I must confess – I’ve tried to get on the point hacking bandwagon for the past two years. There is a website I found that made this credit card strategy seem as easy as falling off a log (I won’t say which one, because I don’t need the blowback in case there are ardent fans of the site here). But the truth is, unless you’re paying for everything with cards and getting LOTS of them, you’re probably not going to accumulate enough to fly business or first class regularly. It’s helpful to look at websites like Seats.aero to find solid points deals, but it’s rare.

Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m going to keep doing the point hacking thing. It’s a lot of work and spending for doing something I may only do every few years. But RAS and I recently got to experience a business class flight on British Airways, which was enjoyable and a rare travel treat, after spending a short time in London. Yes, the seats (individual pods with lie-flat capability) were luxurious, and the food and drink were superb, gourmet-quality. Since it will probably a long time until I fly this way again, I’m going to detail what it was like to have some pampering in the skies.

(A note: I accumulated these points through an introductory offer from Chase Ink Business, which I no longer have. Right now, I have two individual cards and two joint cards with RAS, and one of them has about 120,000 points on them. That’s not nearly enough for us two to fly business now. Someday, I will write about the whole point hacking issue, which will probably be more of a rant than anything)

The lounge

As part of the business class booking with British Airways, we had access to their lounge. Since we were at Heathrow – a notoriously massive airport – there are several of them across different terminals. They are like any of the other lounges I’ve been to, like the Centurion Lounge or United Lounge, with similar quality food and spacious, comfortable places to relax. Our breakfast was tasty and catered to international tastes. One key difference here: guests can help themselves to beer, wine and spirits. It’s almost like an honor system for drinking. I personally kept to one glass of reposado tequila.

The seats

The biggest distinguishing feature of business and first-class seats are the individual pods to sit in and the lie-flat seats. RAS and I sat in the middle seats across from each other, with a sliding partition separating them. I loved how these seats had more legroom than I’ve ever experienced on any flight. The seats adjusted to various levels of reclining, but we really didn’t use the lie-flat capability other than napping, since we flew through the daytime. They were adequate with the help of a padded cover, a quilted blanket, a sleep mask and a very fluffy pillow. We also had a complete toiletry kit, even though we really didn’t have to use it.

The food and drink

Since I enjoy great food anywhere, even if it’s on a plane, I had high expectations for the meals in the BA business class – and it didn’t disappoint. We started with an exclusive menu of drinks and cocktails, a lunch with starter, entrée and dessert options, then a rather substantial snack before landing. I chose a single-malt scotch to drink before the meal, which was a chicken tikka pie, carrot ginger soup and a warm chocolate fondant, and some Chardonnay during it. I loved all of it, but I think I could have done just as well with any of the dishes. The “snack” was Greek salad, a mushroom, grilled courgette and cheese focaccia, and a chocolate chip muffin. 

The entertainment

I appreciated having a small television screen for my entertainment center, which included noise-blocking headphones that were comfortable and not pinching like the ones on the American premium economy flight. There were the usual options of current and older movies and television shows (which naturally included some British selections that I hadn’t heard of), as well as music and soundscapes. I chose to watch “Nuremburg” and “The Life of Chuck,” two very different films but both worth watching. There wasn’t anything outstanding or distinctive about the system – it served its purpose well.