James_G

Introduction

A few years ago I started collecting BA Miles, now Avios of course, with a view to using them along with a 2-4-1 voucher for a trip to Australia in one of the premium cabins. This trip is the culmination of two years of collecting and also a treat for my wife as we celebrate our 1st year wedding anniversary while away.

So a year ago, while on honeymoon I secured First Class seats from LHR to SYD. There wasn’t availability on the through flight so we’d be starting off on the BA11 to SIN and then changing on to the BA15 for the second leg to SYD. Two weeks later I added return flights, with the return leg being in Club from SYD to SIN and, worryingly, then in Economy for SIN to LHR as there was no availability in any other cabin. I figured I could check for First/Club availability to open up nearer the time, but whatever happened at least we could get home.

Fast forward a year and it’s the day to leave. My wife and I have travelled Club World once before, on the upper deck of a 747 to Miami, but never First so this was to be a new experience for us both.

Heathrow
We arrived at Heathrow via cab from Guildford at about 3.50pm, for an 8.30pm flight so as to maximize time in the First lounge. Most of my travel is out of T5 or occasionally T1, so this was my first time in T3 with BA. While away, BA will switch these Sydney flights to T5, so we will arrive back into a different terminal. Not being familiar with this terminal however I didn’t immediately spot First check-in, so I asked somebody where it was and it was nice when she escorted us the 15m or so to the right place. Given the size of the sign I should have spotted it really.



Once in, we were greeted by the check-in clerk who wryly noted that we were quite early. However it quickly became apparent that our caution was well placed. Despite applying for our Australia visas online at the same time, mine was fine but my wife’s wasn’t showing up against her passport, even though the paperwork we held clearly stated otherwise. It’s not a fun moment when your other half is asked if she has another passport! Thankfully, 25 minutes later and a call to Canberra, the two had been mated up and we were on our way. Killing time while waiting for this I spotted the seats in the First Check-in area, although I can’t really imagine anybody ever using them.



We went on to security and fast track seemed as busy as the normal options and then through to the lounge. There was a moment of confusion since the signs for the lounge say Galleries and I was looking for the First lounge, which I thought might be further along the corridor, but we found it ok.
On arrival we were immediately asked if we would be pre-dining, and given I wanted the full experience I thought, well, why not. My wife booked herself in for a “Flying Feet” massage at the Elemis desk and with this being about 4.30pm she was offered 6.40pm as the earliest slot, which was fine.

Once in to the lounge proper we immediately spotted the champagne bar, since it’s straight in front of you and quite conspicuous, as you can see.



Choices were Tattinger, Bollinger, Bollinger Rose and one other that I didn’t recognise. No Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, which from reading FT I thought I might see. So I poured us both a glass of Tattinger and took up some seats away from the crowds. For me this is where the holiday begins.



For those who’ve not been in this lounge, here are a few photos.

General view:



Fellow guests



Buffet, which got me some funny looks when I photographed it…



The lounge is quite long and thin, as this shot shows



And it doesn’t have a particularly inspiring view



The lounge wasn’t busy initially, but got very busy after an hour or so as apparently the AA lounge was closed. It was during this time that I noticed that my new Microsoft Surface that I was travelling with (and am writing this on right now) doesn’t have a normal sized SD card reader, which meant I couldn’t upload the photos I’d just taken. I asked guest services if they had a card reader but I think it was optimistic to expect them to say anything other than “no”. Anyway, the problem was eventually solved a few days later as you can see. Back on topic we both sampled something light from the buffet and then my wife went off for her Elemis treatment and I went out to the American Express currency exchange to pick up the Australian Dollars I’d ordered to take advantage of the 1000 Avios bonus as highlighted on headforpoints.com.

Soon it was time for pre-dining and we were shown to a nice table in the corner, although as you can see, it wasn’t particularly busy.



Conscious of wanting to try the food on the plane as well we opted for mains only, but we could have had the full three courses if we wanted to. Here’s the selection:



I know that folk like a few photos of the food, so here’s the chicken which was a nice (i.e. small) portion and very tasty.



