Bling it on: British Airways First Class Seattle to London Heathrow

Lucky,
I am very disappointed with you.
I did not know you are such a late comer to BA F.
Been there in 1995 - The service was much better then.
To think of the time I have been wasting reading your blog for expert advice!
🙂

Why the Asian chicken salad? Are you still on your diet? At a minimum, I would have ordered the shepherd's pie, if only for a bite or two. You're on British Airways, after all and it would have made a great photo.

Flew the F product from LHR-JFK and agree that its no better than a glorified J product on SQ or CX.... Window shades are cook though... but CX F still blows them outta the water EASILY ... Glad you enjoyed mate

cool*

I agree with Lucky. New BA F looks nice but simply too narrow when compared to the competition (LX/LH on TATL, CX/SQ on Europe-Asia ... etc).

Heck, even AirChina's new F seems nicer than this (and that's saying a lot considering CA is not on the top of anyone's aspirational award list)

I find BA F very comfortable. Far more room than the US/CX J seats. No caviar/etc which seems to get people going.

I find BA new F seats to be very narrow at the shoulders. For example, if I want to stretch my arms by lifting them above my head while I'm laying down, I can't (with normal movements).

While I haven't flown AA F internationally, I have had it a couple of times domestically on a 777 and found the seat much more comfortable (not as padded as I would like, but more private and roomy).

Food and wine on BA blew away AA but given I like the AA seat more, I can get one darn fine meal with wine in London for the price of the seat surcharge.

The best thing about BA F is the Concorde room! A cabana and a massage during a 4 hour layover is heavenly.

My service on BA F was quite warmer than you described (on all 4 legs of my LAX-CPT trip in June). Top marks for service.

CX F (last Feb) was a huge improvement in every category but service, which was a tie as both were tops.

Forgot to add - Great Report Lucky!

Seems very crowded. And I hate sitting like a herringbone product. LH and CX are much better.

I think BA F is well worth the cost in avios, particularly if spending a bit in London before connecting to cities like CDG or AMS where the SkyTeam carriers don't offer any (redeemable) F options and where the J product is below par, at least in terms of hard product.

It's a particularly good deal for two people @ 150,000 avios + companion certificate. I'm not sure I would use AA miles for BA, but then I don't fly AA that often, so the scarcity of AA miles probably makes them worth more to me than you.

How do I know if my flight has a turn-down service? I'm flying United EWR-MUC in BusinessFirst...
Their website only says "Complimentary duvet and pillow for use during your flight" so I guess that doesn't mean a turn-down service, right?
🙁

Had a similar experience. I was alone in first class and forgot something and went back to my seat. After some minutes I came to the door, the CSD let no one embark with the words: "First class has to disembark first". Seems to be their corporate identity.

Lol. "I'm embarrassed I've never tried BA First class".

good report Ben. My wife and I are doing this trip in May, 777 on the outbound, 747 on the return. Should we get the middle seats next to each other or are the seats along the windows better?

@Carl - the middle seats on the 777 are ok but I would go for window seats on the 747.

A couple of questions.

1. You said it was crowded with 14 seats but the "old" LH first class has 16 seats doesn't it? (I flew it back in 2010).

2. With the fuel charges I'm guessing if your other option would be LH first or something on Star Alliance you would choose that over BA+fuel $?

3. Do you use their headphones or do you have your own? On my recent US Airways flight in Envoy I tried their headphones thinking maybe they were half decent but compared to the Bose QC15s they were bad.

Here in Maryland on Christmas Eve the snow has started. A very rare event here. (Yes I know my "name" says arizona but I relunctantly moved back east last year.)

Great report, as usual and good timing; my wife and I are flying BA F YVR LHR return next May. I was able to show her our seats; the two middle seats in row 4 (The BA website doesn't have the best images).

Could you explain more about the bit about Row One being blocked for elite members? Do you mean that the baby couple were also in First? And if so, any observations on travelling BA F with an infant-in-arms?

Oh and don't be so bashful about exercising your F "privileges", it wouldn't be First Class otherwise 🙂

@ Lantean -- United only offers turndown service in Global First class, and not BusinessFirst.

@ Carl -- The 777 cabin is a bit wider, so I'd probably get seats together in the center. On the 747 I'd aim for row one if at all possible, as I found it ideal for talking to a travel companion.

@ rich (arizona) --

1. First of all keep in mind that on the 747 Lufthansa used to have first class on the upper deck. That being said, the old Lufthansa hard product was *horrible*. It was the service/food/ground services that made it good.

