OK - yesterday was sort of a surreal experience for me. Let me preface to say that I have never thought I would be in an F cabin. Yesterday was the result of a lot of business trips in the past year in J class on BA between LAX and LHR and me finally pulling the trigger and using some points to upgrade to F one way between LHR and LAX to give it a go. I considered yesterday a privilege really rather than entitlement. I sort have been holding out hope that I would be upgraded eventually to F based on class I usually travel (J) in the past 18 months but alas no cigar so I bought my own.

Anyway some thoughts:

(1) CCR is a very nice place to relax. I arrived 4 hours before my flight to really enjoy the lounge. It was pretty early in the morning so I didn’t ask for champagne but I saw Bollinger was on offer. I really should have but a part of me felt kind of embarrassed to ask because maybe I felt that I hadn’t really earned (paid) to be there. Anyway after emailing a buddy of mine saying the same thing as above his advice to me (and now my advice to you) was “Mate – go get yourself a couple of glasses of Bolli, lap it up and enjoy it. You never know when you will be back there again and most of the people in there don’t deserve it either”.
(2) Breakfast in CCR lounge was very good – except the eggs. The eggs are horrible – just a pile of mush and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were powdered eggs – they were that bad. Go out to the terrace and have your breakfast there. The private dining seems too tight and not as relaxed – that’s my opinion anyway. Basically CCR is like a lounge with 4/5 star service – worth experiencing once but after experiencing it now it’s not something I feel like I would miss out on because I don’t have access to it in the future. Don’t get me wrong though – it’s a high quality lounge and easily the best I’ve been in.
(3) First class on the plane is a world of its own. Right from greeting (where the FA leads you to the seat) to the end of the flight things are top notch. 3 flight attendants look after you and up to 13 others (10 total on my flight – no celebrities yesterday) which is crazy as you always feel as if someone is waiting on you. Service on BA First is incredible.
(4) It’s obvious to me who in the cabin has flown F before. You get the very snooty, obnoxious and obviously very wealthy (Mr and Mrs 1A and 1K yesterday) to the more laid back F traveler. One thing that I found amusing was everyone changing into the PJ’s straight away and walking around the cabin in them the whole flight. Would be funny to see this in J or Y. It’s a really weird experience. I did not change myself but did use them last night in bed at home and they are extremely comfortable. The amenity kit is nothing to write home about though.
(5) One thing to prepare yourself for – if you have never flown F before – when the front landing gear goes up – it scares the s@#t out of you if you don’t know it’s coming! I remember someone on FT writing that the first time they heard it they were ready to bolt for the door – I sort of knew it was coming but it still scared the s@#t out of me and I chuckled to myself remembering the post from that person. Even landing into LAX I prepared myself for it and I still flinched when it came down.
(6) Get a window seat – I had 2K – and the one thing you notice is that the view is more panoramic than in J class because of the curvature of the F cabin. Service is great. I was not shy about the champagne in the cabin and the Pol Roger 1999 vintage was some damn good bubbled Pinot Noir grapes. In fact they just kept topping it up and I didn’t stop them until I realized I needed to drive when I got back to LAX.
(7) Food is excellent – one big thing I noticed was dessert in F is 1000 times better than in J (for those who know my thoughts on that tart in J). Absolutely no comparison – best desserts (had two of them) I’ve had in the sky and maybe anywhere for that matter.
(8) Didn’t use the bed at all although I found the leg room to be not that different from J (maybe because I am only 5’6). Although the seat is obviously more refined than J the seat width is not that different – in fact – I would say that J class seats are wider. Doesn’t matter to me but may be to those who have a big @rse. Also the screen in J is definitely bigger – no doubt about that – maybe I am dreaming but that’s my recollection. Table is big in F – just huge (that’s what she said).
(9) There are many more thoughts from my first F experience and I would be happy to write more but don’t want to take too much of the readers time but the one really big thing from my flight – time in the F cabin (for the first experience) on an 10 and a half hour flight feels like a 1 hour flight – it goes by so fast! I watched one movie (Rachel Getting Married), did not sleep and I felt like time went so quickly. That usually means you are having a good time and I am a nervous flyer.


Final conclusion

I can’t wait to do it again and really look forward to the day when my wife and I can both experience it together. BA has a fantastic F product. I would not hesitate to use those points again for an MFU between CW and F. If I was paying it for myself J is good enough and the premium from J to F is not justified in my opinion but for miles it’s OK value once or twice.

I still think the best value for miles is MFU from WT+ to J. I would pay the cash premium from WT+ to J because there is obviously a huge difference between WT+ and J but the differences between J and F in my opinion are not worth the cash premium. Let me know your thoughts and hope I haven’t bored anybody.