First Vs Business
 

I am looking at a British Airways flight from LHR-ORD redeeming AAdvantage miles and am considering whether the extra 12,500 miles are worth it. I do know about the high co payments - about $850 for 2 tickets. So far this is my only option using advantage miles to get home from Barcelona Spain to San Diego next June.

It's pretty much up to you. I think it is worth it, others may disagree. See these threads for some ideas:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...th+extra+avios
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...th+extra+avios
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...th+extra+avios

You are talking about using points to fly in First class. That is the whole point of collecting points. So yes, it is worth it.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Did you call AA to check on IB award-seat availability, since aa.com cannot display it?
In addition, stopping over at a North American gateway for a couple of days might open up more redemption options for you, if that is something you are willing to consider.

Whether it's worth it to you comes down to a few things:

- Are you miles rich, or would the extra miles spent in first potentially impact your future redemptions?
- Have you tried BA first before? How much do you value more attentive service (usually - I've had this all the times, but not everyone has)? Would you like to access the Concorde Room at LHR?
- What aircraft is your flight operated by? Some people prefer the upper deck of a 747 to F as long as they can select one of the better seats.

If I was redeeming I certainly would go for F because I appreciate the smaller cabin and the better service. If spending the miles won't cause you to miss out on a future opportunity and you've never tried first before I'd give it a shot.

Then in future you'll know whether business or first represents best use of miles for you.

I am spoiled by BA F! Unlike the naysayers here, I've never had a bad experience and have had some really memorable flights! Why not get the long haul to SEA or SFO or PHX or LAX - that to me is the real F experience. Go for it! Be sure to have time to enjoy the CCR and the free treatments in the Elemis Spa (book ahead). I love the cabanas when I am connecting at LHR on a TATL but never get one when departing London - not worth it.

Have a great trip!

Well i DONT :td: think its worth it. Ive been in F and new F along with J numerous times and I dont think the difference is worth it. Same to similar food in each cabin but F is on its own china? Not a big deal and personally I think the new F seat was not as comfy as J! Now from a privacy/exclusiveness their F looks dreamy. My 2 cents.

At 12,500 miles, without a doubt

Even the privacy nut moaners would spend that on a day flight!

It's probably worth it for the LHR lounge facilities increase alone

We normally fly 2x a year in CW to either CPT or NBO. Last year we had some extra miles & tried F & enjoyed it, particularly as I'm 6'3" & the extra long bed was much appreciated.

However, we both agreed that the difference wasn't that great compared to CW, particularly when compared to the upper deck on the 74.

We redeemed aa miles for April 2014 and fees were much higher than $850 for 2 tickets. Are you looking on AA website? AA taxes and fees are much lower than BA. ba taxes and fees was closer to $1300 each ticket for club world. When using AA miles you have to pay taxes and fees of operating airline. My husband was so mad over the difference charged we almost did not redeem mileage.
If you call one world they will help you out with routes and availability but do charge if you make reservations by phone. It would be a good idea to do this soon. I could not get a non stop back to Seattle in July so flying into Vancouver and Seattle next morning.

No doubt, no hesitation, book it!

I didn't realise you could redeem AAdvantage on BA flights. Duh. That's good news as I'm sitting on 50k plus AA miles. Anyway, to your question:

The difference in seat/sleep comfort between CW and F is marginal. What you get in F is some extra pampering and a feeling of exclusivity. Rationally it's not worth the extra to upgrade. But like most people I'm not always rational so I do upgrade on about 40% of my flights. But I only upgrade on long long-haul (10+ hours). LHR-ORD is short long-haul in my book so I would fly that route in CW.

Personally, with your scenario, I'd forget ORD and focus on fights to west coast. LHR-SAN is only one 3-class flight daily and the 2 CW seats per flight released at T-350 have been taken. There may be more nearer the time but LAX or SFO are better bets. For June there's a strong chance of seats in J and/or F coming free nearer the date. I'd book 2 reward seats in Y as a safety net and monitor the reward seat releases regularly.

First Vs Business
 

Personally I would go for it, but don't dither
too long or the seats will be gone as there is extremely poor availability in J/F on reward flights

Differences - benefits of using First:
Ground: Check-in at the First area at the South side of LHR Terminal 5. Minimal excitement for this.

Lounge access: Pass security, you get to turn right and use the "special door" to directly access the Concorde Room and avoid walking past half the T5 shops.

Lounge: Use the Concorde Room as your Terminal 5 lounge. Access is mainly for BA First passengers so it is exclusive. BA and OW frequent flyers use the T5 First Galleries lounge which is a separate lounge. There is a restaurant area with private booths with a comprehensive three course menu. No buffet option. You can choose to order and dine in the main lounge area as well if you wish.

Pre-book a private cabana in the Concorde Room if you wish for a more private/exclusive feeling. You can recline, watch tv, call the office, shower, eat and drink your private room.

On Board:
A more personalised service by crew
Dessert wine option (love this)
Better toilet to passenger ratio:
BA pajamas (just ask for these on day flights)
Seats are converted to full beds with sheets and duvets on request

Have I sold this yet?

I wrote a recent TR comparing a return in CW, to two previous returns in F, and tried to justify the addition spend.

I posted it in the TR forum, which was maybe a mistake as I've received no responses :( I should have maybe posted it here!

Link - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ty-photos.html