- Introduction: Four Times Across The Atlantic
- Review: ITA Airways Business Class A350 (MIA-FCO)
- Review: ITA Airways Lounge Rome Airport (FCO)
- Review: Prima Vista Lounge Rome Airport (FCO)
- Review: ITA Airways Business Class A320 (FCO-CAI)
- Changing Terminals At Cairo Airport: Still Complicated
- Review: EgyptAir Lounge Cairo Airport (CAI)
- My Rough Night At Cairo Airport, Made Better By EgyptAir’s Osama
- Review: EgyptAir Business Class 787 (CAI-CDG)
- Review: Sheraton Paris Airport (CDG)
- Review: YOTELAIR Paris Airport Priority Pass Lounge (CDG)
- Review: Air France Lounge Paris Airport (CDG)
- Review: New Air France Business Class 777-300ER (CDG-JFK)
- Review: Hyatt Regency JFK At Resorts World New York
- Review: AA & BA Greenwich Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: AA & BA Soho Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: AA & BA Chelsea Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: British Airways Lounge Newark Airport (EWR)
- Review: New British Airways First Class 777 (EWR-LHR)
- Review: Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel (LHR)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: No1 Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic A330neo Upper Class Business Class (LHR-MIA)
- Is Virgin Atlantic’s Retreat Suite Worth It?
For the next portion of my four trips across the Atlantic, I flew British Airways’ new Boeing 777-300ER first class from Newark to London. While British Airways is well known for its new Club Suites business class, the airline has also introduced new first class seats with doors on select 777s, though on a much more limited basis.
I was looking forward to this flight, not only because of the new seats, but also because British Airways has drastically reduced the size of its first class cabin on 777s, from 14 seats to eight seats. I wondered if this would lead to more personalized service, given the more intimate cabin.
Unfortunately my flight was really underwhelming. While I thought the hard product, amenities, and food, were all good, the service was among the worst I’ve ever had in first class, without being rude. The service was simply so unpolished and slow that I would have been disappointed if I were in business class, let alone first class.
Let’s get into the review…
In this post:
How I booked my British Airways first class ticket
I booked my British Airways first class ticket using American AAdvantage miles. Specifically, I booked the following flight in first class for 85,000 AAdvantage miles plus $731.20 in taxes & fees:
2/11 BA188 Newark to London departing 9:30PM arriving 9:10AM (+1 day)
While the mileage requirement is reasonable, of course the carrier imposed surcharges on British Airways sting. So I wanted to point out that there are potentially two better ways to book first class awards on British Airways:
- If you book British Airways first class awards through Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, you can avoid much of these surcharges
- There could be value to booking through British Airways Executive Club directly, especially since the British Airways Visa Signature® Card (review) offers up to a $200 reward flight statement credit
Why did I book through American AAdvantage? Well, I really wanted to review British Airways’ new first class, and British Airways is notorious for swapping planes at the last minute. With AAdvantage I could change my ticket up to departure, while British Airways Executive Club doesn’t allow changes within 24 hours of departure.
That ended up really coming in handy, as I changed my award day of departure in order to get on a plane with the new first class. So booking through AAdvantage gave me the flexibility that I needed in this case, and I wouldn’t have had that through the other programs.
British Airways first class lounge & boarding
In the last installment I reviewed the British Airways Lounge Newark, which is quite nice, and even has a pre-flight dining facility. Boarding was scheduled for 8:50PM, 40 minutes before the scheduled departure. So I headed to gate B55 a bit before scheduled boarding time.
Boarding ended up starting at 9PM, with those needing extra time being invited to board first, followed by those in first class.
Rather annoyingly, boarding was exclusively performed through the forward door on this flight, meaning that the entire plane walked through first class. I’m guessing there was some operational reason for that, because it doesn’t create a very relaxing boarding process.
British Airways 777 first class cabin & seats
My flight was operated by G-STBO, which is one of the newest Boeing 777-300ERs in service. The plane was only delivered to British Airways in November 2020.
My first impression of the British Airways 777 first class cabin was quite positive. The cabin is incredibly elegant, and I love the mood lighting, finishes, and general colors.
Before I talk more about first class, I quickly glanced into the business class mini-cabin located behind first class, which features British Airways Club Suites. British Airways’ business class cabin on these planes is massive, with 76 seats, which are spread across three cabins. On this flight business class was just around 40% full.
Anyway, back to first class. While I had heard some people say that British Airways’ new first class is just the old product with a door slapped on, I found the changes to be more substantial than that, and there are some real functional improvements.
Those traveling together may want to assign two center seats, so they can enjoy the flight together and chat. There’s a privacy partition between the center seats, which can be raised or lowered depending on your preferences.
I assigned myself seat 2K, the window seat on the right side in the second row.
While this is far from the world’s best first class hard product, I think it’s plenty comfortable, and is quite competitive nowadays.
British Airways’ new first class has a much bigger and higher definition TV than you’ll find on other British Airways 777s, which is a much needed improvement.
There’s a console to the back right of the seat, which has storage space, plus a small mirror.
Underneath that is another storage compartment, as well as the seat controls.
The storage compartment is fairly deep, and also contains an AC power outlet, two USB-A outlets, the entertainment controller, and headphone jacks. For a product that was so recently installed, I’m disappointed British Airways didn’t add USB-C outlets or wireless charging to the seats. But I guess this is also an area where no adjustments were made compared to the previous product.
Most of the seat functions can be controlled from the panel to the side of the seat. There’s a change here compared to the seat controls for the old seats, and to me this wasn’t intuitive at all. With the old seats, you could just turn the knob to recline the seat, while that’s not how it works anymore.
Now you first have to push the setting you want to change, and then you turn the knob. That system works perfectly well, but if you’re used to the old controls, this will take some getting used to.
Each seat has an ottoman, and it’s strictly an ottoman — this isn’t a buddy seat so that two people could dine together.
