cornishsimon

It's quite simple to know new or old F at gatwick....... It's old !!

Doubt you will see it on any of the LGW based aircraft until all LHR birds are refitted. Only on the occasional aircraft sub or when ww visits

cs

will2288

So far this is true. According to The BA Source, all 9 772s bases in LGW do not have the new First. Those are the only 4 class planes based in LGW.

BA5E

That is great information, will just lie back and think of all those people in WT cramped into their seats.

Jimmie76

Now I know what I'm going to be thinking about on my next F flight.

stifle

I had two on an SQ whY.

binman

I can accept that check in staff may not know, off by heart, each and every aircraft registration with the new first product however, surely it is noted in the header line of DCS? Along with all the other information about a flight including booked load STD and WTD and if you need vols. It speaks volumes that check in staff cannot read this and show so little interest in the product they are helping to serve. If there mates were trying to get on using staff travel I bet they would read it then!

I also agree that something needs to be done with First check in. It is a soulless area and the service if frankly awful unless your are an oligarch or middle east potentate. You can always spot them they have the rather obsequious special services staff, usually male, lifting bags and making it quite clear that fellow First passengers are simply an irrelevance. Help with putting bags onto the scales after I have forked out £5000 for ticket is not a luxury it should be fundamental to the service offered.

LTN Phobia

As for the solution for the bag issue, BA could hire some porters for F check-in and just increase the F fares by a fair share of increased costs. F is hardly the price-sensitive part of the market so it should be fine, I think.

QF has porters for F kerbside check-in.

I do not support the JL system where check-in staff lifts F pax bags onto the scale. It makes me feel quite worried and uncomfortable that they may hurt themselves, seeing tiny ladies in heels, and I normally intervene and decline their help. Strapping porters would not lead to the same reaction from me.

Littlegirl

You could use the Porters outside where you pull up to be dropped off. They wear red jackets or waistcoats.

I believe it just costs £5 (but maybe more) and they put all your bags onto a trolley and take you to the check-in area and then they would put your bags onto the check-in belt.

Or maybe BA could come to an agreement with this company to pay them, if they provide this service to BA First class passengers. Maybe one of you could suggest this to BA as this would solve your problem of lifting bags and not be too much of a cost to BA either.

LTN Phobia

I think you are referring to Skycaps, and it's £9 for the small trolley and £16 (or £18?) for the large trolley. However, they are not always waiting there ready for customers and you sometimes have to call them and wait for them to turn up.

They are also not very 'premium' - I find many Skycaps staff members in need of let's say 'refinement training', and I therefore think some of them could potentially be a source of embarrassment to BA.

Littlegirl

OK, that does not sound a good idea then! and quite expensive but maybe an option for someone with a bad back.

traveler18

Just for comparison on space:

9 F suites in CX 747 (6 Suites in CX 777). (assuming the F section is about the same size - Have not measured).

I have recently received superb service from BA on NF and OF, but it is no where as roomy as a CX F suite.

In one of my flights there was a family with two small children in F. Extremely well behaved. (I fly CX 10+ Long Haul a year and rarely (once?) seen a youngster in F). Kudos to the parents that educated their kids to behave properly on a flight.

LTN Phobia

I sometimes use them when my bags don't fit one trolley, because even their £9 one can carry more than what I can on a standard trolley. Their larger trolley is huge and I often see television crew using them to cart their equipment (I dread to think how much excess baggage charges they pay!).

I am quite strong for a little person but I cannot quite manage to push two trolleys with a brake system.

Quite handy service to have, and I do recommend them for people with bad back. They even take the bags off the belt if you hire them in the baggage hall.

globalste

You could argue even more space than that, as pitch is measure from the seat cushion to the seat infront and an F seat is much thicker than a Y seat. Eg back of Y seat to back of Y seat = 36", back of F seat to back of F seat = 90"

sunrisegirl

The aircraft registration is shown in the headline page for the flight in PRS, however it does not state whether it has NF or OF.

And we DO read it, we need to obtain information about the flight we're dealing with. But the information we need to use from that headline page rarely, if ever, has anything to do with the aircraft registration.

At LGW it would be easier to know which aircraft have NF as we only have 4 aircraft with an F cabin. At LHR you're talking dozens if not hundreds of aircraft. It's not showing little interest, it's not having the access readily available. And I suspect the information is not available as it's something that is rarely asked, perhaps 1-2% of those travelling. Let's not forget those who post on FT are far more interested in these things than the majority of the public who trave with us.
As mentioned before the header page doesn't say, nor am I aware of any page within the system where we could check. An option might be to ask the passenger to wait whilst you call a Manager, who may or may not have the info to hand.

As for your staff travel comment, such a shame you have no idea how this really works.

sunrisegirl

Sometimes the lack of trolleys in the US means I have to pay circa. $15 in tips to get my bags from point A to point B (usually kerbside to check in, or kerbside to car rental shuttle).

Annoys me immensely but I wouldn't consider asking somebody else to help. I packed my bags so it's my responsibility to carry them without paying a tip (and yes that has included F class travel).