Once done I ordered a coffee which was superb.



Fully sated (for now) we headed off for the gate



On arrival it as clear that this was clearly a popular flight



With no spare seats I took he chance to photograph the plane we’d be flying (G-BYGE) and you can make out the nice blue lighting of First. It’s interesting to spot that we’d be under the flight deck which I hadn’t really thought of before.



LHR > SIN BA0011

Boarding began and we managed to get on early and I took the chance to grab a photo of what I now know to be New First.



For this flight we were seated in 4E and 4F so we could enjoy the experience alongside each other.





At this point I stopped taking photos as I felt a bit self-conscious about it and wasn’t too keen to highlight to the rest of the cabin that we were on a bit of a jolly. However my most significant observation is how splendidly quiet the cabin is, both in terms of fellow passengers and also when in the air. You really spot this when the undercarriage goes up after take off – it’s like somebody has just hit the “mute” button.

Before take-off though we were offered a glass of champagne, which was Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, and the features of the seat were explained to us by the very attentive crew. It was then announced by our lady Captain that take off was going to be delayed due to a leaky tap in one of the washrooms. As a result another glass of champagne was offered and duly accepted. An hour after our scheduled slot we pushed back and we’re off, presumably now behind BA15 that we were due to connect with in SIN.

Up next was dinner and foolishly I left my menu on the plane at SIN so can’t tell you what the choices were other than my own. The amuse bouche was caramelised quail and I chose pea and mint soup as my starter which was delicious although others may have found it quite salty.



We both then had the beef fillet and although mine was slightly overcoooked, my wife’s was done to perfection, and in my case complemented by a glass or two of the Chateau Petit-Village 2004 Pomerol. I followed this with the selection of cheese and a glass of the Warre’s 1992 Colheita Tawny port, which was excellent. Meanwhile my wife had the dessert wine (Goldarkerl Trockenbeerenauslese 2004, Willi Opitz, Burgenland, Austria), which also went down well

After all that it was now about midnight and time for me to get some sleep. While changing into my First sleep suit the bed was made up and despite some mid-flight turbulence, I slept better than I ever have on a plane before.
Once awake I was offered breakfast and went for the simple option of a croissant and some toast with a choice of jams. One of the small jam jars had already been used which I highlighted to one of the crew. He seemed genuinely horrified that it had slipped through the net, but mistakes happen so it was no issue to me. Perhaps 90 minutes after waking we got the 20 minute warning and then it was a smooth landing into Singapore and again I struck by how noisy a landing is when you are sat over the landing gear. All good fun though.

James_G

Singapore
A short taxi and we were at the terminal where the local time was 5.25pm.



And minutes later we were off the plane and in to the terminal where I was shocked by the colour of the carpet!



Now some of you may know that the Qantas First lounge is now closed and all passengers are using the combined First/Business lounge. I hear that BA will be building their own First lounge now that Qantas are routing via Dubai with Emirates and so have no plans to re-instate their own First Lounge.

Anyway, here it is on the day we arrived:



And a shot from inside



After a quick drink it was time for a shower and, as I’ve read on FT before, the water was lukewarm but the chance to freshen up was still welcome. We then killed 2 hours or so by trying to dodge people on mobile phones talking loudly and doing some Sydney research using the wireless. Soon it was time to head for the gate, where security was already very busy and there was no priority or fast track line



SIN > SYD BA0015, G-BNWL

Again we were promptly on to the plane and I was very pleased to see that it was different and therefore Old First, meaning I could do a back to back comparison.





Originally I’d selected seats 2A and 2K so we could try different positions to the previous leg, but on check-in it had become clear that the seat shifters had been up to their tricks and we were back in 4E and 4F. Now on the plane it became obvious why, since a passenger on the BA0015 for the first leg was carrying on through to SYD and presumably he gets to have the same seat again, 2K in this case. Also on board were parents with a baby, 12 months at a guess, in 1A and 1K and the grandparents in 3A and 3K. Perhaps due to the quiet of First there was none of the crying that most babies emit when in Economy. I think they pick up on the stress of everyone else, but possibly it’s just coincidence.

