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@SpeedwellTravel-d8e sadly, I'd missed a fair bit of the scenery due to the way the weather was that day, but I'll hopefully do the trip again at some point when it's a bit better. I need to do the Barra flight at some point as well - for the same reason!

@@georgenugenttravels where was that off to?

@@GLAFly Budapest operating on behalf of WIZZ Air on two of the three weekly flights, the EZY next to it was off to Lisbon and was packed, shame to see LIS drop-off the GLA network again

@georgenugenttravels it is, but I'm guessing they weren't getting the numbers they needed to keep the route going from GLA?

@@GLAFly Flights were full most weeks, including the A321, Lisbon slots are a pain to get and keep. EJU were refused a number of slots they requested this summer so something had to give unfortunately.

@georgenugenttravels that's a shame, but understandable

@GraemeLewis95 Cheers! Yeah, it's a lovely liunge and the staff i spoke to were fab - just not sure of the price they are charging. What did it cost you - or was it part.of your holiday package?

@ I agree about the price. I’m sure I booked it on Black Friday (2 years ago, for holiday last year) and from what I remember it was 40% off, so it was £48 in total for 2 people. Thought that was great value for money!

@GraemeLewis95 yeah that's pretty decent - especially if that still included 4 drinks. I think for me 30 quid would be about the right mark. 45 is just OTT.

@@s125ish I didn't realise they flew to City until I was looking to book this trip. I knew they've flown to Belfast International for years, but this route is less frequent.

@tommarchant950 it's well worth a visit! Glad you enjoyed the video 🙂

@SpeedwellTravel-d8e glad it was of help to you! I'm keen to give the upper deck a go at some point in the future, (for comparrison) - don't think I've been back up there since it opened about 20 years ago!

@mikiewifnoe360 cheers Mikie. Just for pleasure - have never been "lucky" enough to get paid to travel (or have it paid for me), and back when I used to fly a lot for work (early 2000s), it was all LCCs, so all my travel is out of my own pocket.

Mikie - just wanted to say a huge thanks for buying me a few coffees to help support the channel - massively appreciated.

@@red.guevarra It's a great city - lots of sights to see and food to eat! Belly poking is a capital offence, though!

@@IndochineUK i remember the years when it was just FlyBe with their Dash-8s, so it's a nice change to be on an airbus into the airport. I've not stayed in Belfast for years, but the Premier inn is was in on this trip wasn't too bad.

@@nlneth9 glad you enjoyed!

@ScottishT agree 100% Tony. I think of you were getting a deal as part of a holiday or some special offer for like 20-25 quid it would be fine, but 45 definitely feels too high. That said, i think it's the going rate these days in most airports, but I'd be focussed more on access via priority pass or a business class ticket - or just spend the 45 quid per head in one of the restaurants.

@GWJUK I'd be more than happy with 18 quid - even of it was just food and soft drinks - but 45, as it now appears to be, is waaaaay too much

@cjiniguez Thanks - glad you enjoyed it! I'm from Glasgow in Scotland (part of the UK).

@Serena_9 I have to agree. It's progress, but hardly ground breaking.

@Jamibi Thanks for leaving me a comment - and delighted you enjoyed the video! That's going to be such an amazing surprise for your girlfriend!!! Has she flown in business before? My lounge access was due to me having Gold status at the time with BA, which let's you access the "First" Lounge (which, confusingly, is only for Ba Gold/Oneworld Emeralds -.there's a different liunge if flying in First). You'll have access to the club lounge - and remember you can also access the liunge in T5B satellite which is sometimes less busy and a bit nicer than the normal club lounge.

@@GLAFly Yeah I think the T5B one is where we will head! Thanks for that. We both haven't flown in anything other than economy so I'm actually buzzing to see it myself as well. I decided to book up the Sofitel in T5 the night before so we're just there for the morning as well. I booked this holiday as a package with BA so will get double tier points (we'll be at 560). We were going to try to get in a flight to Jersey and fly back in business for the 40 tier points to top up to silver. Do you think it would be worth getting silver if we'll do a couple of flights within the silver year? Think we are set on a mini trip at the end of the month so getting silver is a bonus! Thanks again for the video and quick reply!

