BA Golds, recent amazing first experience on EK/QF
Dec 2, 2017, 3:32 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BD Gold, BAEC Gold, Hilton HHonors
Posts: 869
BA Golds, recent amazing first experience on EK/QF
Wife and I have been BA Golds since the demise of BMI, and have flown a lot of revenue and redemption domestic, ET, CE, CW, F on BA since then, with most of our non-work travel in the last 3 years in BA F. After several highly disappointing BA F trips we recently decided to try QF and EK F - and were amazed at how good it was, what a huge improvement from BA, and disappointed that it'd taken until now to make the switch! I'll post a proper TR with photos in the appropriate forum if/when I get round to it, but wanted to muse over some comparisons. I like the BA brand and want it to succeed, but frankly with this competition it'll take a substantial improvement before I do another revenue BA F flight.
EK First 777/380
-the wood / 'bling' suite isn't for everyone, but it brings significantly more privacy than BA's F seat.
-Non-alcoholic at seat minibar and snack basket are huge steps up from the ridiculous "help yourself to a fun size mars bar from business class" on BA
-Comfortable (cool) cabin temperature (vs roasting on BA), with additional at-seat air nozzles in F.
-Pyjamas are a lot softer and the slippers actually fit, with an appropriate size being brought out rather than 'one size (doesn't) fits all' on BA
- No amenity kit on day flights but decent amenities in bathroom / on demand
- TV screen - absolutely huge! No comparison with BA, especially the very tired BA 747
- IFE - despite the claims of millions of hours to watch, I thought the selection (of interest to me, at least) was similar to BA
- Food - absolutely no question of "we apologise if your first choice isn't available", no sign of "I'm sorry, none of them were loaded", and absolutely no problem with dine on demand. Instead of the usual BA "we're planning to serve dinner in an hour from now, is that ok?" we were told when the galley would open and close (landing -90mins for hot food), and felt genuinely able to eat whatever, whenever and as often as we liked on the flight.
- Drink - again, no suggestion of hot champagne or "we've run out of Dom Perignon [while still on ground]" as I had on several previous BA F (LPGS obviously); crew who seemed to know what dessert wine was, and Hennessy Paradis - say no more!
- Service - really impressive, and even on the 'worst' leg it was still highly responsive and generally very good. Crew were visible and if call button pressed it was answered within about 5 seconds (literally) - whereas we've previously had to go searching for BA crew
- Our Dubai connect voucher hadn't printed correctly at check-in; I tweeted their customer support from the lounge, and was presented with a new one by the CSD upon boarding the aircraft. I simply can't imagine that level of responsiveness on BA.
- A380 bathrooms on EK are simply incredible. As is the shower experience. No comparison with the BA toilets. It's laughable in fact how much better they are (in fairness, better than any other aircraft toilet I've been in)
- F/J bar - not really my thing, but nice to have a social space / change of scene on the aircraft if wanted
QF:
- Absolutely stellar service from leaving hotel to disembarking - called the day before flight to confirm limousine transfer, to book spa treatments, and to organise kerbside check-in / escort. Met at airport door by luggage porter, and the least possible hassle for check-in.
- Additional ground crew on board aircraft (in F at least) at boarding to provide pre-departure bar, snack, show around suite etc etc, meaning it all felt very personal despite there being a lot of people looking for attention simultaneously
- Suite substantially larger than BA (and EK), again with good temperature controls and lighting etc (although I do still have a soft spot for the BA F lamp...)
- TV a good size and has electronic open/close control, rather than having to lean forward with seatbelt on as in BA. Good entertainment selection.
- Pyjamas similar quality to BA, but QF bedding was simply amazing - memory foam mattress, ultra soft etc, and I noticed whenever I got up during sleeping hours to bathroom etc the bed had always been remade on my return (never requested)
- Food superb - in fact I've probably never eaten quite as much on a flight before. The crew were prompting me to order more food, suggesting additional items, and made absolutely sure I had had as much food as I could manage. A world away from BA's "sorry, we've run out", "sorry, we only got one of them loaded", "sorry that's not been loaded" etc etc which has been part of our BA premium experience more or less since we started flying with them
- Drink - no Hennesey, but they did have Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and it was free flowing, including self-service in their little F lounge area, throughout the flight.
