I was met at the door of the aircraft, welcomed by name and escorted to 2K in the nose of the 747. I’ve always liked BA’s interior design; the First cabins, whilst fairly densely packed on all but the 787-9 with 14 seats, look great, particularly at night with the mood lighting in full evening mode. Each seat features an individual mood lantern-effect light as well as having traditional overhead reading lights, although there are no individual air vents. A substantial pillow and scatter cushion was pre-placed on the seat, with non-branded headphones and a flimsy blanket on the ottoman. Since I flew in November, BA have, not before time, upgraded their soft product in First; higher quality branded headphones are now available, as well as new washbags, PJs, bedding and completely revised catering.
Compared to the competition, the First seat on the 747 and 777 is somewhat lacking in space and privacy for an international first class product, but this doesn’t mean the seat is uncomfortable; on the contrary, I find this to be one of the most comfortable armchairs and beds in the sky. The individual wardrobes featuring two stowage nets and a shoe cubby hole are a thoughtful addition to the hard product, although additional storage is limited with only a slim literature pocket and small side console from where the table deploys. There is really nowhere convenient to store a phone. I’d initially hung my jacket in the wardrobe, but in preparedness for changing into PJs later and given the single hanger at each seat, relocated the jacket to the wardrobe between 1A and 1K to give me more room for clothes.
Power is available somewhat inconveniently at floor level, with a retrofitted USB port located adjacent to the stylish and easy-to-use seat control dial, headphone socket and window blind control. A handset for additional operation of the touchscreen IFE is located within a panel. I didn’t use the IFE system on this flight beyond the moving map, but it was the same responsive Panasonic system as the outbound flight, and a world away from the original Rockwell Collins system that these aircraft flew with for many years.
It will be interesting to see how BA adapt their First hard product moving forward alongside the introduction of Club Suite; the 787-9 product offers a solid base, but changes will be required to ensure product differentiation between classes.
As soon as I sat down, I was offered a choice of fresh orange juice or water (pre-poured on a tray) or champagne. I opted for a glass of the sublime Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, which was poured at my seat and served with some nuts. A smart Liberty amenity kit featuring Aromatherapy Associates products, together with PJs were offered on a tray, although slippers were only available on request.
Given the very short 5h45 flight time, I did something I almost never do and changed into PJs before departure. For safety reasons, I do always keep my shoes on in this scenario until the wheels have left the ground. The 747 offers two washrooms for First passengers, both located beyond Door 1L. The first of these is unique in the BA fleet in featuring a window, and although both were well stocked with Aromatherapy Associates products, they were showing their age and distinctly flower-less. These washrooms are notable for having been retrofitted in the mid-1990s with plastic-formed vanity units and motion-sensor taps.
Dinner orders were taken shortly after departure; as I’d eaten in the Concorde Room and the flight was so short, I opted for a light snack of the vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh berries, accompanied by a hot chocolate. The dinner menu was far from extensive, but I guess BA have done the data crunching and worked out that most people don’t want to eat a full dinner on this sector.
Without prompting, my bed had been made on my return from the washroom, with the thick mattress topper and duvet offering a great amount of comfort combined with the sumptuous pillow. The CSD welcomed each passenger individually and water bottles were handed out at this time.
My panna cotta was just the light option I was looking for that evening; I was asked whether I wanted the table laid fully, and of course opted for the full place setting for photographic effect, although it was a little difficult to eat half lying in bed.
A box of midnight snack-friendly chocolates and still and sparkling water was placed on the console in front of 4E and 4F before the lights were dimmed fully for the night, with the attentive crew regularly checking on passengers and asking whether anything was required, for example, on the way back from the washroom.
I had a solid 4 hours’ (ish) sleep and asked for my bed to be converted back to a seat when I arrived back after changing in the washroom. I was hoping the crew were going to be as proactive in clearing the bed away as in making it, but sadly this wasn’t the case. Overall, I found this crew to be professional and speedy in service, but generally lacking in warmth and in taking time to understand passengers’ needs.
I was immediately offered fresh orange juice or an energising pomegranate and blueberry smoothie on returning to my seat; I opted for the latter as my refreshing seasonal fruit appetiser arrived; portion size was a little small, and I would like to have seen more creative fruits supplementing the more usual varieties.
The fruit was followed by the pleasant Greek yogurt with lime marinated banana (served with some granola on the side) and a pastry served from the basket, together with an Americano.
I opted to customise the main element of my breakfast, shunning the Cheddar cheese sauce from the asparagus frittata with slow-roasted tomatoes, and adding bacon in its place. This accounts for the somewhat odd presentation of the dish; I unfortunately found everything to be rather bland. The packets of tomato and HP sauce (as opposed to glass jars), together with the sachets of sugar (as opposed to true sugar lumps) cheapened what is otherwise a nicely set table service.
