British Airways might sit on shiny new aircraft elsewhere in the fleet, but this early morning Club Europe run to Lisbon played out on a slightly worn, 11-year-old A320, which arguably made the product’s long-standing philosophy even clearer. BA has always relied on flexible cabins, a blocked middle seat, and ground perks rather than any real seat differentiation, and flying it on an older airframe strips away any illusion that hard product has moved on. This review looks at how that familiar setup held up on a real-world positioning flight, from Heathrow’s pre-dawn bustle to breakfast at cruising altitude, and whether the numbers and convenience still stack up when the seat itself feels frozen in time.
In this review:
Flight Details
Flight No: BA502
From/To: London Heathrow (LHR) to Lisbon (LIS)
Departure time: 06:55
Ticket Class: Business
Flight time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Frequent Flyer Points: 808
Status Points: 276
Aircraft: G-EUYW
Aircraft type: Airbus A320neo
Number of classes: 2
Number of seats in flying class: 16
Seat: 1F
Position: Right window, bulkhead
Airport Experience
The morning started predictably busy at Heathrow, with the check-in area already humming by the time I arrived, which felt inevitable for a Monday in December. I decided to drop by the newly refurbished First Wing check-in area at the southern end of the terminal, so I could take a few photos to share here.
South fast track security moved quickly and without fuss, and I was airside in minutes.
I headed straight to the lounge, where Christmas decorations were in full force and early-morning travellers drifted in waves between coffee machines and windows. Breakfast sat on a central buffet, but as British Airways promised food onboard Club Europe, I stuck to a coffee and watched the lounge slowly fill.
Boarding & Welcome
Boarding took place from a bus gate at A10, which immediately took the shine off being allocated Group 1 on British Airways Club Europe, as early boarding loses most of its value once you’re all herded onto the same bus. I took my time to reach A10, made a quick stop at the shop, and joined the holding area just as the final groups were being called. Boarding the aircraft itself was slow, with passengers queueing on wet steps in blustery conditions before finally reaching the aircraft. Two crew members greeted passengers warmly at the door, which helped reset the mood after a slightly soggy start.
Seat
The seat was the familiar short-haul business class setup found across the fleet, and this British Airways A320 Club Europe cabin offered no surprises here. That is, except for the loose seat cushion that caused me to involuntarily slouch for most of the journey! 11 years old and in need of the newer seats BA has begun rolling out.
The (worn) leather-trimmed economy seat had the middle blocked, and 2 windows to gaze out of. but being in the bulkhead meant limited room to stretch out and nowhere to store anything under the seat in front. To complicate matters, the forward overhead bin above row 1 was closed and clearly marked as unavailable. Luckily, the bin directly above my seat remained empty, so despite boarding late I had no trouble stowing my bag and settling in.
Which is the best seat on British Airways A320neo Club Europe?
Having flown this cabin more times than I can count, I still think row 2 remains the sweet spot for Club Europe on the British Airways A320. You stay close enough to the front for quick exits and attentive service, but avoid the bulkhead’s storage restrictions and gain the ability to stretch your legs slightly under the seat ahead. For solo travellers especially, it strikes the best balance between convenience and comfort.
See the seating plan on AeroLOPA.
Onboard Experience
There were four rows of business class on this flight, but only seven seats were occupied, which made this British Airways A320 cabin feel calm and almost private for Club Europe. I had the entire front row to myself, and once the aircraft reached cruise the curtain was drawn, sealing off the cabin from the rest of the aircraft. The forward washroom stayed clean and well stocked throughout the flight, complete with White Company hand soap, and the overall atmosphere felt quiet and relaxed for such an early departure.
Being a short-haul flight, there were no amenity kits.
Food & Drink
Service began around twenty minutes after the seatbelt signs were switched off, with food and drink orders taken promptly. A cup of tea arrived first, alongside a Walker’s all-butter shortbread biscuit, followed by the choice of three breakfast options: a full English, a vegetarian omelette, or a cold plate. For a short-haul route, that felt generous.
I chose the full English, which arrived in a couple of minutes. The scrambled eggs looked suspiciously uniform, as if poured rather than spooned, and tasted fine if slightly salty. The croissant, however, was excellent – crisp outside and soft in the middle – a rarity at 35,000 feet. Yogurt with granola and honey rounded things out, a little sweet on its own but balanced well with the accompanying fruit. Given some recent underwhelming “dinners” on BA, breakfast remained a strong point here.
In-flight Entertainment
There were no seat back screens on this British Airways A320 Club Europe, as expected, but onboard Wi-Fi was available throughout the flight. Free messaging was available for members of the BA frequent flyer programme – The BA Club – and even non-members could sign up quickly and get online without paying. For a flight of this length, it did the job well enough.
Arrival
We landed on time into Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport, which immediately ticked the most important box for a positioning flight. As is often the case in Lisbon, the aircraft parked remotely on the apron and passengers were bused to the terminal.
Immigration queues were painfully long, with little sign of proactive crowd management, and most of the delay came from standing still rather than moving slowly. Bags began arriving around forty minutes after landing, which didn’t feel as long after the time already lost at passport control, though still not especially quick by any standard. I was through customs and land-side around 55 minutes after the aircraft doors opened.
BG1 Verdict
Overall, this was a quiet, punctual and comfortable early morning flight, and British Airways A320 Club Europe delivered exactly what I needed for a positioning run to Lisbon. The bus gate at Heathrow felt unnecessary at that hour, but at least it avoided the longer trek to the B gates. Cabin service was friendly and efficient, and the warm breakfast landed well on a cold December morning. Had my seat stayed in one piece for the duration of the flight, then I’d have gladly given a full 4-stars, but BA sadly couldn’t hold it together. For the price paid, the product felt fair and did nothing to get in the way of the day ahead.
BG1 Tip
At Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport, passport control often takes longer than the bags take to arrive. If you checked a bag, don’t panic – it will likely arrive while you’re still in line. If you can’t find it on the carousel, check that a porter hasn’t already lifted it off and stacked it just beside the carousel. This will continue to be the case until LIS fixes the mess with its e-passport gates.
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