Overall the experience flying QF/EK was just amazing, and frankly makes a mockery of what BA offers as a First product. I appreciate the hard product is difficult to significantly change without serious investment, but many of the food / drink / bedding / pyjamas / ground / service elements are all within BA's gift to change without huge fleet disruption, and it's a shame their efforts appear to be limited to building new security lanes at the London airport front door, with little else behind that.
EK First 777/380
-the wood / 'bling' suite isn't for everyone, but it brings significantly more privacy than BA's F seat.
-Non-alcoholic at seat minibar and snack basket are huge steps up from the ridiculous "help yourself to a fun size mars bar from business class" on BA
-Comfortable (cool) cabin temperature (vs roasting on BA), with additional at-seat air nozzles in F.
-Pyjamas are a lot softer and the slippers actually fit, with an appropriate size being brought out rather than 'one size (doesn't) fits all' on BA
- No amenity kit on day flights but decent amenities in bathroom / on demand
- TV screen - absolutely huge! No comparison with BA, especially the very tired BA 747
- IFE - despite the claims of millions of hours to watch, I thought the selection (of interest to me, at least) was similar to BA
- Food - absolutely no question of "we apologise if your first choice isn't available", no sign of "I'm sorry, none of them were loaded", and absolutely no problem with dine on demand. Instead of the usual BA "we're planning to serve dinner in an hour from now, is that ok?" we were told when the galley would open and close (landing -90mins for hot food), and felt genuinely able to eat whatever, whenever and as often as we liked on the flight.
- Drink - again, no suggestion of hot champagne or "we've run out of Dom Perignon [while still on ground]" as I had on several previous BA F (LPGS obviously); crew who seemed to know what dessert wine was, and Hennessy Paradis - say no more!
- Service - really impressive, and even on the 'worst' leg it was still highly responsive and generally very good. Crew were visible and if call button pressed it was answered within about 5 seconds (literally) - whereas we've previously had to go searching for BA crew
- Our Dubai connect voucher hadn't printed correctly at check-in; I tweeted their customer support from the lounge, and was presented with a new one by the CSD upon boarding the aircraft. I simply can't imagine that level of responsiveness on BA.
- A380 bathrooms on EK are simply incredible. As is the shower experience. No comparison with the BA toilets. It's laughable in fact how much better they are (in fairness, better than any other aircraft toilet I've been in)
- F/J bar - not really my thing, but nice to have a social space / change of scene on the aircraft if wanted
QF:
- Absolutely stellar service from leaving hotel to disembarking - called the day before flight to confirm limousine transfer, to book spa treatments, and to organise kerbside check-in / escort. Met at airport door by luggage porter, and the least possible hassle for check-in.
- Additional ground crew on board aircraft (in F at least) at boarding to provide pre-departure bar, snack, show around suite etc etc, meaning it all felt very personal despite there being a lot of people looking for attention simultaneously
- Suite substantially larger than BA (and EK), again with good temperature controls and lighting etc (although I do still have a soft spot for the BA F lamp...)
- TV a good size and has electronic open/close control, rather than having to lean forward with seatbelt on as in BA. Good entertainment selection.
- Pyjamas similar quality to BA, but QF bedding was simply amazing - memory foam mattress, ultra soft etc, and I noticed whenever I got up during sleeping hours to bathroom etc the bed had always been remade on my return (never requested)
- Food superb - in fact I've probably never eaten quite as much on a flight before. The crew were prompting me to order more food, suggesting additional items, and made absolutely sure I had had as much food as I could manage. A world away from BA's "sorry, we've run out", "sorry, we only got one of them loaded", "sorry that's not been loaded" etc etc which has been part of our BA premium experience more or less since we started flying with them
- Drink - no Hennesey, but they did have Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and it was free flowing, including self-service in their little F lounge area, throughout the flight.
