Ben,
By constantly mentioning Air Cote d'Ivoire as your last and imminent FC review, I am afraid you have already blown it. They will be waiting for you and there is no chance you'll receive the same treatment as Mr Anybody FC. It's not like you can change your name or wear a false beard.
The only way, I think, that you may save the review, is sending someone else, maybe from your office, maybe a lesser known fellow blogger(Josh Cahill is already burnt) to see the real "First Class" and then, if you still wish, follow as yourself and compare. And this not guaranteed, as, if they ever sell FC apart from you, and I think not, I think not, it will be to passengers with a very different and more local profile. Anybody else who can afford FC will most likely choose "La Premiere"
This is not an anti-Cote d'Ivoire rant, but the experience of someone who has worked and lived there a long time, me.
You make a good point. Although, if Air Cote d'Ivoire throws a party just for him, I'd still love to read about it.
I personally see Ben's final 1st class cabin on his list more as a celebration than anything else. And, if the airline does a good job, then the more reason to celebrate.
not sure if this is a serious comment but LOL if you think AIR COTE D'IVOIRE is tracking potential customers online and going to provide immaculate service for that reason
OH YES they are... Never underestimate the Ivorian ego, and overestimating it is impossible. The mere existence of their FC, when Ethiopian which has a hundred times their world exposure does not have one, is sufficient proof.
It is really quite simple: I think that they have never sold their FC, but I may be wrong by a few units.
Every time FC sells to someone they do not know (I do not mean when they upgrade such or such local minister or CEO), a couple of young gophers are sent on a cyber fishing expedition, that's how it works, and they will even thoroughly scrub that row before . But as I said before, that class is not to sell but to upgrade local dignitaries. Lucky's trip as a paying FC customer will be heralded within the company many days in advance.
One suggestion, Lucky: Do one way on ACI's FC and the other way in "La Première", and report to us a point by point comparison.
Curious how was the bedding ? Did you get any sleep ?
They let business class passengers use the front toilet if no one is in first class.
Very clever from a cost perspective.
Low fixed cost.
High variable cost.
So it hurts less when the F cabin is empty.
Wow, very nice Ben! Looking forward to the full review.
I'll be curious to see the full menu, the western(?) food items look kinda boring. The flight looked like fun tho!
Any bidet in F lavatory?
looks incredible, makes me wanna fly them to be honest. cant wait for the full review!!!
One should not underestimate the value of a hassle free and relaxing on ground experience. As a frequent traveller, and one who does so mainly for work, products with good on ground experiences help to avoid the otherwise stressful experience that can arise after several days of back to back travel and general mental fatigue. On this front, AF, EK, AI and SQ are my favourite airlines who deliver a stress free experience on ground regardless of origin. On board, I value space, quiet and a comfortable bed. In flight food is never too memorable and generally not needed for me and neither do I consume alcohol or caffeine in flight, choosing instead to let the body hydrate and recover. Ultimately, First class for me is about space and an stress-free atmosphere. Everything else is a bonus. Therefore, the starlux product looks attractive despite the lacklustre food.
On a personal front, am I the only one who dislikes these hard shelled amenity kits that are simply difficult to take along?I just take the products, if they are worthwhile, in my personal amenity kit.
Bulky hard shelled amenity kits are just so ill thought. However, many like them. If you don’t want the amenity kits, just don’t take them. I leave amenity kits behind since my personal care products are generally of much higher quality and suited to my skin.
Did you get any sense from the crew on how common it is to be the only passenger in F? I still can’t understand why the price is so much higher than business and therefore almost always empty. Intra Asia the premium for F is nuts.
Other than the champagne, the very expensive whiskey and slightly upgraded bedding, how is this worth ot over business class. The food didnt look much better and since this is overnight dlight, cant see the justification of 2x cost over business class.
Ground experience + service look like the two main factors. People who don't bat an eye at an extra $5k will appreciate those items a lot.
Starlux first class seems like a great overall experience.
How many first class products are left ? So even making the top 10 is not a big deal.
It seems like a glorified front row business class suite, something that is a little better in space and separation than United or American Airlines bulkhead row J class suites.
It's pretty elevated, when you compare PS to a Polaris or Flagship lounge. PS is even better than a generic F lounge.
And the window was aligned! My biz class was a good flight FROM SEA a couple years ago because I snagged row5 (I think?) with AA aligned window. Also nice Biz lounge in Taiwan
Perfect example of why judging a flight by its seat map misses the point. On paper, Starlux First Class barely looks like a step up from their already stellar Business Class. But throw in a private terminal, an empty cabin, and hyper-personalized service, and suddenly you’re in a different dimension. Is it worth the eye-watering price tag? Debatable. Although, give me a private terminal and enough champagne and I suspect my value calculations would become remarkably flexible.
Completely agree and it's why we need more firsthand (non-sponsored) reviews of these products. Even though i'll likely never fly this product, it's fantastic to understand it better!
@Faris your comment is ironic considering the comment you're responding to is AI slop.
@lucky, "a huge 32 inch TV" in first class reminded me of another review. Sorry, couldn't help myself 🙂
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/air-new-zealand-787-business-class/ :
"Speaking of the entertainment screen, it’s 11″. While there are some contexts in which that number might impress, inflight entertainment screens in long haul business class isn’t among them."