To the side of the ottoman is yet another storage compartment. This seat has no shortage of storage, that’s for sure.
Then next to that is a pretty narrow wardrobe, which is yet another handy feature to have.
The tray table folds out from the window-side of the seat, and is one of the heaviest tray tables out there. Personally I’m not sure I love the glossy finish, but that’s just a personal prefernence.
I’m a fan of how British Airways has blinds in first class to cover the windows, which can be raised or lowered. There aren’t many airlines that do this, and I tend to think this looks quite nice. The catch is that it makes it much harder to take pictures out of the windows, given that you can’t get a camera as close to the window, not to mention there’s more glare.
One of the other major features of the new product is the addition of a door. I found these doors to be pretty substantial and easy to use.
Note that they don’t shut completely, though, as there is a little gap.
Unfortunately the overhead console just has reading lights, and not individual air nozzles, for those who care.
All-in-all, I was impressed by British Airways’ new first class. It’s evolutionary and not revolutionary, but crucially it addresses the shortcomings of British Airways’ old first class, including a small and low definition entertainment screen, and a lack of privacy.
British Airways first class amenities
Waiting at each seat upon boarding were two pillows and a light blanket. The blanket is just intended for when you’re lounging around, and then there’s more bedding when you’re ready to sleep.
There wasn’t much service during the start of boarding, but eventually I was offered a pre-departure drink. I asked for a glass of champagne, and as is standard on British Airways, I was offered the tasty Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle.
I was also presented with a very well stocked amenity kit, which contained eyeshades, socks, a dental kit, a comb, earplugs, lip balm, and several Elemis products. It’s amazing how much they can stuff into the fairly small kits.
I was also offered pajamas, which were comfortable. However, I prefer British Airways pajamas from back in the day, which had more British Airways branding on them (which I love, as an avgeek).
Then I was offered a pair of noise canceling headphones, which were fine, but nothing special.
Lastly, I was presented with the menu for the flight.
British Airways 777 first class entertainment & Wi-Fi
One awesome aspect of British Airways’ new first class is the much improved entertainment system, as the screen is significantly larger and higher definition. The entertainment selection on this flight was huge, with a seemingly endless number of movies and TV shows.
My frustration with the entertainment system was how there seemed to be a delay between when you pushed buttons and when anything actually happened. We’re not just talking a delay of a few millisecond, but rather at least a couple of seconds.
I ended up watching “Bros,” which was… entertaining, I think.
Just don’t tell Ron DeSantis about it…
The entertainment system also had a map feature, which I always enjoy.
British Airways also has Wi-Fi on its refreshed Boeing 777s.
Wi-Fi is complimentary in first class, and you just have to enter your seat number and last name or confirmation code to access it. It’s lovely that this is offered for free in first class.
For all other passengers, pricing ranged from 4.99 GBP for the entire flight for a messaging pass, to 14.99 GBP for the entire flight for a browse and stream pass. That pricing is great, especially as there are no data caps. I also found the speeds to be quite good.
British Airways 777 departure from Newark
Boarding was pretty efficient, and was complete by 9:20PM. That’s probably thanks to the flight not being very full, and British Airways also having some of the lowest density 777-300ERs in the world.
Initially five of the first class seats were occupied, but as soon as the door closed, the cabin manager moved up two passengers from the back (one was a British Airways pilot, and I’m not sure who the other guy was).
At 9:25PM the first officer made a welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our imminent departure, and our flight time of 6hr10min. At 9:30PM we began our pushback, and at the same time a manual safety demonstration was performed.
We started our taxi at 9:45PM, and five minutes later were cleared for takeoff. We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off five minutes after takeoff.
British Airways first class dinner service
As you’d expect, dinner was served after takeoff and breakfast was served before landing. East Coast to London flights really are way too short to get any real rest, let alone enjoy both meals and sleep. But of course I’m committed to reviewing as much of the experience as possible, so I took one for the team. 😉
Below you can find the British Airways first class dinner menu for the flight.
Then below you can find the British Airways first class drink list for the flight.
In the past I’ve found that British Airways flight attendants are at least rockstars when it comes to the pace at which they provide service on short transatlantic flights, given how often they work them. Well, that wasn’t the case this evening.
Meal orders were taken 25 minutes after takeoff. Then the first round of drinks were served 45 minutes after takeoff. I ordered a glass of champagne, and that was served with canapés, which included seared beef tenderloin with remoulade, grilled prawn with togarashi aioli, and sweet potato quenelle. This was pretty tasty.
Finally an hour after takeoff, my table was set for the dinner service.
The starter was served 1hr20min after takeoff. I ordered the balik salmon with asparagus, sugar snap peas, pea puree, and chive oil. Honestly, what the heck is going on with the presentation here?! I am so confused. Is the standard really for the sauce to be served in a small plastic cup? And is that plate supposed to be garnished, or what is that mess?
The main course was served 1hr40min after takeoff. For this I selected the baked cauliflower cakes with creamy spinach orzo, heirloom carrots, and parmesan. I’ve never seen cauliflower cakes on a plane before, so I was happy to try something new. The dish was quite good, and was presented much better than the starter.
Lastly, for dessert I had the salted caramel and chocolate mousse with strawberries and whipped cream, which was delicious (naturally).
While catering on British Airways isn’t quite to the same level as on other top airlines in first class (there’s no caviar, etc.), the food was tasty, and I thought the presentation was pretty good too, aside from the appetizer.
British Airways 777 first class bed
After dinner it was time to sleep, so I asked for my bed to be made. British Airways offers turndown service, where a mattress pad is placed on your seat, and a duvet is placed on the bed. Typically when turndown service is provided, there’s some effort to make it look neat and appealing.