Overall the experience flying QF/EK was just amazing, and frankly makes a mockery of what BA offers as a First product. I appreciate the hard product is difficult to significantly change without serious investment, but many of the food / drink / bedding / pyjamas / ground / service elements are all within BA's gift to change without huge fleet disruption, and it's a shame their efforts appear to be limited to building new security lanes at the London airport front door, with little else behind that.
Dec 2, 2017, 3:39 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 509
This is exactly why I only fly BA F with avios upgrades, excited to try QF a380 in a few months will also be doing a few BA F segments as well. I know it won’t compare
Wife and I have been BA Golds since the demise of BMI, and have flown a lot of revenue and redemption domestic, ET, CE, CW, F on BA since then, with most of our non-work travel in the last 3 years in BA F. After several highly disappointing BA F trips we recently decided to try QF and EK F - and were amazed at how good it was, what a huge improvement from BA, and disappointed that it'd taken until now to make the switch! I'll post a proper TR with photos in the appropriate forum if/when I get round to it, but wanted to muse over some comparisons. I like the BA brand and want it to succeed, but frankly with this competition it'll take a substantial improvement before I do another revenue BA F flight.
EK First 777/380
-the wood / 'bling' suite isn't for everyone, but it brings significantly more privacy than BA's F seat.
-Non-alcoholic at seat minibar and snack basket are huge steps up from the ridiculous "help yourself to a fun size mars bar from business class" on BA
-Comfortable (cool) cabin temperature (vs roasting on BA), with additional at-seat air nozzles in F.
-Pyjamas are a lot softer and the slippers actually fit, with an appropriate size being brought out rather than 'one size (doesn't) fits all' on BA
- No amenity kit on day flights but decent amenities in bathroom / on demand
- TV screen - absolutely huge! No comparison with BA, especially the very tired BA 747
- IFE - despite the claims of millions of hours to watch, I thought the selection (of interest to me, at least) was similar to BA
- Food - absolutely no question of "we apologise if your first choice isn't available", no sign of "I'm sorry, none of them were loaded", and absolutely no problem with dine on demand. Instead of the usual BA "we're planning to serve dinner in an hour from now, is that ok?" we were told when the galley would open and close (landing -90mins for hot food), and felt genuinely able to eat whatever, whenever and as often as we liked on the flight.
- Drink - again, no suggestion of hot champagne or "we've run out of Dom Perignon [while still on ground]" as I had on several previous BA F (LPGS obviously); crew who seemed to know what dessert wine was, and Hennessy Paradis - say no more!
- Service - really impressive, and even on the 'worst' leg it was still highly responsive and generally very good. Crew were visible and if call button pressed it was answered within about 5 seconds (literally) - whereas we've previously had to go searching for BA crew
- Our Dubai connect voucher hadn't printed correctly at check-in; I tweeted their customer support from the lounge, and was presented with a new one by the CSD upon boarding the aircraft. I simply can't imagine that level of responsiveness on BA.
- A380 bathrooms on EK are simply incredible. As is the shower experience. No comparison with the BA toilets. It's laughable in fact how much better they are (in fairness, better than any other aircraft toilet I've been in)
- F/J bar - not really my thing, but nice to have a social space / change of scene on the aircraft if wanted
QF:
- Absolutely stellar service from leaving hotel to disembarking - called the day before flight to confirm limousine transfer, to book spa treatments, and to organise kerbside check-in / escort. Met at airport door by luggage porter, and the least possible hassle for check-in.
- Additional ground crew on board aircraft (in F at least) at boarding to provide pre-departure bar, snack, show around suite etc etc, meaning it all felt very personal despite there being a lot of people looking for attention simultaneously
- Suite substantially larger than BA (and EK), again with good temperature controls and lighting etc (although I do still have a soft spot for the BA F lamp...)
- TV a good size and has electronic open/close control, rather than having to lean forward with seatbelt on as in BA. Good entertainment selection.
