I wanted to share with you my personal experience with British Airways Club Europe product. It was a flight I took on the eve of the COVID-19 worldwide outbreak back in February 2020.

How I booked the BA Club Europe flight

I used my British Airways Executive Club points to book my one way ticket. It wasn’t my first time flying BA in Club Europe.

The reward Business class ticket cost 12,750 Avios points + C$40 in United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge and Air Passenger Duty. I earn most of my Avios points thanks to the RBC British Airways Visa card and RBC Avion card.

This reward presents a lot of value as travellers get a full Business class experience from check-in to landing. That’s pretty good for a regional flights of less than 3 hours.

British Airways Terminal 3 Lounge Heathrow

Although Heathrow Terminal 3 is not my favorite terminal, I was pleasantly surprised by the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge. I had landed in T5 from Montreal (YUL) and checked-in on my smart phone for my Zagreb flight. Then I hopped on a bus to transfer to T3.

I went through the fast track security lane which allowed me to avoid the busy regular lines.

The lounge is located in zone F of Terminal 3.

It features 3 main areas: the Galleries First lounge, Galleries business-class Lounge and the Elemis Spa. I got the lounge and had my boarding pass scanned.

As you walk in, you enter the main dining area with a buffet section on the left hand side and the sitting area to the right.As I walked further, I got the lounge area with lots of sofas and bar seating at the windows which makes for a great tarmac spotting post.

The area features a self-serve bar and Union Coffee stations. A very pleasant part of the BA Galleries T3.

I had a coffee with toast and jam. I picked-up a British Airways Speedbird 100 IPA as well 😉

Onboard

We made our way to the gate and got priority boarding.

The Club Europe cabin is situated at the front of the plane. It’s the same seating as in Economy, except the middle seat is used a table giving more personal space to window and aisle-seated passengers.

Next time I’ll board last to avoid getting hit by the entire economy cabin’s bags passing by me. People not paying attention as they pass me with their huge luggage is aggravating.

As we took off, crew started getting busy with the afternoon tea service.

I love the British Airways Club Europe catering. It’s so much different from its long-haul offering. My traditional afternoon tea service consisted of the following:

• A potato and egg salad
• Smoked salmon
• Dessert
• English tea

Lots of alcohol was served, champagne included. But I chose to stick to tea and water as I was jet lagged and did not want to be dehydrated.

Conclusion

British Airways Club Europe is a top notch service. The overall value of the experience is hard to beat considering the number of Avios points one has to fork out.

Also BA’s inflight service on the F&B front is very strong. Meals are healthier and tastier. One can drink $200 in alcohol on a 2.5-hour flight easily, on top of the airport lounge experience.

Business class check-in, security fast track lines, lounge access and a generous baggage allowance for $40 in taxes and fee on top of the 13K Avios is a sweet spot to go around Europe.