T8191

This was going to be Part 4 of my UVF Trip Report, but as that has disappeared to the relative obscurity of the TR Forum I have decided to create a new Thread covering our first First experience. Which was somewhat uninspiring.

Before I get into the meat of the subject, I would like to assure readers that this is not a DYKWIA rant. It’s simply an analysis of what we experienced, from a couple of reasonably intelligent and aware newly-minted [and probably temporary] Golds taking their first First flights. We do have 30+ l/h CW sectors with BA under our belts though, along with a large bunch of s/h CE. Also, as we are both regular readers of FT, we have a reasonable understanding of the service standards expected. To save you referencing the TR, the flights were LGW-UVF on 24 Feb, and UVF-LGW on 5 Mar, in BA 777s (G-VIIK and G-VIIX), starting and ending with our inevitable JER<>LGW sector in CE.

Let’s start at the airports, and how they handled BA’s supposed Premium Pax.

Bag Drop.

• JER 6/10, with a clearly inexperienced staffer who didn’t have English as his first language. It took several attempts to convince him that we only wanted our bag checked to LGW.
• LGW 9/10, with a friendly and helpful staffer. It would have been nice to have the yellow “First” priority bag tags, instead of retaining our pre-existing orange “Club” ones. I know they don't really make a difference, but even so ...
• UVF 10/10, with yellow tags and through-checked to JER. Efficient and friendly, and with our BPs for the LGW-JER sector placed in a helpful BA LGW “Flight Connections’ folder.

Security
All 3 airports provided a good Security experience, with the LGW staff being singularly cheerful and chatty. UVF was blisteringly quick, taking about 60 seconds from start to finish, although the staff were incredibly unfriendly and brusque.

Priority Boarding

• JER 3/10, and a complete mess. Premium pax were called from the Lounge to board at Gate 2, where nothing was happening. Eventually pax in the high-numbered seats were asked to board via the rear steps. Finally, after 5+ minutes of standing around, the remainder [CE, Gold, Silver and Bronze included] were invited to board via the front steps. Fail!
• LGW 6/10. With all pax assembled in the holding area at Gate 102 [over the bridge], and with the airbridge completely unmanned, an unclear announcement led to a general movement of everyone towards the aircraft. As we were seated near the airbridge, we just joined the crowd and boarded.
• UVF 10/10. Boarding was announced in the Lounge, and BP checks were carried out before starting the long walk to the aircraft. As we approached the aircraft, a further BP check ensured F pax used the steps to 1L whilst others were directed to the steps at 2L.
• LGW 8/10. The inbound leg to JER was well managed, and I managed to deflect a potential queue jumper by observing “You are not the only person here with status.”

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And so to the aircraft, and the First cabin, and all those ‘personal touches’ that are supposed to make flying in First so special. It was interesting that, after the outbound sector, iWife received a Nunwood survey which highlighted a few aspects that [it would seem] should have been covered.

• LGW - “Welcome to First” and shown to our seats. CC introduced herself, and generally used our name. No greeting from the Cabin Manager at any time, and indeed neither of us could recall even seeing him in the F cabin. The Nunwood survey clearly implied that he [or someone] should have remarked on our first First and our recent promotion to Gold - nobody did.
• UVF - We were greeted and directed to our seats [although finding 1A wasn’t a great challenge!!] and from there on we were treated very well. Again no greeting from the CM, although he passed through the cabin on a couple of occasions - no attempt to engage with the pax in F at all.

Catering. We had no complaints about the wines on board: they were very nice indeed, and top-ups and/or tasters were readily available. On the other hand, the juices came from the same cheap cartons that are deployed throughout the aircraft. Given the vociferousness of the JW Blue/LPGS community, is there a similar group who would campaign for better fruit juices?

The food, on the other hand, was completely ordinary and in some respects worse than we usually encounter in CW ex-LHR on a TATL.

• Lunch ex-LGW. Described and illustrated in the TR, it featured the usual over-cooked beef and some very cheap biscuits to accompany the cheese. Although the menu included an amuse bouche, we were surprised that a small side salad wasn’t also included as it is in CW - either/or is hardly a premium offering. The CC offered iWife both puddings to choose from - both grossly inferior to the accustomed CW offerings, and after tasting both unadorned options they were rejected outright. The famous chocolates were offered with coffee [after iWife requested them] … the only ‘First’ aspect of the catering on this sector.
• Tea ex-LGW. Simply awful and boring sandwiches, which were already dried out when served. The scone was in a similar state. Most was left untouched. Having remarked on that to the CC, I was given a comment card which she duly posted - CS responded by email promptly on 7 Mar, and we were both given 4,500 Avios as an apology. It was noticed that the Nanny in 2J [relocated from CW for the whole journey, see the TR] received CW sandwiches, which were in much better condition and better filled!
• Dinner ex-UVF. A reasonable meal, although unspectacular. The soup was really good, the Thai Curry [containing 5 prawns] was ‘OK’ but served without the advertised prawn crackers, The ‘creamy polenta’ accompanying the chicken dish was decidedly non-creamy, and was a fairly solid brick. The ‘Chocolate Rum Cake with caramel sauce’ was a dry chocolate steamed pudding with some sauce dribbled over it - no accompanying bits of fruit or cream or custard. No offer of coffee, liqueurs or chocolates.
• Breakfast ex-UVF. Served as we coasted in over Cornwall, the ‘Full English’ was very tasty and substantial. Surprised that fruit juice was not provided, nor pastries and conserves to finish - we suppose we should have asked, but equally felt they should have been offered. iWife managed to get a tomato juice, but she found it almost undrinkable as it was such a poor quality product. Another fail - just the main dish and that’s your lot!