2. Absolutely, I think Lufthansa is a much better option to Europe given the lack of fuel surcharges.

3. I usually bring/use my own headphones, though on this trip I left them at home since they're rarely good as mine. A few airlines do offer Bose headphones, which is great, but other than that they're rarely as high quality.

@ beachfan -- One of the main reasons I wanted to try BA first was for the Concorde Room/Cabanas/Elemis Spa, so I was sad I didn't get to experience it.

@ Todd -- Enjoy your flights!

@ DBest -- In order to reserve row one before check-in you have to be a OneWorld Emerald or BA Gold member, to the best of my knowledge. At check-in anyone can select it, though. The couple with the infant were in first class, and the baby was well behaved for the most part and only cried once.

Ben,

My wife and I just flew Etihad, United, Thai and BA First Class and personally thought BA's First product to be below average atleast for the amount of miles and surcharges they impose. Service was average, cabin feel a bit congested and seat, like you said, a glorified business class seat. I've flown Cathay business several times and find their product to be far superior than BA First.

I am surprised, I rated UA First better than BA - for me it was an OK experience.

There are numerous failures here, and it doesn't seem BA really knows how to operate a first class cabin. After reading your report, my first thought was, "I am never going to pay the fuel surcharges to fly BA over AA" and yet you argue it's worth it. Really? I mean, it wasn't that bad, but it doesn't sound like it's worth paying extra for.

Does anyone know if United BusinessFirst provides pajamas even though they don't offer turndown service?

Lucky, your experience at LHR is nothing new. Also, since you guys were late you were actually the problem flight who needed to be accommodated at a new "stand" rather than the others. LHR is always hurry up and wait - worse for takoff.

Wow, thanks for sharing. I have to agree with Scottrick "I am never going to pay the fuel surcharges to fly BB over AA"

@ Indy -- United doesn't, not even in Global First.

I HAVE FLOWN BA FIRST DFW-LHR-DFW AND FIND IT TO BE SUPERIOR OVER THAT OF AA AT THE MOMENT. WITH THE 777-300 COMING ONLINE FOR AA THIS MAY CHANGE AS I HAVE HEARD THE SEATS ARE COMPARABLE TO CX FIRST CLASS. I STILL PREFER CX FIRST SEATS BUT TO EUROPE FROM DFW, THIS IS THE BEST NON STOP PRODUCT.

All four times I've flown BA49 (LHR-SEA) in the past year in F they have done nothing to allow F pax off before J (all were Hi-J). This would annoy me if I didn't have Global Entry.

Heh. Alex was our CSD on BA11 (LHR-SIN) last Tuesday. She was very sweet and incredibly friendly.

What did you do when the toddler was looking at you?
I'm always amused by the term "seasonal fruit." Seasonal to where? Those look like summer fruits to me!
Merry Christmas!

I'm glad you enjoyed your flight Ben. Some observations

1) how towels should have been offered at boarding, prior to meal service and before landing so they clearly weren't loaded. There is no way F crew would have forgotten 3 times

2) I've never felt "cramped" in BA 1st although 1A/K can feel so, especially if that closet between them is being continuously accessed. 2a/k are much better and 3e/f if travelling with a companion

3) the fuel charges and departure taxes are a loathesome tax that all us Brits hate the government for levvying. All departing airlines have to pay them, not just BA.

4) you really bombed out with that salad (lol), the fillet of beef is often better than any restaurant. Glad you took the Sundae. I had it on both legs of my last trip and the crew got into a competition to see who could make it bigger or most extravagant 🙂

5) I hope you used the arrivals lounge at t5 and had a BATH!!

@ Jesse -- Small world!

@ Diana -- LOL, guess the fruit was from the southern hemisphere. As far as the baby goes, I just made funny faces, etc.

@ Gordon -- Thanks! Sadly didn't have time to use BA Arrivals Lounge, for reasons I'll cover in the next post.

@Lucky @DBest - 1A/K are reserved for Golds/OW equivalent until 72 hours before departure at which point anyone can reserve them.

