World Traveller 73 
It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed the Air Canada Express Canadair Regional Jet – 900 series aircraft in business class. There are a few of these floating around in the Air Canada Express system. With a quick two day work trip to Regina, I would end up testing out this particular aircraft type on a brief two hour flight from Vancouver to Regina.
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Review: Air Canada Express Business Class Canadair Regional Jet -900, Vancouver International Airport – Regina International Airport
I had a quick two day business trip to Regina, Saskatchewan. Since this was a quick turn trip, I was seeking a non stop flight. There was only one carrier that I was able to get there and back on a non stop routing; Air Canada. If I had flown Westjet, I would have had to take a connection in Calgary.
It has been quite a while since I’ve travelled on an Air Canada Express flight in business class. As a result, I thought that I would briefly review the experience on this narrow body Canadair Regional Jet aircraft.
Departing from Vancouver International Airport:
I arrived at my usual two hours before flight at Vancouver International Airport. Using a Nexus Card, I had no wait at security screening. My boarding card offered priority security screening, but there wasn’t a long line anyway.
I stopped briefly at the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Vancouver Domestic. I’ve reviewed this lounge several times before so I won’t be doing so again. This lounge was accessible as a result of the business class of service of my ticket, and there were no additional fees to visit.
Air Canada Express
Business Class
YVR – YQR (Vancouver International Airport – Regina International Airport)
AC 8190 – Business Class (P)
8:10 AM – 11:14 AM
March 20, 2024
Booked: Canadair Regional Jet – 900 Series
Flown: Canadair Regional Jet – 900 Series
On Board Air Canada Business Class:
Air Canada Express offers a small twelve seat business class cabin on it’s Canadair Regional Jet – 900 series aircraft. The cabin is set up in a 1 – 2 configuration in business class across four rows of business class, versus a 2 – 2 configuration in economy class in the back. You’ll get a little more leg and shoulder room, but its not a whole lot extra.
If you are a solo traveller, there is a single row of seats on the left hand side of the aircraft. I don’t mind these seats, but I do find them to be quite exposed without much privacy.
I found my seat 2F. I tucked myself into the seat. On arrival to the seat, I realized that the Canadair Regional Jet one of the only jets in the Air Canada fleet that does not offer an in seat back monitor for entertainment purposes.
I quickly started downloading and refreshing my downloaded Netflix content. I had mixed success with this while in the plane as my cell signal was not very strong. Otherwise, it was going to be a pretty austere trip to Regina.
The Air Canada Express Regional Jet offered two individual seat nozzles and a reading light. It’s always a more comfortable flight with air nozzles and this flight was no exemption.
While the seat offers a little extra space, there isn’t a whole lot of extra seating room in business class. I was fortunate to be able to get my carry on into the overhead bin. This left the space under my seat for my feet.
Pre Departure Services:
Air Canada serves a simple pre-departure beverage, a tiny bottle of Naya Water that was waiting on the seat. This is unlike most US carriers that offer an open bar beverage. There was no further offer of an extra drink.
While waiting for the plane to complete boarding, I reviewed the menu offered for todays flight. While Air Canada used to offer a printed menu service, today they have shifted to menus presented in the Air Canada app.
The breakfast menu featured a choice of two hot entrees, with the usual parsley omelette making it’s usual flagship appearance. A French Toast option was also available, without any meat.
The second page of the breakfast menu offered the drink list. It offered a list of beers, unspecified wines, spirits. The spirits were pretty mainstream; although there was an effort at upscale Tanquery Gin, there wasn’t all too much “wow” on the spirit menu.
For a two-hour flight, the menu service was reasonable overall. There’s not a meal plan as extensive on most of my First Class flights within the US. On my short haul US flights, I’d be lucky to get a snack basket. As a result, having a full meal available was a definite advantage.
We got underway and were up an over the Canadian Rocky Mountains fairly quickly. The mountains were looking pleasant on this March morning… completely covered in snow, with a little bit of cloud.
The Meal: Breakfast
The flight time today was scheduled at two hours and three minutes gate to gate. The meal service started at about forty five minutes after take off from Vancouver International Airport.
The in flight service started off with a warm towel service. This isn’t typically expected on domestic flights. It was a nice touch, even if the towels are looking a little worn.
The Air Canada Express Canadair Regional Jet tables are pretty tiny things. I unfolded my table in preparation for the main event.
Given that this was a morning flight, I started off with a coffee. The Air Canada Coffee is good, but not great. I find that it is never usually very warm by the time it gets to the seat. Coffee today was served with roasted salted nuts; a little bit of a strange morning combination.
Despite my better judgement, I went with another parsley omelette. This was served with Air Canada fresh fruit, an iögo yoghurt, the usual ciabatta roll and the omelette itself.
The parsley omelette is pretty much the same no matter how you slice it. This one was presented with chicken sausage along with tomato cumin chutney. It was it’s usual dry self, with softly crisp hashbrowns.
It’s great that Air Canada offers a full meal on a short two and a half hour flight. It’s a far cry ahead than our American counterparts that usually offer a snack basket instead. I would rather that the food be just a little more tasty and engaging. This is especially prevalent in the breakfast department, where I think that Air Canada can get a bit more creative with their breakfasts.
Landing at Regina International Airport:
We left those beautiful Rocky Mountains behind as we descended into Regina International Airport. It was pretty flat and grey as the ground started it’s thawing state.
We arrived into the quiet Regina International Airport. I had checked a bag for this trip as a result of some business needs. The bag was put out quickly and I was on my way pretty quickly.
I would end up returning home on a similar Air Canada Business Class: Regina – Vancouver flight two days later.
The Bottom Line: Air Canada Express Business Class
The Air Canada Express Business Class on the Canadair Regional Jet – 900 Series offers a little more room, but not a whole lot of extra space.
The main benefit is a little extra space and a smallish meal that you’ve probably bad before on another flight. While the meal is something that isn’t offered on comparable two hour flights within the United States and even on my last United Airlines Transborder flights.
If you regularly fly Air Canada Express Business Class, do you spring for business class over economy on short flights ?
My Air Canada business class flight this morning was on Air Canada’s newest short haul aircraft: the Boeing 737 Max 8. The cabin features Air Canada’s newest business class cabin that is designed for function and ease of use. My early morning departure had me relaxing most of the way from Ottawa to Vancouver, along with enjoying an Air Canada breakfast. Come along with me as we test out the features of Air Canada’s newest short haul business class cabin.
This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Skiing in Vermont via Air Canada Business Class
- Air Canada Signature Business Class: Vancouver – Ottawa
- Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour, Vermont, USA
- Restaurant: Hen of the Wood, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain, Vermont, USA
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, Canada
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Vancouver
Review: Air Canada Business Class B737 Max 8, Ottawa International Airport – Vancouver International Airport
After a great few days of skiing in Stowe Vermont USA, it was time to head home to Vancouver. Today’s travel home was on Air Canada Business Class Ottawa – Vancouver on their newest Boeing 737 Max 8 product.
The Air Canada Boeing 737 Max aircraft is there a newest short haul aircraft, and consequently, has the newest and most up to date business class cabin.
Checking into Air Canada Business Class:
As per usual, I checked in using the Air Canada app through my smartphone. I received my pre-assigned seat (2F) on the shady side of the plane. Consistent with a paid Air Canada Business Class ticket, I was placed into boarding group 1, which was the highest possible boarding group.
I departed the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, where I was staying the night before. I returned my Hertz rental car to the Ottawa Airport return location at such an early time that had not yet opened for the day.
Since I was travelling with two pairs of skis and their related equipment, I ended up having to check the skis. There was no line at the Air Canada Priority Check In counter, being one of the first times I’ve actually used this particular counter since I’m usually “carry on only”. I was able to get my skis tagged quite quickly.
After checking in at the counter, I was given direction over to the speciality baggage line that was quite long at 4:45 AM. It seems many people leave Ottawa for skiing in February.
There was a sole CATSA agent at the front that was taking a leisurely time inspecting every bag, with about twenty people in line. This process took about twelve to fifteen minutes.
After the skis were dropped off, I headed to the secure side of the airport. My business class ticket had access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Ottawa Airport. I didn’t actually visit the lounge since we had only 15 minutes prior to boarding time and I didn’t bother burning up one of my Maple Leaf Lounge day passes so early in the year for MrsWT73 who was also travelling with me on a Flex Economy ticket.
I also had access to the Aspire Business Lounge – Ottawa; courtesy of Priority Pass and the American Express Platinum Card, except that it was not open early enough for our 6 AM departure time.
We eventually wandered down to Gate 29, where our flight was departing from.
Air Canada
Business Class
YOW – YVR (Ottawa International Airport – Vancouver International Airport)
AC 341 – Business Class (P)
6:00 AM – 8:39 AM
Feb 18, 2024
Booked: Boeing 737-Max8
Flown: Boeing 737-Max 8
On Board Air Canada Business Class:
Air Canada only runs one or two nonstop services between Ottawa and Vancouver every day. If you’re very lucky, you’ll end up on a widebody Boeing 787–9 aircraft with a nice executive pod.
If you’re just taking an average flight, you’ll end up on a Boeing 737 max eight aircraft like this one, it represents their newest aircraft and newest business class cabin. However it doesn’t feature all the bells and whistles of their flagship widebody aircraft.
I have reviewed the Air Canada Boeing 737 max aircraft on several occasions previously. Please see the following posts if you’d like a little more description of the cabin.
In my case, in order to save my company a little bit of money, I ended up on the first available flight from Ottawa to Vancouver. This flight departed at 6 AM.
The Air Canada Boeing 737 Max Business Class cabin features four rows of business class using slim line seats. The cabin is set up in a 2–2 configuration and features an attractive black and gray colour scheme.
While I absolutely love window seats, I found in my older age I am starting to prefer the aisle seats for longer transcontinental flights of more than four hours in length. I located my assigned seat in 2D and settled in for the journey.
The Air Canada business class cabin offers a somewhat flimsy retractable foot rest that is tucked away under the seat in front of you. Given my large frame at 6’2″, I didn’t find that the foot rest added any comfort to my flight.
Generally, the newer business class cabin on the Air Canada Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft is miles ahead of the older legacy product that you’ll find on Air Canada’s Airbus Series short haul aircraft. The Boeing 737 seats are more comfortable and the cabin is configured to contain and hold electronics while they charge. Accordingly the 737 max is my favourite short haul business class cabin on Air Canada.
Pre Departure Services:
Air Canada continues to simply offers a small bottle of Naya Water which was waiting on the seat. On the odd occasion, there is a purser introduction during the boarding time on the ground. However, we were silent on these introductions this time around.
During the pre-departure period, the flight attendants also passed out a printed breakfast menu. For the most part, Air Canada continues to offer a printed menu, although there are occassionally flights where I do not get them distributed.
While there were not many surprises on the breakfast menu, the regular Air Canada parsley omelet made another morning appearance. The parsley omelette is the unoriginal mainstay of the Air Canada breakfast and has been in the space for about 20 years.
The Meal: Breakfast
Todays flight was about four hours and forty five minutes marked at four hours and twenty minutes gate to gate. After about one hour of flight time, and our arrival to altitude, breakfast was served.
The breakfast service started with a warmed towel service. Air Canada towels aren’t super luxurious. Instead, they are pretty standard variety and more functional than fancy.
I decided that I just couldn’t do another parsley omelette, having done several of them over my last few trans continental Air Canada flights. As a result, I ended up with French Toast served with the fruit compote and vanilla crème anglaise.
Breakfast was served with a firm ciabatta styled warmed roll, īögo yoghurt, along with mixed fruits.
