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I flew business class for the first time on British Airways' new A350, and the cocoon-like privacy impressed me far more than the food or the lounge

Rachel Hosie,Rachel Hosie   

I flew business class for the first time on British Airways' new A350, and the cocoon-like privacy impressed me far more than the food or the lounge
Transportation2 min read

Rachel Hosie club suite british airways c Nick Morrish

  • British Airways recently launched new business class Club Suites, and Business Insider was invited to be among the 30-ish journalists who were the first to experience them.
  • The suites are being introduced on board the airline's new A350 planes, and the inaugural commercial flight from London to Madrid took place on Monday August 5.
  • The journey was significantly shorter than a transatlantic flight, but as a first time business class flier, it gave me a taste of what long-haul travel in the new Club Suites will be like.
  • I wasn't disappointed, though the journey wasn't completely flawless.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Long-haul flights in first or business class are, for some people, more exciting than the holiday itself.

For me, at least, a whole day of reclining in a comfy bed, being brought endless food and drink, watching films, and snoozing has always sounded like a dream.

Until this week, however, I'd only ever flown economy.

In what is being considered something of a game-changer in the aviation industry, British Airways recently launched its brand new business class Club Suites on board the airline's newest plane, the ginormous A350 - BA's most eco-friendly plane yet, with 25% reduced CO2 emissions and cabin air which is completely refreshed every 2-3 minutes.

At the length of a soccer field (74 metres!), the Airbus A350-1000 is the largest A350, and BA is the third airline to use it.

Read more: I flew American Airlines international business class for the first time. Here are the things that surprised me.

Its Club Suites, meanwhile, have been named as such because each seat can be shut off into a private booth, and each traveller will have access to the aisle - as someone who hates clambering over fellow passengers to get out for a bathroom break, this was already a win for me.

Business Insider was invited to join a group of journalists on the A350's first commercial flight this week, when it travelled from London to Madrid.

While the aircraft will soon travel between London and Dubai, Toronto, Tel Aviv, and Bangalore, for August, the plane will only be flown between London and Madrid to allow for crew familiarization.

The journey was significantly shorter than a transatlantic flight, but it gave me a taster of what long-haul travel in the new Club Suites will be like - and at what business class travel is like in general.

Here's what it was like:

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