QF Skybed and F class seat vs BA Club World seat

[vt01]

I had a trip to the UK come up at very short notice. As per company policy it was in J class. So was booked on QF1 for the trip there and QF2 for the trip back. As it was only a week's trip I thought I would upgrade mydelf to F class in both directions at 60k QFF points each way.

About 12 hours before my flight over, my upgrade came through. This was my first F class trip on this route. For SYD-BKK segment, the F class beds were not made up. This was done on the BKK-SYD segment. This was absolutely fantastic. Very comfortable although I still did not get more than 4 or 5 hours sleep mainly because I just don't sleep well on planes.

My colleague travelling with me did not upgrade but stayed in J class. She complained that she didn't sleep very well due to the slope on the skybed seat. I tried to convince her to upgrade to F class coming back but she decided not to.

I told her that BA Club World seat does go completely horizontal and that perhaps we could move to one of the QF codeshares on a BA flight coming home. This would also mean I would get a good comparison of the BA seat to not only skybed (as I have used these quite a lot) but also the QF F class seat. And she would hopefully get a better sleep coming back.

We changed to QF302 (BA009) via BKK. I came home 1 day early so I'm not sure how her trip went but I will update as son as I next see her.

The verdict for me - I prefer the BA Club World to the QF skybed but it still does not beat QF F class (as I would expect). I managed to get 4 hours sleep on each segment. I was in 61A all the way which is located on the upper deck and faces the rear of the aircraft. I really only noticed I was facing backwards during takeoff where acceleration is greatest and initial few minutes of climb where it is the steepest. Once we settled into the cruise climb. Landing is very comfortable. The deceleration with my back against the seat was great. The seat next to me was the forward facing. You are separated by a semi-circular screen which can be opened or closed. Open would be great if travelling with someone you knew. Myself and fellow passenger left it closed which really gives you a nice feeling of privacy.

The seat is similar to the QF F class in that it has a foot stool which joins the seat in the flat position to form the bed. I loved the footrest! Once seatbelt signs were off, I reclined my seat slightly so I could place my feet on the foot stool. I found this a very comfortable position and much more comfortable than a partially reclined position in the QF skybed. You can also vary the height of it from it's initial low position to the full height required for forming the bed.

The video screen is easily reached as it comes from the
side of the seat next to you. It's smaller than the screen used on the skybed but then it's much closer to you.. More like the older screens on QF dreamtime seats. The control is against the inside of your armrest. This was a non-AVOD aircraft so limited movie choice and the cycling of movies every 2.5 hours or so. Not a big issue as I was more interested in how I would sleep.

I found the seat very comfortable for sitting and eating. In the takeoff and landing position it has a reasonable recline on it. You can make the seat more upright for eating which I also found good. The tray table is under your arm rest and comes out full size. No fold in the middle.

But finally, to sleeping.. There is no doubt that I slept much better on te BA seat than the QF Skybed. No sensation of slipping down the seat. Plenty of length and width. Although I remember thinking the seat seemed a little harder than skybed but it has been 3 months since I was last in a skybed and my most recent flight was in QF F class were you have a duvet under you providing padding.

Would I fly BA Club World again? Without a doubt. Unless I was intending to upgrade to F class on QF I think I will always use the BA product when flying J class where possible. Being horizontal for sleeping just seems to make all the difference. But I was really surprised how much I enjoyed having the foot stool as well.

Unfortunately I cannot compare the seat to any *A carriers as I have not used one for many years. I have only flown Cathay and last time I flew them, their J class seat also had a slope on it in the sleeping position.

[jasonja3]

I completely agree vt01, I much prefer the Club World seat, however IIRC it is slightly narrower than the Skybed, which seams to be better for daytime flights.

When I don't need OW status points, I travel VS Upper Class which is much better again than Club World, flat bed, duvet, more length (202cm), wider, big screen and massive table. The best J class seat around....IMHO.

[simongr]

Having flown from JFK-LHR recently in club world I hated the BA seat - maybe because I couldnt get the footrest to work but it seemed old and uncomfortable compared to the skybed.

[NM]

But finally, to sleeping.. There is no doubt that I slept much better on te BA seat than the QF Skybed. No sensation of slipping down the seat. Plenty of length and width. Although I remember thinking the seat seemed a little harder than skybed but it has been 3 months since I was last in a skybed and my most recent flight was in QF F class were you have a duvet under you providing padding.

Thanks for your report, vt01. Great to read that you enjoyed both QF First Class and BA Club World - both great products in my experience also.

The BA CW seats are indeed narrower than QF Skybeds, and especially so at the feet end. The reversed pairs of seats means each seat is wider at the head end than at the feet end - which is not a bad thing in itself for most people who tend to be wider at the shoulders than at the feet! Being on the upper deck you would probably have noticed that the aisle on the BA aircraft is somewhat wider than on a similar QF aircraft. On the lower deck, QF has 7 Skybeds across (2x3x2) which BA has 8 CW beds across (2x4x2) which demonstrates the difference in width of the BA seat compared with the QF seat.