As before we enjoyed a glass of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle and then at 8.45pm it was wheels up, just over three hours since landing into Singapore. Our dinner orders were taken and I treated myself to a pre-diner whisky, Glenlivet 18 year old, as I fancied a change from champagne (my wife had a Kir Royal – champagne unknown) and then at 10pm dinner was served. This leg we decided to eat together with my wife in the companion seat and it made for a really nice experience. Definitely worth doing and we were one of three couples who did just this on the flight. During these first hours of the flight we spotted one of our fellow passengers get through 9 glasses of champagne – I kid you not!

Food on this flight was different, as you’d expect, and here’s the choice:

(To Be Added)

This time the amuse bouche was smoked salmon on leaves, followed by a starter of chicken tikka skewers. Interestingly 20 minutes after ordering we were asked if we “really” wanted the skewers as only 5 portions had been loaded and more orders had been taken as the crew thought there were 15 portions. We didn’t fancy the other options, and I’m pleased to say that we both got them as planned and they were delicious, although presumably somebody else dipped out? That was then followed by veal schnitzel, which was a bit soggy unfortunately, served with anna potatoes. Wine for me was Tasmanian pinot noir. Since I am not a dessert lover I once again ordered the cheese and was pleased to have three different types to try. Of course this was washed down by some more port, which was the same Warre’s 1992 Colheita Tawny port as before.

Given my body clock thought it was about 2pm I stayed up and watched a movie but with all the food and wine I bailed and retired about half way through.

90 minutes out from Sydney I was woken by the sound of chinking china and headed to the washroom where I noted with interest that there was a window, which I hadn’t previously seen. Of note to anybody who hasn’t travelled First before is that the soap and other products in the washrooms for First are different than the other classes. There’s also a nice flower in there too plus you get proper little towels to dry your hands.

Once back in my seat I didn’t feel like I needed any food so ordered an Earl Grey tea only. I was minding my own business trying to decide if I had a hangover or was just a bit jet lagged when the mother of the baby mentioned above came running into the cabin asking who as travelling with the blonde lady which, as it goes, was me. Unfortunately my wife had fainted while waiting for the washrooms and had fallen through the curtain into premium economy. Luckily a quick witted passenger had caught her as she did it and in so doing prevented her from hitting her head. The crew administered oxygen and I was quizzed by a fellow passenger who was a Doctor about her medical condition while I held her legs up. Far from glamorous as you can imagine. 15 minutes later I walked her back to her seat and she seemed fine, so I think a combination of heat (usual problem of it being very hot in the cabin) and dehydration was the problem. The staff were great about it, but I’ve told her that I don’t want a repeat for the return journey!

With all that drama it was then time for landing, and soon we were on the ground, 6.55am. We were offered a wheelchair for my wife but she said she was happy to walk so off we went and by 7.45am we’d cleared immigration and quarantine and jumped in a cab to the hotel.

Next post will be about the internal flights, and then I'll post about the return. Apologies for some of the blurry photos above, so were taken on my phone rather than the camera. Thanks for reading

James_G

Sydney > Cairns, Boeing 767 VH-ZXD

I’m a BA Silver member so on arrival at Sydney I headed for the Qantas Business Lounge thinking this was the lower spec option as befits my status. I was wrong of course and was soon directed to the Qantas Club lounge, which was still very comfortable. Since this was a morning flight we got some breakfast, including my first ever taste of Vegemite, while we waited.



View from one of the seating areas



Interesting to note that there is a dedicated espresso bar where you can order your preference of coffee over and above what the normal machines dish out. Alas I spotted this only as I was readying to leave, so I didn’t get a chance to order anything, but I did get a photo:



Not too busy at the gate, but interesting circular arrangement



Here we are then, only my second ever Avios redemption after the flights to get us to Australia



We had economy seats for this flight, 31A and 31B and here’s a photo I took of the layout. No personal IFE, and the movie was Skyfall which I’ve seen so I used the time to start writing this report.