- Pyjamas similar quality to BA, but QF bedding was simply amazing - memory foam mattress, ultra soft etc, and I noticed whenever I got up during sleeping hours to bathroom etc the bed had always been remade on my return (never requested)
- Food superb - in fact I've probably never eaten quite as much on a flight before. The crew were prompting me to order more food, suggesting additional items, and made absolutely sure I had had as much food as I could manage. A world away from BA's "sorry, we've run out", "sorry, we only got one of them loaded", "sorry that's not been loaded" etc etc which has been part of our BA premium experience more or less since we started flying with them
- Drink - no Hennesey, but they did have Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and it was free flowing, including self-service in their little F lounge area, throughout the flight.
Overall the experience flying QF/EK was just amazing, and frankly makes a mockery of what BA offers as a First product. I appreciate the hard product is difficult to significantly change without serious investment, but many of the food / drink / bedding / pyjamas / ground / service elements are all within BA's gift to change without huge fleet disruption, and it's a shame their efforts appear to be limited to building new security lanes at the London airport front door, with little else behind that.
EK First 777/380
-the wood / 'bling' suite isn't for everyone, but it brings significantly more privacy than BA's F seat.
-Non-alcoholic at seat minibar and snack basket are huge steps up from the ridiculous "help yourself to a fun size mars bar from business class" on BA
-Comfortable (cool) cabin temperature (vs roasting on BA), with additional at-seat air nozzles in F.
-Pyjamas are a lot softer and the slippers actually fit, with an appropriate size being brought out rather than 'one size (doesn't) fits all' on BA
- No amenity kit on day flights but decent amenities in bathroom / on demand
- TV screen - absolutely huge! No comparison with BA, especially the very tired BA 747
- IFE - despite the claims of millions of hours to watch, I thought the selection (of interest to me, at least) was similar to BA
- Food - absolutely no question of "we apologise if your first choice isn't available", no sign of "I'm sorry, none of them were loaded", and absolutely no problem with dine on demand. Instead of the usual BA "we're planning to serve dinner in an hour from now, is that ok?" we were told when the galley would open and close (landing -90mins for hot food), and felt genuinely able to eat whatever, whenever and as often as we liked on the flight.
- Drink - again, no suggestion of hot champagne or "we've run out of Dom Perignon [while still on ground]" as I had on several previous BA F (LPGS obviously); crew who seemed to know what dessert wine was, and Hennessy Paradis - say no more!
- Service - really impressive, and even on the 'worst' leg it was still highly responsive and generally very good. Crew were visible and if call button pressed it was answered within about 5 seconds (literally) - whereas we've previously had to go searching for BA crew
- Our Dubai connect voucher hadn't printed correctly at check-in; I tweeted their customer support from the lounge, and was presented with a new one by the CSD upon boarding the aircraft. I simply can't imagine that level of responsiveness on BA.
- A380 bathrooms on EK are simply incredible. As is the shower experience. No comparison with the BA toilets. It's laughable in fact how much better they are (in fairness, better than any other aircraft toilet I've been in)
- F/J bar - not really my thing, but nice to have a social space / change of scene on the aircraft if wanted
QF:
- Absolutely stellar service from leaving hotel to disembarking - called the day before flight to confirm limousine transfer, to book spa treatments, and to organise kerbside check-in / escort. Met at airport door by luggage porter, and the least possible hassle for check-in.
- Additional ground crew on board aircraft (in F at least) at boarding to provide pre-departure bar, snack, show around suite etc etc, meaning it all felt very personal despite there being a lot of people looking for attention simultaneously
- Suite substantially larger than BA (and EK), again with good temperature controls and lighting etc (although I do still have a soft spot for the BA F lamp...)
- TV a good size and has electronic open/close control, rather than having to lean forward with seatbelt on as in BA. Good entertainment selection.
- Pyjamas similar quality to BA, but QF bedding was simply amazing - memory foam mattress, ultra soft etc, and I noticed whenever I got up during sleeping hours to bathroom etc the bed had always been remade on my return (never requested)
- Food superb - in fact I've probably never eaten quite as much on a flight before. The crew were prompting me to order more food, suggesting additional items, and made absolutely sure I had had as much food as I could manage. A world away from BA's "sorry, we've run out", "sorry, we only got one of them loaded", "sorry that's not been loaded" etc etc which has been part of our BA premium experience more or less since we started flying with them
- Drink - no Hennesey, but they did have Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and it was free flowing, including self-service in their little F lounge area, throughout the flight.
