Is this really First?
Apr 17, 2017, 11:45 pm
#226
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 43,025
My experience is the same as LTN Phobia. I have never experienced or seen others refused bedding, neither have I ever been refused or seen others refused pyjamas. Clearly it is the case that nothing can ever been absolutely guaranteed, but orbitmic has outlined the normal procedure for you too.
Apr 18, 2017, 1:03 am
#227
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
If they ever had to refuse pyjamas or bedding, most likely they had a supply problem (which I believe there was a recent shortage of bedding, some sort of a cleaning supplier issue if my memory serves me) rather than crew refusing them to people for the sake of refusing them.
They do occasionally run out of sizes and that could have a consequence if you really need a large and they've run out of large, for instance. Or, they were running out of bedding for some reason and you may have seen subload people refused them, perhaps. Or a supply problem leaving them short and those who didn't ask early ended up having to go without.
If you were curious, or you were not happy about it, you could always have asked a crew member in F if the bedding/pyjamas were available for all F passengers including day flights. I'm sure they'd have told you.
Last edited by LTN Phobia; Apr 18, 2017 at 1:14 am
Apr 18, 2017, 3:54 am
#228
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
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Apr 18, 2017, 4:26 am
#229
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Eurostar Carte Blanche, SBB-CFF-FFS GA-AG, SNCF Grand Voyageur LeClub
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Apr 18, 2017, 4:58 am
#230
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Manchester, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 194
I agree. Their seat is nearly identical to BA's seat on its A380. BA's bedding is less good and they don't serve [chinese] caviar. The champagne is the same. BA's food tends to be better, especially exLHR. But then you can often get BA F to HKG for less than £1000 more return than J in a sale. That never happens on CX.
Apr 18, 2017, 5:04 am
#231
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Join Date: Jun 2008
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Just travelled in CX F. The caviar definitely had a 'Made in Italy' stamp on the tin. If you want more detail I will dig through my phone pictures, but it's not chinese from what I saw or tasted. Travelled BA F a number of times and CX F is miles better - not really sure what you're going on about but your constant 'BA is greatest' is wide of the mark.
Apr 18, 2017, 5:40 am
#232
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Bristol
Programs: BA GGL, UA Plat, DL Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,380
Apr 18, 2017, 5:49 am
#233
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Bristol
Programs: BA GGL, UA Plat, DL Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,380
I recently flew LHR-HKG-LHR in F, my first time on a flight over 7 hrs in this cabin, and also first time on a 777. Crew was very good, especially the one on LHR-HKG. Friendly, welcoming, attentive. I couldn't ask for more.
Seat was way better than CW one, even if the divider had an "old style" sort of feeling, to me. Bedding was very comfortable, and sincerely I find PJs and slippers nice too!
On 777 just toilets were not that great, very small (and w/o flowers
)
Food was nice. Nothing impressive, but nice nonetheless. At least this time the pre-ordering went fine. Would be better if available also for flights to LHR.
The only "real" downside in the BA F experience has been the LHR CCR service, where no waiter came to ask for drinks in a long time and when I decided to go to the bar, the lady there seemed not that friendly.
To be honest, in 4 visits to LHR CCR (of 1hr each, more or less), we have never had a very good service. Maybe it's just bad luck but it doesn't leave a "premium" impression. On the other side, our only JFK CCR visit, a year ago, was excellent.
I am far, far away form being a F regular. I have had 1 return trip from JFK on 747 hi J/mid J (UUA), 1 one way on 380 to IAD, flying alone, (UUA) and this last one (GUF2).
Since I (obviously?) prefer F to CW I would happily try to UUA every time on BA, availability and avios permitting I would not pay directly unless price were obscenely low. At the same time, I have read too much negativity about LGW flights to want to fly from there.
Seat was way better than CW one, even if the divider had an "old style" sort of feeling, to me. Bedding was very comfortable, and sincerely I find PJs and slippers nice too!
On 777 just toilets were not that great, very small (and w/o flowers
) Food was nice. Nothing impressive, but nice nonetheless. At least this time the pre-ordering went fine
. Would be better if available also for flights to LHR.The only "real" downside in the BA F experience has been the LHR CCR service, where no waiter came to ask for drinks in a long time and when I decided to go to the bar, the lady there seemed not that friendly.
To be honest, in 4 visits to LHR CCR (of 1hr each, more or less), we have never had a very good service. Maybe it's just bad luck but it doesn't leave a "premium" impression. On the other side, our only JFK CCR visit, a year ago, was excellent.
I am far, far away form being a F regular. I have had 1 return trip from JFK on 747 hi J/mid J (UUA), 1 one way on 380 to IAD, flying alone, (UUA) and this last one (GUF2).
Since I (obviously?) prefer F to CW I would happily try to UUA every time on BA, availability and avios permitting
I would not pay directly unless price were obscenely low. At the same time, I have read too much negativity about LGW flights to want to fly from there.I do like being able to crash out in a cabana, and I find the CCR restaurant food to be on a par with other LHR F lounges, but other than that I am pretty underwhelmed.
Certainly the welcome and service we got in the CX F T3 lounge on Friday night was streets ahead of my recent CCR experiences...
Apr 18, 2017, 8:41 am
#234
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 114
We've heard this song before. Some of us have been on dozens, maybe hundreds of F sectors that exceeded expectations, likely due to great CC. Others have genuine grievances for poor service, cleanliness issues, food quality, etc. Posters on both sides are biased by their experiences, and few minds will be changed.