Cairns > Ayers Rock, Boeing 717, VH-NXN

Again lounge access but only one choice so no confusion this time. An early flight at 7.40am so the lounge was all but empty as you can see



No espresso bar, but it had an automatic pancake machine which I’ve never seen before.



Also it has a nice view, as this photo shows.



This flight was with Qantas Link, which has just one class so despite being an Economy ticket we were able to sit in 1A and 1C respectively which afforded us some excellent leg room.



Otherwise seat config was 2-3. Here’s the view from row 1.



Our plane was a Boeing 717 which wouldn’t normally be noteworthy but I’ve never flown one before and it seemed to me to be very smooth and comfortable.



With the engines at the back, it was also nice and quiet.

Just under three hours later and we were landing into Conellan Airport for Ayers Rock.

Ayers Rock > Sydney, Boeing 737, VH-VXF

Two days later we’re back at the airport ready for our 12.25pm flight to Sydney. Availability on this flight was a little tight, such that I had to use our Avios for business class seats. It quickly became obvious why as the airport filled up (no lounge here) – this flight was full.





As luck would have it this was a good move, as the flight time coincided nicely with lunch meaning we could make the most of the service. Since internet access in the Ayers Rock resort is so pricey I had opted to wait to check-in at the airport. Luckily seats 1A and 1B were still available so I asked for those.



Business was just three rows, but very comfortable.



In a twist from BA’s Club Europe offering, which I fly regularly, these seats have a built in leg rest.



Also the fold down table was a good size allowing me to continue to update this trip report.



Lunch was chicken with shitake mushrooms and noodles all served with some Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc, from Australia naturally, while my wife had curried barramundi and rice.



And then soon we were coming in to land in Sydney with some superb views on the left hand side.

James_G

SYD > SIN BA0016 G-STBA (3rd April) – Club World

Arrival at Sydeny airport was via a prebooked shuttle and because our plans that day had been scuppered by the bad weather we arrived, just before midday for a 4.45pm take off. Perhaps not surprisingly there was no special check-in area in Sydney, but I was surprised to find that all desks were closed on arrival.



After much general uncertainty check-in opened at 12.30pm and there were already queues for bag drop off. We walked through the barriers to Club World check-in (shared with First at this particular moment) but were dealt with promptly enough and headed on through security to the lounge.

Being in Club World for this flight meant we headed for the Business lounge, which is quite large by the standards of other lounges on this trip. A few general shots for you, including the impressive long dinning bench/table.





Again, a busy flight with lots going on at the gate when we arrived, so I took the chance to snap a photo of the 777 we would be flying.




This is significant as this was the 3rd of April, the third day of BA using these aircraft on this route. I would later learn that on the inaugural flight they had balloons on board.

We also spotted a Guide Dog (discussed here) getting on board with its owner. First time ever that I’ve seen a dog on a plane and was clearly a novelty for the staff at the gate too.


Soon it was our time to board and this was my first experience of Club on a 777-300 with all passengers except First joining via the same footbridge and access to First was strictly controlled (which will become relevant later)




I was ticketed to be sat in 11B, having generously offered the window seat to my wife. However when she learnt that she’d need to hop over someone’s legs to get out, she suddenly took a fancy to the aisle seat instead. As a result I have photos of both 11B and 11A, that I ended up with and which of course means I would be travelling backwards.

11A



11B showing leg room, although note that I am not particularly tall




This was also my first experience on the new IFE and before using it I noticed that you now have a USB socket and some RCA phonos, presumably to plug things in and run them via the control system. I didn’t try this personally but I imagine if you have some video to watch it could be useful.



That bad weather I was talking about earlier and the view from my seat.



I was soon offered a glass of champagne to start, although wasn’t told what it was, but from a subsequent look at the menu it seems to have been the Tattinger. I should perhaps say that I am not a fan of champagne particularly, and I struggled to tell the difference between this and the Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle that they serve in First.

