Swissroll

I find the F seat fits me perfectly and the most comfortable of any airline - but that may not apply to you. Its not as private as other airlines suites but if you can bag 1a or K on a jumbo - its reasonable enough

Food has improved, decent but not the best and I find the wine a little cheap but that's my personal taste.

Crew wise, I've had one less than great experience but 99 excellent ones

The lack of a separate 'bar' area (which also applies to club - unfortunately for me is a big deal as its nice to get away from your seat to go and have a chat to people.- that may not matter to you tho

I'm sure you will enjoy it anyway tho

LPQ

Thai Airways Business class has been consistently better than BA First in respect of food, service and seat. I have flown four times in BA F last year and find that the expected service wasn't delivered. Welcomed at the door and led to the seat once only. CSM welcome once only. Cabin crew noticeable by their absence. Seat bedding proactively provided once only, the last time being told that bedding was now provided 'on demand only'. Pyjamas once only. Drinks service offering limited to one glass of wine and one top up. Chocolates never seen. Breakfast was cooked but served chilled. I'm trying out BA Club this year following the reports given on this site of the revised Club offering.

navylad

jlemon

I must say we thoroughly enjoyed our experiences in First from DFW to LHR on the B747-400 and from LHR to IAD on the A380. The seat was a bit roomier on the A380, of course, and our visit to the CCR at Heathrow was very nice as well.

Admiral Ackbar

Wow not our experience at all during our first BA F run to HND (Avios 2-4-1) over the Holidays. Had a few issues with the ground service at HND but our crews on both flights were excellent (with a slight nod to the HND-LHR crew, including the flight crew that had me for a chat in the cockpit and were awesome to talk to for a plane nerd like me). The food was good, the second meal (salmon app, seafood pieces with bisque) from HND was excellent. Champagne was nice, I was happy to see an English sparkling (which I have heard much about but is not sold at our government monopoly stores here) and found it excellent. Crew kept it topped up regularly and were consantly going up and down the aisle for service (I slept several hours each way so cannot vouch for the entirety of the trip). The seat was much more comfortable (I am a big guy) than the Club World seats which I despise.

LHR is not my favourite airport but CCR was great and a very nice to place to spend 3 hours.

LH F was a better overall experience in the air and on the ground if I had to rank the only other F I have flown in. EVA Royal Laurel from YYZ deserves to be ranked up here as well. Club World is another story (but still much better than Y!).

All this subject to my personal tastes of course.

Tiffywren

I've only had two return trips in F, one on a 747 and one on a 380. I loved them both but if you're a bit geeky there's something special about sitting in the nose of a Boeing 747. All 4 crews I had were very good but the crew on my first First really went out of their way to make my flight special - they knew it was my first time because I was practically bouncing round the cabin with excitement (or maybe it was the CCR espresso martinis...)

Lewis King

Flying out of Heathrow it is SO much better than CW if you don’t have status. First Wing is great, CCR is amazing!

I found the onboard service so much better too, small things like a proper pot for tea, better aminity kit, better champagne + dessert wine. The seat is also a lot more modern too, table doesn’t feel like it’s going to snap off when you eat!

GentleGiant

Thanks all.

On reflection we have found a cracking deal in Business from Europe, so will go for that. But appreciate the input from anyone, but as First is more than twice Business then it is no longer viable.

Just now got to decide on BA or AA as the price is the same for Business!

I ought to add that I will still be Gold going, but Silver on our return. So will get to use the first wing if we opt for BA going and then maybe AA (77W) coming back - we will only get the business lounge etc. in LAX on the way back so no Qantas Lounge this time. We can overnight in LHR on both the outbound and return so that makes things less rushed.

Gatwick Alan

To me First is the one class where BA is better than AA. I have always enjoyed my time on BA first, is it the best product out there?, No but if it is value for money that doesn't really matter.

It is comfortable and in my experience at least the service has been excellent. The 747 first class is nice enough and you can drive yourself mad by comparing every detail.

On my next booking it was only £200 more to return from PHX in First rather than club and to me that is value.

Just book it and enjoy it!

Having seen your last post, the AA 77W is the best option in business

jlemon

I totally agree concerning AA business on the B777-300.

navylad

Totally understandable and hope you enjoy your flight whichever you decide to take

maybe you’ll get a good POUP or AUP rate.

BA6501

Not entirely correct

lhrhappy

Lounge:
The Concorde room is a good lounge. Very often it's too warm. The warmth seems to be a Heathrow problem, not a BA problem, but it's still a problem. Most of the food on offer in the lounge restaurant is inedible, but the champagne is Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, the same as you will be served in the sky.

Equipment:

1. The B787 planes are all new, with a smaller first cabin.
2. The A380 is the quietest, smoothest plane flying today.
3. The B747 is iconic, and if you can snag 1A/1K, your window will be nearly in front of you, allowing you to see what's in front of the plane. It's also very noisy, supposedly, but I didn't think so--at least not up front in the nose. Some of the B747s have an old entertainment system with potato image quality; just be warned.
4. The B777 works well enough, but I don't think anything stands out about it. It was my first international F, so I'm nostalgic about it, but I don't pretend that it's better than the A380 or B787.

Overall:
Many people say BA F is the world's best business class. They're probably not wrong. If you can find AF F, LX F, or LH F for a similar price, you'd be silly not to choose it. You probably won't find any of those at a similar price, though.

navylad

I quite like the food in the CCR and can’t say I’ve ever noticed the heat, fascinating to see others opinions.

themax

I am fortunate enough to travel regularly in BA F. I agree with many of the negative comments above; BA F is NOT the best F product in the world.

HOWEVER, I love it. The ground experience is excellent, the seats/beds are very comfortable, and the food is usually pretty good. The alcohol selection is fantastic, and 99% of the time the service is superb. I love the understated British elegance that is the essence of BA F. Yes, sometimes they could do better, but if you have the money there is no better way to fly. :-)