- Mr Plane Guy
- May 5, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 27
Review: Flying British Airways Business Class in Europe Worth the Extra Cost?
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Come with me as I fly with British Airways in Club Europe from Amsterdam to London City airport right in the heart of London.
Trip Report:
Airline: British Airways CityFlyer
Route: Amsterdam (AMS) → London City (LCY) BA8460
Aircraft: Embraer 190 G-LCYK
Flight Time: 41 minutes
Cabin: Club Europe (Business Class)
Avios Earned: 321
Tier Points: 40
Lounge Access: oneworld Lounge Amsterdam
Fast Track Security: Included
Flying out of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport meant I was able to use the brand spanking new One World lounge! This opened in February 2024 as a shared lounge between the One World alliance airline members, its situated in the Schengen departure zone of the Airport in departures between gate 40 and 41.
I will tag a full review of the lounge, here take a look.
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I 'travel mathed' myself in to paying way more for this flight, considering it's the same seat if I had I flown economy, but obviously I wanted to try the new One World lounge for you guys, so I had to sit and enjoy the champagne lifestyle, the things that I do for you! Let’s be brutally honest for a second Club Europe on this route is not about the seat. It’s the same 2-2 layout as economy, just with the middle seat blocked. What you’re really paying for is:
Lounge access
Fast Track security
Priority boarding
A meal and champagne onboard
And, most importantly for me… Tier Points
If you’re purely seat-focused, this is not a transformational upgrade. But if you’re playing the Avios and status game, it suddenly makes a lot more sense.
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So I gained 321 avios points and 40 tier points around £45 in value! For this flight, now I‘m not going to pretend I’m this savvy arline reviewer with a wallet full of airline loyalty cards and fly first class for £1, I wish someday I could be that person, I’m just not that into it
Thankfully Club Europe BA includes 'Fast Track' which was a third world problem god send! Amsterdam Schiphol airport was tres busy. Did you know Amsterdam Schipol is Europes busiest Airport, because of this passport control was around a 45 minute queue (it felt like 2 hours) time!
Eventually through and I made it to the swanky Oneworld alliance lounge, I then made my way to the gate area and after around a 10-15 minute delay it was time to board the London City based British Airways embraer aircraft and fly Amsterdam to London City Airport.
This British Airways embraer aircraft flies for British Airways under the 'CityFlyer' brand based at London city Airport with a seating capacity of 98 with the cabin configured 2-2. The Club Europe and Euro Traveller sections are divided by an adjustable curtain, however the seating arrangement is essentially the same in both classes.
The flight was very quick at 41minutes, and the taxi to the runway at schipol was 16 minutes, it felt like we were literally driving to London!
Inflight Dining British Airways Business Class Europe
We eventually we took off and a meal was served straight away, which was delicious!
It was a chicken and coleslaw salad, I was offered a choice of this or a Bali salad? Not sure what a Bali salad is, but the chap next to me was offered a Bali salad or a Bali salad. He declined the Bali salad and low key sulked.
Which made me enjoy my chicken salad even more! I guess thats due to my ex career as crew and the amount of argument's I endured because chicken had ran out!
I was sat in the second row of Club Europe, with just two rows of business class today, I have to say the first row either side would have been better, they get way more leg room!
1 A or B
or
2 C or D
are the seats to choose if flying Business Class Club Europe with British Airways City Flyer on there Embraer aircradft.
After a glass of champagne it was time to land into London City after flying over Southend pier, which is weird as I was on the pier a few weeks ago!
Landing into London City Airport is honestly half the magic of this route. You step off the aircraft and you’re practically in Canary Wharf before your coffee cools down. No endless taxi, no tunnel transfers, no Heathrow madness. For business travellers or tight schedules, LCY is pure gold.
Here is a full video of my review on tik tok don’t forget to follow
Final Verdict: Is Club Europe on Amsterdam–London City Worth It?If you’re paying cash purely for the seat, probably not. If you want:
Lounge access at Schiphol
Fast Track security
A stress-free City Airport arrival
And valuable Tier Points. Then yes this route in Club Europe actually makes strategic sense, especially for short-haul frequent flyers.
Would I pay full price every time? No.Would I upgrade again if the numbers stacked up? Absolutely.
Plane Related Links
Flying in Style: My Qatar Airways Business Class Experience on the 787 from Doha to London
How I Travelled Business Class on Qatar Airways For Less Than £250!
That time I flew Business Class with Qatar Airways but it turned out to be operated by Oman Airways, full review here
24 Hours in Doha: A Guide to Making the Most of Your Stopover
Relaxing in Style: A Visit to the OneWorld Alliance Business Class Lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol
Maximise Your Avios Points in 2025: The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Your Collection
How to Get from Schiphol Airport to the City Centre Amsterdam
KLM Cityhopper Business Class Review: I Paid £60 to Upgrade… Was It Worth It? (Amsterdam to the UK)
Hello, I’m Paul a professional jet-setter and all-around plane travel pro. After 15 years working in and around planes, I became a flight delay expert at a London Airport and mastered plane travel hacks, a PLANE flight expert with BIG travel plans but small carry-on.
Now, I share PLANE travel news, tips, reviews, and deals with honesty, humour, and zero baggage! Thanks for reading Review: Is Flying British Airways Business Class in Europe Worth the Extra Cost?
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