The French toast was a reasonable alternative through outright necessity. However it didn’t leave me feeling as satisfied, as a result of a lack of a meat option included on this dish.
In Fight Entertainment:
During the flight, I played around with the in flight entertainment system. The flight entertainment system offered a large easy to view screen with movies, television shows and a moving map that allowed for great location spotting.
For most of the flight, I pretty much napped, given the early morning departure hour. As a result I didn’t get into the movies that were being offered.
I will provide accolades to Air Canada four including individual seatback monitors for its in-flight entertainment system. Most American carriers like United Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines have not installed seat back monitors. As a result, this tends to make for a pretty austere and boring flight experience.
Second Service: A Snack Basket
About three quarters of the way through the flight, Air Canada flight attendants came around with a snack basket. There were a few items in the snack basket that were a bit more robust than what you might find on a comparable US carrier.
Today’s snack basket contain Miss Vickies potato chips, specialty pretzels, licorices, KitKat milk chocolate and Lindor dark chocolate chocolate bars. This was accompanied by a bar and beverage service along with warmed nuts.
I ended up with a Canada Dry Ginger Ale. This was followed up by Miss Vickie potato chips and a Kit Kat.
After the snack basket was passed through the cabin, there was an offer of warmed mixed nuts that mostly consisted of salted almonds.
Landing at Vancouver International Airport:
We had a fairly straightforward arrival into Vancouver international Airport. We arrived and I was among the first to disembark. I headed over to baggage claim belt #5, which is the one usually used for Air Canada flights originating in Ontario.
My primary concern was collecting my checked ski equipment. Air Canada has not done so well with keeping passengers connected with her baggage. As a result I use the Baeder function in the app to track the bag, along with an AirTag that I had previously used.
Fortunately I was reunited with the bag without any issues.
The Bottom Line: Air Canada Business Class B737-Max 8
The Air Canada Business Class on the Boeing 737 Max 8 is a pretty reasonable way to get across the country. While it is not a fully flat seat, it’s much more comfortable than flying in economy class.
While the french toast was slightly better than that parseley omelette, Air Canada could do a much better job at varying their food and beverage offerings on their flights. It can tend to get pretty boring as it is.
If you’ve flown Air Canada Business Class on their Max 8 aircraft, do you find a large difference between this and their legacy Airbus product ?
On our returning trip from Vermont – USA, our early morning flight had us departing from Ottawa International Airport. As a result, we needed a place to stay close to the Ottawa international Airport. We ended up at Ottawa’s newest Marriott hotel: the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa airport. We will discover a brand new property with larger than expected rooms. The property would deliver everything we would expect from an airport hotel, and then some. Read on to see how our stay experience fared.
This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Skiing in Vermont via Air Canada Business Class
- Air Canada Signature Business Class: Vancouver – Ottawa
- Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour, Vermont, USA
- Restaurant: Hen of the Wood, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain, Vermont, USA
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, Canada
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Vancouver
Review: Fairfield Inn and Suites, Ottawa Airport, Ontario, Canada
“A new Fairfield Inn that represents better than the brand it usually represents. The Fairfield Inn Ottawa Airport offered large spacious rooms, marked by nearby Ottawa International Airport convenience.”
On my way back from a Stowe Mountain Resort Vermont USA ski trip. I found myself with a very early morning departure from the Ottawa international airport. I was booked on an Air Canada Business Class Ottawa – Vancouver flight which departed at 6 AM. As a result, I needed an overnight hotel near the airport.
I usually stay in downtown Ottawa on my work visits. However, on this trip, I was aiming for convenience to the Ottawa International Airport and personal expense, over neighbourhood amenities.
If you’re visiting Ottawa, you might enjoy my other trip reviews of hotels in the Ottawa area:
Booking the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport:
There were a number of Marriott Bonvoy hotels within the Ottawa Airport area. The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport is the closest hotel to the Ottawa International Airport, followed by the Hilton Garden Inn Ottawa Airport next door. The Residence Inn Ottawa Airport is also available just few miles down the road.
The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport generally offers rates between $150 – $250 CAD ($109 – $182 USD) during the week, for a standard guest room. The highest rates appear to be mostly on the weekends, likely representing most of the users of this property being families and leisure travellers.
I booked through the Marriott Bonvoy website, which as a Marriott Titanium Member, entitled me to a complimentary upgrade to the best available room, including select suites, complimentary access to the Marriott Executive Club Lounge (of which there wasn’t one at this property), and a complimentary late check out up to 4 PM.
It is worth mentioning that there are only a few suites at this particular property. As a result, the likelihood of getting an upgrade into an actual suite (with a separate living room) is limited. The likely Marriott Bonvoy Elite upgrades offered will be a soft upgrade into a higher floor category, a better view or quieter area away from the elevator.
Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunities:
The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport offers competitive room redemptions with the new variable redemption rates. Marriott Bonvoy rates were between 18,000 to 25,000, which represents value on some nights but not on others.
If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.008 a point, you’d have to spend more than $144 CAD room rate to come out ahead for a 18,000 point redemption, or $200 CAD room rate if you happen to find a 25,000 point redemption. While this represents reasonable value under certain circumstances, you’ll want to make sure that your redemption is value based in order to get the most out of your Marriott Bonvoy points.
Arriving to the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport:
I had rented a car from Hertz at the Ottawa International Airport in Ontario, Canada. After returning from the Courtyard Burlington Harbour and two days of skiing at Stowe Mountain Report, we arrived to the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa by rental vehicle at around 9:30 PM.
The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport is located near, but not attached to, the Ottawa International Airport. While there is a short shuttle that runs between the Fairfield Inn and the Ottawa Airport, it was more convenient for us to transfer between the airport by rental car.
Aside from the airport itself, there isn’t much around the area in the form of restaurants. If you find yourself here without a rental car, you’ll end up having to use Uber Eats, taking the shuttle to the airport in hopes of finding some fast food that is open, or taking a taxi to another neighbourhood in order to get access to food.
We booked direct on the Marriott Website. We ended up with a paid night for about $180 CAD under a American Automobile Association (AAA) rate versus the regular rate at $205 CAD. We took advantage of a double elite night credit Marriott bonvoy promotion that would allow us to re-qualify for Marriott Bonvoy Elite status for 2024.
Arriving to the Property:
The Fairfield Inn Ottawa Airport was looking dark and wintery when we arrived well after dinner. We found free parking on the property and headed inside to check in.
The lobby was nicely decorated for a Fairfield Inn. The lobby contained lots of spaces for sitting and gathering, which is terrific considering the hotel is pretty much around nothing else around other than the airport.
The Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa offers a large buffet styled breakfast included with every room rate. While we didn’t get the opportunity to enjoy the breakfast (thanks to our early departure), it’s worth mentioning that this is provided free of charge.
We had a fairly average check in experience. We were provided with a welcome bonus of 500 Marriott Bonvoy points as a Titanium welcome amenity. With an early departure at 4 AM, we were not able to take advantage of the included breakfast. However, we were offered a take away breakfast bag if we were interested.
Self parking was free at the hotel. Given the airport location, we had a small parking pass that was required for the dash board.
The Room: Studio Suite – 1 King, Sofa Bed
We had booked a base Guest Room – 1 King room. Our Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status got us a complimentary upgrade to a Studio Suite on the top floor.
Our assigned room #718 was located near the elevator, which was convenient given we had lots of ski equipment I had to take care of and store appropriately.
The Studio Suite room was a large 582 sq foot room that plenty of space to roam around in. The Fairfield Inn Studio Suite Room was probably the largest standard sized hotel room that I had stayed in for quite some time.
The Bedroom Area:
Immediately upon entering the room, we found a giant king size bed. The Fairfield Inn had crisp white linens that offered a comfortable sleep experience.
I was actually really surprised on how spacious the room was. Even with all our ski equipment and gear spread around the room, the room had heaps of space. It would be perfect for a family that had children sleeping on the couch, since there was enough room for everyone.
The reverse of the room featured a smaller closet and a wet bar. The wet bar offered a small sink and contained the ice bucket, along with a small refrigerator. There was a small Keurig coffee maker on the wet bar with a variety of Van Houtte Coffee pods.
The television area also offered a functional luggage rack space that was large enough to accomodate several suitcases. This was super handy as most luggage racks only have enough space to accomodate one bag.
Like with most Marriott properties, the bed and linens were super comfortable. Despite being located close to an airport, there was not a lot of airport noise with windows being well sealed and sound proof. The bed was of good quality and I had a sound, but short, sleep.
The Living Space:
The second half of the studio suite offered a second television and sofa bed seating area. The sitting area of the room was also large and spacious. There was a large window that offered airport grounds and parking lot views.
The Bathroom:
The room offered a single vanity sink, which was a little surprising given the size of the room. While the bathroom only offered a single sink, the bathroom was spacious enough
While the hotel was marketed as a Fairfield Inn and Suites, there were only one or two suites located on our floor. Instead, there were many more “studio suites” located ont the floor.
Food and Beverage:
Much like all other Fairfield Inn’s, there is no on site full service restaurant at this property.
Typically, there is a breakfast served in the lobby. While we missed the breakfast hour, there is a large space available for those looking to enjoy the included breakfast.
Around the Property:
The property offered both a gym with free weights and an indoor pool. The gym offered a few treadmills, elliptical cycles and free weights.
There is a small indoor pool and hot tub. This is a small space that is designed to entertain children and young adults instead of actually getting in much exercise.
As I had mentioned earlier, there is not much food and beverage in the immediate neighbourhood. Aside from the fast food counters of Subway and Tim Horton’s at the Ottawa International Airport which is accessible by shuttle, there isn’t anything walkable from the hotel. If you are without a car, you’ll be reliant on Uber Eats or Skip the Dishes to deliver food to the property.
My Thoughts of the Fairfield Inn Ottawa Airport:
In general, the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport represented a good value for an overnight stay near the Ottawa international airport.
The highlights of this stay were the modern appearance of the hotel rooms and it’s lobby, the larger than expected Studio Suite room, and the convenience of being close to Ottawa International Airport. While I can’t think of many things wrong about this property, the fact that it is located miles away from any other restaurants is perhaps it’s only disadvantage.
I would easily stay again if I needed an overnight stay near Ottawa International Airport.
If you have stayed at Ottawa International Airport, was the Fairfield Inn and Suites at the top of your list?
Every now and then, the stars align and you’re able to visit an excellent restaurant when you’re out traveling. It often requires a little research, but that research and investment of time can pay off, with a truly enjoyable evening. Hen of the Wood Burlington was located a few steps away from our accommodations. We were able to get into experience a regional dinner that surpassed every expectation. Read on to see how our visit fared.
This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Skiing in Vermont via Air Canada Business Class
- Air Canada Signature Business Class: Vancouver – Ottawa
- Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour, Vermont, USA
- Restaurant: Hen of the Wood, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain, Vermont, USA
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, Canada
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Vancouver
Restaurant Review: Hen of the Wood, Burlington, Vermont, USA
The state of Vermont, United States of America is known for its craft restaurants, quality ingredients and exceptionally good food. While we were in town for a few days we would have the opportunity to enjoy Hen of the Wood restaurant for an upscale casual dining experience.
About Hen of the Wood Restaurant:
Hen of the Wood operates two restaurants; the original restaurant in Waterbury and it’s sister restaurant in Burlington. The Burlington location of the restaurant opened in October 2013 and would be the version of the restaurant we get the opportunity to experience.
Hen of the Wood features mostly local ingredients in its menus. The restaurant prides itself on its relationships with the local suppliers, allowing it’s chefs to offer the best in local cuisine.
