BAFirst Class OMG!
Sep 3, 2018, 5:34 am
#31
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Worcester, GB
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 157
I've only had 6 F flights but they really have been a mixed bag, from relatively good IFE to relatively poor IFE and inedible food. On my last F flight when I complained about the food the member of cabin crew actually said they genuinely thought the new food they were serving in CW was better than F (this was a JFK flight). CC have generally been very good, but if you want dis-interested try the late flight back from LAS!
Sep 3, 2018, 6:01 am
#33
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 1,736
I flew out to Singapore last Saturday in F and back tonight (running late it seems).
The crew were excellent (much better than the out crew to Austin last month-although back crew from Dallas were very good as well)
The food was poor because the main menu choices were really poor, I looked before to pre-order and there was nothing that I cared enough to order. I think it was chicken burger (!), beef , I think chicken again? and lemon pasta but no fish. The crew said that other passengers had said the same about the poor menu selection. I didn't have a main, the rest was acceptable. They found me a banana from a crew trolley when I woke up as I was hungry.
The champagne was cold enough.
The window seat was long and wide and after a few recent 747s I slept very well.
The crew were excellent (much better than the out crew to Austin last month-although back crew from Dallas were very good as well)
The food was poor because the main menu choices were really poor, I looked before to pre-order and there was nothing that I cared enough to order. I think it was chicken burger (!), beef , I think chicken again? and lemon pasta but no fish. The crew said that other passengers had said the same about the poor menu selection. I didn't have a main, the rest was acceptable. They found me a banana from a crew trolley when I woke up as I was hungry.
The champagne was cold enough.
The window seat was long and wide and after a few recent 747s I slept very well.
Sep 3, 2018, 6:20 am
#34
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
I referenced on another thread, but I had excellent service from a MF crew on a very long F flight last weekend. I went onboard with the expectations that it was no AF La P nor LX F, but the flight overall exceeded my expectations.
The MF crew on the 789 had 4 F customers, so 50% load on a flight that is perfect for a very long sleep. They could not have worked hard enough, and the service made up for the below par hard product that we know is a little tatty around the edges (the leather trim was breaking apart, and the reading light fell out of place at the slightest movement).
I know that airline food never lives up to the marketing spiel that airlines like to put out there, and the menu choice was not to my taste. Unfortunately, the only option that I could go for was the beef (I'm not a big fish fan, nor will I ever order pasta-masquerading-as-mush on (any) airline) so beef it had to be. I asked politely if they could cook it for only half the time their instructions state, but unfortunately it was still BA nuked despite best efforts. The flight ran out of ice at least 2 hours before arrival, which is not good but that is a BA problem, not the crew. The drinks selection was wide, but I only had 2 glasses of champagne for the 14.5hrs.
The IFE was good, but lacked a wider choice since I've pretty much watched everything that interests me that AA and BA offered this summer. I did struggle to find something to watch - this was my problem, not the airlines - I've just gone through the catalogue through too many flights!
The flight itself pushed back 1 minute early, and arrived some 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Overall, I was not paying true F prices, so my expectations were set as such.
Let me repeat, the MF service was utterly faultless. BA.com/welldone was duly completed.
The MF crew on the 789 had 4 F customers, so 50% load on a flight that is perfect for a very long sleep. They could not have worked hard enough, and the service made up for the below par hard product that we know is a little tatty around the edges (the leather trim was breaking apart, and the reading light fell out of place at the slightest movement).
I know that airline food never lives up to the marketing spiel that airlines like to put out there, and the menu choice was not to my taste. Unfortunately, the only option that I could go for was the beef (I'm not a big fish fan, nor will I ever order pasta-masquerading-as-mush on (any) airline) so beef it had to be. I asked politely if they could cook it for only half the time their instructions state, but unfortunately it was still BA nuked despite best efforts. The flight ran out of ice at least 2 hours before arrival, which is not good but that is a BA problem, not the crew. The drinks selection was wide, but I only had 2 glasses of champagne for the 14.5hrs.
The IFE was good, but lacked a wider choice since I've pretty much watched everything that interests me that AA and BA offered this summer. I did struggle to find something to watch - this was my problem, not the airlines - I've just gone through the catalogue through too many flights!
The flight itself pushed back 1 minute early, and arrived some 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Overall, I was not paying true F prices, so my expectations were set as such.
