How to plan a proper trip to London, UK: start by flying business class on British Airways, stay at The Langham and dance the night away at outdoor concerts of world-famous artists like Pink

Sep 26 , 2023

The Langham London, a five-star luxury hotel on Regent Street in London’s West End. Photo: Shutterstock

The adage goes, ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford’ – and during a balmy summer break it makes for the ultimate British experience

BA offers the all-new Club Suite in business class while the historic Langham hotel bar features ‘Ingredients of the Future’, such as pandan cocktails and crackers of crickets and Mexican ants

It’s fair to say that Britain is not at the top of its game just now.

Headlines are full of dismal politicians, interest rates and inflation, failing public services and strikes by just about every about every cohort of essential worker you can imagine.

A Union Jack flag flutters in front of the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain. Photo: Reuters

That said, the British mood is more often led by the weather than anything else. Conversations often start with a blanket statement about how cold, hot or wet it is. Three or four properly hot days in a row and everyone’s mood perks up.

Happily, my visit to London coincided with a long run of sunny days that helped make it the warmest June on record by some distance. Pushing aside thoughts of what that might portend, everyone was grabbing bucket hats and shades and heading for the nearest beach, park or public event. Glastonbury was kicking off, Ashes cricket tickets were at the box office, and Wimbledon and London’s Pride parade were just around the corner.

So if my experiences were to be a litmus test of what to expect in London in spite of Britain’s myriad of crises, rest assured that there’s comfort to be found in the finer trappings of life … from flying business class on British Airways and staying at the historical Langham hotel to partying at summer festivals.

Flying high with British Airways

British Airways’ Club Suite features a fully reclining seat in business class for the first time. Photo: British Airways

I’d arrived in town courtesy of British Airways (BA), like many airlines busily rebuilding its route network post-pandemic. The flight was full, as most are as the world gets its mojo back, but I had a spacious berth in business class, which these days means a fully reclining seat, an offering that BA call Club Suite. I was only too happy to make full use of it to set me up for our morning arrival.

This seats-to-suites move is an industry trend. Airlines say that customers are demanding ever more exclusive options at the front of planes and are placing big bets on this being the future of travel, at least for now.

Crucial to that exclusivity are the cabin crew, and BA were keen to show theirs off on a slightly surreal morning out at their training centre at Heathrow. Welcomed “on board” in a first-class cabin of seats cut from various aircraft old and new – created for training purposes – I sat down with other members of Hong Kong media to a leisurely lunch.

British Airways’ main base is at Heathrow Airport, in London, Britain. Photo: Bloomberg