Locating Hen of the Wood Burlington:
Hen of the Wood Burlington is located right next to Hotel Vermont, in the town of Burlington, Vermont, United States of America. It was a short three minute walk from Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour hotel.
We were fortunate to be able to dine without having a reservation. We were lucky that when we arrived at 8 o’clock on a Thursday night, there were some seats available at the bar. We would end up being treated to a showy open kitchen experience.
We turned up without a reservation on a fall Saturday night. We were able to get a table inside at around 8 PM with a short five minute wait. It is a popular spot, so I would recommend getting a reservation in advance.
Inside Hen of the Wood Burlington:
The Hen of the Wood Burlington had a contemporary American look. It was a slightly lighter version of an American steakhouse, with inviting and upscale brown leather seating services, comfortable booths along with occasional chairs.
The Hen of the Wood featured a rectangular square bar at one end of the restaurant. The bar was absolutely packed when we first arrived, as it featured as a waiting area for those who were waiting for tables.
After a short five minute wait, we were led up to the bar. Hen of the Wood Burlington features an open kitchen, with high top bar seating all around the kitchen preparation area.
We would get a terrific view of the workings of the kitchen while we dined. I’d highly recommend dining at the bar if you happen to enjoy watching your food being prepared.
On the Menu:
Hen of the Wood featured locally inspired cuisine. In addition to a few fresh special items, and a raw seafood bar, Hen of the Wood offered a selection of small plates followed by a number of large plates. In addition there were a few side dishes along with a family style ribeye, that was designed to be shared.
Highlighting Hen of the Woods commitment to local producers, the restaurant featured one of the best local cheese selections that I have seen in a North American restaurant. Hen of the Wood featured no less than eight different types of cheese from across Vermont, in both hard and soft varieties.
As you may have expected, Hen of the Wood restaurant also featured an excellent wine list. The wine list contains a broad range of old world wines. It also included new world wines, featured predominantly from Oregon and California in the United States.
The wine list was well structured throughout a mid to low high end range of price points. It included some specialty bottles that surely looked interesting to enjoy. The wine list also offered a good number of wines available by the glass, for those that did not want a whole bottle.
The menus, which was presented in a courier type font, appeared to be engaging, intriguing and attractive. It inspired eating.
Dinner:
We were both pretty hungry by the time our food arrived. After a long drive down from Ottawa, we were both keen to eat.
I started off with Parker House rolls with honey butter. Parker House rolls were a favourite part of my childhood and invoked memories from visiting the Royal Fork Buffet when I was young. Tonights version was presented with crisp and sweet honey butter, which paired well with the salt on the Parker House Rolls, making for a great sweet and savoury contrast on the palette.
We would get to enjoy a great view of the open concept kitchen while we waited for our food to be prepared.
MrsWT73 would enjoy beets, with oyster mushrooms, triple truffle cream and crispy quinoa. The beats tasted exceptionally fresh with a slightly earthy tone. The series and flavours of combinations worked well together for a very satisfying dish.
Being a locally focussed restaurant, I went with a dish that featured products from the area. I enjoyed duck with sweet potato, sourdough spatzele, and bourbon maple jus.
The duck was presented as the chef recommended at medium temperature. Much like Brome Lake duck from Quebec, the portion was well put together and medium in size. The seasoning was in a flavourful and correct amount.
We enjoyed a bottle of Folk Machine Doc Ponds from the Central Coast of California USA. Despite being a cheaper bottle, it had decent structure to it without the usual expectation of sugars you’d typically find in a cheaper bottle.
The Vermont Cheese looked so inviting so we had to finish our dinner with a serving of waiter recommended Mount Mainsfield hard Goat Cheese. It was served with crackers jam and some mixed nuts.
The check was a very reasonable $140 USD; a deal for a meal of this calibre that included a bottle of wine.
After enjoying our meal, we returned on foot next door to our accommodations at the Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour.
My Thoughts on Hen of the Wood:
It is always a treat when you’re able to discover a really delicious gem of a restaurant in your travels. The Hen of the Wood Burlington easily met that description.
During our experience, we were treated to a three course meal, paired with excellent wine wine. Being seated at the bar we were also given a view of the kitchen, which was entertaining.
I’d be very happy to return to Hen of the Wood Burlington on my next trip through the region.
If you have visited Hen of the Wood, did you enjoy the restaurant?
My February visit to Stowe Mountain Resort would mark my first visit to a Vermont Ski Area in the North Eastern United States of America. While I was expecting “East Coast” icy winter skiing conditions, we were blessed with a winter storm passing through the area, which delivered 20 inches of fresh dry champagne powder. This made for one of the best ski days of my personal winter season. The resort itself was large enough to contain two to four days of winter skiing. Read on to see how we got the most out of Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont, USA.
This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Skiing in Vermont via Air Canada Business Class
- Air Canada Signature Business Class: Vancouver – Ottawa
- Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour, Vermont, USA
- Restaurant: Hen of the Wood, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain, Vermont, USA
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, Canada
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Vancouver
Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont, USA
With a slightly lacklustre winter ski season at my home mountain (Whistler / Blackcomb) as a result of an El Nino year, I had my sights set on other options. When the opportunity came up to extend an existing work trip, I decided I would take a vantage of the opportunity by making my first visit to Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont, United States.
About Stowe Mountain Resort:
Stowe Mountain resort is a ski area in the north eastern part of the United States. It’s first trails were cut in 1933 and it has been in regular operation since 1940. This includes having one of North Ameica’s first organized ski patrols.
It’s legacy and history make it a ski resort with a substantial following. It is among one of the highest peaks in Vermont which makes it attract a good number of skiers from around the region.
Stowe Mountain resort also happened to be part of the Epic Pass (owned and operated by Vail Resorts. As an Epic Pass seasons pass holder, I had access to free lift tickets to Stowe through my Epic Pass Season’s Pass. This was a substantial cost savings over having to buy tickets. It resulted in a savings of several hundred dollars.
Getting to Stowe Mountain Resort:
I based myself at the Courtyard Burlington Harbour Hotel in Burlington, Vermont. While there is some limited ski in and ski out accommodation at Stowe Mountain resort, I found that the price point at $500 USD a night to be a little too expensive for my tastes. Instead I opted for a 45 minute drive into still Mountain resort each day.
In terms of the road conditions on the drive between Burlington – Stowe Mountain Resort, my rental happen to be a Volvo XC 60 recharge sport utility vehicle. This car had all wheel drive and all season tires. The drive was mostly on “interstate like” highways, although the road to Stowe Mountain itself was on two lane switch back through gradual valleys. Even though there was snow blowing during our winter February visit, I didn’t have too much difficulty navigating the highways.
After driving up to Stone Mountain resort, I had to navigate the resort parking arrangement. Stowe Mountain Resort offers free parking between Monday through Thursday. On Friday through Sunday (the weekend), Stowe offers paid parking at its convenient Mansfield Village Base Lodge (village base) for $30 per day. This fee is waived if you arrive in your vehicle with more than four persons. This has resulted in travellers picking up hitchhikers on the way into Stowe.
For those travellers looking to visit Stowe Mountain Resort as cheaply as possible, Stowe Mountain Resort offers free parking at its Toll House and cross country ski bases. You will find access to the Toll House lifts on the way into Stowe Mountain Resport, as they are the first access parking lots on the road in.
If you are looking for the free parking on the weekend, you will have to take the Toll House lift into the ski area. You will also have a long and gradual ski out to the parking lot at the end of the ski day. This will cut about 30 minutes out of your skiing day but does allow you to save $30. I did use the Toll House parking lot on my Saturday visit, when I didn’t need to visit the base area after skiing.
I personally found the paid parking at Stowe Mountain resort to be a bit of a cash grab. While I can appreciate that Stowe Mountain resort is trying to manage the amount of visitors to the ski area, there are few public transit alternatives. There appears to be some limited bus service running from the city of Stowe, Vermont. However if you were commuting from Burlington – Vermont like I was, a rental car seems to be the only realistic option.
Skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort:
Skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort is split across two mountain peaks; the Mansfield Mountain Peak and the smaller Spruce Mountain Peak. Rather irritatingly, there is not the ability to ski in between these two peaks. Instead, you’ll have to take off your skis, ride the Over Easy gondola between these two areas.
The resort has undergone a large property development on the Spruce Peak side. There exists a pedestrian village with luxury condominiums and hotel accommodation that was priced beyond $600 USD a night during my visit on Martin Luther King day weekend.
Despite the new construction and conveniences of the Spruce Peak Village, I did not happen to find any unique Après Ski bars, lounges or restaurants that would cause me to linger after a days worth of skiing.
My visit to Stowe Mountain Resort coincided with a massive snowstorm. We were blessed with about 20 inches of champagne powder. This meant that the skiing was light, fluffy, and fast over stows gradually sloping hills. It would be vastly different than the eastern ice skiing that I was expecting.
The winter storm also meant that the visibility was exceptionally poor, with the resort being completely a shade of gray throughout almost the entire visit. I was able to snap these few photographs of Stowe Mountain resort, when the sun actually made a five minute appearance.
My wife and I would end up skiing a first day Friday together. She would end up taking the Saturday off as a result of a restricted epic pass. Instead, I came back for a second day of champagne powder.
We really enjoyed the resort itself. The skiing was excellent, given the snowfall. While it was a little challenging to get around the resort as a result of it split personality. It’s fair to say that they were some great smiles on our faces as a result of the world class now
While I might not have travelled all the way from the west coast of North America for skiing at Stowe Mountain Vermont, over a competing Colorado or Park City resort, it made perfect sense to visit as an “add on” to an existing work trip to Ottawa, Canada. I would easily enjoy a visit again under similar circumstances.
My Thoughts on Stowe Mountain Resort:
My visit to Stowe Mountain Resort happened to coincide with a powder weekend delivering 20 inches of fresh champagne powder. As a result the conditions and skiing were excellent.
Stowe Mountain Resort’s skiing was pretty good, and there was enough at the resort to keep you satisfied for 2 to 3 days worth of skiing. While I doubt I would have travelled all the way across North America to ski at Stowe Mountain Resort, the ability to tag on a few days of skiing onto an existing work trip made perfect sense for me.
If you’ve visited Stowe Mountain Resort, what brings you here in the first place?
Our stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour was designed to take advantage of downhill skiing at nearby Stowe Mountain Resort. While I was looking for a convenient place to spend the night, we would end up finding a conveniently located full service hotel in the heart of historic Burlington, Vermont. While we didn’t get a whole host of Marriott Bonvoy upgrades, we appreciated the hotel’s features and comfort. Read on to see how our two day stay at this property fared.
This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Skiing in Vermont via Air Canada Business Class
- Air Canada Signature Business Class: Vancouver – Ottawa
- Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour, Vermont, USA
- Restaurant: Hen of the Wood, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain, Vermont, USA
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, Canada
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Vancouver
Review: Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour Hotel, Vermont, United States of America
“A comfortable Courtyard that’s an excellent base for exploring Burlington, well located in the historic Burlington district with excellent restaurants nearby.”
My visit to the Courtyard by Marriott Burlington, Vermont, USA marked a two day visit to the region. While my primary reason for visiting the area was for skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont, I would end up using the Courtyard Burlington Hotel as a base of operations for this particular trip.
Booking The Courtyard Burlington Harbour:
I was based in Burlington, Vermont for daily access to the Stowe Mountain Ski Resort. Stowe Mountain Resort was located approximately forty five minutes drive away from the Courtyard Burlington Harbour.
There were a number of Marriott Bonvoy hotels within the Burlington area. While most seemed to be general hotels off the highway, I ended up deciding on the Courtyard Burlington Hotel as it was located within walking distance of the Burlington downtown historic district. This would end up being a wise choice, as the downtown district was quite interesting, quaint, and contained a number of great restaurants.