Here we are enjoying the champagne shortly before take off (this trip was to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary)



Take off was bang on time at 4.45pm and shortly after I was handed an Elemis bag containing socks, eye mask and a few creams. Alas no pyjamas/sleepsuit but this was a day flight so I doubt I’d have used them anyway.



I also noted that the cover of my wife’s menu was different to that of mine, which is a nice touch. Also her Elemis bag had a different colouring to it, so this seems to be a theme.



The Club World seat is smaller than First but equally comfortable. However one of the great things about the Club seat is that you get a drawer to put your stuff into during the flight. I really missed this aspect when later travelling in First – very handy. Obviously in First you get some hanging space, but no nice “bin” like this to put items in. Note it’s the perfect size for Microsoft Surface/iPad.



Another shot of the new IFE with good sized screen which was complemented by BA’s noise cancelling headphones. However for the whole journey I ended up using the control pad as the touchscreen was just not responsive enough. I’d go so far as to say it was less responsive than the previous IFE, which wasn’t brilliant either. It’s a real shame that it doesn’t respond like any modern tablet device.



Pre-dinner drink was the Glenlivet 15 yr old with the usual bag of nuts.



Starter was the duck which I didn’t get a shot of and main was the lamb shank stew



As you can see it’s served in a dish size that clearly highlights it as plane food, although it was actually very nice, whereas in First this would no doubt have been served on a normal round plate. It’s these little things that are the difference between the two products.

Meanwhile my wife had the stir-fried noodles, also excellent she told me.

Here are the other menu choices



During the meal I tried both the French and the Australian red wines on the list and I definitely preferred the latter. I then followed all this with the cheese, notable for having just two biscuits and a glass of port, which wasn’t on this menu/list but was Warre’s LBV 2007 I think after a quick glance as it was poured.



At this point I noted that the cabin has lampshades, which I’ve never noticed on a plane before.



Afterall this I watched a movie, and despite being a day flight took the chance to get two hours of sleep.

After waking I was offered a selection of sandwiches, orange juice and then a cup of tea before landing. At this point we saw our resident Guide Dog being looked after by one of the crew while its owners used the facilities.



It was then a smooth landing into Singapore 15 minutes early at 9.30pm local time

Conclusion
I enjoyed this flight but with over 40 seats in Club World (and all but 4 occupied) it’s never going to feel as special as First. The IFE is the same, the seat is still comfortable but the real difference is the food and the service. In my case I kept being surprised by the crew asking me questions as, being by the window, I couldn’t see them coming. The crew here were the least friendly of all the trips too, but that’s down to the individuals rather than the product.

James_G

SIN > LHR BA0016 G-STBE (4th April) – First

When I booked these flights originally this sector was the only one that I wasn’t able to get as either First or Club World meaning we were booked in Economy. Then, just 7 days before we were scheduled to leave three redemption seats became available. Although this was 2pm in Australia I had to wait for the YouFirst phone line in the UK to open so I could ring up and secure the change. A few hours later I did just that and other than the change in taxes and an admin fee (£85 each in total) it cost just 40,000 extra Avios to do it. We both then breathed a sigh of relief and treated ourselves to an early evening beer to celebrate!

On the day arrival at the airport was via a seemingly classic Toyota Crown, which was far more spacious than the other taxi options around Singapore, although no doubt much slower.



Once again we are back in Changi airport with its striking carpet, and again it’s no surprise to see that there is no special First desk. In fact First, Club World and Executive Gold and Silver were combined into one desk.



In the end we were ushered to check in at the WorldTraveller Plus desk as it was free. Unfortunately, and there’s no other way to say this, check-in was an utter shambles. In an effort to be helpful the check-in agent decided that my pre-selected seats (2E and 2F) weren’t close enough together and rather than asking, just moved us to 2F and 2K. So, when she gave us our boarding tickets, I made her change them back again. That took a further 10 minutes for her to do and so about 20 minutes after starting we were finally on our way through immigration heading for the lounge. But not before she tried to send my wife’s bag down the conveyor without a luggage tag. Luckily we spotted it happening and disaster was averted but in all that she forgot the priority tags as well (not that I’ve noticed that they make a difference)

Despite promises in the travel press about a 1st April opening, the new Qantas lounge still wasn’t open so again the lounge was busy. However in the two weeks since we were last there, some signs have moved around and there’s new formal signage showing.