I think this might just be the sloppiest turndown service I’ve ever received in first class on any airline. Honestly, did the flight attendant just throw everything on the seat and walk away, or…? I think this turndown service is a pretty fair representation of what service was like throughout the flight.
Anyway, by the time I got into bed, there were around four hours remaining enroute to London.
I fell asleep pretty quickly, and woke up 2.5 hours later, around 90 minutes prior to landing in London.
British Airways 777 first class lavatories
As far as lavatories go, British Airways has one lavatory at the front of the 777-300ER first class cabin, by the cockpit. It was a decent size and had a nice faux-marble countertop, but otherwise wasn’t very well maintained.
There was hand wash and hand lotion in the lavatory from Elemis.
One lavatory really isn’t that much, especially since it’s also shared with the pilots. If you’re seated on the right side of the cabin you have to walk through the galley to get to the lavatory, and the crew was super weird about it. Like, when I’d walk to the bathroom they wouldn’t get out of the way, but rather would just look at me weird. Meanwhile on most Asian airlines they’d run to open the door for you…
British Airways first class breakfast
While I would have ordinarily tried to sleep longer, I figured I’d get up for breakfast, so I could review it. You can find the British Airways first class breakfast menu for this flight below.
Of course I wasn’t particularly hungry. I ordered a smoothie and a cappuccino to drink, and some fruit and a yogurt to eat. I quite like British Airways’ glasses and mugs, and enjoyed the yogurt, passion fruit, and mango smoothie, as well as the cappuccino.
The fruit plate consisted of melon, pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries, and the yogurt was served in an Upstate Farms container.
I was also offered a selection from the bread basket. I selected a croissant, though it was hard as a room and room temperature, so I didn’t eat it (which was probably for the better).
British Airways first class service
Let me start by acknowledging that this is of course a first world problem, since people always point out there are bigger issues in the world (of course there are, and I’m well aware of that, but I’m pretty sure people come to my blog for premium airline product reviews, so that doesn’t seem relevant for those purposes).
I hate to say this, but the service on this flight was terrible. The most bizarre part of it is that the crew wasn’t rude in the slightest, yet I walked away with such a negative impression. For those familiar with British Airways’ crewing practices, it was like the crew lacked the experience and polish of the former Worldwide Fleet crews, but also lacked the enthusiasm of the Mixed Fleet crews.
I don’t know how exactly to put this delicately, but it’s the truth — the service level felt roughly like what I’d expect if you had two unenthusiastic fast food workers who were put in a first class cabin for the first time. Individually each problem was fairly minor, but when you add it all up, it makes for a very un-premium experience.
Among other things:
- The initial meal service was outrageously slow; even though I asked to eat ASAP, my main course ended up being served 1hr40min after takeoff, which isn’t ideal when trying to get some rest on such a short flight
- The flight attendant poured champagne by holding the bottle by the neck, maybe an inch from the top; it’s not a huge deal, but have they really not been trained in how to pour properly?!
- The crew didn’t address passengers by name, the inflight manager never came around to see if each passenger enjoyed their flight, etc.; for what it’s worth, business class was only 40% full, so it’s not even that they were super busy in other cabins
- There was just zero attention to detail, from the turndown service, to plates not being cleared promptly, etc.; for example, 20 minutes after I finished my breakfast, my tray still hadn’t been cleared, as no one ever came to check on me
- The crew wasn’t even engaging or enthusiastic; they just kind of spoke in fragments when taking meal orders, etc.
I had hoped that with British Airways now having smaller first class cabins, service would feel more attentive, though instead I experienced was the least attentive service I’ve ever had on British Airways. With so few passengers (and some people going straight to sleep), I don’t understand how the service could be so lackluster.
British Airways 777 arrival in London
At 8:20AM London time, the captain announced that we’d soon be descending for Heathrow, and would be landing in around 40 minutes.
At that point the cabin was prepared for landing. The seatbelt sign was turned on about 20 minutes before landing.
It was a smooth descent, and we ended up touching down in London at 9:05AM.
We then had a five minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 9:10AM. We arrived at the far pier of Terminal 5, so after going to passport control and clearing immigration, I headed to the Renaissance Heathrow Airport, where I’d be spending the night.
Bottom line
I was excited to fly British Airways’ new first class. Forgetting service for a moment, the experience largely left me impressed. The new first class suite is a nice incremental improvement, particularly with a door and a much better entertainment screen. On top of that, the amenities in British Airways first class are nice (especially free Wi-Fi), and the food is reasonably good, though not as premium as on some other airlines in first class.
Unfortunately that brings us to the service. Giving this flight a 2.5 star rating might sound harsh, but the truth is that having an indifferent and sloppy crew really takes away from an otherwise premium experience. While airlines like Air France and Lufthansa aren’t always perfect in first class, I’ve never experienced such a level of unprofessional service on those airlines.
In early 2022, British Airways’ CEO stated that he wanted to make the airline more premium. While British Airways has made a lot of hard and soft product investments, the variable service on British Airways is a major area for improvement. One important aspect of a good product is consistency and knowing what you’re going to get, and that’s an area where British Airways fails.
What do you make of British Airways’ new first class?
Over the past twenty years, I've logged over 30 flights and 200000 miles in BA's First Class. I totally agree with your overall assessment with regard to the inflight product. The amenities are nice and the food is generally acceptable if not occasionally memorable. A Baked Barramundi in Coconut Curry served between SIN and MEL may well be the best meal I've ever been served inflight.
As to the crew, I can think of...
Over the past twenty years, I've logged over 30 flights and 200000 miles in BA's First Class. I totally agree with your overall assessment with regard to the inflight product. The amenities are nice and the food is generally acceptable if not occasionally memorable. A Baked Barramundi in Coconut Curry served between SIN and MEL may well be the best meal I've ever been served inflight.
