S.R

Curious what others would choose.
Need to go LHR-SAN later this year. Options are the nonstop on the A350 in CW with the Club suites. Never flown them before. Would arrive around 5:30pm
Another option is to go LHR-DFW-SAN, with LHR-DFW in F on the A380. Have not flown a BA A380 so could "check that off my list." But that would mean an 8:30pm arrival into SAN.

If price wasn't a deciding factor, what would you all choose? Is A380 F significantly better than A350 J?

KARFA

Yes definitely the A380 F over the A350 J. No question in my mind. Both hard and soft product are much better, and my view is the A380 has the best F seat out of all the fleet.

camdentown

First in the A380 is very nice. Its also nice in other aircraft. I really value it on the longer west coast USA flights.
However, you are connecting at DFW , so that's a 3 hour flight after your transatlantic . Would be nicer to connect at LAX or SFO and have a much shorter connecting flight.

First IMHO is definitely better than Club (either kind) although others may disagree.

endoman

Yep F is nice on the 380 for sure. But you have a connect at Dallas, did this to SAN not that long ago, it can be a pain, then 3 hours in a normal seat . I prefer the direct for less hassle, unless needing the points etc.

Radiation Station

A350 J club suite isn’t great - the seats are narrow and short, with a small foot box, and the aisles are narrow. Plus the crew like to block off the toilets at the front for the flight and then talk in that area.

The A380 is my favourite aircraft and the BA F seat is very roomy. As long as you don’t mind connecting and taking longer, I would choose A380 F. The only thing that will be better on the A350 J CS is the IFE screen.

dddc

How would you weigh factors like where is it better to clear immigration? What would the connecting DFW - SAN flight be like on (I'm assuming AA "First"). What would happen if the connecting flight left without you? Could you cope with losing your bags?

Would you ignore all these just to travel indirect on an A380 in F? (I probably would!! )

orbitmic

The A380 F is significantly better than the A350 J, but nonstop is significantly better than connecting, the time gain and risk minimisation will be noticeable, clearing customs and immigration significantly better at SAN than DFW, and domestic AA flights no great feat. Personally I would choose the nonstop 350 J any day without hesitation.

corporate-wage-slave

Me too. SAN is a really lovely entry point into the USA, DFW is not. I am also a fan of the A380 but DFW to SAN is a bit of a schlep to my mind. But the A350 is a great aircraft, and SAN a wonderful destination.

KARFA

The A350 is nice, club suite is nice, the service on the A350 not so much. I appreciate the OP is not choosing between J on the A350/777/787, but the A350 is the worst of the three by far due to the poor galley layout - which would probably make me less willing to go with that here.

If direct is preferred, then as noted the answer is clear. If the OP doesn't mind a connection (and I get the impression they may not since they are considering it as an option), and price is similar, and they have a desire to try F, then I would recommend the FDW option.

camdentown

An option well worth considering on the routing LHR-DFW-SAN is to break the trip and stop overnight at DFW (the in airport Hyatt is nice in my experience, other hotels are nearby) and proceed to San the next day..
This allows you to enjoy the First experience to DFW. You'll get a great night's sleep at DFW and then can proceed to the domestic first class on AA the next day. There shouldn't be a fare difference to stop over like this, although you will have to pay for the hotel.
On the return, it's much easier and an overnight isn't needed in my experience. You'll start quite early on the return, due to the timezone difference, so it takes up the daytime.
You do get access to the DFW AA Flagship lounge and Flagship first dining if you are in First , which is good.

Magnus77

Not a fan of the A380 in F or DFW airport. I have found very competitive fares via SEA on the 781 in F. It all depends on how elongated you want to make your day with a connection. I flew to SJC via LAX, enforced by a BA cancellation and that added 4 hours onto an already long day. Really depends on how good the fares are and how much you are prepared to pay.

rockflyertalk

What’s the last part of the trip? DFW to SAN in what? On what? I imagine that could put the memories and joy of the A380 F out of sight quite quickly and disappointment hits!

If it was the last leg then as others have said no questions needed. I haven’t flow F but I’ve flown J on the A380 and it’s a great aircraft, lovely big bathrooms upstairs!

USA_flyer

Really? SAN immigration is very small and can be hit and miss on how quickly they process the flight. I have watched them clear the US citizens line as a priority then visitors, took nearly 2 hours from plane to kerb. Same thing 3 months later and it took 45 minutes. While it's a lovely city, there are, imo, better ports of entry.

That said, I can't compare it to DFW as I haven't been there in neatly 25 years.

jejb

Another thing to bear in mind is you get Flagship First Dining (FFD) at DFW as an F arriving BA passenger. I've done this at JFK before the move to the shared lounges, although I live in a destination without direct BA service, so I have to connect somewhere. You need to show them your arriving BA boarding pass to get the FFD invite. The disadvantage might be that you can guarantee that the BA A380 will be in terminal D (where the flagship lounge is) but the departing SAN flight could be out of any concourse.

S.R

Thanks for the feedback all!
FWIW I'm New York based. This is for the return portion of a Turkey trip, where I need to go straight to SAN for a conference before heading back home to NY.
I will be originating in IST, and already have IST-LHR-SAN booked in J. Outbound is in F for JFK-LHR. Reason for even considering this is I have to make a change to the outbound that is causing a reprice of the itinerary, making the F connection on return not much more expensive. Have flown BA F before, just never been on their A380 (but no stranger to EK A380s, love em!). And immigration is a moot point since I have Global Entry, so any US point of entry is pretty much the same for me.

I guess it comes down to whether I value F enough to take on an extra connection followed by a domestic AA first flight LOL
The one point I hadn't considered is lost luggage. If I remember correctly BA had quite a baggage meltdown last summer. I will be checking a bag and would be pretty SOL if it got lost, as I have meetings the day after I land in SAN. Not sure how much of an effect the additional connection in DFW will have on luggage. As long as it makes it on the DFW flight I'll be good!