Apr 18, 2017, 10:22 am
#235
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Right. As I am one of the older members here, I'm going to say that First today is a shadow of its former self. I have flown First Class as we used to know it, when Class was not a dirty word on TWA, American, BA, JAL, and of course BCAL.
Two of these have now gone - but I assure you that in terms of what was served back then - it is rubbish. All of it. Grief, we used to change our uniform skirts for long skirts for dinner service at BCAL. Our Champagne was Krug. We served caviar - grief I got sick of it we carried so much. We carved the Chateaubriand at seat side. Lobster was commonplace. The cheese came from Paxton and Whatsit in Jermyn St (the Stilton was simply the best that I have ever eaten). Duck was served very often.
Look at it now - all preplated and at AA served by Zombies (LAX-LHR). No, there were no beds, no duvets (so no shenningans like that little tart in the TFTG), no choice of film (no IFE) but after that lot. If you could see the china, it looks like it came from a charity shop. "Our Research (God Help us) told us that you didn't want this as you wanted lighter food. I don't remember anyone admitting to having told BA and all the rest such a thing, but there it is. Nowadays every time I go on BA.com I get an email asking me to rate my experience.
I'm only saying this because, you are paying so much less for it, all proportion retained than it cost back then. Of course it is a lot of money, but then it was really people with money who were there. A lot of this is BCAL based but it was much the same at BA when I got there. So - I fear that the whole airline industry forgot the word 'yield'. I might add the crew were treated a d*mn sight better then as well.
So - I can only say to you that nowadays the excellence has gone and the poor crew have to make the best with what is left. I often thing that what is served in F used to be what we used to serve in J - and what is served in J is what used to be served on one tray in Y. That is a bit of an exaggeration I admit - but only a bit.
What I do not understand is why people get so angry and defensive about it all.
Two of these have now gone - but I assure you that in terms of what was served back then - it is rubbish. All of it. Grief, we used to change our uniform skirts for long skirts for dinner service at BCAL. Our Champagne was Krug. We served caviar - grief I got sick of it we carried so much. We carved the Chateaubriand at seat side. Lobster was commonplace. The cheese came from Paxton and Whatsit in Jermyn St (the Stilton was simply the best that I have ever eaten). Duck was served very often.
Look at it now - all preplated and at AA served by Zombies (LAX-LHR). No, there were no beds, no duvets (so no shenningans like that little tart in the TFTG), no choice of film (no IFE) but after that lot. If you could see the china, it looks like it came from a charity shop. "Our Research (God Help us) told us that you didn't want this as you wanted lighter food. I don't remember anyone admitting to having told BA and all the rest such a thing, but there it is. Nowadays every time I go on BA.com I get an email asking me to rate my experience.
I'm only saying this because, you are paying so much less for it, all proportion retained than it cost back then. Of course it is a lot of money, but then it was really people with money who were there. A lot of this is BCAL based but it was much the same at BA when I got there. So - I fear that the whole airline industry forgot the word 'yield'. I might add the crew were treated a d*mn sight better then as well.
So - I can only say to you that nowadays the excellence has gone and the poor crew have to make the best with what is left. I often thing that what is served in F used to be what we used to serve in J - and what is served in J is what used to be served on one tray in Y. That is a bit of an exaggeration I admit - but only a bit.
What I do not understand is why people get so angry and defensive about it all.
Apr 18, 2017, 11:10 am
#236
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,276
Right. As I am one of the older members here, I'm going to say that First today is a shadow of its former self. I have flown First Class as we used to know it, when Class was not a dirty word on TWA, American, BA, JAL, and of course BCAL.
...
What I do not understand is why people get so angry and defensive about it all.
...
What I do not understand is why people get so angry and defensive about it all.
There appears to be a very strong correlation over time between improvement in onboard hard product and degradation in onboard soft product in premium cabins on (almost) all carriers. Whether this reflects what passengers actually want is up for debate, I suppose.
Apr 18, 2017, 11:54 am
#238
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
Right. As I am one of the older members here, I'm going to say that First today is a shadow of its former self. I have flown First Class as we used to know it, when Class was not a dirty word on TWA, American, BA, JAL, and of course BCAL.
...
What I do not understand is why people get so angry and defensive about it all.
...
What I do not understand is why people get so angry and defensive about it all.
Still they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Apr 18, 2017, 1:17 pm
#239
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Mexico City
Programs: Life Miles, Miles and more
Posts: 518
We've heard this song before. Some of us have been on dozens, maybe hundreds of F sectors that exceeded expectations, likely due to great CC. Others have genuine grievances for poor service, cleanliness issues, food quality, etc. Posters on both sides are biased by their experiences, and few minds will be changed.
I guess what it suggests is a rather inconsistent product if experiences vary so much. I'm not sure why some get so defensive about a corporation that only cares about you as far as it can extract cash from you, but there you go.
Apr 18, 2017, 2:09 pm
#240
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Albania
Programs: BA Exec Club Gold
Posts: 47
Paxton & Whitfield in Jermyn Street - still going strong.
I quite often ask them to trim off 2 or 3 pieces from larger purchases and take them on board with me. If travelling economy, that also usually requires me to 'borrow' a knife from the lounge but I always leave it on my tray so I am not permanently depriving BA of anything.