@Jamibi oh then you'll both be in for a treat I'm sure - i hope you have a brilliant time! Silver is defo worth getting if you can - but be aware (in case you've not seen any articles on it yet) that BA have announced a complete change to the exec club and tier points from 1st of April this year - meaning that instead of tier points being awarded based on distance, it's all now based on cost. So instead of needing 600 TPs for silver, that changes to 7500 tier points (so £7500 of eligible spend - which doesn't include taxes and fees). If you have enough to earn silver before the end of March then I'd 100% go for it if you're close, as at least then you'll have a year of free seat selection and lounge access even when flying economy.

@@GLAFly Thanks for the info, I did get an email and have been reading into the exec club changes. I was going to get silver just so I could have it for a year and probably never manage to get it again. I'm sure we'll have a great time. I'm hearing they're rolling back the "brunchgate" changes (or have done already) so at least the food will be back to the standard you had as well! That 11:20 flight was due to get the brunch, but I'm hoping they've stopped it by the time I fly.

@Jamibi yeah - BA have been on a roll with their "enhancements" lately - glad to see that one being rolled back, so hopefully you get some decent food on board. Will certainly be a bit different from Economy at least 😀. You'll need to let me know how your flight goes - and I'll have another video out before you're flight that shows a more recent return leg back from New York - covering the business class lounge (Greenwich) at JFK - keep an eye out (should be toward end of Feb it will be up).

@ukswiftersThe I had access through my frewuent flyer status with BA (think it was Silver at the time). It's included on business class tickets regardless of any status, but not on economy.

@omnicognatesnr5947 I get what you mean - and I'm not holding my breath for this to be on the A380s before 2027, but in fairness re the club suites - the downturn in travel in 2020 had a fairly significant impact on their original roll out plan (and finances to do it). Still - would be great of they'd completed it by now!

@ i gave up flying BA to MCO because they use the old cabin, but just booked to fly to HND in the middle of next year and had assumed, stupidly, that at least that route would be the new club suite. Sadly not. Flying out 1st, so at least I’ll get to try out their current First class suite, which looks a lot like their new club class.

@omnicognatesnr5947 I much prefer the new Club Suite to the old yin-yang seats, but I've seen a few people saying the old seats were better for sleeping (since no foot cubby). Horses for courses. At Least in F you'll have a lot more space that you would in either Club seat. The catering seems to have improved, and while I'm rarely lucky enough to fly F, I've never had an bad crew looking after me in it.

@@GLAFlyits about 14 hrs to fly to HND now. I couldn’t do that below club. Sounds snobby but its more about survival. Generally speaking BA service is pretty good, its just the old interiors that let them down, and, of course, staring into the eyes of a total stranger for 14 hrs if you’re in club. Better still, having them cough in your face for 14 hrs 🙄. I flew the new Virgin Upper class on an A350 recently and was shocked how tatty it was, but mostly appalled by the service. The cabin crew were only interested in each other. BA still win when it comes to service in Club and beyond. Not sure they understand how to do economy though.

@omnicognatesnr5947 Would agree re cabin preference for a long flight like that. I don't travel for work (which is lucky/unlucky depending on your viewpoint and ability to generate Tier Points 😉), so tend to try and find a good deal for any long flights (Ex-EU; avious redemption Upgrade etc) so i can fly Club whenever possible. I'm a big lad and don't think I could do long haul economy any more.

@ctbt1832 Glad you liked the video. I've made some improvements in my audio processing since this video was made and also started putting subtitles on most of my recent vids (as the Scottish accent isn't easy for everyone to follow) - hopefully that helps. If you watch one of my more recent vids, you can let me know of you found the speech any clearer!

@Sub-Zero02-r9r thanks - really glad that you found it useful (and found the channel). Hope you get a chance to watch some of my other videos too!

@o.c.g.m9426 As a wider westerner myself, I can't argue 😉. I'm sure they will all be held together with the finest duct tape in the land!

