I recently flew business class on the British Airways Boeing 787-800 LHR-CVG flight from London Heathrow to Cincinnati. This British Airways business class review will talk about seats, food, amenities and so on. I had booked this flight as it is one of the two direct flights from Europe to Cincinnati (where I live). I had tried to book the OTHER direct European flight (Paris to Cincinnati on Delta) but it was cancelled. I had booked this flight (along with a connecting flight from Rome to London) for 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles. My Rome to London flight was in economy and ended up being a bit late, so I wasn’t able to visit the British Airways lounge in London Heathrow – instead, I had to hustle to my gate.
After rushing to the gate, we waited around for a bit but eventually we were ready to board our next flight, in British Airways Business Class on a Boeing 787-800.
British Airways Boeing 787-800 Business Class LHR-CVG Details
- Airline: British Airways
- Aircraft: Boeing 787-800 (B778)
- Cabin: Business, 2-2-2 configuration
- Origin: London Heathrow (LHR)
- Destination: Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky (CVG)
- Distance: 3,950 miles
- Departure Time: 4:05 p.m.
- Arrival Time: 7:52 p.m. (-5 hour time difference)
- Total Flight Time: 8 hours 47 minutes
- Flight date: October 12, 2024
- Seat: 7J (aisle seat on the right side in the 2-2-2 configuration)
British Airways Business Lounge Access and British Airways Boarding Process
British Airways (and all oneworld) Club World (business class) passengers have access to the various British Airways business class lounges that are in London Heathrow. My British Airways flight was in Terminal 5 in the C gates, which is just about the furthest away you can get. I was going to briefly stop by the Club World business class lounge (for the content!) but I decided instead to just make my way to my gate (C61). I was told that the British Airways London Heathrow business class lounges in Terminal 5’s B and C gates are better than the one in the A gates, but I didn’t have the time to make that call myself.
Of course, since I hustled to my gate and missed out on the lounge, we had a slight delay where I ended up waiting for about 45 minutes before boarding the flight.
British Airways Boeing 787-800 Business Class Seats London to Cincinnati
I had selected seat 7J for me, which is a forward facing aisle seat on the right side of the plane. One annoying thing about booking British Airways business class is that there is a fee for picking your seat, even for business class passengers. So that meant that I could not pick my seat until 24 hours before booking, and so I didn’t get a seat I wanted. With a 2-2-2 configuration, most of the window seats require you to step over someone to access the aisle.
I kept the divider up between myself and 7K (the window seat) most of the time, but because of the configuration, they had to lower the divider to pass the lady in the window seat her meal or talk to her at all.
Not being able to pick a seat, especially in this 2-2-2 configuration, was not ideal.
British Airways Boeing 787-800 Business Class Entertainment
There is a large screen at your seat showing a variety of different entertainment. The entertainment had a pretty wide selection of movies, TV shows and other entertainment.
The safety video was a parody of a British period drama, which was quite funny
British Airways Boeing 787-800 Business Class Review – Amenities
At our seat was an amenity kit from The White Company
It had a standard array of toiletries as well as a sleep mask, face covering earplugs.
There was also a headset which I found to be pretty comfortable.
Although I often do not buy wifi on business class flights (especially overnight flights), I would have considered buying wifi on this flight, since it was a daytime flight. Unfortunately, there was no British Airways business class wifi, at least not on my flight.
British Airways Boeing 787-800 Business Class Menu
Before I get to a review of the food on my British Airways Club World Business Class flight, here are shots of the menu that was presented onboard.
There was also an insert listing the different wines available. I don’t drink alcohol, so this is not super exciting for me personally, but I know that many people look for the alcohol selection when selecting a business class flight.
British Airways Boeing 787-800 Business Class LHR-CVG Food
The meal service started off with a pre-departure beverage – I had the orange juice.
Dinner was served shortly after take off. First came the appetizer – I chose the roasted artichoke soup, which was quite good.
Next came the main course. I had the cornish chicken breast.
Dessert was next – I had the sticky toffee pudding, which was outstanding
As we approached Cincinnati, they served another meal. It’s not really breakfast since we landed at about 8pm local time – I had the prosciutto and mozzarella focaccia.
The British Airways LHR-CVG Business Class food was okay and I would definitely fly British Airways Club World / business class again, though I might choose another option if one presented itself. One other thing to note if you are a soda drinker as I am, the cans of Coke and other soft drinks were mini cans, which was fairly annoying.
The Bottom Line – British Airways Boeing 787-800 Business Class Review London to Cincinnati
My British Airways Boeing 787-800 Business Class review is that it was a solid option, with a comfortable lie-flat seat and excellent food. However, the lack of wifi and a charge for selecting a seat made it not my preferred choice. Additionally, the 2-2-2 configuration is not ideal, especially since you’re likely to have one of the last choices for a seat. Not having direct aisle access (or being on the aisle without any sort of divider), is not great. Though if Cincinnati is your final destination (as it is mine), it is nice to be able to clear immigration and customs and already be home.
If you have the chance to fly British Airways Club World / Business Class on the Boeing 787-800, it’s not bad, but if you have other options, I’d definitely look into them.
Have you flown British Airways Business Class on the Boeing 787-800? Leave your thoughts in the comments below
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There is no such airplane as a 787-800. It’s a 787-8.
No review on the service or the crew. How strange!
Dom is correct. It is the 787-8. There is no such thing as a 787-800. Boeing dropped the extra two digits in all of their most recent generation model numbers (e.g. 737-8 [i.e. MAX 8,] 747-8, 777-8, and 787-8.)