As to the crew, I can think of maybe three flights where I could have sworn the crew was an emergency replacement crew off a local flight to Edinburgh. They just seemed absolutely clueless to the style and pacing of a proper International First Class service. But that's three flights out of over thirty. On the whole, I find BA's crews to be pretty good.
Lastly, maybe I'm old school, but I much prefer the first generation 1990s suites, designed to emulate a Rolls Royce interior. Those seats were supremely comfortable to sit in, though they definitely would have benefitted from a mattress and duvet, which were not offered back in those days.
Thanks again for all the work put into these great reviews!
I must say that I was most impressed with the quality of your review. Last time my wife and I flew First it was not a very good experience. We arrived at LHR from Aberdeen and were left for an hour on the stand awaiting bus transport. This left limited time in the Concorde Room. We then took the train to the gate to be told the flight was delayed by 90mins and advised we...
I must say that I was most impressed with the quality of your review. Last time my wife and I flew First it was not a very good experience. We arrived at LHR from Aberdeen and were left for an hour on the stand awaiting bus transport. This left limited time in the Concorde Room. We then took the train to the gate to be told the flight was delayed by 90mins and advised we could not return to the Concorde Room. Boarding commenced with no order whatsoever and we were left standing on the stairwell awaiting a bus to take us to our JFK flight. The bus arrived and we were squeezed aboard. Once at the aircraft we stood in the cold and drizzle on the tarmac as the queue made its way up the stairs.....Once aboard we discovered it was the old style seats in First . We have booked First for our next trip to New York.....
In defence of BA partly - to everyone claiming that the First seat is little different form the business class seat, I would encourage you to try it!
Main improvement in FIRST for me is that the bed is totally open - no small cubby for feet as in business class. The bed is also longer, and wider. Overall this makes for a much improved sleeping experience, especially for a side sleeper like me.
...In defence of BA partly - to everyone claiming that the First seat is little different form the business class seat, I would encourage you to try it!
Main improvement in FIRST for me is that the bed is totally open - no small cubby for feet as in business class. The bed is also longer, and wider. Overall this makes for a much improved sleeping experience, especially for a side sleeper like me.
In terms of food, dine on demand is a big plus for me over BA business. Whilst the older cabins do lack a door, the seat is still pretty private, and given the small size of the cabin is doesn't feel like a dormitory compared to club.
I have flown BA business class many times, never first. However, from the pictures you provided it looks very similar to Qatar Airways business class which has never failed to impress.
I've logged a couple of flights in Qatar's Business Class (A350-1000 and 777-300) in addition to over 30 in BA's First. For seating comfort - and especially sleeping - I give a definite nod to BA's First. Mainly, there's more space, particularly down by your feet.
Haha I also watched Bros on a SIA flight from Singapore to Heathrow recently and the flight attendant come to clear my dinner right at that scene you have on screenshot.
I was reflecting on this review, and it was identical to my FRA-EWR LH F flight last year, which was not only my worst LH F experience, but my worst F experience across any airline across the years. The hallmarks were the same - nonstop laughing in the galley from two junior FAs, terrible food presentation / delivery, very inattentive, ages to serve and even longer to clear, and not only did they not do...
I was reflecting on this review, and it was identical to my FRA-EWR LH F flight last year, which was not only my worst LH F experience, but my worst F experience across any airline across the years. The hallmarks were the same - nonstop laughing in the galley from two junior FAs, terrible food presentation / delivery, very inattentive, ages to serve and even longer to clear, and not only did they not do any turndown service, you couldn't even find them to ask for any bedding. This was a one-time anomaly for me with LH, but a friend explained to me that FRA-EWR is considered one of the least attractive routes for FA bidding, leaving junior and experienced crews at the helm. Now BA has fully restored the global network, you're ending up with Reserves and brand new FAs on these short NYC hops. Sometimes it doesn't show - this time it did.
OK...I know this is very much a first world problem, as you'd say, but because this is a British airline (and I'm British) one ought to expect - at that kind of premium price - a service akin to what a British butler would provide (as opposed to a fast food chain server).
So, you are right, little details matter. One small detail I noticed, which would never be acceptable in a high-end British...
OK...I know this is very much a first world problem, as you'd say, but because this is a British airline (and I'm British) one ought to expect - at that kind of premium price - a service akin to what a British butler would provide (as opposed to a fast food chain server).
So, you are right, little details matter. One small detail I noticed, which would never be acceptable in a high-end British restaurant is that the cutlery is laid wrongly - the knives are facing inward rather than outward. Trivial though that sounds, at that price a British airline really ought to be getting details like that right. Overall everything looked poor from a presentation standpoint.
IF you want First class then book other than #BelowAverage whose First has been defined as comparable to most competitors business for years.... Given BA's failed IT systems, poor relative catering, badly maintained / cleaned cabins and appalling service (since sacking most of their staff despite the UK gov generous furlough scheme). If at all the ground based customer service is worse than what you experienced onboard.
Shareholders in the Spanish registered multinational should...
IF you want First class then book other than #BelowAverage whose First has been defined as comparable to most competitors business for years.... Given BA's failed IT systems, poor relative catering, badly maintained / cleaned cabins and appalling service (since sacking most of their staff despite the UK gov generous furlough scheme). If at all the ground based customer service is worse than what you experienced onboard.
Shareholders in the Spanish registered multinational should consider BA but for everyone else, they're now #BestAvoided as customers come a poor last place after; shareholders, the board, executive staff, other staff.
#FlyABBA for comfort, convenience, reliability and value
It's pyjamas, not Pajamas....
Really? That is not how it is spelled in the United States.
Really!! It’s Jim jams lol
To all those who suggest that BA First is just like a business class product, it's clear they've never flown it. The seat is entirely different and the room around the seat is nothing like the business class products of AC (!), UA, EK, QR, DL, TK, JL, or AF - all of which I've flown. Because BA uses a reverse herringbone design, it most certainly doesn't mean they are alike. I can't comment on...