Cleanliness. No complaints about the cleanliness of the seating area, although I didn’t start lifting panels to explore deeply! However, the lavatories were not kept clean and tidy, and on one occasion iWife was compelled to ask the CC to do something about it - quantities of toilet paper on the floor, and un-flushed excrement in the toilet bowl. Not good enough - do the CC ever check these things? Oh, and the ambiance further slightly degraded by the carnations in the flower holder being wedged in place by large chunks of kitchen paper. And the hand-wash dispensers were only about 1/4 full at the start of the flight.

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So, overall, how did First compare with Club World? The seat and IFE were clearly better, as was the wine list. The large dining table was a bonus, which happily allowed space for my much longed for bread plate! Beyond that, there were very few tangible differences. The food was almost indistinguishable from the usual CW offering, and in some cases worse. We have had more recognition and more engaged CC on CW TATL ex-LHR, and in response to the Nunwood survey question “Did we make you feel special?” the answer was a resounding NO.

Would we pay to travel in F again? Well, we didn’t really ‘pay’ for this trip, as it was a 2-4-1 redemption! Depending on availability, and the size of our Avios holding, we would probably repeat the process, albeit with few expectations. Perhaps the experience is better ex-LHR, than on the LGW ‘holiday routes’?

crazy8534

Just wondering how the JER priority boarding experience manages to get 3/10 and not 0/10?

shorthauldad

0/10 would be when you disembark the LGW-JER hoping for an quick visit to the lounge before flying JER-LGW 35 mins later, and instead they make you run through arrivals, across the car park, back through departures, security, the shopping mall, and you end up about ten feet away from where you started off, on the other side of a glass door.

Been there, done that!

T8191

Feeling generous?

They tried to do it, but there's clearly very poor liaison between the Gate and Lounge agents. In the past they used to keep the status pax in the Lounge until everyone else was on the way to the aircraft, or escort us through the holding pen to the front of the queue. Now they seem to have lost the plot completely, and its been like this for a year or more - 'we' should either be boarded first or last, and certainly not called forward to be waiting in the middle.

TATLTale

Going west, you have to call dibs on something from the bistro menu to balance out the terrible sandwiches, if you want to have a second meal. Sometimes I take the cheese plate if I'm having the dessert with lunch.

I've been offered crew sandwiches three times because they seem genuinely ashamed of the offering. Welp.

johnaalex

T8191 Sadly your well written report is very much an accurate reflection on many of my flights in F. Indeed I think that at best the F should stand for Funtional. I have been served some truely horrible meals (usually the "steak" option) which have at least been a useful source of Avios as compensation. Some crews have been very good and some the complete opposite. Why do I keep I doing it (I am off to GRU this week), especially as these days all flights are paid for out of my own pocket? Maybe it is because I am an incurable optimist, but more likely because I am within touching distance of Lifetime Gold. My girlfirend and one of her daughters are going to UVF later this year. My girlfriend has sampled First already but it will be daughter's first time. Although the daughter is in her 30's she is like a kid looking forward to something really special. I won't be showing them your TR!

In my experience Cathay and Thai are sooooo much better in First.

710 77345

Of course you bloody well did, even if you're on a 2-4-1 you're coughing up at least £500 extra. There's no excuse for poor food or service, but I'd say you can get more out of the experience by picking the menu options carefully, and throwing your CIV around. Not acceptable of course, but that's the BA way.

srbrenna

Oooh! You've changed

Actually Functional pretty much describes BA nowadays. I find my loyalty has switched from BA to OW and I'm now looking at AA* westbound and QR eastbound.

*selected flights only

mas0282

DId you get to use the lounge at LGW?

IME it's the worst part of the First offering - an absolute dump. I now will only fly F from LHR.

Internaut

To what extent does the airport influence the First on-board experience? Can one expect the same when flying out of LHR, SIN or HKG?

HIDDY

Yes the marketing is a bit dodgy but we all know BA are never going to be able to provide a top notch frill packed First Class service hence why it's run like a CW with some frilly bits. A DUB-JFK return in F for £1600 tells you the story. So either accept it for what it is or don't fly it. Personally, I'd get rid of it altogether but it does seem to make money despite its shortcomings.

I've flown F on four different airlines. A couple provided better frills on the ground, on all of them the food overall wasn't outstanding and none made me feel 'special'....whatever 'special' is.

T8191

Indeed ... that was the question I posed in my last sentence! To what extent is the experience factored by which BA Fleet operates the aircraft? How tired/hung over are the crew on any given sector? Who provide the catering? I suspect we are looking at many variables to influence BA's consistent inconsistency.

"Dump" is relative

My recent experiences of the Sakura lounge at HNL and the Iyanola Lounge at UVF have made me view the LGW FLounge in a more benign light than might otherwise have been the case! I have yet to try the LHR FLounge - that's due in June.

V10

Over promising and underdelivering.

It's probably easy to be blasé about it if you're flying F every other week but for most people LH F is likely to be a very infrequent treat, maybe even a once in a lifetime opportunity.

It should be special.

mas0282

It is, but informed by the objective question of cost. For what BA charge for an F flight to UVF (let's ignore Avios for now) - it's absolutely sub-standard.

The fact that other lounges may be worse doesn't excuse it!

shorthauldad

Never mind 'special;, it would be nice if BA could achieve 'consistent' ...