The Courtyard Burlington hotel generally offers rates between $200 – $350 USD during the week, for a standard guest room.
I booked through the Marriott Bonvoy website, which as a Marriott Titanium Member, entitled me to a complimentary upgrade to the best available room, including select suites, complimentary access to the Marriott Executive Club Lounge (of which there wasn’t one at this property), and a complimentary late check out up to 4 PM.
It is worth mentioning that there are only a few Executive Suites at this particular property. As a result, the likelihood of getting an upgrade into an actual suite (with a separate living room) is limited. The likely Marriott Bonvoy Elite upgrades offered will be a soft upgrade into a higher floor category, a better view or quieter area away from the elevator.
Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunities:
The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington offers competitive room redemptions with the new variable redemption rates. Marriott Bonvoy rates were between 40,000 to 60,000, which represents value on some nights but not on others.
If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.008 a point, you’d have to spend more than $320 USD room rate to come out ahead for a 40,000 point redemption, or $480 USD room rate if you happen to find a 60,000 point redemption. While this represents reasonable value under certain circumstances, you’ll want to make sure that your redemption is value based.
Arriving to The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington:
I had rented a car from Hertz at the Ottawa International Airport in Ontario, Canada. After driving down to Burlington, Vermont from Ottawa, Canada, I ended up arriving to the hotel after about a three hour and forty five minute drive.
The Courtyard Burlington Harbour Hotel is well located in the historic area of Burlington, Vermont. It’s a short drive off Interstate 89, through the University of Vermont grounds, with the hotel positioned near the water of Lake Champlain. The area surrounding the hotel has great restaurants that are well worth exploring.
Checking into the Courtyard by Marriott Burlington:
Upon entering the lobby, I walked to the front desk. I had a friendly welcome and was thanked for being a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member. While there was no room upgrade other than a high floor, I was offered 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or a one time $10 Food and Beverage credit. I ended up with the points as I wasn’t planning on spending too much time on the property.
Like most Courtyards by Marriott, the lobby contained a small market with sundries available for purchase. This was located immediately beside the front desk. The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour’s version was quite a small one, and there wasn’t a lot of stuff in this particular market.
Overall the check in was friendly and pleasant and I was made to feel welcomed.
The Room: Guest Room, 1 King, Sofa bed, City view:
After parking my car in the underground, I headed up to my assigned room #716. We used a trolley to unload the car full of ski equipment.
Our Guest Room was located on an upper floor. While it didn’t offer a suite upgrade or a water view, the room was fairly large and spacious. With only a limited number of suites or lake view rooms at this property, Marriott Bonvoy members aren’t likely to get many water views or suite upgrades.
The Bedroom:
The room itself offered a King Bed with a chaise sofa, an integrated desk, along with a large window overlooking the neighbourhood.
The room was large enough for a standard room. It easily accommodated all our ski bags and equipment, without getting in the way of enjoying the room itself. The room was tastefully decorated. It was modern enough without looking dated despite it’s dark browns in some of the furniture.
The desk ran a little on the small side. However, I would guess that many aren’t actually in the room to work.
The room also offered the standard coffee maker along with a small microwave. While I didn’t use the in room coffee maker or the microwave, these conveniences are always nice to have for when you need them.
The room also featured a property sheet that laid out some of the features of the property. This included information on housekeeping (provided every other day), hours of the Bleu Northeast Kitchen Restaurant, and pool and fitness room hours.
The room also featured a layout of the property, with rooms in a “T” shaped format. It’s worth mentioning that the six rooms on the right hand side of the floor plan are the only ones with a water view.
There are especially few rooms with suites at this property, making a suite upgrade unlikely.
The Bathroom:
The room offered a single vanity sink in the bathroom. The bathroom was also nicely decorated. The Courtyard Burlington Harbour offered the usual 49 North shampoos and conditioners dispensed from the containers in the shower.
The room itself offered a city view over the streets of nearby Burlington Harbour. While the view did not extend to Lake Champlain, rooftops of nearby empty construction sites and other office buildings in the area. The high floor was a redeeming feature of this particular view, which overlooked the park and another building pad.
In terms of sleep quality, I am happy to report that I had a very good sleep over my two nights at this property. The hallway noise was minimal and I didn’t hear any noise throughout the property. Like most other Courtyards, I’d give this place top marks for a quiet place to sleep.
Around the Hotel Property:
The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour has many features of a full service hotel. These are all packed into a compact space.
Fitness Centre – Indoor Pool:
The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour offers an indoor pool and exercise centre. The pool is located on the bottom floor that is underneath the lobby and adjacent to the parking garage entrance.
There was also a small hot tub in the pool area. Despite loving hot tubs after skiing, this one was pretty basic in nature. It wasn’t appealing enough for me to get down there after a day’s worth of skiing up at Stowe.
The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour also offered a range of gym equipment downstairs adjacent to the pool. The gym didn’t get a lot of use during my visit. I didn’t notice many people using the gym over my time through the property.
While I didn’t use either the gym or the pool, it’s nice to have an option available.
In a neat feature, the hotel had received correspondence from the United States Senator Bernie Sanders, and the United States House of Representatives. The correspondence was proudly shown in the basement of the hotel near the pool.
Food and Beverage:
The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour offers an attached restaurant called Bleu NorthEast Kitchen that is accessible through the hotel lobby.
Bleu NorthEast Kitchen:
The Bleu NorthEast Kitchen was a popular spot for dinner. On the night of our arrival, the place was almost fully booked. The decor looked terrific, and it actually looked like a place that I would have enjoyed dining at.
The Bar at Bleu:
The hotel also offered a lobby bar Bar at Blue, which was nicely appointed. The Bar at Bleu looked a lot more attractive than the usual Courtyard hotel bars that I’ve passed through.
Overall, the Bar at Bleu looked really inviting with comfortable couches and a space that I could actually see myself hanging out in with a drink in hand.
Checking Out of The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour:
On departure day, I checked out of the hotel using the front desk. We were able to get a 3 PM Titanium late check out, which was much appreciated by MrsWT73 as I finished off a last day of skiing up at Stowe Mountain.
I had no surprises on the bill with everything “as expected”. The check out was instant through the app and without incident.
My Marriott Bonvoy points posted to my account within 48 hours as promised.
The Bottom Line: The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour Hotel:
The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour surpassed all my expectations for a leisure stay.
The Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour offered upscale accommodations a step away from the historic district of Burlington. The room was nicely appointed, and the hotel itself had all the features of a full service hotel, despite being branded as a Courtyard.
The Bar at Bleu actually looked like an appealing place to relax in. The property had a less of a Courtyard feel and more of a neighbourhood inn. I would happily return the next time I am in the area.
If you have stayed at The Courtyard Burlington Harbour, what is your favorite feature of this property ?
My Air Canada Business Class flight was offered on Air Canada Boeing 787–9 aircraft. This aircraft offered Air Canada’s best Business Class seat that is typically used on international flights. This cabin is marketed as Air Canada Signature Class on some domestic routes. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the opportunity to try out this cabin on a regular domestic route, for around the same price as a regular business class fare. Read on to see how my latest Air Canada flight was.
This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Skiing in Vermont via Air Canada Business Class
- Air Canada Signature Business Class: Vancouver – Ottawa
- Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour, Vermont, USA
- Restaurant: Hen of the Wood, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain, Vermont, USA
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, Canada
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Vancouver
Review: Air Canada Signature Business Class B787-9, Vancouver International Airport – Ottawa International Airport
I had a brief work trip to Ottawa from the west coast of Vancouver. As the trip involved a week’s worth of meetings, I opted to stay on at the end for a little personal leisure “add on”.
Today’s fare options had me on a non stop Air Canada Business Class Vancouver – Ottawa trip. The outbound travel was on the morning non stop flight. It is a flight that is typically priced at a premium on a Monday morning. Despite this, I found a decent fare that was within our company’s travel policy.
I would later return on the same Air Canada Business Class Ottawa – Vancouver trip, without having to take a connection in either direction. In order to save costs, I ended up on the first morning flight out of Ottawa airport an early morning hour of 6 AM departure.
Checking into Air Canada Business Class:
As per usual, I checked in using the Air Canada app through my smartphone. I received my pre-assigned seat (2A) on the shady “non sunny” side of the plane. Consistent with a paid Air Canada Business Class ticket, I was placed into boarding group 1, which was the highest possible boarding group.
I used a digital boarding card, briefly stopping by an Air Canada kiosk to get a paper boarding card re-print. While the digital boarding card is fine under almost all circumstances, it’s still nice to have a paper card to save on the iPhone battery.
I briefly stopped into visit the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Vancouver Domestic, access which was included in the business class ticket. As my home lounge, since I’ve reviewed and visited this place many times before, I won’t do so again.
Air Canada
Business Class
YVR – YOW (Vancouver International Airport – Ottawa International Airport)
AC 342 – Business Class (P)
8:15 AM – 3:45 PM
Feb 12, 2024
Booked: Boeing 787-9
Flown: Boeing 787-9
On Board Air Canada Business Class:
Air Canada occasionally runs a smaller wide body aircraft on the Vancouver – Ottawa route. When I’ve been lucky enough to fly this route with a wide body aircraft, it’s usually in the form of a Boeing 787-9 series aircraft.
This aircraft features the Collins Aerospace Business Class seat, which offers a reverse herringbone fully flat seat. Despite being the best business class seat in the carrier’s network, the Vancouver – Ottawa route doesn’t usually get fully marketed as Air Canada Signature Business Class. However, you can see some Signature Branding through the menu, and in various food and beverage touch points on the journey.
For today’s flight, I entered the Air Canada Business Class Boeing 787-9 cabin. The wide body cabin is set up with eight rows of business class in a 1 – 2 – 1 configuration.
The Air Canada wide body cabin still looks great after being in service for many years. The whites, blacks and greys look contemporary and professional. The cabin has an air of exclusivity to it. In my opinion, it’s one of the sharpest looking business class cabins in North America.
I found my way to my assigned Seat 2A, which was the second seat from the front on the left hand side of the plane. As would be expected, I had no issues storing my carry on luggage in the overhead bins, as the cabin and it’s available space is quite low density compared to a narrow body configuration.
In terms of seat comfort, the Air Canada Business Class seat was exceptionally comfortable to fall into for a longer flight. With a seat that converted comfortably to a recline feature, in addition to a fully flat bed, there isn’t a much more comfortable way to travel.
Waiting at the seat was a 500 ml bottle of Naya water, a printed menu and a pair of headphones sealed in a plastic wrap. There was also a pillow and light blanket available for this trans continental flight.
The large television monitor offered photographs of the destination. In this case, there were winter photographs of Parliament buildings under snow, along with the Ottawa River under ice.
The Air Canada Business Class seat makes a great first impression. The seat offers a comfortable space in order to rest, relax, work or watch movies. It is especially comfortable for a trans continental flight, when you could be flying on a smaller recliner seat. If you can find an Air Canada Signature Class seat for your transcontinental flight, I highly recommend it.
Pre Departure Services:
While most United States carriers offer an open bar pre-departure beverage, Air Canada simply offers a small bottle of Naya Water which was waiting on the seat. Occasionally, there is a purser introduction during the time on the ground. However, today, it was silent on the purser introductions.
During the pre-departure period, the flight attendants also passed out a printed breakfast menu. Air Canada continues to offer a printed menu, which is a great touch that makes the service feel more upscale.
