ardbeg

I flew on G-STBB in seat 1K recently and was quite shocked by the state of the seat - the area around the screen was dirty, the storage area by the seat for hanging clothes had the lining hanging off and a hole in the side wall, the floor area around 1K and 1F was filthy on boarding, seats really scratched with red wine stains on the walls, etc. Is this the norm for BA first these days? I've been on 8F 777s lately which were OK, but 789s seems to be tatty too.

In comparison, Virgin 789s and 350s, which I know are newer, have been spotless and well maintained in both premium and upper class on recent flights. The same for a Delta 767 Delta One seat - it was spotless.

It's hard to see how BA can call this first class when the competition seem to be able to offer better in premium and business.

Is my experience usual? Am I being too harsh on BA? I can't really see any justification for keeping flying with BA even with Gold benefits.

jamestg

I think it’s justified. I was on G-STBB a few weeks ago, all but one WTP seat on a single row couldn’t recline…

Had the flight have been busy I’d have gone ape sh*t

bmiStar

Shame on you for noticing, you are supposed to be a loyal customer who accepts sub standard service. That used to be me, no more.

EuropeanPete

My last First class seat on a 787 had the seat lighting attached my duct tape.

Magnus77

Flew on STBI to Boston, was pretty tatty and dirty. Commented to the inflight lead about the state of the cabin. Until they get updated with 8 first seats most of the 14 seaters are going to be in a poor state.

HFHFFlyer

I flew on a nearly new 77W in F last week. I don’t think the plane is even two years old and yet:

- footrest fabric badly torn

- badly chipped dining table

- USB sockets worked but power socket next to it did not

- overhead light would not switch off

- dust embedded in the leather edgings

- inoperative reading light

- blind that could be heard from the back row of Y as I lowered it

- door handle semi detached

The good news is that the seat fully reclined this time, which is a step up from two of my previous four trips……

golfmad

I blame the passengers.

mikeyfly

Very true, get rid of those pesky passengers and the first cabins will be empty and immaculate….

darthlemsip

On one of the 772’s recently (G-VIIE) , I sat down in 1A and bits started falling off like I was in a clown car. 1K was empty and I shifted over.


On 77W, G-STBE (maybe it’s the ones that end with E?), none of the latches for anything would stay closed in 3A, fabric was torn and hanging off and the lights had a mind of their own. That one, at least, is getting F suites soon

Betteronacamel

Nothing new here I'm afraid. My last F (14F 777) flight on BA just before Covid etc and the seat looked really dirty, covered in fluff, lifejacket cover hanging off, inoperative light etc.
Back in those days BA was firmly in the clutches of Alex Cruz and 'cost cutting is in their DNA' so we just sucked it up (as usual).

Prior to that several flights on the 789 - virtual box fresh back then - and the lights were hanging off on wires, the leather trim was under pressure, and the IFE handset cord was frayed.

I guess that cabin cleanliness and appearance just ranks low for BA. It's a cost so just another thing where bare minimums seem acceptable to BA.

There might be another excuse such as on-going difficulty in getting enough airside passes for cleaners, but I suspect - given that pre-Covid BA's standards had fallen to pretty awful anyway - it's probably more a case of 'cleaning cabins is not in their DNA'.

becks1

Yes, my last F flight with BA was similar with torn footrest fabric, lots of marks on the hard surfaces, inoperable reading light and when I used the seat recline, the recline function only worked half the time. Just wait 30 seconds, try again, and it groans into motion.

That being said, I had D1 on a Delta 767 last month where the seat and table were filthy, the bed is very uncomfortable, crew were rude and/or absent. Returned on A350 and it was immaculate new plane and excellent crew, so Delta isn’t consistent either.

Greenpen

The problem is that a TV programme a few years ago showed the B747 being taken out of service as there was a water smear and scratch on the F table. Of course that’s what should happen so the F passenger experience is not comprised. However, today the company’s mission is money saving so the overwhelming protests of the crew of having to deal with demanding F passengers, who require the best, are simply over-ruled.

Result: fly JL, CX, QR or FR.

South London Bon Viveur

Serious question. What (if anything) do other airlines do differently? Do they undertake routine internal freshening up more regularly? How are things like frayed upholstery and bits falling off fixed on BA? Ad hoc, or only as part of a scheduled general check/ refurb?

wutlol

I was on G-XLEB from LHR to DFW on the 9th and 1A was in great shape. I was actually kind of surprised. Didn’t notice any maintenance issues and had a wonderful crew.

AADFW

Question for you all based on this thread. If you had a trip scheduled for this year and had a choice between F on a BA A380 or F on an AA 777-300ER with exactly the same airfare either way, which product would you choose?