Glad to know I'm not the only one. That "simulated outdoor" section or balcony or whatever it's called is particularly uncomfortable.

My wife and I flew the DFW-LHR route in AA First last month. While Flagship First Dining was great before the flight, the flight experience was absolutely nothing special. The flight attendants seemed like they did not enjoy their job. They were very senior. Service in my experience is significantly better on CX, SQ, BA or JL in premium economy or business.

I disagree; other than the Concorde lounge, which is significantly nicer than the First lounge at Heathrow, I found little on my recent BA F flight to justify any premium over Club Suites. The seat was worse (less privacy), service the same, food the same with some minor additions (a bad amuse bouche for example), amenity kit and sleep kit the same. I was using an AA SWU to upgrade so didn't think too much about it, but it is inconceivable to me that anyone would pay a premium for this (in either $$ or miles) unless they really value the improved lounge access.

Last September I purchased a business class ticket on BA LAX to London. A week before the flight I received an email that the flight is now operated by AA. AMEX travel gave me the option of canceling my flight and getting a full refund which I declined as I was going to London for work.

absolutely the worst experience. FA were very hostile to anything I asked. The food was so bad that the only food that was edible was the bread, cheese and butter.

The only American carrier I fly with transatlantic is delta, and that is if I have no other option.

This was an AA F to BA F discussion; when was club suites even mentioned??

Edit: if you felt BA F wasn�t worth flying, then you must try AA F and report back�.

As crazy as it sounds, yes. I've had transfers on the tarmac with flagship first but in those cases I've had three or four hours before my connecting flight. The only real benefit if you want to call it that is the higher cost flight giving you more LPs then he would otherwise get. I have particular tastes. Some might not agree with me but I wouldn't go for flagship first personally versus J.

This is called the sightings of CKs in the wild�.known to purchase non refundable tickets when they could have bought the cheapest J ticket instead�.all for the sake of renewing CK status�..

Been there done that.

As ever, value is a personal thing and club suites have certainly closed the gap and in some cases are more private (old 772 First for example). The older First seats also have the fold away screens, which is a bit annoying. Club Suites allows gate to gate watching, like most carriers. But the seats are much bigger in First, come with better bedding, and you should have had a significantly improved soft product over J. The menus are different (take a look at the threads on the BA forum) with better dishes in First and you get dine on demand option, though this is not well advertised. Wines are much better, and I've always had very attentive, and friendly service (but I may have been lucky - I'm not a regular). Add in the CCR and Chelsea and it's quite a decent step up on the ground (less so I guess if you're OWE or not flying from an airport/terminal with a proper first class lounge).

Is it a world leading First product? No. But it's a very nice way to cross the Atlantic and in my opinion, much better than Club. Exactly how much of a premium to pay above sits with each pax.

Oh, and since I'm here. I asked yesterday on another thread if DFW Flagship has a coat/bag check. Does anyone know? I've got a long layover with little kids and it would be great to dump our stuff after some food and go round the airport to kill some time.

If you're all ticketed in actual FF on AA, maybe take all of that stuff to Flagship Dining... there's an area behind the reception podium where they can store it for you. It's supposed to be only for whilst you're dining, but you might get lucky. Otherwise, there's no such storage at DFW Airport - at least on property - unless you get a room at the Hyatt.

Many thanks. I'll be in BA F out the outbound from LHR (on my own) so will use FFD before connecting. The return is BA J, so no FFD. Will just make sure not to have too much hand luggage! Thanks for the help.

You can definitely find business class fares that will earn you more LPs than the lowest available first class.
IMO, the benefits are Chelsea lounge (ex-JFK of course) and more sleeping space (yes, the 77W J seats are pretty good but F is wider and longer). On-board food less important when you can eat (and drink) in Chelsea beforehand.

I have had 4 or 5 trips in AA international F over the years, most recently in May (DFW-LHR). I never had a bad FA, I like the seats, the bed was proactively made up for me, and the food was OK. I especially appreciated the FFD at DFW. The food and service were excellent, and it was an oasis from the crowded and noisy FL, which I have never been impressed with. The lav/pax ratio (2/8) is great. I have no complaints and will miss it.

That said, my F trips have always come through SWUs, which I consider good value. I wouldn't pay much extra $$ for it.

Just did my first AA FC leg DFW-LHR today

Purser Lynn and FA Carol were both 5-star service in the sky.

I had super low expectations as I have flown CX/SQ/BA First before.

They were so damn great, friendly, attentive, proactive, that I actually sent in a comment at aa.com about them.

F was only 10k miles more on this award trip and I feel it was worth it.

BTW....FFD was REALLY GOOD--definitely on par with CCR and The Pier at HKG in service and food. However, shame on AA for closing the Flagship lounge at 10:15pm (normal closing time) when our departure was delayed until after midnight--what a terrible business decision for an airline.

FFD menu:

this post (and the like) are the saddest part of this whole situation.

If AA kept the great FAs like you had, jettisoned the terrible ones and maintained their seats better, there could have been a viable future for AA F. Instead, it's a hit or miss experience - which is 100% not what anyone ponying up for F wants. You're expecting consistently good or excellenf t and therefore are paying the premium for it.