Good Christmas Morning Ben, as u know, we just flew BA F to London en route to Delhi earlier this month. We enjoyed again the fine service/cuisine on board but relished our 5 hrs in the Concorde L/Cabana prior to connecting onward to Delhi. Flew Lu FC home from Frankfurt last Thursda, after flying TG's new a380 BC from BKK to FRA. Metal on LU not impressive but cuisine service tip-top. We like BA F--just made switch from Club Europe to FC yesterday for our flights back from Lis in April. The pull of another 3 hrs in the Cabana made me change to FC 🙂

Good report, I usually fly BA CW to LHR for work out of Philly, have tried new F as a checkin upgrade to row 1 $400 fee -for me the locker, duvet, design and privacy were good things. The seat was not much different than CW. I have a special meal so food in any class isn't a driving factor as i usually bring my own w/me just in case. We definitely had hot towels and the crew is always friendly. i didn't pre-board so they apologized that they couldnt show me my seat but definitely introduced themselves.
Given my choice of US Envoy or BA from Philly, I'm definitely going BA - glad you were able to try it.

Didn't see that one coming. Nearly $500 in fuel surcharges to be in a cramped cabin, that you compare to Business class. Yes, the wines look to be quite a bit better than AA, and I've yet to have lobster on AA. No doubt the Concord Lounge is much better than AA Flagship too. But I'll take the spacious AA 777 seating area, and keep the $500 for dinner at Gordon Ramsey when I land. Somehow I'll get by without the flight being called "the", and without mention of which terminal we will be landing at. 😀 But of course, if you want to go N/S from SEA, BA is your only choice....

I ve tried BA first to seoul and frankly was not impressed,food service was delayed,some of the menu choice unavailable and as you mentioned storage problems,there is no waoww factor about the food,no caviar or foie gras.

"apparently in England it’s simply called breakfast tea… who knew?"

Well, duh.

I soo agree with you Ben, BA First is a glorified Biz class. Cathay's Biz bed & storage comfort is better then BA. BTW the BA club class is also torture w not a single bit of storage. If you want to put down a magazine or newspaper, then you must get up and out of your seat. Its bad news. Nothing like Cathay First !!! Its hands down the WIDEST seat in the air.The only bed airline bed i can sleep in with my arm fully extended underneath my pillow and not touch the side walls. Cathay also has more space per passenger. 6 in the F class cabin of their 777 whereas JAL, ANA, and SQ squeeze in 8 passengers into the same space. On the 747, Cathay has 9 first class seats compares to BA and QF 14 !!!!!!! SHAME ON THEM !!!!!!

How exactly does does "turn down" service work? Do you ask them to make your bed? Or let them know you want to go to sleep or what?

@ Patrick -- Yep, you just let them know you'd like to sleep and they take care of it.

Slightly off topic, but why is it that some airlines allow use of the IFE on the ground while others don't? Is that airline/aircraft specific or depending on the country? Is that something due to certification or something else? Maybe you can to a blog post on it one day and do a comparison between different airlines.

I've enjoyed BA's F & J from YYZ-LHR-YYZ on a few occasions. If the standard used are several Asian products then speedbird lags behind. Asian crews can be far more personable, whether genuine or not, while BA's FA's tend to be a lot more rigid.
Catering on BA is good but definitely not special.
As for the seats, the old F were more comfortable but were really getting tired. The new F seats are just downright COOL.
All in all I feel that BA's is good but falls into the bottom group of international F product. Having said that, I'm booked again with them in September:)
Keep your reports coming in, they are my favorites.

Of all the things I remembered about my first trip in First on Thai was deplaning. I was the only one on SYD-BKK and the Purser made sure that I deplaned first before anybody else. I was not expecting this so there had to be about a 5 min wait for me to get organized before I got off the plane.

Do u think business class is better than first class because of the seating or do you think they are exactly the same

I was on a plane with the same premium economy/first arrangement some time ago. Sadly I was in PE; when the time came to disembark, I recall an F passenger attempting to get past us - not very successfully - and frustration turned into apoplexy when I recalled aloud from the bible "and the first shall be last"

I have flown Coach, Business and going First Class in May to London from L.A. In May. This will be my first trip First Class. Hope I will not be disappointed
My seat is 03K. Was this a good choice?

@ Roslyn -- Definitely better than rows four or five, though I'd shoot for rows one or two if you can, as they're a bit more private.

My wife and I are off to Seattle with BA in First on a 777 in July and return 2 weeks later--Looking forward to it

Flew BA to Seattle first class on 30 March it's now the third of April and two bags still missing.Flight was two hours late in leaving London with a complete lack of info as to delay or reasons.At Seattle it was total shambles.no support or communication despite promises and hours spent by my secretary and others
Not one promised text explaining current position or apologising
Finally extracted luggage using an attorney and inhouse counsel at Seattle port authority
Total disgrace and as for value for money zero
So much for first class experience apart from the flight when it finally took off its zero and a very expensive one at that.Rip off is too mild an expression
Apparently delta do a direct flight even that might be better

Lucky, was wondering if you know the F availability from LHR to SEA around Christmas time? I need 2 seats and currently none available. Should I wait till the last week to book it or that's pushing it? Thanks!

