. In its early years, BF was much closer in both hard and soft product to other int'l first class products and rightly deserved the moniker. Over time as the competition upped its game in both business and first, particularly on the hard product, the differential is much smaller.
How on any planet was the CO BF recliners anywhere close to being comparable with the F - products from their domestic peers AA and UA, both of whom have offered fully flat F suites for over a decade now? CO BF has always been a business class product and I always found trying to equate it as somehow "almost to intl. F" was more delusions of granduer than anything else. UA has had fully flat beds on the entire intl. 777/747 fleet for over 9 years before CO got their BF lie flats, which are still narrower and smaller than the AA flagship and UA F suite of 1999-era.
Perhaps I misunderstood what your implications and if so I mean no disrespect
EDIT: I missed "in it's early years". I do apologize!