It’s worth mentioning that if you’re flying Air Canada Signature Business Class on their wide-body aircraft, you’ll have access to a cappuccino maker under the beverage list. Those enjoying a breakfast during their flight will have access to barista style coffees, including espresso and cappuccino. This is an advantage over those that are flying on narrow body aircraft which do not offer anything quite so fancy.
The Air Canada Business Class product offered a through wine list. Air Canada tends to use cheaper labels with a short descriptive biography, that sound a lot more interesting than they actually are.
Like British Airways, Air Canada has contracted with Bottega sparking wine for their domestic sparking wine product. If the wines were not your thing, Air Canada offered Port along with some mainstream spirits and liquors.
While the wine and spirit was much larger than expected in comparison to a narrow body flight, the product wasn’t over the top exciting as a result of the fairly mainstream labels.
The Meal: Breakfast
Todays flight was about four hours and thirty minutes marked at two hours and forty minutes gate to gate. After about one hour of flight time, breakfast was served.
The breakfast service started with a warmed towel service. Air Canada towels aren’t super luxurious. Instead, they are pretty standard variety and more functional than fancy.
Breakfast today consisted of the very familiar parsley omelette with a parmsean spinach and chicken sausage, hash brown potatoes and tomato chutney. There have been many variations of this menu item on the Air Canada Business Class breakfast menu for several years. Unfortunately, the taste has not changed and the dish isn’t all that inventive or engaging.
Breakfast was served with a firm ciabatta styled warmed roll, īögo yoghurt, along with mixed fruits.
I usually don’t take the alternate non egg option as it’s usually meatless. Like I’ve previously reported, the parsley omelette hasn’t improved much over time. Along with others, the chicken sausage was fairly dry, and the hash brown potatoes were fairly limp.
In Fight Entertainment:
During the flight, I played around with the in flight entertainment system. The flight entertainment system offered a large easy to view screen with movies, television shows and a moving map that allowed for great location spotting.
During the flight, the flight attendants came around with bottled Naya water service. The water was served in an attractive looking glass, which was a nicer touch than some american carriers that typically serve in plastic cups.
Second Service: A Snack Basket
While I settled into James’ Bond’s For Your Eyes Only, Air Canada came around with a snack basket. There weren’t too many items in the snack basket, so I settled on Miss Vickies Original Recipe potato chips and an Canada Dry Ginger Ale with ice.
After the snack basket was passed through the cabin, there was an offer of warmed mixed nuts that mostly consisted of salted almonds.
There wasn’t much to do other than stare out of the window at the canadian landscape.
Landing at Ottawa International Airport:
We had a fairly quick landing at Ottawa International Airport. Since there is never usually any traffic at Ottawa International Airport, it was a quick arrival without any delays.
We arrived to Ottawa International Airport at Gate 28 and parked next to a Westjet Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
With a small airport, it was a quick walk towards baggage claim. I picked up my skis and ski gear without much delay.
After a week’s worth of meetings, staying at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel (which I’d reviewed on a previous trip), I’d head off to the Courtyard Burlington Hotel and a few days of skiing at Stowe Mountain, Vermont, USA.
The Bottom Line: Air Canada Business Class B787-9
The Air Canada Business Class on the Boeing 787–9 is an exceptionally comfortable way to fly on a transcontinental flight. While it was not specifically marketed as an Air Canada Signature Class flight, it contained many of it’s features.
The best part of the flight was the comfortable Collins Aerospace reverse herringbone business class seat. While the food was better than you might expect on a narrow body flight, and the wine list was more extensive, both the food and the wine were fairly average and even a little bit low rent in flavour and taste.
Still, there is no more comfortable way to fly across Canada. I would return to an Air Canada wide-body aircraft in signature class any day.
If you’ve flown Air Canada Business Class on their wide body aircraft, do you approve of the reverse herribone configuration ?
They say that today’s modern day corporate office worker is all about finding balance. On this particular trip I would attempt to find that balance by leveraging an existing business class work trip, and by adding on a few days of skiing at Stowe Mountain resort in Vermont USA at personal expense over the weekend. I would end up using a work trip to get me to the North Eastern part of Canada and the USA, and then paying my own way from there, in order to get to Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont. How did this balancing act end up working out?
This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Skiing in Vermont via Air Canada Business Class
- Air Canada Signature Business Class: Vancouver – Ottawa
- Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbour, Vermont, USA
- Restaurant: Hen of the Wood, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain, Vermont, USA
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, Canada
- Air Canada Business Class: Ottawa – Vancouver
Trip Introduction: Skiing in Stowe, Vermont, United States via Air Canada Business Class
Planning the Trip:
I had a business trip from Vancouver Canada to Ottawa Canada scheduled for February. This was a usual trip surrounding a week long series of business meetings.
On a personal note, as a result of an El Niño snow year, we had a terrible ski season at my home ski hill of Whistler / Blackcomb with very little snow accumulation. As a seasons pass – holder, I wasn’t getting the number of great ski days that I had hoped for. It was generally a very soggy experience. Since I had this trip coming up, I thought that I would take advantage of adding on a few personal days, to an existing work trip.
Accordingly, I ended up up adding three personal days to that were owed to my travel week. After the work week, I ended up driving the three and a half hours to Vermont, in order to take advantage of some skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont, USA.
While I don’t often take advantage of personal stay on after work trips, there are times occasionally when it makes sense to pay the extra expense in order to see an activity or visit a few friends.
Planning Flights:
Flights from West of Canada to Ottawa
My flights for this trip were booked through my company travel agency, per my existing company policy.
There weren’t many combinations of routings between Vancouver and Ottawa. At times, it is cheaper to take a connection which often adds another two hours to the trip. Since I was booking well in advance around set dates, there was no cost savings for me to book a connecting flight. With only two major airlines within Canada- Westjet and Air Canada, I ended up on the preferred favorite of business travellers “Air Canada”.
I was lucky enough that on my departure date, the cheapest flight available was on Air Canada’s Signature Business Class Boeing 787-9 product. This featured their best available business class product.
In order to keep business travel costs as low as possible, I ended up with a very early 6 AM departure returning home. This had me returning on Air Canada’s Boeing 737 Max 8 product.
The routing ended up looking like this at the time of travel.
YVR- YOW – YVR (paid)
Planning Hotels:
On this particular trip, I was split between business and personal travel. For the business portion, I stayed at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel. Since I had reviewed that hotel previously, and there wasn’t much change, I won’t be reviewing it again.
For the personal portion of the trip, I ended up staying at the Courtyard Burlington Harbour Hotel. They were a number of Marriott hotels in Burlington Vermont in both the Delta, Residence Inn and Courtyard franchise brands. I ended up at the Courtyard Burlington Harbour as it looked to be the most appealing hotel that was close to the historic district of Burlington Harbour. Since there was a spring promotion for Marriott Bonvoy that earned double elite night credits, I ended up staying on a cash rate.
As a result of my early 6 AM flight home, I needed one night near the Ottawa international airport prior to getting on my flight. Being Marriott loyalists, my choice was between the Fairfield Inn and Suites Ottawa Airport, or the lesser point earning residence Inn and suites Ottawa airport a few miles up the road.
I ended up at the Fairfield Inn and Suites and ended up being quite satisfied. Again, as a result of the Marriott Bonvoy double elite night credit promotion, I ended up staying on a cash rate.
I hope you’ll enjoy following along on another adventure.
When travelling for work, how often do you add a personal stay on to gain outsized value from your trip ?
The British Airways Club Suite has been redesigned, and the airline has extended an invitation to its business class passengers to join. In addition to a few additional aircraft undergoing refurbishment, the British Airways Club Suite product is presently available on their new Airbus 350-1000 series and Boeing 787-10 aircraft. These consist of the Boeing 777-200 and 777-300 ER models. Direct aisle access and a privacy door, features absent from the previous Club World Product, are now included in every Club Suite. Let’s put the new product to the test and see how it performs.
This post is one chapter on a trip to the South of France and Cinque Terre, Italy. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For information on how this trip was booked, please see our introduction. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Côte d’Azur, France & Cinque Terre, Italy via British Airways Club Suites Business Class
- Plaza Premium “Pop Up” – Vancouver International Airport
- British Airways Club Suites Business Class Vancouver – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium London Heathrow Terminal Five
- British Airways Galleries South Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Five
- British Airways Club Europe: London Heathrow – Nice
- Le Meridien Nice, France
- Walking the Streets of Vieux Nice, France
- Rouge Restaurant, Nice, France
- Day Trip to Monaco by Train
- Day Trip to Cannes by Train
- Renaissance Aix – En – Provence, France
- Touring the Streets of Aix – En – Provence, France
- La Petite Ferme, Aix – En – Provence, France
- Climbing the Castle at Les Beaux en Provence, France
- Novotel Grenoble Centre, France
- La Ferme de Didi, Grenoble, France
- A Fall Visit – Returning to Grenoble, France
- Sheraton Nice Airport Hotel, France
- From Nice to Cinqueterre by Train
- La Toretta Lodge, Manarola (Cinque Terre), Italy
- Cinque Terre Trekking: Monterosso – Vernazza al mare Trail, Italy
- Cinque Terre Trekking: Manarola Volastra – Corniglia Trail, Italy
- Exploring Cinque Terre’s Five Villages, Italy
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
- The Canopy VIP Lounge, Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport, France
- British Airways Club Europe: Nice – London Heathrow
- American Express Centurion Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three
- British Airways Galleries Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three
- British Airways Club Suites Business Class: London Heathrow – Vancouver
Review: British Airways Club World Suite Business Class, Airbus 350-1000, London Heathrow Terminal 3 – Vancouver International Airport
“With a contemporary seating configuration that provides direct aisle access, a completely flat bed, and a privacy door, British Airways Club Suites pulls business class into the twenty-first century.”
I’ve flown British Airways departing from London Heathrow on several occassions in both British Airways Business Class and British Airways First Class. After our British Airways Cliub Suites Business Class Vancouver – London Heathrow flight out, we were looking forward to our flight home.
About the British Airways Club Suites:
The British Airways Club Suites is British Airways’ newest business class offering, which offers a more spacious and functional business class seat when compared to their old higher density Club World Business Class offering. Instead of being packed into a seating arrangement with eight seats across the cabin, we’d enjoy a more comfortable four across configuration in a reverse herringbone business class seat. Each seat offers a fully flat bed, direct to aisle access and a privacy door.
The British Airways Club Suites are appearing on many British Airways’ newer aircraft. British Airways has them installed on all their Boeing 787-1000 series aircraft, all their Airbus 350-1000 series aircraft, and most of their Boeing 777-200 ER and Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft. If you are flying these aircraft, check your seat mant
Currently, there are no Club Suites installed on Boeing 787-800, Boeing 787-900 series or Airbus 380-8 series aircraft. British Airways is planning to retrofit these aircraft, although the time line remain to be seen when this will be fully completed.
Boarding British Airways Club Suites:
After arriving off British Airways Club Europe Nice – London Heathrow in Terminal Five. We connected over to London Heathrow Terminal Three and had a quick visit to the British Airways Galleries Lounge.
After a visit to the British Airways Galleries Lounge, the flight gate was posted on the boards at about 4:25 PM. Since the flight was set to depart at 5:25 PM, it was a long and brisk walk of almost twenty minutes out on London Heathrow’s Terminal Three walkways towards Gate 42. The British Airways Vancouver flight normally leaves from Gate 42 and has done so for several years.
British Airways
BA 85 – Business Class (D)
LHR – YVR (London Heathrow Terminal 3 – Vancouver International)
October 15, 2023
5:25 PM – 7:00 PM
Booked: Airbus 350-1000
Flown: Airbus 350-1000
When it came time to board, there were a lot of senior citizens ready to board ahead of group one. Most of them seemed very able to walk without additional assistance, although they fell into the “needed extra time to get on board” category.