Overall the experience flying QF/EK was just amazing, and frankly makes a mockery of what BA offers as a First product. I appreciate the hard product is difficult to significantly change without serious investment, but many of the food / drink / bedding / pyjamas / ground / service elements are all within BA's gift to change without huge fleet disruption, and it's a shame their efforts appear to be limited to building new security lanes at the London airport front door, with little else behind that.
Dec 2, 2017, 7:12 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: UK
Programs: BA Silver, AA Gold, A3 Gold, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 1,251
This mirrors my experiences of EK and QF. The QF A380 is my favourite way to travel when in F, even though there are other F hard products that are better. Despite being British, QF always feels welcoming and homely.
Dec 2, 2017, 7:14 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 222
Wife and I have been BA Golds since the demise of BMI, and have flown a lot of revenue and redemption domestic, ET, CE, CW, F on BA since then, with most of our non-work travel in the last 3 years in BA F. After several highly disappointing BA F trips we recently decided to try QF and EK F - and were amazed at how good it was, what a huge improvement from BA, and disappointed that it'd taken until now to make the switch! I'll post a proper TR with photos in the appropriate forum if/when I get round to it, but wanted to muse over some comparisons. I like the BA brand and want it to succeed, but frankly with this competition it'll take a substantial improvement before I do another revenue BA F flight.
EK First 777/380
-the wood / 'bling' suite isn't for everyone, but it brings significantly more privacy than BA's F seat.
-Non-alcoholic at seat minibar and snack basket are huge steps up from the ridiculous "help yourself to a fun size mars bar from business class" on BA
-Comfortable (cool) cabin temperature (vs roasting on BA), with additional at-seat air nozzles in F.
-Pyjamas are a lot softer and the slippers actually fit, with an appropriate size being brought out rather than 'one size (doesn't) fits all' on BA
- No amenity kit on day flights but decent amenities in bathroom / on demand
- TV screen - absolutely huge! No comparison with BA, especially the very tired BA 747
- IFE - despite the claims of millions of hours to watch, I thought the selection (of interest to me, at least) was similar to BA
- Food - absolutely no question of "we apologise if your first choice isn't available", no sign of "I'm sorry, none of them were loaded", and absolutely no problem with dine on demand. Instead of the usual BA "we're planning to serve dinner in an hour from now, is that ok?" we were told when the galley would open and close (landing -90mins for hot food), and felt genuinely able to eat whatever, whenever and as often as we liked on the flight.
- Drink - again, no suggestion of hot champagne or "we've run out of Dom Perignon [while still on ground]" as I had on several previous BA F (LPGS obviously); crew who seemed to know what dessert wine was, and Hennessy Paradis - say no more!
- Service - really impressive, and even on the 'worst' leg it was still highly responsive and generally very good. Crew were visible and if call button pressed it was answered within about 5 seconds (literally) - whereas we've previously had to go searching for BA crew
- Our Dubai connect voucher hadn't printed correctly at check-in; I tweeted their customer support from the lounge, and was presented with a new one by the CSD upon boarding the aircraft. I simply can't imagine that level of responsiveness on BA.
- A380 bathrooms on EK are simply incredible. As is the shower experience. No comparison with the BA toilets. It's laughable in fact how much better they are (in fairness, better than any other aircraft toilet I've been in)
- F/J bar - not really my thing, but nice to have a social space / change of scene on the aircraft if wanted
QF:
- Absolutely stellar service from leaving hotel to disembarking - called the day before flight to confirm limousine transfer, to book spa treatments, and to organise kerbside check-in / escort. Met at airport door by luggage porter, and the least possible hassle for check-in.
- Additional ground crew on board aircraft (in F at least) at boarding to provide pre-departure bar, snack, show around suite etc etc, meaning it all felt very personal despite there being a lot of people looking for attention simultaneously
- Suite substantially larger than BA (and EK), again with good temperature controls and lighting etc (although I do still have a soft spot for the BA F lamp...)
