I’m not the biggest fan of British Airways first class – I find it to be more like a really good business class product – though there’s something I always enjoy about flying with them. I was especially excited to fly them between New York and London. I don’t think there’s a route in the…
Continue reading: Review: British Airways First Class 747 New York To London
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FINALLY! Someone who doesn't "ooh" and "aah" over BA First Class. I got upgraded (from business) about a month back on a flight back from Beijing and I wasn't particularly wowed by the experience and in fact, almost liked sitting up on the upper deck in business better. Sure the menu was a little more extensive and I got a different amenity kit and pyjamas, it was a little wasted as it was a 9 hour day flight.
I am a BA Gold members, mainly b/c I max out on Star Alliance midway through the year, so figure I go for another alliance but I don't love them. I find their service okay at best and I little if any sort of recognition for being a "loyal" customer - rarely do they ever greet me by name (and really, that is all I want). I could take them of leave them. . .
Another awesome review Lucky! In the beginning of the post you mentioned one of the reasons for taking this flight is to compare it to Virgin Atlantic's upper class. So, how does it compare? Would you fly transatlantic on Virgin's upper class over BA's first class product?
Regarding BA's bedding, I think it's...tolerable.
The bedding on CX and LH are infinitely better, especially on LH which is really closer to a real mattress. The BA seat covering is more like a sheet. Not a big fan.
I flew the reverse route last year and I liked it a lot... very solid product.
I have a question... for my next LHR-EWR BA F flight the BA website is showing 5 rows of F seats on this 777... but seatguru says BA doesn't have any 777 with 5 rows of F... so what is it? Are they getting new 777 with bigger F cabin?
Thanks.
@ Joey -- Ultimately first class is better than business class, so I do think BA F has the edge over VS J. I'd definitely do VS J over BA J, but first is first...
@ Lantean -- Hmm, when are you looking at traveling? Have never seen five rows of first class...
Hi Lucky;
I agree 100%. Nice (but not tops in class) soft product, cramped hard product. Cramped to the point that it interferes with my sleep over a long period (my arm seems pinned between my body and the wall of the suite).
Once you consider the fuel surcharges, it's not that attractive unless it's the only option. (Fuel surcharges are in and out of London, use them to India or South Africa and it's a tremendous cost, over $3k for two including departure tax if you stop off in Lonon).
Do you have any BA business class (TATL) trip reports? It doesn't look pretty back there.
you said this women asked some of the most ridiculous questions you've ever heard. What are some other?
BA has some 777-200 with 17 first class seats and a fifth row. You can check the seat maps on thebasource.com
@Chrs
thank you. have you flown that cabin? is it equal to the regular 4 row F cabin? or or crammed?
thanks.
Hate the heathrow transit expirence as well. Did you guys end up Parking in the B section (where you have to take that trolley), or was it early enough to get one of the A stands?
Don't you think it's weird they charge you for wifi? Shouldn't it be complimentary in first class? Assuming that paid fares are typically in $10k range...
@ Johan -- For what it's worth almost all airlines even charge premium cabin passengers for wifi, so BA is in the majority with that policy.
@Lucky, I know. I just wonder what the thinking is behind that? It's not like the 10 people in F are going to bring that much more revenue or slow down the internet at the same time. Nor do I think it's technically that hard to give them some voucher codes or anything.
@ Johan -- My guess is that from the perspective of the airlines:
-- Even offering inflight internet is a competitive advantage
-- Wifi is offered by third party vendors, so the airline would be paying for it directly
-- They assume that if you can pay $10K for a ticket you won't care about $10-20 for wifi
I agree, I think it would be a nice thing, but at the same time I'm thrilled just to have access to wifi when flying, and consider the prices they charge to be extremely reasonable.
Lucky - either you're predictable or I've been reading your blog for too long (or both); 9/10 times I know what meal you'll choose from the menu. I think we both need to get out more...