And a dedicated BA board to show who is allowed in that wasn’t there before:



And the Qantas logo covered up (using silver tape ) on this sign



I used the lounge time to transfer photos from SD cards to a USB stick using one of the Apple Macs and stuck solely to soft drinks and no food so as to maximise my onboard dining enjoyment.

Soon it was time to board and we were back at the same gate we used on the outbound journey. The queue much shorter this time however.



The plane was scheduled leave at 23:05 but boarding didn’t start until 22.55 as plane was late in from Australia. Since I was on promptly I got a chance to take some photos undisturbed.







As you can see, it’s very blue, which I really like. I also noted that overhead bin storage is much better than on a 747 since there are locations above the central seats that aren’t there on the 747.

Once general boarding started there was unfortunately nobody controlling access to the First airbridge so for the next 20 minutes we had passengers filing through the First class cabin, which sort of defeats the object of keeping it quiet and dimly lit. Even so I was offered a glass of Grand Siècle before take-off, which was topped up without asking. When I asked to confirm what it was, it turned out the purser was French, so it was pronounced perfectly, which was nice. I was also handed my Anya Hindmarch bagged amenity kit and my sleepsuit.

Here I am enjoying my first glass



Nicely settled in we ended up pushing back at 23.30 with the Captain advising of a 13 hour flight time.

New IFE again and as before I didn’t find the touch screen controls at all responsive, although my wife seems to have no trouble. I also spotted that you get one more USB socket in First then Club World.



Clearly this is New First on these planes, with a wardrobe as before but there seemed to be more room around the seat than on the New First 747 equivalent. Interestingly these middle seats aren’t right next to each other, there’s probably a 10 degree angle between them, meaning you get more shoulder room. I like this seat a lot but I do miss, like others I suspect, the leg rest of the Old First seat.

I also tried to get a photo of the wardrobe, which is one of the main benefits over Old First for me. It’s not very deep but there’s an integrated hanger for you clothes, room for your shoes and nets to keep you iPad/Surface in or whatever you need really.



Soon it was time for dinner and as is my tradition my pre-dinner drink was the Glenlivet 18 yr old with a small selection of nuts, served in a ramekin rather than the packet you get in Club World.

This time it was my turn to join my wife in her seat for dinner and we had a nice chat with the purser about our trip and the fact that we’d tried First on the 747 a few weeks ago.

Soon the food arrived starting with the amuse bouche of duck with chilli mango salsa and a bitter orange dressing.

We both chose the same starter which was marinated prawn skewers, again with mango salsa and some leaves



Our mains were the chicken and leek pie which was served with beans and potatoes. Oddly it was also served with red pepper sauce, not mentioned in the menu, and not a good match in my opinion. Neither I nor my wife particularly enjoyed it and we both left it half eaten which was a shame really.



At this point I think trying to eat so late (1.15am) was playing havoc with me, so reluctantly I moved back to my seat and forewent my usual choice of cheese and port. Once I’d found the purser and asked her to make up my bed, I put my head down for about six hours sleep. There were two seat belt sign periods during that time due to some turbulence but nothing major and generally I slept well. The cabin seemed much cooler than it had done on the 747 and in that respect I was much more comfortable.

I woke with about 4 hours to go, so while asking if my IFE was broken (screen still unresponsive) I ordered us both a cup of tea, which came nice and quickly and was served in a pot of course.



2 hours later breakfast was served and having not eaten much for dinner it was the full English for me, followed by some toast, which was the best breakfast I’ve ever had on a plane. Truly excellent.



The coffee was also very good on this flight, although absence of crema suggests it was filtered which is how I tend to prefer it anyway. I never did establish whether there is a dedicated espresso machine on board or not. I hear rumours both ways?