@@ScottishT cheers - glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

@ronmalden5065 Not sure I'd compared it to United's business class seat, as it's an order of magnitude larger.in terms of seat and suite space, but you're right that this isn't going to a threat to Emirates or Singapore's First products (especially the ground service and food onboard) - but it's certainly an improvement on what they have on the A380 at the moment, so that's hopefully a good thing - even if it's not the "game-changing" design BA are painting it as.

@@MattsPlanet thankfully ot was book-ended by food in the flagship lounges at LAX and MIA, so i didn't starve 😀. Do BA provide a meal on their mid-haul routes on the A320 in economy? Agree it's a long time without a meal!

@gunvaldsandhaland7757 Thanks - I'm really glad it was helpful. Would be interested to see what the PE service is like on their long haul flights (this was just Eco service).

Sadly, at the time of this trip, I had dropped back to BA Silver (OneWorld Sapphire), so didn't have access to the Qantas F lounge - but I've been in it before, and agree it's a really nice place. I reviewed it in a previous video - my 15 1/2 hour Qatar Q suites flight from LAX to DOH (worth checking out, if you haven't already seen it).

@GLAFly ah. I thought you wouldn't have been able to get into FF with silver (but I see you can)

@danmushm4843 yep - you can access any Admirals Club or flagship lounge - and the Greenwich lounge in JFK with silver - it's a real sweetspot

You've a keener eye than I have - I had to go back and look, but I see what you mean. I'll have to live in wonder now, as to whether or not it WAS him!?! 🤔

@@GLAFly we’ll never know🤔

@xfinzo4961 let's just go with "it WAS him" 😉

@@andrewhickling5598 Cheap at half the price 🤣

@@GLAFly even cheaper on a Companion Voucher

@andrewhickling5598 absolutely. I also fond great value in doing an avios upgrade from Business Class (when available)!

@@GLAFly it will be more difficult if the capacity is now 12 seats as opposed to 14. Even more difficult in the 8 suite variant going forwards.

@andrewhickling5598 I agree - the drop in capacity when they removed the 747s made it a lot tougher to get a seat on certain routes

@Alex-yy8ng Absolutely agree - this won't compete with Emirate or Etihad F products, but at least it's making what BA has "better", even if it's not going to raise the level on the market.

@@GLAFly Yeh it's definitely a much needed boost for BA and with the limited first class options for flying to the America's or the carribean from London, it will probably be the best option available, because the better alternatives flying westbound would be Lufthansa or Swiss Air but you would need to do short hop over to mainland Europe to get on those. However, if I was flying first class from London to the Middle east, Asia or Australia, I can't see how it would be worth spending £10,000 on an airfare with BA when you look at the competition on those routes who will be charging roughly the same price for a far superior hard and soft product.

@Alex-yy8ng Definitely! I'd be looking at Qatar, Etihad or Emirates for something like that.

@@eltororist3366 They are a great wee airline - and it took me over 40 years of flying before I finally flew with them, so don't feel too bad 😀

@ I found your video cause I’m just moving from Paisley to Campbeltown so I should be a regular on that service soon! Soooooo cool you can see the pilots!

@eltororist3366 Awesome! Hope it was of interest, in that case - and hopefully you'll get some better views on your flights! Yeah, seeing the pilots is always cool!

@@redcomusic well, if they ever put one of the 777-9s on that route in the future, you may be in luck - you never know.

@JamesDean-cy6pm I agree - it might not be a game changer when compared to other carriers First products, but it's a big step forward for BA

@ryanwilliamson9578 cheers Ryan. Loads of good content out there, so it's a bit of a "slow and steady" for me just now - but it's getting there 😀. If you like take off and landing (and the odd full flight), it have another channel - @GLAFlyxs where i post takeoff and landings in full as well as some full flight vids.

@ryanwilliamson9578 I like watching the full take off too - it's not for everyone, and most youtubers edit it down - but I'll hopefully always keep it like this.

​@@GLAFly Well it is a fairly saturated market at the moment and most of the views go to the well established channels, as long as you enjoy it. Will check that out, cheers! 👍

@@sithabelamandlawenkosiwodu6298 Scottish! 🙂 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. Don't worry - subtitles are provided for any who find the accent hard to follow! 👍

@@rodmcintosh3149 I'd have to agree!