- TV a good size and has electronic open/close control, rather than having to lean forward with seatbelt on as in BA. Good entertainment selection.
- Pyjamas similar quality to BA, but QF bedding was simply amazing - memory foam mattress, ultra soft etc, and I noticed whenever I got up during sleeping hours to bathroom etc the bed had always been remade on my return (never requested)
- Food superb - in fact I've probably never eaten quite as much on a flight before. The crew were prompting me to order more food, suggesting additional items, and made absolutely sure I had had as much food as I could manage. A world away from BA's "sorry, we've run out", "sorry, we only got one of them loaded", "sorry that's not been loaded" etc etc which has been part of our BA premium experience more or less since we started flying with them
- Drink - no Hennesey, but they did have Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and it was free flowing, including self-service in their little F lounge area, throughout the flight.
Overall the experience flying QF/EK was just amazing, and frankly makes a mockery of what BA offers as a First product. I appreciate the hard product is difficult to significantly change without serious investment, but many of the food / drink / bedding / pyjamas / ground / service elements are all within BA's gift to change without huge fleet disruption, and it's a shame their efforts appear to be limited to building new security lanes at the London airport front door, with little else behind that.
EK First 777/380
-the wood / 'bling' suite isn't for everyone, but it brings significantly more privacy than BA's F seat.
-Non-alcoholic at seat minibar and snack basket are huge steps up from the ridiculous "help yourself to a fun size mars bar from business class" on BA
-Comfortable (cool) cabin temperature (vs roasting on BA), with additional at-seat air nozzles in F.
-Pyjamas are a lot softer and the slippers actually fit, with an appropriate size being brought out rather than 'one size (doesn't) fits all' on BA
- No amenity kit on day flights but decent amenities in bathroom / on demand
- TV screen - absolutely huge! No comparison with BA, especially the very tired BA 747
- IFE - despite the claims of millions of hours to watch, I thought the selection (of interest to me, at least) was similar to BA
- Food - absolutely no question of "we apologise if your first choice isn't available", no sign of "I'm sorry, none of them were loaded", and absolutely no problem with dine on demand. Instead of the usual BA "we're planning to serve dinner in an hour from now, is that ok?" we were told when the galley would open and close (landing -90mins for hot food), and felt genuinely able to eat whatever, whenever and as often as we liked on the flight.
- Drink - again, no suggestion of hot champagne or "we've run out of Dom Perignon [while still on ground]" as I had on several previous BA F (LPGS obviously); crew who seemed to know what dessert wine was, and Hennessy Paradis - say no more!
- Service - really impressive, and even on the 'worst' leg it was still highly responsive and generally very good. Crew were visible and if call button pressed it was answered within about 5 seconds (literally) - whereas we've previously had to go searching for BA crew
- Our Dubai connect voucher hadn't printed correctly at check-in; I tweeted their customer support from the lounge, and was presented with a new one by the CSD upon boarding the aircraft. I simply can't imagine that level of responsiveness on BA.
- A380 bathrooms on EK are simply incredible. As is the shower experience. No comparison with the BA toilets. It's laughable in fact how much better they are (in fairness, better than any other aircraft toilet I've been in)
- F/J bar - not really my thing, but nice to have a social space / change of scene on the aircraft if wanted
QF:
- Absolutely stellar service from leaving hotel to disembarking - called the day before flight to confirm limousine transfer, to book spa treatments, and to organise kerbside check-in / escort. Met at airport door by luggage porter, and the least possible hassle for check-in.
- Additional ground crew on board aircraft (in F at least) at boarding to provide pre-departure bar, snack, show around suite etc etc, meaning it all felt very personal despite there being a lot of people looking for attention simultaneously
- Suite substantially larger than BA (and EK), again with good temperature controls and lighting etc (although I do still have a soft spot for the BA F lamp...)
- TV a good size and has electronic open/close control, rather than having to lean forward with seatbelt on as in BA. Good entertainment selection.