We boarded with group two, and turned left on board the plane at door 2L. We found our British Airways Club Suite seats at door 2K on the right hand side of the aircraft.
On Board British Airways Club Suites:
With it’s British Airways Club Suites, British Airways has throughly modernized it’s business class services. It’s a marked step up from its previous high density Club World business class product on its Airbus 380-8 and Boeing 747-4 series aircraft. The old version featured Business Class seating as dense as eight persons across.
The British Airways Club Suites product offers a Collins Aerospace Business Class seat that you’ll find on other international carriers such as Air Canada, in their long range aircraft.
The British Airways Club Suites Business Class on the A350-1000 is located in the forward part of the aircraft in a 1 – 2 – 1 configuration. As described on my flight into London, the Club Suite cabin is split across two cabins. The first cabin is between rows 1 – 11, whereas the second mini cabin is located between rows 15 – 17. A galley separates the two cabins between rows normally that would normally be occupied by rows 12 – 14.
It is fair to say that the newer seat and configuration are substantially more comfortable and spacious than the older British Airways Club World version. The new suites offer a fully flat seat, with substantial storage and space to work around the suite itself, along with direct aisle access from every seat.
When choosing a seat, the centre seats offer less privacy than the aisle suites. The centre suites offer a partition divider that allows you to wall yourself off from the other centre facing traveler. Despite the ability to open the divider, it’s not an ideal configuration to have conversations with your seat mate.
Instead, with two of us traveling together, we again opted for seating on the outer window seats one behind another. While we didn’t get the opportunity to have discussions during the flight, we both appreciated having access to a window.
I located my assigned Club Suite in 2K. Each Club Suite offers a private door, which comes up to just above head hight when seated in the seat, or chest height if you are standing in the aisles.
It’s not as tall as the doors that you might find in a Qatar Airways Q Suite. However, it does offer an element of privacy if you chose to sleep.
The seat offered counter space which was handy for resting a laptop, passport or other items in flight or while you got settled. There was also a small compartment that allowed for in flight charging for cellphones and accessories. The Empower power port offered both plug in charging and USB A standard charging.
A wired remote also existed inside this space, that could be used to control the in flight entertainment system. The controller was high resolution, and could be controlled through buttons or touch screen. The Empower charging port was also located in this space featuring both plug in power charging and USB A Charging.
Immediately next to the primary charging space, there was a secondary smaller space that could be used to place a wallet or other smaller items. Both spaces offered a functionality to the seat, that was missing from the previous British Airways Club World product.
Rounding out the space of the Club Suite, there was a small cupboard that held a bottle of water. There was also an Elemis in flight amenity kit that was hidden away in the cupboard.
A pillow and blanket was waiting on the seat when we arrived. The sleep sets on British Airways are a little mediocre. They don’t quite meet the quality of what you might find on Qatar Airways Q Suites, which offer a lush product by comparison.
The British Airways Airbus 350-1000 has individual reading lights. British Airways did not install individual air nozzles in this particular aircraft. While this can make for a warmer journey, I didn’t miss them on this particular trip.
Pre – Departure Services:
A pre – departure beverage was offered. Today’s pre-departure beverage choice consisted of orange juice, water or champagne Heindsieck & Co Monopole, Silver Top Brut NV..I went with the champagne, which was unfortunately again served at room temperature.
MrsWT73 caught me enjoying settling into the seat in a rare moment of enjoying a little champagne.
While we were waiting for the remaining passengers to board, the captain came on to make an announcement that they were waiting for connecting passengers and additional baggage to be loaded. This turned into a 45 minute delay. We eventually got underway and into a departure cue to leave London Heathrow airport.
Departing London Heathrow:
Eventually, we got underway. I always appreciate plane spotting at London Heathrow international airport. With so many different carriers coming into London, I was able to spot American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Iran air, Qantas and Finnair all maneuvering on the apron.
There’s something special about seeing these different kinds of aircraft and only a few airports in the world where you can see so many.
We had a pleasant evening takeoff from London Heathrow international airport. The lights of London twinkled softly as we climb to altitude
Food and Beverage:
After the pre – flight announcement, the menus were presented while on the ground. The menus consisted of a long thin design, starting with the lunch / dinner option.
The main course options for our evening flight consisted of braised Welsh leg of lamb, grilled cod or mozzarella mezzaluna. The options were pretty British, which might be expected for a flight departing from the United Kingdom. At the very least, the options were interesting and not what I would typically expect on an aircraft
British Airways also offered a second service prior to landing at Vancouver International Airport. Typically, British Airways has been known for a lighter second service which I’ve never usually been impressed with. Today’s second service was no different, offering snacks and light bites just prior to getting off the plane.
British Airways also offered a dedicated wine list. The wine list focused on both old world and new world wines. Being a European carrier, I appreciate that they offered old world wine options from France. My travels lately have taken me on many carriesr that typically offer the most economical new world options as perhaps a cost cutting incentive.
There was always something interesting on the wine list. Most of the wine list was interesting as it featured bottles that we wouldn’t typically get in Canada.
British Airways also offered a light cocktail list featuring traditional British favorites. There were two kinds of gin carried on board; Gordon’s and Tanqueray in addition to Ciroc vodka. A few cocktails rounded out the menu.
Overall, aside from the light second service, the food looked pretty appealing with enough wines and spirits to keep you entertained.
The Amenity Kits: “The White Company”
While I waited for the flight to get underway, I explored the amenity kits. The British Airways amenty kits have substantially changed much over the years. The British Airways kits are still branded with The White Company.
The British Airways “The White Company” amenity kits offered Spa Resort Lip Balm, Moisturizer and Power Point, a sleep mask, a toothbrush and toothpaste and eye mask.
It’s not essential to have a robust amenity kit. I ended up squirreling this one away for safe keeping, but didn’t end up using it in the end.
The Entertainment System:
The British Airways Club Suite offers an entertainment system that is controlled through the hand controller or via the touch screen. The system offered a number of movies and had enough entertainment on it to keep a traveler entertained.
The system also featured a moving map, which allowed you to follow along on the journey. I watched it as we got underway.
The British Airways Airbus 350-1000 is equipped with BA .air in flight wifi. The wifi system is set on a pay per use format. While British Airways offers free wifi in First Class, the aircraft didn’t offer that cabin in its configuration. Instead, wifi was available for purchase for between 2.99 and 11.99 GBP.
Since I was headed off on holiday, I didn’t need to partake in the wifi.
The First Service: “Dinner”
The meal service started almost immediately after we had reached cruising altitude and were comfortably on our way from London. We were presented with a towel service; a nice way to start any inflight service.
I was offered a drink to start, and selected the Tanqueray Gin and Tonic in true British style. This was presented at about sixty five minutes into the flight with Socca Nut Mix in a sealed package. The mix consisted of a tasty combination of whole cashews, giant corn, almonds, chick peas coated with gram flour and parsley.
For the first starter, I enjoyed Mixed Greens, Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Feta Cheese, Chimuchurri. This was paired with British Roast Beef, sun dried tomatoes, grilled corner, béarnaise sauce. This was paired with Yealands Land Made Pinot Noir 2021, Marlborough New Zealand. All of this was tasty and a great start to an in flight meal.
For the main course, I enjoyed the traditionally – british Braised Welsh Leg of Lamb, Potato au gratin, minted peas, green beans, thyme jus.
I finished the dinner service with a chocolate mouse. It was light but enjoyable for airline food.
British Airways Business Class bedding:
British Airways Business Class offers a bedding suite for its suites. The bedding is a top of a fully flat bed that offers plenty of room.
After the dinner service, I made up the British Airways sleep set. As I mentioned this is a pretty basic sleeps set, with a thin mattress pad and a light blanket. With a little melatonin, I slept lightly for about five hours.
The British Airways Club Suite offers a privacy door that allows you to close the door of your Club Suite. These are typically locked for take off and landing. Unfortunately, mine happened to be stuck in the open position and I wasn’t able to get it closed. I didn’t bother following up so I ended up just going to sleep with it open.
My sleep was better than the upright lounger in my recent Icelandair Saga Business class flight to Europe. However, within the British Airways Club Suite, my knees kept bumping into the side of the walls in a very thin foot cavity well. As a result, I didn’t get a terrific sleep due to comfort reasons.
The Second Service: “Breakfast”
At about ninety minutes to landing, I ended up waking up just south of Iceland. The cabin started to get a little louder with the sounds of breakfast being served.
Landing at Vancouver International Airport:
As we approached the Vancouver international Airport, we had a pilot it down and spend that we were expecting heavy headwinds for the next 20 minutes. As a result we had a very bumpy approach.
We arrived to gate D 64, which is the usual British Airways gate at Vancouver international Airport. It’s located almost all the way out on the international concourse, and it’s quite a walk to Canada Customs and Border Services Agency.
We arrived to the welcoming totem poles. With nexus expedited border clearance, we were through customs arrival process in no time.
Overall, the new British Airways product was a vastly improved business class for crossing the Atlantic. It was a pleasant flight made more memorable by the interesting food.
The Bottom Line: British Airways Club Suite Business Class
The British Airways Club Suite Business Class is a welcome addition to the British Airways fleet. The seating density makes for a much more comfortable flight and the Club Suite offers space that actually allows you to work.
The highlights of the flight was the interesting food menu and reasonable wine list. Why you’ll never get a world-class product with British Airways, the food is fairly good along with the wines that are a touch slightly above average.
If you’ve flown British Airways Club Suite, did you find the product much better than their legacy Club World Business Class product ?
British Airways’s route network takes it through one of London’s two airports; its primary base at London Heathrow and it’s secondary base at London Gatwick. London Heathrow’s Terminal Five represents the flagship of it’s lounge network. British Airways offers its primary business class lounges, it’s first class lounges and it’s exclusive Concorde Room First Class Lounge. As connecting passengers like we were, we’d stop in to visit the British Airways Galleries South Lounge at London Heathrow airport.
This post is one chapter on a trip to the South of France and Cinque Terre, Italy. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For information on how this trip was booked, please see our introduction. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Côte d’Azur, France & Cinque Terre, Italy via British Airways Club Suites Business Class
- Plaza Premium “Pop Up” – Vancouver International Airport
- British Airways Club Suites Business Class Vancouver – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium London Heathrow Terminal Five
- British Airways Galleries South Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Five
- British Airways Club Europe: London Heathrow – Nice
- Le Meridien Nice, France
- Walking the Streets of Vieux Nice, France
- Rouge Restaurant, Nice, France
- Day Trip to Monaco by Train
- Day Trip to Cannes by Train
- Renaissance Aix – En – Provence, France
- Touring the Streets of Aix – En – Provence, France
- La Petite Ferme, Aix – En – Provence, France
- Climbing the Castle at Les Beaux en Provence, France
- Novotel Grenoble Centre, France
- La Ferme de Didi, Grenoble, France
- A Fall Visit – Returning to Grenoble, France
- Sheraton Nice Airport Hotel, France
- From Nice to Cinqueterre by Train
- La Toretta Lodge, Manarola (Cinque Terre), Italy
- Cinque Terre Trekking: Monterosso – Vernazza al mare Trail, Italy
- Cinque Terre Trekking: Manarola Volastra – Corniglia Trail, Italy
- Exploring Cinque Terre’s Five Villages, Italy
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
- The Canopy VIP Lounge, Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport, France
- British Airways Club Europe: Nice – London Heathrow
- American Express Centurion Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three
- British Airways Galleries Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three
- British Airways Club Suites Business Class: London Heathrow – Vancouver
Review: British Airways Galleries Business Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal 3, United Kingdom
The British Airways Galleries Lounge forms part of the primary lounge network for the British Airways Lounges at London Heathrow Terminal Three. If you’re very lucky, and your flight is departing from nearby London Heathrow Terminal Five, you’ll have access to the British Airways Concorde Room – London Heathrow that we’d visited previously.