To all those who suggest that BA First is just like a business class product, it's clear they've never flown it. The seat is entirely different and the room around the seat is nothing like the business class products of AC (!), UA, EK, QR, DL, TK, JL, or AF - all of which I've flown. Because BA uses a reverse herringbone design, it most certainly doesn't mean they are alike. I can't comment on the service level of the flight - staff, of course, differ (I will say that complaining about how a champagne bottle was a bit over the top), but the BA First product is first class. It lacks the bling of EK first (which I use most commonly between LAX and DXB), but it is every bit as nice as JL. To be honest, I haven't ever had a poor experience in BA's first class. Mediocre - occasionally, but the hard product is SO much better than business class cabins on virtually all carriers I've flown. Much roomier for shoulders, arms, and particularly legs (in full recline position I cannot turn over without awakening because of narrow footwells). I happen to like BA First.
All the same to me. I'm only concerned about space for my 6'2" to stretch out, quiet and distance from other people. That's all I pay for, anything else is whatever. I've been amused this morning to see how petty and pompous so many people can be from the comments.
I enjoyed your review, Ben. But one thing stands out. You write that this far from being the world's best first class, and then, in the very same sentence you go on to say it's quite competitive nowadays. That makes zero sense. A far from ideal First class which is ALSO competitive.........
I didn’t even finish your review. That was glorified business class, seat and food included. If I were a full fare paying passenger, I would have been severely disappointed. I have low expectations with every airline product these days.
We were very unimpressed with BA service on our recent Japan trip.
I had the exact same experience in BA F also ... worst service ever, for any class just shockingly poor attention to detail.
Boy, this is one sad looking first class product!
I'd rather fly by Condor business at less than half the price!
Even Austrian, Swiss, Air Canada business products seem far better compared to BA First!
The thing about flying BA these days is it's a complete lottery - you sometimes have stellar crew (like I did flying Doha-London in January) but all too often it's just bog standard and occasionally really bad. That's in Business or First - in Economy it's just basic service with decent TV and films to keep the masses quiet, and crew are there because legally they have to be. But profits at BA are OK...
The thing about flying BA these days is it's a complete lottery - you sometimes have stellar crew (like I did flying Doha-London in January) but all too often it's just bog standard and occasionally really bad. That's in Business or First - in Economy it's just basic service with decent TV and films to keep the masses quiet, and crew are there because legally they have to be. But profits at BA are OK so the management doesn't really care and not enough people - me included - vote with their wallet and fly elsewhere because when you're based in London it's the easiest option. So nothing is going to change. But keep calling them out on it Ben .
I flew BA in F on the 777-200 a week ago from Boston to Heathrow. No doors, but doors in Biz, which seems odd. Service was great and quick, and the FA taking care of me was great. However, she didn’t address me by name once throughout the flight, which is standard in First throughout the world. Concorde room is mid tbh, new nap pods are rubbish, but the food menu is great and bar is great too. Wish they had some sort of spa.
I live in London so its just easier to fly BA particularly to the US and I always fly F rather than J, the New York route in particular is as frequent as a bus schedule! I'm very sorry you had a terrible experience. I flew to the US a couple of times this year and it was all very good within the limitations that you've highlighted, best business class product etc. It is priced...
I live in London so its just easier to fly BA particularly to the US and I always fly F rather than J, the New York route in particular is as frequent as a bus schedule! I'm very sorry you had a terrible experience. I flew to the US a couple of times this year and it was all very good within the limitations that you've highlighted, best business class product etc. It is priced better than most F carriers and as I'm usually paying straight up I think its good, free flowing GS throughout the process helps reduce the sting and probably elevates the experience. Having an attentive crew will really make the experience and the opposite is unfortunately true, but I have always lucked out ! If you have a problem traveling in F, any complaints are usually very well compensated and dealt with quickly, albeit in Avios, which you could redeem on Qatar or Finnair ? On your recommendation, I will try some of the other products to Asia and beyond, certainly Air France has got my attention!
You have to remember that the new cabin crew contracts are barely minimum wage and their other terms and conditions have also been reduced, staff turnover is huge with staff morale down the toilet. This is what happens with corporate greed, staff go a long way to making a good airline loose sight of that at your peril
Yeah base pay is as little as £16,000, and with allowances only £24,000 - it is genuinely appalling, especially as we have a cost of living crisis in Britain atm and people cannot afford basics even. It's a tiring job and I do feel for those working it now. The strategy seems to be by BA is not to have long-term staff retention, as that is a 'cost burden' on the business as was the...
Yeah base pay is as little as £16,000, and with allowances only £24,000 - it is genuinely appalling, especially as we have a cost of living crisis in Britain atm and people cannot afford basics even. It's a tiring job and I do feel for those working it now. The strategy seems to be by BA is not to have long-term staff retention, as that is a 'cost burden' on the business as was the case when they had several decade long legacy crew (world fleet) because the longer people stay the more they're paid just by length of service alone but to only have mainly young crew who only stay a few years and are replaced. Given how much people are paid and few promotion opportunities I can't see anyone being able to do it as a long-term career if they want many of the things people want to start to have as they get older and naturally that's going to have an impact on service standards as the experience just is never going to be built-up as people leave.
This is dated (timed) 14 hrs ago (as I read the report) but am I seeing the same assessment of the crew and observations (wine pouring, turn down?) copied from your outbound trip or did this happen on both sectors?
I am BA crew so I want to know.
Are you sure that wasn't the same flight? Often, Ben writes a quick recap right after the flight and then a proper review a bit later.
Starters are pre plated by the caterers. Main Courses are plated by the Galley Operator. This does not excuse the lack-lustre service however. The in charge is required to speak to all F customers….clearly their disinterest filtered down to the rest of the crew. Such a shame.