Let me repeat, the MF service was utterly faultless. BA.com/welldone was duly completed.
Sep 3, 2018, 6:51 am
#36
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: W29
Programs: It's Complicated...
Posts: 6,823
I would actually say that same about my JAL Y experiences, better than a lot of J and F experiences I have had with regards to service.
Sep 3, 2018, 7:17 am
#37
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
Whereas my 2nd First class flight from SIN to LHR last year was the polar opposite. Friendly and chatty cabin crew, tasty food, plenty of bubbles, excellent night's sleep and a couple of fiery tomato juices in the morning to wake me up. I'd do it again in a heartbeat but I guess we're always going to have occasional bad experiences whatever part of the aircraft we're in.
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And this, I guess, goes to the very heart of the problem.
It’s possible to take a BA flight in F and enjoy the sort of stellar, faultless experience which you describe above - just as many, many others have also enjoyed. But the harsh truth is that it’s also perfectly possible to encounter the very poor standards - whether in terms of crew, catering, cleanliness, or indeed a combination of all three - described in detail by the OP ; and as reflected, to one degree or another, by the personal experiences of countless other aggrieved posters here on FT over the years.
In short, It’s the sheer lack of consistency that can be so very frustrating. This happens on many other carriers, not just BA. Problem is, the fare paid is the same - whether you get dealt a winning hand, or a really bad one.
Sep 3, 2018, 10:47 am
#39
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: North West, UK
Programs: BA GfL (GGL/CCR), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,998
Sep 3, 2018, 10:53 am
#40
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
Speaking of Emirates, here's a view from one of the passengers who recently travelled first class to singapore...https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/emir...-emirates.html
"I booked a ticket to Singapore in first class (round trip.) I wanted to change the travel dates online but the system insisted that I visit the nearest Emirates office. In addition to paying the full price of first class ticket I had to incur additional charges such as parking fees (in Kuwait) and taxi fees (visit the office in Singapore) just to change my travel dates. To add insult to injury the B777-300ER to Singapore had the old ICE (not touch-screen.) On the way back to Dubai in first class I asked for a hot chocolate but it took them some time to prepare it. They blamed the delay on the malfunctioning machine. Furthermore, I had to wait over 20 minutes just to order breakfast. When I asked the cause of the delay they mentioned that it takes time to heat the meal! When I ran back to the galley to ask for sugar for my second hot chocolate I found 5 or 6 cabin crews having a meal and chatting with each other rather than looking after first class passengers."
"I booked a ticket to Singapore in first class (round trip.) I wanted to change the travel dates online but the system insisted that I visit the nearest Emirates office. In addition to paying the full price of first class ticket I had to incur additional charges such as parking fees (in Kuwait) and taxi fees (visit the office in Singapore) just to change my travel dates. To add insult to injury the B777-300ER to Singapore had the old ICE (not touch-screen.) On the way back to Dubai in first class I asked for a hot chocolate but it took them some time to prepare it. They blamed the delay on the malfunctioning machine. Furthermore, I had to wait over 20 minutes just to order breakfast. When I asked the cause of the delay they mentioned that it takes time to heat the meal! When I ran back to the galley to ask for sugar for my second hot chocolate I found 5 or 6 cabin crews having a meal and chatting with each other rather than looking after first class passengers."
Sep 3, 2018, 11:09 am
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,146
We have only flown F once. I have just asked the OH if she would be minded to upgrade a future booking we have from J to F. “Not if it costs money” was the response.
I know it’s unfair to stain BA F on the basis of one experience, but you can see where inconsistency leads in this context.
I know it’s unfair to stain BA F on the basis of one experience, but you can see where inconsistency leads in this context.
Sep 3, 2018, 11:51 am
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,719
Sep 3, 2018, 6:47 pm
#43
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,857
One thing I found strange about BA longhaul F is that if you want a snack midflight, they tell you to go to the snack bar in J. There isn't one for F!
Sep 3, 2018, 11:25 pm
#44
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 474
I got a very welcome op-up from CW to F yesterday on the SYD - SIN BA16. Never look a gift horse in the mouth but the food was a let down from my previous (limited) F experience. The mushroom soup was pretty good but the main course chicken was decidedly average and there is no proper second meal just some sub-par sandwiches. The wine was excellent though and the crew seemed inexperienced but keen.
Sep 3, 2018, 11:36 pm
#45
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