I also spotted that they change the colour of the lighting for breakfast so instead of being blue it goes to a warm yellow/orange



The cabin was full again as it has been on all these First flights I’ve done but I noted that four people seemed to know each other. Initially I thought they all worked for the same company but it became apparent they were BA staff since none of them were given the amenity kits, sleepsuits or the slippers and they all had to make up their own beds. Finally when one of them finished their conversation with the CSSD with the phrase “see you Tuesday” it all slotted in to place. No problem with staff being in First of course and by the time they were in baggage collection at Heathrow they were all wearing BA lanyards and ID passes to presumably slip through a priority door somewhere.

Anyway, breakfast was tidied away and I continued to pen this report for 30 minutes or so before the 20 minute warning. As we approached heathrow it started to get a little unsettled and there was presumably a bit of a side wind as we were rocking side to side on approach. A few bumps later and we are down safely, 5.35am local time. We taxi to T5C and all leave via the exit behind first after exchanging our goodbyes with the excellent cabin crew. A very enjoyable final experience in First to round off our holiday.

Conclusion
Both of us have really enjoyed our flights this holiday and it’s been great to be able to compare the different First products across the two different planes (747 and 777) and Club World on the latter. The service in Club World was a bit of a let down with the slightly surly, cold approach but the First crews in all cases have been fantastic.

I’m not sure it was clear that I used Avios and a 2-4-1 to cover the flights to and from Australia. This is often quoted as a really difficult route to redeem on but this was first redemption on BA (and only my second ever) and with a little bit of patience and flexibility I was able to get what we needed. That final leg in Economy looked like a dead cert but when First availability opened up 7days out it as a non brainer really.

Regarding the product, it’s no surprise to hear that I definitely prefer First – it’s just that extra level of specialness, but Club World is also very comfortable. The difference is that in First I would regularly forget that I was on a plane, whereas in Club World I never did.

Regarding New versus Old First, my conclusion is that the New First works really well on the 777 since there is a lot more space than New First on a 747 where in fact I preferred Old First.

Luckily since booking this trip I have secured another 2-4-1 voucher and I’ve already booked us two return flights in First to Dubai in September, for which I will write another report. For now though I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip report and again apologies for the blurry photos in some shots, low light is not a strength of my Windows phone.

kexbox

Nice TR!
But one thing is really sad:
Complain about this to BA. First (FIRST) victim of cabin-overheating. I hate sweating in F.

GodAtum

Thanks for your report. I'm glad your wife was OK!

I pre-ordered the Surface but then noticed it didnt have a full size SD slot so cancelled my order.

I've never noticed babies crying if F, maybe its majic lol!

Herman ze German

and the verdict is?

BA235

Your poor wife. I imagine the unexpected foray into Traveller+ caused more distress than anything else

BA5E

Thanks for a very interesting first half of your TR, and all the great photos, sorry to hear your wife was not well, and hope she is now well recovered, sometimes the cabin can be too hot. we have just returned from a month in OZ, did the LHR-HKG out so were able to go out of T5 which was lovely, and then we picked up the QF A380 from HKG - SYD in F. Look forward to reading the next part of your TR, hope you have a great holiday^

James_G

Thanks for all the positive comments and well wishes for my wife. We are now back in the UK and there was no repeat experience on the way home, thankfully.

I've now updated the report to include the internal flights and the penultimate sector from SYD > SIN in Club World. Last sector will follow shortly.

Edit: Final sector now added.

echa2949

Nice TP!

I recently flew on the new Club World on BA16 Sydney to Singapore in March. My trip report is here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...747-400-a.html

I'm glad to notice that the menu has changed since then. I assume it changes month to month. I also noticed that the aircraft has changed too. My aircraft was a B747 but BA16 is now operated by a B777.

origin

Great tr, great pics

thanks.

BA5E

Enjoyed your 2nd part of your trip, thank goodness u were able to secure f on the way back, would have been a nightmare in y after doing j on the way out. Will look forward to reading your trip report when u go out to dxb in Sept.^

DC777Fan

A great read... thanks for sharing!