If you are passing through London Heathrow – Terminal Three, you may also have access to the excellent Qantas Business Lounge, the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge, the Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, the American Express Centurion Lounge , and the Priority Pass No 1 Lounge; all of which are available from this departure concourse.
Locating the British Airways Galleries Lounge:
I ended up arriving into London Heathrow on a British Airways Club Europe Nice – London Heathrow flight. Our British Airways Club Suites Business Class London Heathrow – Vancouver flight was departing from London Heathrow Terminal Three. After a visit to the American Express Centurion Lounge – London Heathrow, it was time to explore some other lounges.
The British Airways Galleries Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three is centrally located just off the retail zone from the Terminal Three departures concourse. From the main concourse level, its a brief walk in the “F” Lounge Zone from the main atrium.
It is a pretty austere walkway from the retail zone towards the British Airways Galleries lounge. With nothing more than a plane hallway, we approached the lounge entrance.
How to Access the British Airways Galleries Lounge:
It’s fairly straight forward to access the British Airways Galleries Lounge.
Lounge access is available to:
- British Airways customers flying on a scheduled flight in Club or First
- Silver and Gold Executive Club Members on scheduled flights operated by British Airways or one of our oneworld® partners
- Emerald and Sapphire level Members of any oneworld airline frequent flyer programme on a scheduled flight operated by British Airways or one of our oneworld partners
- As a Sapphire or Emerald member you are welcome to invite one single guest per each departure flight to join you in the lounge. (Guest must be travelling on British Airways or one of our oneworld partners).
- All lounge access is subject to capacity restrictions.
If you’re a premium credit card holder and looking for lounge access, you’ll have to visit the No 1 Lounge in LHR Terminal Three as the British Airways Lounge network doesn’t partner with Priority Pass or many credit cards that come with access.
Our access was provided today courtesy of our British Airways Club Suites Business Class London Heathrow – Vancouver flight.
Inside the British Airways Galleries Lounge:
The British Airways Galleries Lounge in London Heathrow is more of a functional space rather than an impressive opulant one. The initial impressions were that of a space that was more of a holding room, rather than a luxurious environment.
After gaining access, we wandered into the lounge. The British Airways Galleries Lounge offers a long rectangular layout, which is somewhat strange for an orientation for a lounge. This orientation leads to a lot of foot traffic at the entrance of the lounge, with a quieter environment the further back into the lounge you go.
After entering the lounge, the first feature of the lounge are the washrooms and the guest services desk.
After passing by this area, which could get a little congested thanks to it’s “Z” shape, we passed by a small snack buffet area. The buffet area consisted of a rail counter, which added to the congestion as a result of the traffic too and from the area.
On the right hand size of the buffet area, there was a small seating area. Since this was the first lounge chair seating, this area tended to be quite busy and, you guessed it, “congested”. The room wasn’t decorated with any real theme. Rather, it was quite plain and functional in nature.
Passing by the first seating area, the lounge gained a little more personality. The main part of the lounge offered a Kids Zone Room, along with fully upholstered lounge chairs. The room was accented with floor to ceiling wine racks, which tried to add a slightly upscale decor to the space.
Towards the end of the formal lounge seating area, there was a Botegga Sparkeling Wine display. This featured Bottega sparkling wine marked with wine coolers on either side of the display. The Bottega display was marked with several free flow self service bottles in proper stemware.
Getting towards the very back of the lounge, the British Airways Galleries Lounge offered a quieter seating area. The British Airways Galleries Lounge offered a long bar, with self service beverages. There were also elegant decorations hung from the ceiling, which added a more upscale touch.
The long bar offered a large amount of self service beverages with the traditional lemon and lime garnishes. The emphasis on the beverages were on various types of gin, along with malt whiskies.
In addition to spirits, there were also several varieties of wine. Despite being a European Lounge, I didn’t find the wines to be all to engaging or impressive for a business lounge.
The British Airways Galleries Lounge London Heathrow continued it’s partnership with Union Coffee. Several coffee machines were available, although I didn’t see many actually using them on our late afternoon visit.
Much like our experience at the British Airways Galleries Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Five, the lounge was pretty packed with people. Aside from being a bit limited on seat selection, and it’s strange rectangular orientation, the lounge seating was pretty comfortable after you found a seat.
Food and Beverage:
One of the British Airways Galleries Lounges greatest strength’s is the amount of food that’s on offer to travellers. Our experience visiting in the late afternoon was similar to our visit to the British Airways Galleries Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Five. During our visit in the late afternoon, the lounge had a substantial amount of food available for enjoyment.
Food service was self service buffet style, with virtually unlimited options. In addition to salads, there were hot and cold items off the buffet bar. I enjoyed a basket full of chicken drumettes, which were a nice picnic – like feature to enjoy in a business lounge.
After killing off a three hour connection, we headed off on our connecting British Airways Club Suites London Heathrow – Vancouver flight.
My Thoughts on the British Airways Galleries Lounge:
The British Airways Galleries Lounge offered everything that you’d expect from a solid international business lounge.
The British Airways Galleries Lounge’s best feature was the quality and quantity of food that was available to its visitors. The lounge exceeded all expectations in this regard.
The main disadvantage of the lounge was the busy nature of the place, making it a little difficult to easily find a seat.
If you’ve visited London Heathrow, do you have a favorite British Airways Galleries Lounge ?
After several years of construction, American express has opened its first centurion lounge in London Heathrow. American Express located lounge space in London Heathrow Terminal Three for its first United Kingdom Centurion Lounge offering. Our British Airways Club Suites flight would depart from London Heathrow Terminal Three; allowing us the opportunity to test out American Express’s newest offering. We would discover a busy lounge space, along with the usual excellent American Express food and beverage program. Read on to see how our first American Express European Centurion Lounge visit fared.
This post is one chapter on a trip to the South of France and Cinque Terre, Italy. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For information on how this trip was booked, please see our introduction. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Côte d’Azur, France & Cinque Terre, Italy via British Airways Club Suites Business Class
- Plaza Premium “Pop Up” – Vancouver International Airport
- British Airways Club Suites Business Class Vancouver – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium London Heathrow Terminal Five
- British Airways Galleries South Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Five
- British Airways Club Europe: London Heathrow – Nice
- Le Meridien Nice, France
- Walking the Streets of Vieux Nice, France
- Rouge Restaurant, Nice, France
- Day Trip to Monaco by Train
- Day Trip to Cannes by Train
- Renaissance Aix – En – Provence, France
- Touring the Streets of Aix – En – Provence, France
- La Petite Ferme, Aix – En – Provence, France
- Climbing the Castle at Les Beaux en Provence, France
- Novotel Grenoble Centre, France
- La Ferme de Didi, Grenoble, France
- A Fall Visit – Returning to Grenoble, France
- Sheraton Nice Airport Hotel, France
- From Nice to Cinqueterre by Train
- La Toretta Lodge, Manarola (Cinque Terre), Italy
- Cinque Terre Trekking: Monterosso – Vernazza al mare Trail, Italy
- Cinque Terre Trekking: Manarola Volastra – Corniglia Trail, Italy
- Exploring Cinque Terre’s Five Villages, Italy
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
- The Canopy VIP Lounge, Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport, France
- British Airways Club Europe: Nice – London Heathrow
- American Express Centurion Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three
- British Airways Galleries Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three
- British Airways Club Suites Business Class: London Heathrow – Vancouver
Review: The American Express Centurion Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Three, United Kingdom
American Express has finally arrived to London Heathrow International Airport. After several years, American Express identified space at London Heathrow in Terminal Three for a Centurion Lounge that they can call their own.
We arrived into London Heathrow on British Airways Club Europe Nice – London Heathrow. We were later connecting onwards to British Airways Club Suite Business Class London Heathrow – Vancouver. The British Airways Vancouver flight departs from London Heathrow Terminal Three. This would give us an opportunity to visit the new American Express Centurion Lounge London Heathrow.
If you are visiting London Heathrow Terminal Three, you may also have access to the excellent Qantas Business Lounge, the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge, the Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, the British Airways Galleries Lounge, and the Priority Pass No 1 Lounge; all of which are available from this departure concourse.
Locating the Lounge:
The American Express Centurion Lounge London Heathrow Terminal Three is located in Area “A”. After accessing the departures concourse on the secure side of the terminal, if you wander through the retail shopping area you’ll eventually come to a marked hallway.
The marked hallway will take you to a double elevator bank. The marketing and advertising for the location of the American Express centurion lounge London Heathrow was a lot less than my past experiences in locating a Centurion Lounge in North America. I would even go so far as to say that the lounge has almost a discrete entrance.
After riding the somewhat smelly elevators up one level, you’ll find yourself near the Terminal 3 play area. The terminal three play area is a Mr. men themed area by Roger Hargraves. You’ll find the American Express Centurion Lounge London Heathrow lounge entrance here.
Overall, the American Express Centurion Lounge at London Heathrow is a little difficult to find. This is worsened by the fact that London Heathrow terminal three lounges are scattered throughout the departures concourse, and are not situated next to each other. It helps to use the lounge map and navigate yourself towards Area “A”.
Accessing the Lounge:
We presented ourselves at reception. Much like other American express centurion lounge experiences, we were advised there was a 30 minute wait in order to gain access to the lounge. We added our name and North American-based cell phone number to the wait list.
Fortunately, the wait ended up being about only 20 minutes long. While we registered our cell phone, the SMS notification system did not work as promised. Reception staff announced our name and came out into the hallway to invite us into the lounge.
Access to the American Express Centurion Lounge network is granted through an American Express Platinum Card, or a American Express Centurion Card.
Effective February 1, 2023, there have been a few changes to the access policy. Primary Cardholders get free access. The United States Platinum Card and United States Business Platinum Card Members will be charged a $50 USD fee for each guest (or $30 for children aged 2 through 17).
United States Platinum Card and U.S. Business Platinum Card Members will qualify for Complimentary Guest Access for up to two guests per visit after spending $75.000 in eligible purchases on their Platinum Account between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 and in each calendar, year thereafter.
Fortunately, international American Express Platinum Cardholders still get a free guest. As a result, I was able to guest in MrsWT73 without her having to present her own American Express Platinum Card.
American Express has also recently adjusted guest rates for visitors to the lounge. The New Guest Rates For All Paid Guests are as follows:
- Guests aged 18+ are 35 each
- Guests aged 2-17 are 24 each
- Guests below age 2 are free
- Guest rates apply to all paid guests regardless of card type or country of issue.
Despite the restrictions on guests and access to card holders, this didn’t seem to have an effect on the American Express centurion lounge at London Heathrow. On entry the lounge was quite busy.
Inside The American Express Centurion Lounge:
The all new American Express Centurion Lounge is consistent with the American Express Centurion Lounge brand. Visitors to the American Express Centurion Lounge London Heathrow will be met by a familiar space that reminds them of an American Express Centurion Lounge. This familiar look and feel will make regular visitors feel right at home.
Bar Service:
Immediately upon entering The Centurion Lounge, you’ll find yourself facing the bar on the right hand side. Like with many American Express centurion lounges, the London Heathrow bar was a hyper busy area. The American Express bartenders were quickly and frequently slinging drinks for the hundreds of customers in the lounge.
