Coming up today, one of the best ways to fly between Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires-
on board a British Airways A350 in their new Club World Suites.
Is British Airways finally turning a corner? The full trip report starts in 15 seconds.
I arrived at Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport a bit before 5:00am and while I wasn’t
expecting a madhouse, I have to say I was expecting a bit busier than this.
Check the pinned comment below for my exact fare as well as what I think this
flight is actually worth- plus you’ll get a preview into the next weeks worth of content.
My check in process was seconds long. Well actually I checked in 24 hours ahead of time in
order to snag my preferred seat as I didn’t want to pay BA’s insane $117 to select a business class
seat ahead of time. This route between Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires is a really interesting one.
In addition to the hometown carriers that fly the route, you can also fly it as a fifth freedom
segment on British Airways, Ethiopian, Air Canada, SWISS, Turkish and more. Fifth freedom refers to a
route that an airline has the right to sell to the local market that does not originate
or land in the carrier’s country. The current situation is a result of COVID and time zones.
Aircraft from the US and western Europe tend to spend long periods of time on the ground in deep
South America in order to time the flights well- that plus many airlines not needing
separate nonstop service to both of these cities created a new niche market for the tag on routes.
Security and immigration as you’d expect took a minute or two tops and soon we were heading
up to the lounge. While the AMEX lounge is the one that smacks you in the face as you head upstairs,
it didn’t open until 9:00- so we headed to the Latam Lounge which was included with my fare.
I ended up absolutely loving this lounge. It’s big, open, has decent food options
and has plenty of smaller more private areas if you’re not looking for a big hustle and bustle.
Throughout the morning, the lounge was quiet as you see here- but the following week on the way
to London I passed through again and it was absolutely packed. While there were always
seats available one thing that I only noticed the week after was a lack of work stations.
I had a long layover and was trying to get some editing done.
Ended up sitting at one of the dining tables for three hours- which just isn’t ideal to
get work done with so many people walking by. Otherwise though, a fantastic space and besides
the shower rooms which were available, I really loved the bathroom design which gave everyone
their own little room including a sink and large counter space.
Our incoming aircraft from London landed over an hour late, which delayed our departure by
around 30 minutes. After I saw her touchdown from the lounge I headed
out towards the gates to stretch my legs and check out which aircraft I’d be able to see.
Soon enough I found my 18 month old A350-1000. While I’ve flown on many
A350s- it’s my favorite aircraft- today was my first time on board the stretched 1000 model,
not that I’d notice any difference from up front- but it still a nice box to tick on my list.
I really like this part of Terminal 3. It’s massively oversized and boxy in a way only
Brazil could really pull off- but the windows are fantastic and provided some great apron views.
Around half past seven it was time to finally board and this was pretty much everyone boarding
the flight from Sao Paulo- and can’t say there were many on board already. If I had
to venture a guess, I’d say the flight from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires was 25% full tops.
First impressions on board were top notch. It comes off just straight purple on camera,
but the blue and red mood lighting were a nice touch.
Let’s check out the best and worst seats on board. These super stretched A350s have
a total of 331 seats in their very premium setup with 219 in economy,
56 in premium economy and 56 in business class, or Club World as they call it.
When British Airways debuted their original Club World suite in the early 2000s- it was without a
doubt revolutionary. The first truly fully flat bed in business class. Their new seats
are fantastic, but not revolutionary. They’ve went with the Collins Aerospace Superdiamond seat with
doors- a very popular seat in the industry. So yes, first of all every seat does have it’s own
sliding door which I think is more of a gimmick if I’m honest. In terms of seats to avoid- row
11 and 15 are probably the worst choices due to the high traffic around the bathrooms- especially
during a busy flight. For the best seats- it’s just a small thing, but the window seats in row’s
9 & 10 have two full windows whereas every other just has one. So, I choose 9K for myself today.
The seats are very comfortable and a great option
for long haul flying as there’s plenty of well designed storage.
Besides the reading light over your shoulder there’s a side cabinet for head phones.
Each seat comes with a full bedding kit which we’ll check out a bit later. In front under the
legrest there’s also plenty of room for a carry on, with another cubby storage area beside it.
The side table opens up to show 2 compartments and I appreciate the positioning of the outlets
inside here which are easier to access than on American’s configuration of the same seat.
Got my two windows, but unfortunately no overhead vents.
As our cousin from Madrid pulled up along side, we began to get a sense of how empty this flight
would be and also how friendly the flight crew were. When I look at flight crews I really
just look for three things. Professional but friendly, attentive when you need it
and clearly enjoys their job. This crew ticked all of those boxes and were all just as excited
to see the beautiful approach into Buenos Aires that you’ll see a bit later as I was.
All in all pushback was around 30 minutes late but we landed just 10 minutes behind schedule.
Today we’d be taking off from runway 9L
on our way up to 40000 feet for our thousand mile journey south to Ezezia’s runway 11.
On a clear day, our flight plan would give us spectacular views of the city below-
but at least above the clouds was blue as always. The spool up is coming up next.
I love that hum. By the way, if you’re enjoying this video, please give it a like and consider
subscribing for two new videos each week. Always feel free to ask any questions in the comments,
I make sure to reply to all. Also, if you enjoy full length take off, cruising or landing videos,
please check out my new Roam Above channel where you can watch this flight's full
length take off and and the spectacular 25 minute approach and landing in Buenos Aires.
Links are in the description below and a big thank you in advance for checking it out.
A bit more light now, we can take a better look at some of the seat details.
The IFE system, meaning the moving maps and the content selection was very good-
but the touch screen- my screen at least- was not the greatest.
Everything worked fine from the separate remote once rebooted though.
For a short flight, the headphones were decent- but nothing special.
The bedding, all by The White Company, was all very nice though. From a substantial pillow,
to a proper mattress pad, a real blanket… It all made for a comfortable cocoon.
On to those gimmicky doors. They’re so short and mine didn’t even work. Luckily, when we landed the
door in front of me slammed closed though so at least I knew what it looked like. Unless you’re
around four feet tall, you’ll be able to see straight into each seat- door open or closed.
The meal service started right after take off. Had a choice of a ham and turkey panini or veg panini.
For the flight, I’d say it was appropriate and overall the meal was tasty- especially that
little pumpkin salad and sweet potato chips. A very autumnal vibe on the first day of spring.
I spent the rest of the flight filming out the window while crossing over Uruguary
and then popping into the restroom to freshen up before landing. The bathroom was clean throughout-
as you’d expect with such a light load and was stocked with White Company products.
Soon we were crossing over the Rio de la Plata- the border between Uruguay
and Argentina on our descent. We would be flying directly over Buenos Aires and
Ezezia Airport itself before swinging around for landing. Enjoy the view.
An exceedingly uneventful taxi brought us to the terminal along side some European neighbors.
Entering Argentina- a country well known for its paperwork- was astonishingly easy
and before I knew it I was in the always chaotic arrivals area looking for my driver.
That is all there is to write about this one so let’s get on to the Flip Flop Score.
Great stuff all around. The most points were lost because it took me days and hours on the
phone to pay precisely $1 USD which was the total fee for my Avios ticket and they would not accept
web payment for it. Everything else was fantastic and ended up with a well deserving 92/100 for this
unique fifth freedom flight. I really hope you enjoyed this video and found it useful. If you
did, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe for two new flight or hotel reviews each week.
Next up, join me at the Palladio Hotel, an MGallery property in Buenos Aires.