A nice pot of tea rounded off breakfast as we flew up the Bristol Channel and the mood lighting was turned on to replicate sunrise as the Captain announced we had 40 minutes remaining inflight.
The only (and once again not-so-hot) hot towel of this flight made an appearance just as we entered the holding pattern ahead of a landing on Runway 27R.
Parking at Gate C62, an A380-capable stand with three airbridges, we disembarked through Door 1L, with the crew holding back Club World passengers in the galley. With a connecting flight to Milan, a short track transit system ride later, I was pleased to find no queue at Fast Track at Flight Connections and was soon walking towards the so-called Millionaires’ Door entrance to the Concorde Room located adjacent to North Security in T5A. Some say it’s quicker to exit to landside via immigration and use the First Wing, but when Flight Connections is quiet there is really no reason to do this, especially if you have Concorde Room access and therefore don’t need to change levels after security. Note the two photos below show the main entrance to the Concorde Room from the lobby, not via the Millionaires’ Door.
Once past the door guardian and inner boarding pass check, I headed to the concierge desk to check-in for my pre-booked cabana. The Concorde Room at Heathrow features three such rooms with ensuite facilities; pre-booking through the YouFirst service is all but essential to secure one at a time convenient to you.
Although I didn’t need to use the cabana to snooze, I much prefer the more spacious environment to freshen up when compared to the showers adjacent to the Elemis Spa (and shared with the Galleries First and Club lounges).
BA aren’t famed for their washrooms and showers at their LHR lounges, and the cabanas are no exception; they are far from luxuriously designed, but the shower is powerful and the Aromatherapy Associates toiletries pleasant (and a nice change from the Elemis products in the ‘normal’ showers). Face cloths, slippers and tissues would be a nice addition to the towels and bath mat.
Each cabana also features still and sparkling water and a full complement of (some rather tatty) menus with accompanying buzzer to summon service. Quite why you would want to eat in a windowless box, however, is beyond me. For those availing themselves of the chaise-longue, an old-style Club World blanket is available, along with a cushion; far from luxurious, but perfectly adequate if you were desperate, I’d imagine. Although there are power sockets, there are no USB ports within the cabana.
Shower complete, I headed out into the main lounge area and walked over to Concorde Dining for a second breakfast. My California egg Benedict was just passable, and notably far lower quality than the fare offered at the CCR’s sister lounge at JFK. I’ve included here the full menus for both the Concorde Dining area and the rest of the lounge; in reality, any item can be ordered anywhere (although my preference is always to eat at a proper table if possible).
I took some time to relax in the lounge area after breakfast. Refurbished in late 2017, the design is as similarly eclectic as the JFK CCR, although feels very different. The higher ceilings and Concorde Terrace give the space a grander feel, but on the whole the LHR CCR is more aligned to the other LHR lounges in look and feel. I’ve reviewed the CCR several times before so won’t dwell on the layout here, but I was impressed with the way the space has been refurbished with new carpets, painted walls, occasional tables and lamps, and re-upholstered furniture, despite the inclusion of some rather wacky furniture fabrics.
It appears as though some seats have been missed in the refurbishment, such as the red armchairs closest to the terrace which are displaying notable signs of wear; the washrooms also remain in generally poor condition.
Although the refurbishment has improved the bulk of the lounge, I am very sorry to see the end of the genuine Concorde seats in the Board Room – I wonder what their fate was.
Out on the terrace, three new semi-outdoor rooms have been created; I like what BA have done here, although there is a tendency for solo passengers to claim an entire ‘room’ for themselves. The rest of the terrace certainly gives off something of a Mediterranean vibe, almost harking back to the days of Terraces lounges in the early 2000s.
The Concorde Room is entirely waiter-service, with the tended Concorde Bar offering its own bar menu, including cocktails.
Service was much more proactive than previous visits, although not to the same level as JFK. I opted for a BA-NA175 non-alcoholic cocktail, which was a pleasant way to end my stay at BA’s flagship lounge.
I hope you’ve enjoyed following along on my journey flying both directions of BA’s flagship route. In the year of its 100th anniversary, and after many years of deserved criticism, BA may – just may – be turning the corner. Improvements to the Club World soft product and refurbished lounges described here, plus recent improvements to the First soft product, will soon be joined be the new Club Suite and further improvements to First (one can only assume to the seat itself). BA remains far from perfect, and supersonic Concorde travel remains – unbelievably – consigned to the history books, but the trajectory for BA is evolving upwards.
Thanks for reading, and as always, comments and questions are welcomed.