Love it from Kuwait KWi to London LHR ❤️
Interesting how you're enthusiastic about the free WiFi. Honestly WiFi should be free for anyone who has paid the high ticket prices of biz let alone first! Airlines such as JetBlue (and soon Delta) are offering this free to people in economy Transatlantic. Add on that it's a joke that you have pay for seat selection in biz too after forking out 4 figures for your ticket (unless you have status ofc), when other airlines...
Interesting how you're enthusiastic about the free WiFi. Honestly WiFi should be free for anyone who has paid the high ticket prices of biz let alone first! Airlines such as JetBlue (and soon Delta) are offering this free to people in economy Transatlantic. Add on that it's a joke that you have pay for seat selection in biz too after forking out 4 figures for your ticket (unless you have status ofc), when other airlines across the pond offer this for free, then BA really takes the P these days. At least they don't charge you for that in F. I flew first back in 2016 and really was not blown away compared to J on other airlines at the time. You're paying a LOT more for very little extra whereas at least going from economy or PE to business there is a big leap. Just doesn't seem worth the extra cost (or miles). Seems the case now with BA since club suites look perfectly decent and there doesn't seem much extra here to tempt you to spend the extra $$.
BA is exactly the representation of Brits; lazy and not really caring, only out for themselves. Sorry, not sorry, but the days of Brits and Europeans are over.
Having lived in the UK for the past 15 years, this has become accurate. People have become incredibly narcissistic and selfish. It is especially prevalent among younger people who have learnt at school that everything is about them. Local school kids walk 4 abreast and refuse to move out the way for adults and even mother's with prams. Young people refusing to queue and just pushing in front of older people. So the cabin crew...
Having lived in the UK for the past 15 years, this has become accurate. People have become incredibly narcissistic and selfish. It is especially prevalent among younger people who have learnt at school that everything is about them. Local school kids walk 4 abreast and refuse to move out the way for adults and even mother's with prams. Young people refusing to queue and just pushing in front of older people. So the cabin crew not moving out the way is no surprise to me..
Haven't had much experience in BA first, but my one and only experience mirrored yours. In contrast, my partner, who was seated next to me in the other center seat, received much better and more friendly service from the cabin crew working that side. Very strange.
"..a croissant, though it was hard as a room and room temperature..."
rock/room...whatever...they're both too hard and too cold!
Either way, your (hilarious) review convinced me to steer clear of BA.
Thanks, as always, for your self imposed short nap and "taking one for the team".
BA is extremely hit or miss, like the US airlines. I was fortunate to have pretty great service round trip on IAD-LHR in F last month.
I just flew BA First from SFO to LHR last week. I was originally on a J class flight earlier in the evening but business class was full and there was a couple who wanted to travel together. So I was offered a chance to fly in First if I took a later flight (~4.5 hr later). So I took the hit to help out that couple.
This meant instead of the 787 I was...
I just flew BA First from SFO to LHR last week. I was originally on a J class flight earlier in the evening but business class was full and there was a couple who wanted to travel together. So I was offered a chance to fly in First if I took a later flight (~4.5 hr later). So I took the hit to help out that couple.
This meant instead of the 787 I was on an A380. The seat was comfortable, was was already dated (especially if you compare against what you see on Asian and Middle Eastern carriers). The menu was largely similar to what you described. Wine list was near identical. I just googled to see what the prices of the wines on offer were - apart from the LP Grand Siecle champagne (~£150 per bottle), the wines are mostly £20-40 bottles, which I would classify as business class wines rather than First class wines.
I took advantage of the pre-flight dining option at SFO, which was nice. But the menu was limited. (But the seafood cioppino was excellent!)...and sadly the First class dining area was set up more as a restaurant than as a lounge, and did not have any windows! When I took a walk to go to the loo I noticed a few other First class passengers had gone into the main part of the lounge to get some sunlight and to feel less enclosed.
One of the big advantages of the BA Lounge in SFO is that you get to board the plane directly from the lounge without having to enter the scrum. However, this was the case for the 787 and sadly was not the case for the A380. Maybe the plane was too large to enable boarding from the lounge?
Once on board, although the hard product was slightly dated on the A380, I thought the service was excellent. Very attentive. And for breakfast, even though I wasnt hungry and only asked for a black coffee and a yoghurt, they ended up bringing a selection of warm pastries "just in case" I felt like wanting to eat a bit more. You can't fault that and it felt a bit "extra".
This being said, it was about on par with the last time I flew BA First (via an upgrade at the check-in desk), but quite a ways below the First class experience I had on Thai Airways many years ago, which offered lobster, caviar, Dom Perignon, etc and felt like true indulgent luxury (and not to mention getting what amounted to having a living room to ourselves at the lounge with wait staff, and a massage at the lounge). The BA First experience, while a cut above the BA Business Class experience, felt like what you get on Business on premium Asian airlines.
'Just in case' sounds so British. It would have been churlish not to accept.
This looks no better than UA Polaris J. OK the food presentation and quality look a bit better, but the seat is no better, the service is no better, lounges probably aren't any better than Polaris lounges.
Damning for BA "First"
The food is certainly better. UA has a very nice seat and some of the best bedding, but man is the food bad.
No way this seat is equivalent to the Polaris seat. The Polaris seat is very narrow and when the seat is fully reclined I feel like i'm in a coffin. The BA seat seems to have much more room and storage.
The sad fact is reviews like this are nothing new.
But the reality is, when BA turn a HUGE profit every year where is the incentive for them to do better? The are obviously doing something right.
A lot of people have hit the nail on the head when it comes to First Class on BA (and most other airlines tbf). It isn't a profit turner. How many people do you know that actually pay...
The sad fact is reviews like this are nothing new.
But the reality is, when BA turn a HUGE profit every year where is the incentive for them to do better? The are obviously doing something right.