- Pyjamas similar quality to BA, but QF bedding was simply amazing - memory foam mattress, ultra soft etc, and I noticed whenever I got up during sleeping hours to bathroom etc the bed had always been remade on my return (never requested)
- Food superb - in fact I've probably never eaten quite as much on a flight before. The crew were prompting me to order more food, suggesting additional items, and made absolutely sure I had had as much food as I could manage. A world away from BA's "sorry, we've run out", "sorry, we only got one of them loaded", "sorry that's not been loaded" etc etc which has been part of our BA premium experience more or less since we started flying with them
- Drink - no Hennesey, but they did have Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and it was free flowing, including self-service in their little F lounge area, throughout the flight.
Overall the experience flying QF/EK was just amazing, and frankly makes a mockery of what BA offers as a First product. I appreciate the hard product is difficult to significantly change without serious investment, but many of the food / drink / bedding / pyjamas / ground / service elements are all within BA's gift to change without huge fleet disruption, and it's a shame their efforts appear to be limited to building new security lanes at the London airport front door, with little else behind that.
Dec 2, 2017, 7:24 am
#6
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sin, HKG
Programs: SQ, BA CCR GGL
Posts: 626
This might be all true, however what about the price? Note, for example, that a First return to Dubai with cash is almost 3K more expensive in Qantas and Emirates. With that price difference it is unclear how one is to make a fair comparison between the products. Imagine for example someone trying to compare two hotels with a similar difference in price.
Dec 2, 2017, 7:25 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BD Gold, BAEC Gold, Hilton HHonors
Posts: 869
It was actually cheaper than BA albeit was an exEU fare. Approx 4k each Oslo - New Zealand return.
Routing was:
OSL-DXB 777 EK F
DXB-MEL 380 EK F
MEL-WLG 738 QF J
CHC-SYD 380 EK F
SYD-DXB 380 QF F
DXB-OSL 777 EK F
Dubai Connect hotel both ways, limo transfers at WLG, CHC, SYD (x2), OSL.
In comparison BA wanted about 5k each for OSL-LHR-SIN-NZ return. No comparison!
Routing was:
OSL-DXB 777 EK F
DXB-MEL 380 EK F
MEL-WLG 738 QF J
CHC-SYD 380 EK F
SYD-DXB 380 QF F
DXB-OSL 777 EK F
Dubai Connect hotel both ways, limo transfers at WLG, CHC, SYD (x2), OSL.
In comparison BA wanted about 5k each for OSL-LHR-SIN-NZ return. No comparison!
Dec 2, 2017, 7:28 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: living near Malaga
Programs: BA Gold , Mucci recipient. Coffee Drinker, Blue Sky Thinker
Posts: 2,112
This might be all true, however what about the price? Note, for example, that a First return to Dubai with cash is almost 3K more expensive in Qantas and Emirates. With that price difference it is unclear how one is to make a fair comparison between the products. Imagine for example someone trying to compare two hotels with a similar difference in price.
However, I like many here are not financially fortunate enough to pay for these first class First Class fares..
Dec 2, 2017, 7:32 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,286
It was actually cheaper than BA albeit was an exEU fare. Approx 4k each Oslo - New Zealand return.
Routing was:
OSL-DXB 777 EK F
DXB-MEL 380 EK F
MEL-WLG 738 QF J
CHC-SYD 380 EK F
SYD-DXB 380 QF F
DXB-OSL 777 EK F
Dubai Connect hotel both ways, limo transfers at WLG, CHC, SYD (x2), OSL.
In comparison BA wanted about 5k each for OSL-LHR-SIN-NZ return. No comparison!
Routing was:
OSL-DXB 777 EK F
DXB-MEL 380 EK F
MEL-WLG 738 QF J
CHC-SYD 380 EK F
SYD-DXB 380 QF F
DXB-OSL 777 EK F
Dubai Connect hotel both ways, limo transfers at WLG, CHC, SYD (x2), OSL.
In comparison BA wanted about 5k each for OSL-LHR-SIN-NZ return. No comparison!
Dec 2, 2017, 8:18 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, any question of ‘inconvenience’ versus spend is in the perception of the traveller. Many folk are more than happy to route through places like OSL where there are savings to be made and / or superior products available.