Your colleague's comparison of QF Skybed vs BA CW Bed will be interesting also.

[vt01]

I completely agree vt01, I much prefer the Club World seat, however IIRC it is slightly narrower than the Skybed, which seams to be better for daytime flights.

I think I actually prefer it for both.. i think I remember reading here that it was narrower than skybed but I really didn't notice. I found it very comfortable.

When I don't need OW status points, I travel VS Upper Class which is much better again than Club World, flat bed, duvet, more length (202cm), wider, big screen and massive table. The best J class seat around....IMHO.

I would to try this! I heard they were good...

Having flown from JFK-LHR recently in club world I hated the BA seat - maybe because I couldnt get the footrest to work but it seemed old and uncomfortable compared to the skybed.

The first time I flew on BA back in June I also had trouble with footrest. I didn't realise I could raise it until my second flight. But this time everything worked fine.

The BA CW seats are indeed narrower than QF Skybeds, and especially so at the feet end. The reversed pairs of seats means each seat is wider at the head end than at the feet end - which is not a bad thing in itself for most people who tend to be wider at the shoulders than at the feet! Being on the upper deck you would probably have noticed that the aisle on the BA aircraft is somewhat wider than on a similar QF aircraft. On the lower deck, QF has 7 Skybeds across (2x3x2) which BA has 8 CW beds across (2x4x2) which demonstrates the difference in width of the BA seat compared with the QF seat.

So that's how they do it.. I noticed on the 777 they had that configuration and I don't think I would be happy sitting in the middle of the 4 seats. I didn't notice the extra width of the aisle.

Your colleague's comparison of QF Skybed vs BA CW Bed will be interesting also.

Yes.. She hasn't surfaced yet which means I won't see her until next week at work..

[Bill Bolton]

I'm flying J class to Frankfurt on Sept 13th, BA on the Sydney to Singapore sector, with a ~1 hour transit stop then QF on the Singapore to Frankfurt sector, so I'll post my experience with both types of J class bed when I get connectivity again in Europe.

Cheers,

Bill

[duffshot]

Me - I like them all.

QF first is the best all round of the 3 as you'd expect. Great seat - great service - great doona - great sleep - (great PJs)

As for BA CW and QF J I reckon they both have advantages and disadvantages which cancel each other out. I sleep well on both (though always wake up with a sore back on BA). I don't have a problem with the slight incline on the sky bed and love the design and features of the seat, particularly when AVOD actually works... Service is similar but you usually get a good curry and a bacon roll on BA! QF food is generally better though IMHO.

[vt01]

Spoke to my colleague today who said she had a wonderful trip on BA.. She said she slept much better than on the skybed. She had an aisle seat. She also made mention that in the takeoff and landing configuration, the seat is more reclined than the skybed which she preferred.. When I asked her how she like the foot stool she said it was silly because it wasn't the same height as the bed. She didn't realise she could raise it! Seems to be a bit of that..

Me - I like them all.

QF first is the best all round of the 3 as you'd expect. Great seat - great service - great doona - great sleep - (great PJs)

No argument there! Although having only travelled F 3 times in the last 3 years, I have too much fun enjoying the food, wine, entertainment and service to sleep very well..

As for BA CW and QF J I reckon they both have advantages and disadvantages which cancel each other out. I sleep well on both (though always wake up with a sore back on BA). I don't have a problem with the slight incline on the sky bed and love the design and features of the seat, particularly when AVOD actually works... Service is similar but you usually get a good curry and a bacon roll on BA! QF food is generally better though IMHO.

I did notice on the BA seat that when you recline it all the way, it 'seems' to bow upwards slightly in the centre. So I reclined it 95% of the way which too me seemed to make it perfectly flat.. Perhaps I've just got a bent back!

I'm flying J class to Frankfurt on Sept 13th, BA on the Sydney to Singapore sector, with a ~1 hour transit stop then QF on the Singapore to Frankfurt sector, so I'll post my experience with both types of J class bed when I get connectivity again in Europe.

Cheers,

Bill

Sounds good Bill.. The more experiences the better!

[SF&]

I travelled F on BA to Bangkok and the returned on QF Bangkok to Sydney.

On BA they put a matress/cushion underneath you which was interesting wasn't offered on QF, i liked both. Who wouldn't, I couldn't find much to be un happy about, food was excellent service was great and slept very well.

I think i wldn't pay for first just upgrade is fine but i think business is adequate for me anyway.

looking forward to all the new layouts on BA Cathay does anyone know when QF qill change as it seemed to take a long time to get where they are now, QF flatbeds in business i mean.

Also the Cathay first lounge is fantastic, a clas above any other lounge i have visited.

[Yada Yada]

Just my opinion... I like QF's F seat the best. I find it makes a great bed and is also the most comfortable for sitting up and working. It seems to have better padding than Club World.

Comparing Skybed to Club World, I would take Club World for a night flight because it makes a much better bed IMO. However the Skybed is better for daytime flights. I find that things are hard to reach in the Club World seat... e.g. the magazine pocket is far enough away that you have to take off your seat belt and get out of your seat. If you are trying to work this can be a PITA.