A lot of people have hit the nail on the head when it comes to First Class on BA (and most other airlines tbf). It isn't a profit turner. How many people do you know that actually pay those 'published' First Class fares? Exactly. In a cabin of 8 F seats maybe one or two are. Everyone else is on miles, some form of paid upgrade or non revs.
I do. Once a month. Points are saved for family holidays.
Funny you say you do not get this with Lufthansa or Swiss. Maybe it is your half German background that makes you have major misunderstandings with the British airline culture. I like them and find them one of the few allies of America.
Whut?
“…this is of course a first world problem…”
No, it’s not a first world problem. It’s a problem, no apologetic qualifier needed.
You didn’t get the service experience you paid for, and that IS a problem, whether it’s first class travel or steerage on Easyjet.
I couldn’t agree more. This is meant to be first class, the best service that the airline can offer. In this case the service was not first class. It wasn’t even close.
It’s not too much to expect a first class experience on a first class ticket.
Great point.
As long as you don't treat like the biggest problem in the world, criticizing service like this, which is far below First Class standards, is understandable.
I think the old first class looked almost the same. While this is a bit more updated looking the old one had nice touches like a lamp that at least gives it a nicer feel to make you feel slightly less bad that you're in business+
While the problems are 1st world problems, if I'm paying $700 in "fees" in addition to the points one way, someone should be making the salad dressing in front of me and drizzling it on my salad.
Ha! If you demanded one of us who works for the US3 to “drizzle your dressing in front of you” we’d make sure it ended up in your lap. Get a grip. And people wonder why FA’s are surly these days.
The compartment door doesn't actually close ... whose brilliant idea was that? The same person who decided that latecomers must always be offloaded 35 minutes ahead of scheduled departure, even if the plane is not yet at the gate?
BA are the kings of shooting yourself in the foot.
The doors are designed to not fully close because if they did, during even mild turbulence they would knock against each other which would be really annoying. So there has to be a minuscule gap.
I don't see much difference than the business class. A true FC seat has the foot rest area the same size as the seat and no cubby hole for your feet. Doesn't look like an F seat to me.
Exactly this. This review/critique is, dare I say, factually incorrect and contradictory to Ben's own statements in previous reviews and within this review itself. This seat is NOT "competitive". Or, more correctly, competitive compared to what? United Polaris? AA's Flagship Business? Certainly NOT other F products on the market, not even other F products crossing the Atlantic. In fact, the whole review essentially complained about how the flight was pretty bad, aside from the "competitive"...
Exactly this. This review/critique is, dare I say, factually incorrect and contradictory to Ben's own statements in previous reviews and within this review itself. This seat is NOT "competitive". Or, more correctly, competitive compared to what? United Polaris? AA's Flagship Business? Certainly NOT other F products on the market, not even other F products crossing the Atlantic. In fact, the whole review essentially complained about how the flight was pretty bad, aside from the "competitive" hard product - which is arguably "competitive", at best. There is no reason anyone reading this review would choose BA F over J on the same plane, or BA F or nearly every other F product in existence.
Looks like a very nice BUSINESS class seat.
What a terrible airline. I avoid BA like the plague.
I can't believe you included a screen grab of one of the funniest moments in Bros:-)
How dispiriting. I noticed that even the cutlery was laid incorrectly with knife blades pointing out. I understand that BA currently have a policy of allocating crew alphabetically to cabins. This route commands a walk up fare of £11k per leg in First. Pay and you have every chance of being looked after by poorly trained, inexperienced crew with few manners.
Eating dinner on a BA night flight is somewhat unrepresentative:
Such a huge proportion of BA's long-haul business is TATL, and such a large proportion of the passengers have worked out that in order to get even 5 hours sleep it's better to dine on the ground, that the airline provides that in the US lounges, and crew probably don't expect to serve many dinners on TATL overnights.
....will NEVER FLY on British Airways again as they switched my paid business seat selection. I was told I could sit across from the person that moved to my old seat. Ummm? Really?
(British Airways reserves the right to change your seat at any time.)
The worst - in my mind.
Well what a mixed bag of onboard experiences, it demonstrates the mass layoffs of staff during the pandemic drained the experience needed at the pointy end , clearly they are still struggling and it makes me wonder if they are putting the remaining few old timers on key routes at the sacrifice of others.
Besides the service, by looking at the menus I don't see much as "First" either. Simply "grilled salmon" doesn't do it for First. Might as well not do it and keep it business. How about "Premium Biz" (business with a larger seat). Funny how often food is a good indicator for everything else. Those are usually first pictures I go to when reading your lounge reviews.
Great Review as always Ben. I think you were almost too forgiving here. If you had paid full price for this how much would it have been ? It’s not anywhere near as good as Emirates or Air France First and tbh it looks not as good as Qatar or Air France business.
Things haven’t been the same since Penny went to work in Economy.
Then we dim the lights for a few minutes, and then turn them back on to serve you a full English breakfast
Somehow I expected this for British Airways.
Here's to hoping that someone at BA reads your review!
You used to call BA F "the world's best business class", but this review makes me think it is far from a good J product. The seat looks like an average J seat, really, the menu looks like an average J menu of a good airline, the service falls far below J service. Heck, this experience makes Finnair J look good, even with all the...
Here's to hoping that someone at BA reads your review!
You used to call BA F "the world's best business class", but this review makes me think it is far from a good J product. The seat looks like an average J seat, really, the menu looks like an average J menu of a good airline, the service falls far below J service. Heck, this experience makes Finnair J look good, even with all the post-covid cutbacks they've done.
Meal service seemed to be an assembly line. They don't offer dine-on-demand in F?
By the way, do airlines ever contact you after the flight and perhaps after having read your review? If I were working for BA customer relations, I would definitely want to do something after reading this...