Took 4 transatlantic segments of BA F recently and 2 more coming up at the end of the month. Need the Since you asked what we think of BA F... I need more OneWorld EQMs so BA is the only F choice across the pond. Flown this route on VS J and LH F many times (not as many as Lucky) so I've got something to compare BA to. Seat/bed LH >>> BA > VS. Biggest complaint is nowhere to put my briefcase and stuff I need in-flight. VS is even more cramped. I like the creativity of BA and LH food but my tastes are more eclectic than Lucky's. After 100's of in-flight steaks you couldn't force me to have another. Service VS > BA > LH. If I spoke German LH might do better. VS is always fun and flirty. BA is witty. LH is, well, pleasantly efficient. One factor that isn't mentioned anywhere is that BA is often significantly cheaper than LH F. (Yes, somebody actually pays for premium tickets.) Just over $5K RT for my next BA transatlantic in F, and while I've also paid $12K for a last-minute BA ticket it was still less than LH. Game changer would be LH-like ground services at LHR. I'm sure we'll here about that in your next update.
My apologies to AA for forgetting that they fly F to LHR in my (somewhat garbled) post above. But then again I always forget AA transatlantic, for good reasons. Bigger seat but nothing else.
Our First Class experiences with BA have been fairly good, both with the experienced crew as well as the mixed fleet crew. We floew from ATL to LHR a couple of weeks ago on First, and the service was impeccable. Granted, the food may not be as exquisite as SQ, LH or CX, but I enjoyed the simplicity of it. The crew were very warm, and spent a lot of time getting to know us. Our Return on Club World was only average.
@ Lucky: regarding your third point, it doesn't take into account the "Pain of Paying".
From morgenland.se: "Every time we pay for something we experience what is called ”The Pain of Paying”. When we pay any amount of money we feel some psychological pain. This is associated with giving up our hard earned cash. But it also turns out that this pain does not increase linearly with the cost. This means that when we double the payment, the pain doesn’t double – it only increases by a bit. In fact, the biggest increase in the pain of paying comes when we switch from paying nothing to paying something. Which means if you dine out with your friends, to reduce the pain of paying as much as possible, you shouldn’t split the bill, instead take turns each time you go out. ”The Pain of Paying” is a mysterious behavior that economists long tried to solve."
I would think that the marketing guys at airlines know about this...
How were the other 2 champagnes? The henriot, in particular, has a very good rep.
"......front row seats at a One Direction concert" 🙂
"When Harry Met Lucky" ......
pretty similar to my recent experience
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0942NZYkZg&list=UU0dqb2DirTuGXTTpk7yg1BA
@ Johan -- Not disagreeing at all, just trying to come up with possible reasons from their perspective. I agree with you.
@ Ed -- You know, clearly I've never actually looked at the menu very closely, as I didn't realize they had anything other than Grand Siecle. I'll have to give it a try on my next BA flight.
BA F is a very underwhelming product. BA F on the 747 is the most underwhelming version of all: the space and footprint of the seat is basically the same as in Business.
Not sure where the "good bedding" comment is coming from: the blanked is too narrow, there is no mattress or comforter, just a lumpy cover sheet. The space restrictions of the table are annoying when you are sleeping on the side (which most people do).
the fact that BA provided a very dumb headphone for the first class make me laugh. And that lady as well are a boss! there always a funny story on the trip that you take.
Did SFO-LHR FC with spouse a couple of years back and don't disagree with any of your comments.....BUT the DEAL BREAKER is BA fuel surcharges...........There has to be a better option out there and my gut tells me it is with Alaska miles.........
Lucky .. I have a question about the best location in the 747 F cabin for a family of 3 (2 adults plus 1 child, age 2) traveling from NYC to LON on a daytime flight (not sure if that makes a difference except that she will likely be awake). We normally would not travel this way, but have been afforded the opportunity to do so. I'm not sure which seating arrangements would be best to keep an eye on her and to easily reach her if needed. At first, I thought that sandwiching her between us in Row 4 (seats 4A, 4E, 4F) was a good idea, but then there is the partition which makes getting to her quickly difficult. Then, I thought maybe we would sit in 4A and 4E and she would sit in 3A so that we can keep an eye on her from behind and easily reach her. But then, after seeing how tightly packed the seating is in your photos, it looks like maybe the very front of the cabin would be the best location with her seated in 1A and us seated in 1K and 2K (or 4E). Any advise would be greatly appreciated.. thanks.
Glad you enjoyed the food, but the dinner menu as a whole seemed a bit...underwhelming. Even for a night time transatlantic flight. I guess the seats aren't the only thing "business class" about that experience?
