…

The bed was perfectly cosy but the gap did become a focus within half hour of laying down. It’s the kind of thing that sounds minor until you’re trying to get comfortable for six hours and keep rolling into it.

That central gap definitely detracted from what should have been a more comfortable experience.

I managed about 4 hours of sleep. Not entirely terrible either.

For those that might want a mid-night snack, BA does have a Galley Area where you can help yourself to snacks but I never got around to check this – other than after breakfast where it most likely was cleared away..

Breakfast Service

About 90 minutes before landing, cabin crew began the “breakfast” service.

Unfortunately, this is where this slide. After dinner had exceeded expectations, I was optimistic about breakfast – which made the disappointment all the more pronounced…

The breakfast was, to put it diplomatically, a bit of a let-down. The choice was simply between fresh fruit and a chicken panini.

As soon as the Panini arrived I regretted my choice and wish I’d simply just opted for the fruit. It looked as appetizing as a stale Ryvita..

I didn’t touch it and simply enjoyed my tea after the little pod of granola in yogurt.

We arrived into London into a clear summer morning with the sun rising right behind us

Arrival Lounge

Something that many passengers may not be aware of is you can use the British Airways Arrival lounge after you collect your baggage and enjoy a full breakfast here, which is precisely what I did.

And perhaps this is what British Airways intends customers to do if they fancied a more substantial breakfast, in their own time.

Final Thoughts

British Airways’ A350 Club Suites represent a genuine leap forward for the airline, though the experience comes with some delightful surprises and a few head-scratching oversights. The combination of modern aircraft, cabin design, direct aisle access and privacy creates a premium experience that mostly competes well with the world’s best business class products.

This Nairobi to London flight showcased some of the highlights and puzzling aspects of a BA Club World experience however. The chaotic boarding situation highlights the weak ground experience across most airports. Missing hot towel service, disappointing breakfast – reminds us that you can only expect BA to be consistently inconsistent!

However the most disappointing of all was that annoying gap in the bed-  leaving me to conclude BA’s flagship product isn’t quite without flaw.

For anyone considering BA’s A350 routes, this product is still absolutely worth seeking out, maybe some aircraft Club Suites are better than others?