After lurking on FlyerTalk for months, reading threads about what BA's long haul J offering is really like, I was looking forward to confirming this first-hand, with my recent first-ever CW experience on the A380 MIA-LHR.
All I can say is the reality didn't match what I had imagined in the slightest!
I was expecting a taste of
the true British Airways livestock handling experience from a rude FA whose attitude problem would completely ruin the soft product - but instead, imagine my shock when they introduced themselves, expressed their personal welcome to me, and even made a point of coming back a second time to congratulate me for recently achieving Silver! I could scarcely believe my ears!
I was hoping that on this occasion I could cash in on some complimentary Avios by
sitting in urine, complaining about a
broken seat or
IFE screen, but to my disappointment, all that was waiting for me on my comfortable motorised fully flat recliner was a sealed sleeping kit filled with lushly soft blankies. Even the luxury amenity kit was infuriatingly useful when the one thing I forgot to do in the brand-sparkling-new American Airlines Flagship Lounge after my complimentary shower was moisturise my eyelids.
Speaking of the Flagship Lounge, they didn't meet my expectations either, as their food was actually delicious, and they even stocked Cointreau at the self-service bar, which most lounges don't tend to do. Luckily there was horrendous traffic on the way to the airport, so I only had to live with this level of service and luxury for an hour or so.
Once up in the air, I learned to my shock that Club World also stocks Cointreau, as well as Baileys and Southern Comfort - and they weren't even out of any of them! The FA kept my glass of Cointreau and Sprite filled. She always did it in the galley away from my eyes; I suspect this was so that she could only use
half of the miniature bottle, and keep the rest - possibly for my next drink! I suppose this also gave me the opportunity to focus on my IFE movie rather than maintain chitchat with her while she pours, but oh well.
Then it was time for the meal service, which again was
contrary to what I had been led to believe. The smoked salmon tartare with dill cream was perfectly gemütlich, the penne pasta ricotta in mascarpone sauce was a congenial mess, and the less said about the chocolate orange bread pudding in crème anglaise, the better. All throughout, the FA had the nerve to keep serving me my favourite spirits.
I had also looked forward to witnessing the reviled trolley service, but to my dismay, BA had actually
listened to customer feedback, and 'enhanced' the meal service to be faster. Cor.
Once I settled in to the fully flat bed with bedding by The White Company, my head was swirling with Cointreau and the thoughts of how this was
not at all what I thought I had paid for. I turned the IFE screen down to meet my gaze from my fully flat position, and fell asleep while watching a TV show I discovered through the IFE, that's very likely one of my new favourites. Of course, it's not actually available on Netflix, Amazon or any on-demand service in the UK. Typical BA.
When I woke up, someone had folded my screen away for me. Annoyed at this level of accommodation, my sleeping kit was taken away for me, and I waited for breakfast. And what a bombshell that was as well! It was exactly the delicious tomato and mozzarella savoury Danish with orange juice I had ordered! And when I asked for a pack of those Lemon Melt biscuits to go along with it, the FA just decided to bring me three packs instead and told me to ask if I wanted even more, since, and I quote, "I've got loads of them".
The final insult to injury was the AA Arrivals Lounge, where I could supplement the horror that was the in-flight breakfast with additional mini-croissants, and pancakes made to order (and a cheeky vodka at 11am - ssh, I was still on Miami time!), and be legally naked at an airport for the second time in one 24 hour period. However, since the lounge isn't operated by BA, I can forgive their hospitality on this occasion.
Overall, the BA J product is nowhere close to what all these threads on FlyerTalk had led me to believe, and I left disappointed and thoroughly relaxed. It's experiences like this that give BA's bad name a bad name.
Has anyone else here experienced anything like this before?