@@ukdavepianoman they have a lot of work ahead of them to catch up with the competition, but i take this as a positive step in the right direction, at least.

@TheBoomer65 oh that sounds awesome! I've only been to Chicago briefly (a 9 hour stop over 25 years ago, where I went into the city for a fee hours) - would love to go back. Hope you have a fantastic time!!!

@julianfp1952 oh, how i envy your travel patterns 😍. I don't quite know how the ME carriers are able to maintain such a gap between them and the competition (in terms of their service etc), as it can't be cheap - but BA need to get even the basics sorted on the soft side. Private transfer airside when on a bus gate; pre-booking meals; lounge improvements - these shouldn't cost the earth, and would make a massive difference - especially at their home base!

@kentokyo thanks - really glad you enjoyed!

@vhira really just a business decision by BA. Guess they don't feel they need F on all their aircraft these days and it's easier to sell business class on the A350 routes? Not sure if anyone else on here might know a better answer?

@ I’ve recently flown with ba on their A350 in world travellers class and I saw their club world class and I thought it was rubbish. They look more like office cubicles and the doors are too low and don’t ensure enough privacy. This is why they need first class on all of their long haul aircraft so that most passengers do not miss out on the experience

@vhira I've flown in the clubs suite a few times and find them to be a lot better than the old yin-yang club world seats they had previously - both in terms of comfort and dorect aisle access (which is the direction most airlines are taking). I can't disagree that it looks like an office cubicle, though, but it's hard to get away from that these days - quite a few airlines have a similar "boxy" look to their seats now. The cubicle sides aren't high enough, though - Qatar's q-suites do it much better. As for First - it would be lovely to have them on all aircraft, but BA don't have the market for First passengers on all their routes, and they can get in more Business seats in the space it takes for 8 first class seats - hence they have a bit of a mixed fleet, with their A380s, 789/781, 777-300s and some of their 777-200s; with the 788, A350 and other 777-200s only having 3 classes without F. I agree it's a missed opportunity to not have it on the A350, which is effectively their flagship aircraft at the moment, but I'm guessing the numbers don't work for them. Hope you get a chance to fly the Club Suite and see what you think of it.

@@MrSangaroni the new JAL business suite looks amazing, but this BA seat is much larger - and doesn't have a foot cubby to limit your space. But I take your point - it's not a huge differentiator between then.

@bounded I think that's the challenge with a "British" approach to understated elegance - how do you give it a "wow" factor? Something like the Singapore Airlines' first suites is "wow", but what do you think BA could do to make the F service better?

@ Yes, you’re right, British elegance is understated and reflected in craftsmanship and heritage. I think an excellent soft product could really elevate this. 👌

@bounded let's hope they don't come up short as a result of cost cuts on the aoft product, as this looks like it could be a big improvement on the current hard product.

@user-vp5iy8ec9q They said they were aiming for "luxury hotel" vibes, and i can see that in this - simple and understated elegance, with high quality finishes, but nothing garish or too "bling".

@colinrenfrew48 yes - I think QR aren't in any immediate threat 😉

Nor SQ!

@rodmcintosh3149 Yeah - I think they are safe too 🤣

@m.e.c.5837 absolutely agree that it's more of an evolutionary change than anything else - but it's a positive step in the right direction (maybe just not as big a step as they want to sell it as). You're also bang on that they need to sort out pre-booking meals - they are YEARS behind pretty much every other major carrier with this.

@composimple364 Why, thank you! There's a few of us Scots in the travel blogging scene, but we're definitely still a minority. You should check out @steve-marsh on RUclips too if you want some more Scottish adventures 😉

@@EnclosureBlue I know what you mean - it's hard to come from so far back (compared to the other carriers who still actually offer first), but given that their most profitable market is still to the US (where they will be the only option from the UK once AA drop First entirely), it will still be seen as a huge improvement in that market.

@@KatA-p7v it's difficult to get the scale without someone in the seat, but it's much bigger than Etihad's business class.