British Airways First Class Experience | JFK-LHR-CDG
Jul 2, 2015, 5:33 pm
#16
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
I was looking at flights to Paris from Bos for another trip in August and the Biz Saver award on aa.com was 100K miles and $1,110. F Saver was 125K miles plus the same in fees. Direct to LHR, without the CDG flight, was even higher fees. Delta was astronomically higher using miles, but only about $260 in fees.
That is why I was taken aback by your first post that Star A is triple of $2000 in fees and taxes. I am sure when you throw in the "market value" of a mile or avio, it will come out greater than a cash price for the ticket ?
How does number of Avios vs. Delta miles compare ?
Jul 2, 2015, 6:21 pm
#18
Suspended
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,863
I admire your tenacity for spending so much time in BA lounges... I spent 8 hours once at the BA Galleries lounge on a layover to South Africa and I thought I was going to die of boredom haha. Great report!
Jul 2, 2015, 6:51 pm
#19
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: DL Diamond, United Gold, Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Gold
Posts: 41
I actually like the chocolate present. It seems like an easy way to smooth out what can sometimes be inconsistent service (not BA specific, just in general). If the recipient was not in a good mood before you hand them chocolate, then their mood will at least be improved once you present it - and so will your in flight experience. Thanks for sharing the trip report, video, and chocolate tip.
Jul 2, 2015, 8:59 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 23
I actually like the chocolate present. It seems like an easy way to smooth out what can sometimes be inconsistent service (not BA specific, just in general). If the recipient was not in a good mood before you hand them chocolate, then their mood will at least be improved once you present it - and so will your in flight experience. Thanks for sharing the trip report, video, and chocolate tip.
Jul 3, 2015, 1:24 am
#21
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 297
Okay- maybe I should put this another way, having read these further responses. Why on earth should you essentially have to bribe FAs to treat you well and do their job!? And why should they accept said their bribe to treat one passenger better than others?! That's illegal in some industries...
Jul 3, 2015, 4:52 am
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 23
Okay- maybe I should put this another way, having read these further responses. Why on earth should you essentially have to bribe FAs to treat you well and do their job!? And why should they accept said their bribe to treat one passenger better than others?! That's illegal in some industries...
In a recent poll on Airfarewatchdog.com, more than a quarter of respondents — 27 percent — said they had tipped a flight attendant at some point during their travels, whether as a thank you for doing a good job or for going out of the way to make them more comfortable.
...
The median annual salary for a flight attendant was $37,740 in 2010, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, though an entry-level position might start at $16,000.
...
The median annual salary for a flight attendant was $37,740 in 2010, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, though an entry-level position might start at $16,000.
Jul 3, 2015, 5:12 am
#23
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 297
Jul 4, 2015, 5:10 am
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 23
Jul 5, 2015, 12:32 pm
#26
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott/SPG/Hilton Gold, PreCheck + Clear
Posts: 2,306
Great job! Only thing I'd say about the video TR is that you might consider lengthening slightly the time between the still photo cuts, and/or perhaps using fewer photos. Each one was up so briefly they were hard to enjoy.
Jul 6, 2015, 10:32 am
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,340
Thanks for the report!
Must admit not a great fan of the video - far too quick and hard to watch I'm afraid. Not speeding everything up, and holding the camera steadier and panning more slowly would be more watchable.
Must admit not a great fan of the video - far too quick and hard to watch I'm afraid. Not speeding everything up, and holding the camera steadier and panning more slowly would be more watchable.
Jul 6, 2015, 12:07 pm
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 23
You can also watch YouTube videos at 0.5 and 0.25x speed, just adjust your settings.