There seems not a hint in the report that the OP considered his chosen EK/QF mix ex OSL to be anything other than excellent value for money, along with what he regarded as a very impressive experience when compared to his three previous years of F travel with BA.
Dec 2, 2017, 9:07 am
#11
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Oxfordshire, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG & Accor Plat...
Posts: 734
Your words my choice are of course the key here !
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, any question of ‘inconvenience’ versus spend is in the perception of the traveller. Many folk are more than happy to route through places like OSL where there are savings to be made and / or superior products available.
There seems not a hint in the report that the OP considered his chosen EK/QF mix ex OSL to be anything other than excellent value for money, along with what he regarded as a very impressive experience when compared to his three previous years of F travel with BA.
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, any question of ‘inconvenience’ versus spend is in the perception of the traveller. Many folk are more than happy to route through places like OSL where there are savings to be made and / or superior products available.
There seems not a hint in the report that the OP considered his chosen EK/QF mix ex OSL to be anything other than excellent value for money, along with what he regarded as a very impressive experience when compared to his three previous years of F travel with BA.
Plus a factor people often overlook when holding out extra flights as a negative is the detail of the scheduling. When I take CX or MH or EY or QR, I can land in SYD in the evening and jet lag passes in a day. BA options have you woken at 3am for a 5 am landing...and two days of jet lag. Very route-dependent, so YMMV of course,
Dec 2, 2017, 9:10 am
#12
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Paynesville, Vic
Programs: BA Gold AVIS Presidents Club
Posts: 356
At GBP 4k Id say thats reasonable - good value. I paid nearly that for SQ J Lhr - Mel last year. I am lucky in some ways that my travel arrangements can be totally flexible as I am self employed. So not time poor when it comes to travelling home. I normally fly into Osl from Prg via Lhr to start QR J flights Downunder anyway, so If I could get a similar F fare on either EK or QF, from Osl or anywhere for that matter to Melb then Id give it a go. Nice just to experience and compare products. So far BA & QR F boxs ticked ( no complaints from either) but that was with a GUF and an Op up. Thanks to Op for posting impressions . Would appreciate a TR if you have the time and motivation.
OF
OF
Dec 2, 2017, 9:26 am
#13
Join Date: May 2003
Location: DEL
Programs: Mucci du Miel d'Or
Posts: 2,374
Your words my choice are of course the key here !
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, any question of ‘inconvenience’ versus spend is in the perception of the traveller. Many folk are more than happy to route through places like OSL where there are savings to be made and / or superior products available.
There seems not a hint in the report that the OP considered his chosen EK/QF mix ex OSL to be anything other than excellent value for money, along with what he regarded as a very impressive experience when compared to his three previous years of F travel with BA.
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, any question of ‘inconvenience’ versus spend is in the perception of the traveller. Many folk are more than happy to route through places like OSL where there are savings to be made and / or superior products available.
There seems not a hint in the report that the OP considered his chosen EK/QF mix ex OSL to be anything other than excellent value for money, along with what he regarded as a very impressive experience when compared to his three previous years of F travel with BA.
Dec 2, 2017, 9:30 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Wedged somewhere between BTS and VIE ✈
Programs: Star Alliance Gold (A3 Gold), Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,338
That's the thing that surprised me with BA First, I thought it was supposed to be dine on demand but I was more or less told that they'd be preparing the meal for me about an hour after take-off. It just gave me the impression that they wanted to get it out of the way.
Dec 2, 2017, 9:35 am
#15
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
That's the thing that surprised me with BA First, I thought it was supposed to be dine on demand but I was more or less told that they'd be preparing the meal for me about an hour after take-off. It just gave me the impression that they wanted to get it out of the way.
My favourite trick is reversing the order of the food (e.g. breakfast to be served when everyone else is having dinner, etc. If you are a fussy eater you need to ask for your choice to be put aside or you'd miss out on your choice on your second meal as pretty much everyone else has had their pick by the time you pick yours, and from time to time be warned that it might well get forgotten.