I will lay my cards on the table - I did pick up the flights to DXB using Avios. Also it was a 2-4-1 so I should not be too disappointed. Even so......
Was looking forward to my trip as my son and I were going up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Received an email from BA extolling the virues of First which I forwarded to my son in eager anticipation.
Phoned You First the day before we were due to leave and they said it was New First.
Boarded to be greeted by Old First
Very tired / shabby looking cabin. Video screen did not work for the safety video so had to move seats. Back in my original seat the reading light fell off.
Return journey - old First again. Video screen for safety video did not work - so had to move seats again (no, it was not the same aircraft).
Entertainment - the return flight was the first I have ever been on where I have run out of things to watch (maybe I am too fussy in my viewing requiremements).
Can they really justify such a premium price for the product? I know I didn't pay for it and it was still a fantastic bargain, but even my son said that he would have been 'welll annoyed' if he had paid cash for the seat.
On the plus side the cabin crew were excellent on both flights.
They said there were only 2 or 3 planes left to refit (I am sure people on here will know the exact number) so I must have had a bit of bad luck to get it on both the outward and return flight.
I have been lucky enough to do quite a few Virgin U/C flights. On a straight comparison I think Old First beats U/C as there is a feeling of more space. However, if I was paying I would chose U/C every time.
It could have been much worse - I could have been travelling at the back of the plane so I should be grateful, but I guess it is all about expectation management.
Will have to rack up the Avios to do it again and this time hope for New First.
I'm always surprised when people judge an F product around the IFE. For me as a infrequent flyer F is all about the ground experience, the ambiance once on board and the service from the cabin crew. The IFE comes well down my list of concerns.
That's just me though and I am getting on a bit.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HIDDY
I'm always surprised when people judge an F product around the IFE. For me as a infrequent flyer F is all about the ground experience, the ambiance once on board and the service from the cabin crew. The IFE comes well down my list of concerns.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HIDDY
I'm always surprised when people judge an F product around the IFE. For me as a infrequent flyer F is all about the ground experience, the ambiance once on board and the service from the cabin crew. The IFE comes well down my list of concerns.
That's just me though and I am getting on a bit.
True, but iv got to say having just done SYD-SIN in old first that it really is time that they either remove those aircraft that are not going to be refitted or get a move on to get them done.
I believe that the OP would of been on a 772 so they are all getting NF. Sadly the same cant be said for the 744 fleet.
cs
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HIDDY
I'm always surprised when people judge an F product around the IFE. For me as a infrequent flyer F is all about the ground experience, the ambiance once on board and the service from the cabin crew. The IFE comes well down my list of concerns.
That's just me though and I am getting on a bit.
I agree. I like the CCR, the food, wine and service once on board.
If I want entertainment I read the paper, a book, look out of the window or fire up my iPad.
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I, too, love the ground experience, the privacy, the CC to passenger ratio, better food and drink. If the IFE is good, it's a plus but I have my own movies, etc. on my laptop if needed. However, I would be seriously upset to pay several if not many thousands of pounds for a seat that falls apart and is filthy.
By the way, you did pay for those seats - you earned them through loyalty and by having good enough credit to get the 2-4-1 deals! They weren't free!
There are things about OF that I like better than NF but OF doesn't feel crispy new like NF for sure! Hopefully, it won't take you too long to have another chance!
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BA NF is already an inferior hard product compared to almost anyone else. The soft product is a matter of opinion though note that BA economizes on caviar ( no caviar service).
LH, CX, EK, SQ, JL..... Unless you think the US airlines, on which nothing is ever any good, BA has one of the worst F products globallyhttp://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/211343.shtml?5-daynl?large#contents
BA old first is not actually that different from new first ( 14 seats crammed into the nose of the 747) but at least things work onboard.
The docility of BAs core customer base is a fantastic asset for the airline.
I'm always surprised when people judge an F product around the IFE. For me as a infrequent flyer F is all about the ground experience, the ambiance once on board and the service from the cabin crew. The IFE comes well down my list of concerns.
I was upgraded once on DXB-LHR and experienced a rather tatty 777.
It was a great flight but the seat was tatty, with a few tears in the arm rests. The F seat really should be perfect.
OF is getting old now. Yes, there is more personal space. Yes, there is potentially better food and service than CW. And yes, the ground experience is potentially better.
But BA really do need to pull their fingers out and finish the NF program...
You make very fair and reasonable points. OF is well behind most competitors and BA has let their most premium cabin become terribly shabby and often outright dirty.
I believe there are quite a few more than 3 planes with OF. The 'tracking NF' thread says there are 22 planes with OF.
I have been lucky enough to do quite a few Virgin U/C flights. On a straight comparison I think Old First beats U/C as there is a feeling of more space. However, if I was paying I would chose U/C every time.
I think this is the most damning part of your post KeithS. You are comparing a competitor's business product to BA first implying they are pretty close! And you're not the first person to make that comparison.
You also said that you didn't pay for this flight. I understand you didn't pay cash, but you nevertheless did pay. Avios are a currency just as much as cash and that you paid in Avios is not an acceptable excuse for giving you a lesser product. If BA felt that they should not have sold those avios to whichever credit card you earned them through (making assumptions based on you having a companion voucher). Pieces falling off a shabby cabin is not the experience you paid for. I would encourage you to complain to BA about this.
You could also mention the limited IFE coming back, but to be honest I don't think it's bad. Sure it's not state of the art, but I think you are right when you say perhaps you are a bit fussy. I suspect you were not in a positive frame of mind at the time. (Some of our northern reared posters may still not be familiar with Television equipment and, while enjoying Malcolm Muggeridges's programmes, they generally prefer books But recognising this is not the case for the majority, and that IFE is an important part of product differentiation, airlines have invested heavily in this area.)
Similarly I think you first getting the plane type wrong is not a biggie. Planes do change for all sorts of reasons. And people make mistakes
I'm glad the crew were good and hope you enjoyed the ground experience. (For those saying the ground experience is fantastic, just bear in mind that many on this board have given up on eating in the CCR and quite a few prefer the self service cafe which is the Flounge)
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A first class flight should be first class in every respect.
What the OP describes was not.
I don't believe that British Airways can consistently offer a true first class product, when competitively benchmarked against the market leaders.
I go so far as ordering a special meal in CW, to avoid risking an 'upgrade' to a dodgy old first seat, that may not work properly or which has bits missing/falling off it.
Im with the OP, I have done one flight in First (OF), I was really excited about it. It was a complete let down.
I honestly cant see myself ever choosing F over CW either paid or with miles (although i wouldnt go as far as turning down an op-up)
The staff were great, the food was great(for a plane), It wasnt a LHR flight so i didnt get to experience the CCR. In fact it was from ATL where the First lounge is close to a cupboard with a coffee machine!
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I think the F experience is more than the IFE, but even so, it only takes a couple of negative aspects of the whole experience for one to feel that the negativity has a broader effect.
On BA.com at the moment F and J are described as "state of the art". Even marketing puff has limits, and that's a phrase that goes beyond those limits IMO.
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