The American Express Centurion lounge bar service offered curated cocktails and a reasonable wine list. The American Express Centurion lounge offers a unique cocktail list that is regionally featured to each lounge location. As a result of liberal liquor laws in the United Kingdom, cocktails were served as early as 5:30 in the morning.
Unlike North American Centurion Lounges, that typically feature Californian and a mix of New World wine regions, the European American Express centurion lounge offered both old world and new world wines available on pour. Wine selections looked interesting, engaging, and featured labels that were boutique in nature.
Food Service Buffet Area:
Immediately opposite the bar area, the American Express Centurion Lounge at London Heathrow offered table and chair seating. On our early afternoon arrival, the area was fully packed without a seat to be had. We eventually took over a table for two from a party that was just leaving.
Against the wall next to the bar the American Express centurion lounge offered a buffet of food. The Centurion Lounge offered the usual upscale food items in sufficient quantity, that could easily replace a meal.
The food was attractively presented. All of the items that were placed out, consistent with my experiences at other Centurion Lounges, looked fresh and appealing.
Lounge Seating:
Moving past the bar and tables and chair area, visitors to the American express centurion lounge London Heathrow were offered some lounge seating towards the back of the lounge. Regretfully, the Centurion lounge at London Heathrow does not offer any daylight windows. As a result, the lounge itself is an area with no natural light. American Express has done a terrific job and making the place look lively. However, there is something to be said for actual daylight windows where you can actually look out at departing aircraft.
During our early afternoon visit, there was not a seat available to be had. Most passengers were occupying individual seats without spreading themselves out over multiple seats. American Express did a great job at ensuring bags were not unnecessarily blocking chairs.
Given the smaller footprint of this Centurion Lounge, American Express did not have a whole lot to work with. While there may be limited options to increase seating by increasing the density, there is not a whole lot of space that they can work with.
Overall, the look and feel of the American Express Centurion Lounge London Heathrow is remarkably similar to other North American Centurion lounges. The orientation of the London Heathrow lounge is in a space without any natural daylight windows and with a smaller compact footprint that limits the amount of lounge seating available.
We eventually left and departed on a British Airways Club Suites Business Class London Heathrow – Vancouver flight.
In Summary:
The American Express Centurion lounge London Heathrow is a welcome addition to the London Heathrow Terminal Three departure lounge net work.
If you are unfortunate enough to be flying from London Heathrow without a business class ticket that can afford you access into the excellent Qantas lounge, the Cathay Pacific lounge, the American Express Centurion Lounge is likely your next best option.
The main drawback of the centurion lounge is the lack of daylight windows, the likely queue and wait time that you will have in order to gain access, and the general lack of seating. Otherwise, American Express aficionado’s will enjoy this familiar product, in the otherwise dated London Heathrow Airport system.
If you’ve visited the all new American Express Centurion Lounge London Heathrow, did you enjoy the new surroundings?
Our departing flight out of Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport, we flew British Airways Club Europe Business Class. Business class in Europe is typically never too luxurious, it does typically offer priority services which include priority security, lounge access, priority boarding, a full meal service, and the ability to get off the plane first upon arrival. We would experience all of these features on our flight into London Heathrow international airport, as we connected onwards to our British Airways long haul transatlantic flight.
This post is one chapter on a trip to the South of France and Cinque Terre, Italy. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For information on how this trip was booked, please see our introduction. For parts of the trip, please see this index.
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✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Côte d’Azur, France & Cinque Terre, Italy via British Airways Club Suites Business Class
- Plaza Premium “Pop Up” – Vancouver International Airport
- British Airways Club Suites Business Class Vancouver – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium London Heathrow Terminal Five
- British Airways Galleries South Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Five
- British Airways Club Europe: London Heathrow – Nice
- Le Meridien Nice, France
- Walking the Streets of Vieux Nice, France
- Rouge Restaurant, Nice, France
- Day Trip to Monaco by Train
- Day Trip to Cannes by Train
- Renaissance Aix – En – Provence, France
- Touring the Streets of Aix – En – Provence, France
- La Petite Ferme, Aix – En – Provence, France
- Climbing the Castle at Les Beaux en Provence, France
- Novotel Grenoble Centre, France
- La Ferme de Didi, Grenoble, France
- A Fall Visit – Returning to Grenoble, France
- Sheraton Nice Airport Hotel, France
- From Nice to Cinqueterre by Train
- La Toretta Lodge, Manarola (Cinque Terre), Italy
- Cinque Terre Trekking: Monterosso – Vernazza al mare Trail, Italy
- Cinque Terre Trekking: Manarola Volastra – Corniglia Trail, Italy
- Exploring Cinque Terre’s Five Villages, Italy
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
- The Canopy VIP Lounge, Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport, France
- British Airways Club Europe: Nice – London Heathrow
- American Express Centurion Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three
- British Airways Galleries Lounge – London Heathrow Terminal Three
- British Airways Club Suites Business Class: London Heathrow – Vancouver
Review: British Airways Club Europe Business Class, Airbus 319-1, Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport – London Heathrow Terminal Five
This flight segment was part of our trip home, travelling from Europe to North America. The two segments involved British Airways Club Europe Nice – London Heathrow (this review), and our long-haul segment British Airways Club Suites Business Class London Heathrow – Vancouver international Airport.
Checking in with British Airways:
We checked in with British Airways at Nice Côte d’Azur international airport. As previously mentioned the check-in was pleasant, if not functional. Our bags were checked all the way through to Vancouver.
After passing through security, we located The Canopy VIP Lounge, which was included with our British Airways Club Europe Business Class ticket. I outlined our stay at The Canopy VIP Lounge in a separate post, so I won’t go into detail about it here. Needless to say, The Canopy VIP Lounge was a pleasant and spacious place to relax before our flight.
After spending about one hour in The Canopy VIP Lounge, we headed down towards the departure gate. Our flight to London Heathrow was departing from gate B41. In regular British Airways fashion, a priority boarding lane for Club Europe Business Class Travellers, British Airways Executive Club Gold, Silver and Bronze Members, along with One World Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby members, were given priority boarding.
This was a nice touch, but it made the boarding process quite long given the large number of travelling members in this category.
British Airways
BA 343 – Business Class (D)
LHR – NCE (– Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport – London Heathrow Terminal 5)
Oct 15, 2023
11:30 AM – 12:40 PM
Booked: Airbus 319-1
Flown: Airbus 319-1
On Board British Airways Club Europe:
On board, we found our seats in 2A / 2C. The British Airways Club Europe is the typical economy class seat in a 3 – 3 configuration with a blocked middle seat.
The middle seat in the British Airways Club Europe cabin is typically blocked with a small fixed table. The space can easily be used for drinks, charging of devices, or storing your laptop computer throughout dinner service.
The seat room in the British Airways Club Europe cabin is not super generous. The recline features offers a 30° pitch, versus a 29° pitch in economy class; a marginally better offering. As you can see, the leg room is not all too spacious and my tall frame generally uses all the available space.
The British Airways Airbus 319 series aircraft offers individual air nozzles, which make for a more comfortable ride.
I’m still baffled as to how European airlines manage to survive with selling business class travel into economy class seats for flights lasting up to three quarters of an hour or more.
The British Airways Club Europe cabin features in seat power. The Empower port is located under the seat in a rather inconvenient location. The power port offered both plug in and USB A charging.
The British Airways Club Europe cabin on an Airbus 319 offers a large ten rows of business class, or a cabin of forty standard Club Europe seats. As stated, the seats offer almost same pitch and width of the economy class seats. There may be a marginally larger amount of leg room as compared to economy class, but it’s not likely to be noticed all too much.
Pre – Departure Services:
As a result of the large number of people in the priority boarding group, by the time we got on board, most of the overhead bin space was already consumed.
British Airways didn’t offer a pre-departure service. As a result, we didn’t get a refreshing drink to start our journey.
During the time while we settled in, I took a browse through the menu. British Airways doesn’t always provide a printed menu for Club Europe (for flights within continental Europe) and I was hoping to get an idea of what was being served. I found a heap of breakfast, lunch and dinner items.
British Airways also offered a pretty comprensive drink menu. Despite browsing through it, I wasn’t able to locate any information on what we might be enjoying up front.
In Flight Entertainment:
With no monitors in the seat backs in the cabin, in flight entertainment is limited to whatever you brought with you on your own smartphone. The price points were similar from our outbound British Airways Club Europe London – Nice flights.
Our aircraft was also BA.air enabled, allowing us to connect to wifi. While I didn’t test this out to see how the streaming opportunities were, this is likely your only other audio video entertainment option if you didn’t get organized enough to bring content on your device.
The wifi price on the shorter flight was more reasonable than on the international flight. Despite the better price, i didn’t test out the streaming services.
Departing Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport:
Once we were all on board, we had a very quick departure from the Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport on runway Four.
Since I was seated on the left hand side of the aircraft I had a fabulous view of private jets parked on the Airport apron, in addition to a spectacular coastline view as we climbed altitude out of the coastal city of Nice.
After takeoff, our flight track had us turning north – westbound towards the United Kingdom. During the flight I spent quite a bit of time staring out the window, watching the French Alps pass underneath the plane below us.
The mountains were quite different than the pacific northwest coastal Mountain so that I’m used to seeing.
The Meal: A Light Lunch
British Airways Club Europe Business Class service typically offers a full meal presented all at once. Today’s light lunch was a chicken with gravy served with a potato dauphinoise. An alternate choice was a cold beef salad or mushroom pasta.
I ended up enjoying the chicken with gravy. It was a great meal and exceptionally flavorful. Despite my best efforts, light gravy is something that’s difficult to consume on a plane in a neat fashion. I ended up getting gravy droppings on my shirt, which I would take with me home on my trans Atlantic flight.
I paired my lunch with Schweppes Tonic Water and Tanqueray Gin. The Schweppes had one of the remaining Queen Elizabeth II royal warrants on the can; some thing that will probably disappear overtime as a result of her passing earlier this year.
Mrs. World Traveller 73 enjoyed the vegetarian mushroom pasta. It was a little elementary in its appearance, but it served the trick.
I ended up ordering a union coffee for dessert. Despite British Airways having an extensive marketing partnership with Union Coffee, by serving union coffee both on board it’s aircraft and throughout its British Airways Lounge network, the coffee itself was pretty pedestrian and not very exciting.
Overall, the British Airways Club Europe service was a pretty pleasant way to pass the flight. The food was tasty and enjoyable.
Arriving to London Heathrow International Airport:
As our flight continued on, we had a straight in arrival towards London Heathrow International airport. We had pleasant views of British row housing as we descended into London Heathrow.
The views of the British Airways hangars at London Heathrow always fascinate me. There are always British Airways Airbus 380’s hanging around, along with other interesting aircraft.
We arrived to a non-gate position. Since we were seated in row two, we are among the first off the aircraft. We boarded the first available bus, and headed straight over to catch our connection in London Heathrow terminal three.
We arrived into London Heathrow Terminal Five and located our connection terminal. British Airways operates a few select international departures out of London Heathrow Terminal Three, which can occasionally make for a confusing departure terminal scenario if you haven’t done your advanced reserach.
We found our connecting terminal and made our way over to the American Express Centurion Lounge London Heathrow Terminal Three, and the British Airways Galleries Lounge London Heathrow Terminal Three, prior to our British Airways Club Suites Business Class London Heathrow – Vancouver flight.
My Thoughts on British Airways Club Europe:
The British Airways Club Europe flight from Nice to London Heathrow to Paris offered a more comfortable way to travel than economy class. Despite the configuration being a little cramped, the food on board was pleasant. Priority boarding, lounge access and the ability to get off the plane first, added to the experience.
World Traveller 73 
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