@ Phoebe -- BA is generally good about releasing space on that route, though I wouldn't count on it around the holidays. I'd definitely try to lock in a back up option.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOU BLATHERING ABOUT? Cheap caviar and who has better ice cream sundaes at 30 thousand feet? Who cares! (What idiot cars how many times some stewardess says the word "the") Moronic.
British airways 1st class is the worst. THE WORST! 14 seats! 14! It's an outrage, and the top price too. Your feet are squashed onto a stupid little ottoman that's about 12 inches wide!
No shoulder room, and I'm a size 6 woman.
Food is airline food people! Wake up! It's not actually good! Who needs all that crap on a plane anyway? Then everyone runs to the tiny toilets. It's disgusting.
They should serve somthing fresh and practical. GET HALF THOSE SEATS PUT OF THAT CRAMPED CABIN. ENLARGE THE SEATS! GET BIGGER TV MONITORS. And most of all, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SHOULD SHUT THE HECK UP. People are trying to sleep in their narrow, hard, expensive seats, in their sardine packed cabin! !!!!!!!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOU BLATHERING ABOUT? Cheap caviar and who has better ice cream sundaes at 30 thousand feet? Who cares! (What idiot cars how many times some stewardess says the word “the”) Moronic.
British airways 1st class is the worst. THE WORST! 14 seats! 14! It’s an outrage, and the top price too. Your feet are squashed onto a stupid little ottoman that’s about 12 inches wide!
No shoulder room, and I’m a size 6 woman. No storage.
Food is airline food people! Wake up! It’s not actually good! Who needs all that crap on a plane anyway? Then everyone runs to the tiny toilets. It’s disgusting.
They should serve somthing fresh and practical. GET HALF THOSE SEATS PUT OF THAT CRAMPED CABIN. ENLARGE THE SEATS! GET BIGGER TV MONITORS. And most of all, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SHOULD SHUT THE HECK UP. People are trying to sleep in their narrow, hard, expensive seats, in their sardine packed cabin! !!!!!!!

14 seats stuffed into first class.
No personal storage.
Tiny toilets.
Hard narrow terrible seats.
Cheap dysfunctional foot rests.
Small crummy tv screens. ....
but ...
some of you are blabbing about;
Cheap caviar and who has better ice cream sundaes at 30 thousand feet? Who cares! (And what silly person cares how many times some stewardess says the word “the”) Moronic.
British airways 1st class is the worst. THE WORST! 14 seats! 14! It’s an outrage, and the top price too. Your feet are squashed onto a stupid little ottoman that’s about 12 inches wide!
No shoulder room, and I’m a size 6 woman. No storage.
Food is airline food people! Wake up! It’s not actually good! Who needs all that crap on a plane anyway? Then everyone runs to the tiny toilets. It’s disgusting.
They should serve somthing fresh and practical. GET HALF THOSE SEATS PUT OF THAT CRAMPED CABIN. ENLARGE THE SEATS! GET BIGGER TV MONITORS. And most of all, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SHOULD SHUT THE HECK UP. People are trying to sleep in their narrow, hard, expensive seats, in their sardine packed cabin! !!!!!!!

Damn....May seems a little displeased.

Lucky,

Can you tell me if the SEA to LHR routes both have the updated BA First cabin? There is an afternoon 747 service and an evening 777 service... I'd like to book the new First cabin, unless they both now have it and it doesnt matter...

Husband and I flew Miami,Heathrow,Miami last wk. F/C not impressive at all. The service was nonexistant . Offered a drink before take off and again with dinner but those were the only 2 times drinks were offered. my husband enjoys his wine while flying and he had to ask every single time after the first offering. Uncomfortable to say the least. I ordered the fish for dinner which arrived over cooked and dry upon a cold scoop of barley or quinoa. I asked for something else which she told me it would take 20 mins to prepare. She delivered the bowl of chopped beef and just left it in front of me as i was dozing. never came back to offer a beverage, or roll or desert. i was totally ignored the rest of flight. I saw before landing they served tea and biscuits but never asked me if i would like anything. I had to go into galley and as for a sconce. I will NEVER fly BA again.The flight attendents were really good and ignoring me and maybe everyone. Also no blanket, and no slippers offered or delivered....Terrible F/C service. This was BA209 August 13...UGG