Originally Posted by
orbitmic
But...
1) on most routes, 80%+ of F pax are actually Y pax that are upgraded thanks to status. F is mostly a perk, not a separate class that AA sells bar a few key routes (transcon, Hawaii, etc), where it is actually 80% paid.
2) AA offers entirely different seats so there is a hard product value to F. BA just has Y seats with the middle one blocked. Not even extra legroom any more. In fact, on many 321 flights on low C destinations, you have a better seat in rows 9 or 23 in Y than in C.
As for IB, they would serve a full hot meal with two choices of main course on all medium and even some 'short' routes! They have an espresso machine too.
AA serves meals on longer flights after 8pm.
And people on the BA board really need to stop assuming that what was true in 2010 for U.S. Airlines regarding the rate of paid F is true now. It isn't. Yes, there are some flights where most of F is upgraded but the rate of paid F traffic in the US is much higher than it was just a few years ago.
There are benefits and detriments to each service but give me the choice, I'd take AA domestic F over BA CE any day of the week.