I've never flown Finnair J but the reviews I've seen of it make it look better than this and HEL looks like a much better transit airport than LHR (although I rate LHR higher than many, especially T2 and T5, not so much T4 and T3). Only negative is a bit of backtracking to get to many places if flying from North America to Western Europe.
To me, it feels that in reviews, Finnair gets extra points for some kind of exotism, which to a certain extent is fine, but Iittala design glassware and grape juice dubbed as "blueberry" does not really impress when you take your second or fifteenth Finnair longhaul flight... The new hard product in J is great, probably the best J seat I have experienced. The old J seat is okay but nothing special. It is the...
To me, it feels that in reviews, Finnair gets extra points for some kind of exotism, which to a certain extent is fine, but Iittala design glassware and grape juice dubbed as "blueberry" does not really impress when you take your second or fifteenth Finnair longhaul flight... The new hard product in J is great, probably the best J seat I have experienced. The old J seat is okay but nothing special. It is the soft product that makes Finnair pale, and the soft product has gone seriously downhill post-covid. The menus hardly ever change, you get the same stuff on every flight regardless of destination, the food quality has deteriorated, you get the same amount of cheap food on a 6-hour and a 13-hour flight etc.
One gets the distinct impression that, of the 3 TATL products reviewed on this trip, BA F is at best the 3rd best business class across the Atlantic.
BA First is about equivalent to Business class on other airlines.
So it definitely seems, and not even a very good business class product!
I think you were being generous with 2.5 starts Ben from what you describe. I mean by the team we get to the rock hard croissant, it just feels terrible - remember for many people this might be there once in lifetime treat either via rewards or by cash they saved up. As you have indicated before, it does feel like since the turnover of staff during covid, the crew is gonna be BA's achilles...
I think you were being generous with 2.5 starts Ben from what you describe. I mean by the team we get to the rock hard croissant, it just feels terrible - remember for many people this might be there once in lifetime treat either via rewards or by cash they saved up. As you have indicated before, it does feel like since the turnover of staff during covid, the crew is gonna be BA's achilles heel in being a truly premium carrier despite all the other improvements being brought in.
This could have been a review of my last first class flight on BA. I did at least a dozen intercontinental segments in F on BA each year. When I began experiencing the joys of Mixed Fleet service, I decided to take my business elsewhere. It is sad to see a once-great airline tank.
That’s a proper rating from a critic. The purser didn’t introduce themselves. You didn’t have a glass of the 2017 Burgundy smh. How was Bros ?
Taking a pass on China and just booked BA J to India for 70k AA miles and $650 in fees. IAH LHR is on a 789 and LHR BOM is a A350-10 I believe. 8 hour layover in London gonna have to hit up the Churchill pub or buckingham palace.
The wine selection here is weeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaak
The sweet spot is that they always have three different champagnes (and one can always ask to try the one from Business too)
Emirates etc often serve more expensive ones, but the choice of three means I always find something I like.
I am led to believe that BA changed their crew working position allocation system . Before, nine times out of ten, the most experienced crew worked in First / Business Class. Now it’s apparently done a rotating alphabetical surname system, so you could have relatively inexperienced crew in those cabins. I’ve been a frequent flyer on the JFK route for eight years now and the service is certainly no longer “ polished and experienced” as...
I am led to believe that BA changed their crew working position allocation system . Before, nine times out of ten, the most experienced crew worked in First / Business Class. Now it’s apparently done a rotating alphabetical surname system, so you could have relatively inexperienced crew in those cabins. I’ve been a frequent flyer on the JFK route for eight years now and the service is certainly no longer “ polished and experienced” as your writer says. Such a shame as it was a really nice atmosphere onboard.
Challenging the star rating – admittedly service can hugely impact flight perception since interactions (with crew members in this case) bring experiences to life, but would 3 or even 3.5 stars seem like a fairer assessment of whether you'd fly the product again, and of the general quality of the product? This seems like a fairly solid product that would earn four stars if the crew was "average", so it seems harsh to dock a...
Challenging the star rating – admittedly service can hugely impact flight perception since interactions (with crew members in this case) bring experiences to life, but would 3 or even 3.5 stars seem like a fairer assessment of whether you'd fly the product again, and of the general quality of the product? This seems like a fairly solid product that would earn four stars if the crew was "average", so it seems harsh to dock a 30% mark for one aspect of the experience that isn't consistent between flights.
Yeah, definitely. Why not 4 stars, Alvin?
I mean it's a flight that retails for several thousands of pounds, but I feel like at least 4 stars is right. Maybe even 4.5?
There was food and all AND the bed even reclined. What more do you really want, right?
It is rather "Unprecedented" that BA have reinvented those seats which are now a very serious contender to World's Best J Seat ;)
Is there ever a BA flight where they don't fill up the first-class cabin with non-revs?
I wonder how much of it is reflected in the flight records versus just done by the crew. I've known BA to be fairly strict. Or maybe I just had a local BA manager who stuck to the rules. They'd fly Business empty and put non-revs in coach. Though I have a lot of respect for the man, since retired, who was with BA for decades and treated their daily flight like the sailing of the finest Cunard vessel, with everything just so.
And I think that hits the nail on the head. I can't imagine there are many paid F seats, so this really is just an extra cabin for non-revs. So in other words, "who cares? I'm just serving other cabin crew or their friends/family, why put in the effort?"
I was once the only passenger in First (on Avios)
Business was full.
The only good thing in BA F is the conversion multiplier to AS miles ..
Ha, so true. When I was Alaska 75K or 100K I would also look for sales on BA F. Both elite and redeemable miles are so generous, and it made reaching elite levels much more manageable.
There really isn't a way to avoid the insane UK surcharges. I need to go to London this summer and have constantly been reading about using Asia Miles as an alternative (here and elsewhere). They are still laughably expensive. In fact, using Flying Blue on VS ended up being the cheapest (for both mileage and surcharges), which is saying something...