@ wwk5d -- Yeah, there's consistently nothing "first class" about British Airways' food. I'd argue Etihad's business class food is better.
@ Gil K -- Keep in mind that 1A & 1K are blocked for elite members until check-in, so you won't be able to pre-reserve that unless you have status. If you do have status I would do 1A, 1K, and then a seat in row 2. Row 4 really feels pretty crowded, so otherwise I'd do 2A, 2K, and then maybe 3A or 3K. Enjoy your flight!
I have flown BA First with a friend on a 777-200, only (1K and 2K) and I must agree, the cabin looks very cramped even on this metal. The seat didn't look or feel more spacious than the Club World seat (though it is quite longer, wihich is a big plus). The food is better than in CW and in my eyes solid. The food on LH is more sophisticated, but I prefer down to earth meals. The hard product is much better with LH or LX, whether for sitting or sleeping. So my verdict is for the hard product LH>LX>>>BA and meals BA>LH>LX. Concerning the FAs, I have not seen big differences between LH and BA (I speak German and English as Lucky does). I will not include LX on this, my only F experience with them was with a horrible FA (and wonderful MdC), so it would not be fair to rate LX on that.
I am so discouraged. Have been trying to find an airline (Dulles to Heathrow) that will compare to my recent Turkish Airlines business class flight to Istanbul. Any suggestions?
@ anne mielke -- British Airways first class should be considerably better than Turkish business class.
Question: Does BA have a special F class lounge in its international terminal at Heathrow? I flew first class on UA in July from London to SFO and the new "lounge" included a small dining room where the waiter (I was the only guest) and chef created a wonderful dining experience and wine selection.
@ SP Phil -- Yes, they have the Concorde Room:
https://onemileatatime.com/review-british-airways-concorde-room-london-heathrow-2/
Ok, #ungrateful I flew BA first to Mexico City from LHR last week and the team were amazing! Comfy seats, great food and an excellent lounge in T5. It would seem that some people would do with flying coach occasionally to remind them to be a little less stick in ass and a bit more grateful. Just a side note, I fly regular business flights and after many disappointing experiences with other airlines I now only fly BA.
Took BA F on a flight from London to Jfk on the new 777. Flawless imho. Was very well taken care of by a friendly flight attendant. I found it amply roomy and the food was nonstop. I wouldn't hesitate to take it again. Have not yet been on the 747 First though. There was a delay at Heathrow which was a bit of a bother. How does it compare to AA? Well I flew business on an AA 777 and must say I enjoyed that as much.
I'm currently trying to decide between AA F and BA F. I'm flying from JFK to LHR. WiFi is a huge plus for me so the only flight I can take on BA is a 747. I haven't read too much about AAs First Class to be able to get a good feel on it. Not sure what to do.
@ Anthony -- Here's a review I wrote about American's first class:
https://onemileatatime.com/review-american-airlines-first-class-777-300er-london-to-new-york/
BA is definitely quite a bit better, but if wifi is important then it might be worth flying American.
That seat looks pretty cramped! Everybody says the food on BA is "ok" so no surprises there. Funny how so many airlines are serving Grand Siecle. LH had the same a few weeks ago and LX as well (I know LX always has grand siecle), but in the lounge is definitely nice!
Hi,
I know this a bit late but re your shed-jewelled comments you do realise that you were on a british airline with british staff most likely so I presume that we can assume that their pronunciation being queens English is more correct than your presumably American version - sled ualed,!!! How amusing!!
I flew BA last time I went to London in World Traveller Plus and was pleasantly surprised. The separate cabin was very quiet, the seats vastly more comfortable than most US carriers in premium economy, and I actually got some sleep on the way over. Plus juice. And socks! My only complaint was having to use the economy loos. There were so few of us in the cabin that we probably could have used the Club World loos without much problem.
I'd love to try First sometime, even with its shortcomings. That probably won't happen anytime soon, but you never know. 🙂 The food looks quite delicious.
I'm reading this review while at the Concorde Room at JFK and soon to be in BA 747 first to london!
Thanks for the review! I’m going to fly on BA 747 First Class in couple of months. One question, what’s the best seat for a solo traveler in your opinion? I have pre-selected 1A, but according to some reports, it might not be the optimal choice from privacy point of view. Any thoughts?