What is BA First really like?
 

Looking to fly to Los Angeles fairly soon and my wife and I might go first.

Outbound it looks like it would be an A380 and B747 coming back (B787 is £350 dearer per person)

Just wondering what the honest thoughts on how BA First is.

I am a bit reluctant as we would not get precheck on the way back. so a bit of a faff even if flying first as I guess no different treatment over anyone else. So tend to normally fly AA coming back from the USA.

And does the plane matter - better on A380 than B747 / B787 for example?

Would welcome thoughts on the experience.

We would not really get to use the Concorde lounge as we would be flying in from Europe with a 70 minute connection!

First is basically a bigger seat / bed than Club with some better personal service (eat when you want etc.). The ground service isn't particularly different from any other class if you're BA Gold.

However if you can afford the difference in fare, then go for it, especially on a long flight heading Westbound.

I've only flown BA F, compared to any other true 'First' product. The service is a lot more personable, food is better and seat much more comfortable for sleeping.

Generally I'm happy enough with BA CW that my rule of thumb would be it is good enough for my tastes, but a First for special occasion or 12+ hour flight where you can really enjoy it I'd consider.

The irritating thing about F - and I complained to Alex Cruz about this via personal email in the STRONGEST terms - is that you land at your destination at pretty much the same time as the economy passengers. I think they should do something about that. Otherwise, there's a bit more bowing and scraping onboard than you'd get in business class, it's a slightly bigger and more private bed and they make it up for you, you get some jimjams and a bag full of unguents, and whether that's worth the extra is a question for your conscience and bank manager.

I enjoyed trying it last year, it's not on my list to do again any time soon, and no doubt someone will be popping up soon to say it's not as good as Qatar business class which I'll be finding out for myself in February. I would say that if you're going to do it, a 10 or 12 hour flight would be better than the east coast hop I did as you can top and tail the sleeping with a meal or two.

I have precheck and don't need to take off shoes or remove a laptop, not a big deal. Shorter lines by 10 minutes? That's nice but has no bearing on a flight I take whether Y or F

And the answer is: variable. BA's greatest asset is the crew and when I travelled two years ago to JFK in the nose of a 747 the service was sensational. Any shortcomings in IFE, the general wear & tear and other annoyances were ignored. Compare to a trip to KUL on a new 787 recently where the crew out were woefully unprepared and, frankly, chaotic. Gosh, they tried but not a relaxing experience.

So, it's down to luck. I'm ever hopeful, of course.

Flying BA, I prefer F to any CW seat, included 747 upper deck ones.
In my limited experience seat & bed is more comfortable, with no stepping over other people (or being stepped over), a bit more of storage space and better service and food choice. So far I had one A380, two short 747 (JFK) and two 777 night flights in F. The best time was on the A380, day flight, but I liked also 1A/K on the HiJ 747.

P.S. My BA F flights were all avios or GUF upgrades. Going west I am comfortable enough on AA J, so I would not pay more than 200 eur over J to get F on BA (if UUA wasn't available).

Some thoughts

1. As good you will get to use the same check-in and lounge irrespective from LAX, had you had another non gold pax with you (such as a child) this would not be the case. The Qantas lounge is good. AA Flagship dining is now open, not sure if you get access to this as Emerald or not given travelling BA rather than AA, the AA agents told me it is designed to rival the Qantas lounge. Outbound from London you get access to the CCr in F which you wouldn’t as Gold, the reverse would have been flying tfrom JF¥.

2. Travelling as a couple you may not mind being in the closer proximity of club whereas I travel mainly by myself if not as a group of friends and do prefer the single seat in much quieter surroundings.

3. There are indeed better F products out there, but one should bear in mind that there is also a significant price difference.

4. I quite like being in the nose of the plane of the 747, the seats are slightly better on the A380, flying out on the later and returning on a sleeping flight on the former is probably a good way round.

5. BA crew are generally good but there is some variability, I’ve always found them better than the AA crew I’ve had thus far. There is a good thread on the dashboard of how to make the most of your experience.

6. Avios and TPs are higher and with the current offers this does make them better value in terms of airmiles than J.

7. Food is better, preordering is outbound from London only unlike on AA.

8. The screen is slightly better generally in f but the inflight entertainment is he same regardless.

9. As good whether travelling in F or J you don’t have to pay to select seats, as others do you should get better seat selection options on late booking travel (which I understand you are contemplating) than on most other carriers.

10. The amenities are better than J but not worth IMHO the increase in fare by themselves, although likely to be worth it with the other advantages.

To be honest, there are really many, many threads about BA F, including about how it compares to various other F products that you might have experienced. I'd really recommend a search as it is one of those questions you will really find a lot of information about.

Depends what the alternatives are. If you are comparing it with business then of course it is better. Is it worth it? That depends on how the price difference relates to the depth of your wallet.

If the alternative is First on another airline, then it depends on which airline. If given a choice between AA and BA it is much the same. If the choice is between BA and SQ it wouldn't take me half a second to make the decision.

If you haven’t flown F before you’ll think it’s amazing. If you have, especially on proper airlines like CX, JL, NH, EY, QR, SQ etc. then it won’t be very impressive at all.

The experience is more pleasant and something a little special to look forward to, especially (I imagine) if it is not your usual thing (it is not my usual thing, my usual thing is Club Europe these days).

There are, in my limited experience, two tangible benefits:

(i) On the eastbound overnight flight you should sleep slightly better, which could help with jetlag - I estimate the tangible benefit over Club World as 8 hours extra 'productivity' spread over a day or two, where 'productivity' can either be work or enjoying yourself
(ii) On the westbound daylight flight you will be able to do work, should you wish to do so, or enjoy yourself to a better extent than in Club World - I would estimate the tangible benefit over Club World as 2-3 hours extra 'productivity'.