Taking my first ever trip on CO tommorrow EDI-EWR in Business First (BMI DC Redemption). Looking forward to comparing their service with the competition. (Beds don't really do it for me. Short of a bottle of Scotch and a fistful of valium I just don't sleep on flights) So a really comfy seat is just as good. Will post a report if anyones interested. OH, checked in at 9.05 on the dot this morning and bagged 1a and 1b :-)

CO's 752 BF recliner and AVOD selection is more than adequate for a 7h daylight transatlantic flight. You should have a very pleasant trip. Enjoy!

And plenty of Scotch, should the OP want to nap a bit.

I actually like the seat on the 752, the one-inch thick memory foam topper is very comfy.

+1 always enjoyed my BF flights on the 752!

I've done that EDI-EWR flight a couple of times........always enjoyed and had a nice crew too. Not sure if it is the same group consistently (b/c I didn't pay very close attention), but seemed quite friendly.

I moved over to CO a few months ago, and regularly do the MAN-EWR flight.

Pleasantly surprised, although I usually fly in Y.

I did upgrade to BF once, and it beat the hell out of BA J, apart from the seat.

I arrived at EWR today at midday, and had my luggage at 12:20. No queue at immigration, and baggage waiting on the carousel Other times have taken longer.

Departing from EWR can be a pain, as the 'Elite' line is usually just as long as the normal line. Then again, that just sounds like BA at LHR.

Cheers,
Rick

I've been noticing a lot of good comments about the CO product and service from residents of the UK. Not sure if this means that the CO product is as good as I feel it has been to me OR if BA and Virgin have slipped that far down. I enjoyed my Virgin First Class flight and only ever flew on the BA Concorde.
So is the BF and Y product good or has BA flipped that far?

Well, lets not get crazy. I have flown on the 757 in BF and it was nice, but to compare it to BA business or first... well, CO is not going to be able to touch that. BA has the suites in business and the over the top service and food in first puts any US airline to shame.

I just flew a BF 757 EWR-LHR and really enjoyed the experience. For an East Coast to Britain flight, no it's not a flat seat, but yes, it's a well-designed, electronic recliner, and the service is really very nice, a bit more old school than BA, but in my opinion, neck-and-neck contenders.

I would suspect, as a now nominally lapsed but basically BA flyer, that BF service with the new flat seats is real, serious competition for BA Club World. I don't think the service in Club World is over the top, but appropriate, and I find the portions in Club World meagre (but I don't eat much on planes), much less so CO.

Incidentally, how are Continental's industrial relations, pension schemes, management, and upcoming strike schedules? Oh yeah. That's why I'm on Continental next month.

Quote: Armattheus: I've been noticing a lot of good comments about the CO product and service from residents of the UK. Not sure if this means that the CO product is as good as I feel it has been to me OR if BA and Virgin have slipped that far down. I enjoyed my Virgin First Class flight and only ever flew on the BA Concorde.

CO BF is indeed a very decent product, but hardly comparable to VS F or indeed Concorde (but of course in a very different, and much, much lower fare bracket).

I was only on Concorde once (AF to Dakar ca. 1978, and the service was delightful, but the seats hardly great - comparable to CO Y nowadays!).

VS F I know not (sadly) but my occasional Upper Class experience was very decent, although in VS Y I felt as if on a holiday charter flight, the service being distinctly hit-and-miss.


So is the BF and Y product good or has BA flipped that far?[/QUOTE]

I have not used BA for over 5 years now, their scheduling (lack of UK regional departures above all), high premum cabin ifares, and stingy FF policy being enough to persuade me to switch to Skyteam then *G - this despite probably 2,000,000+ miles on BOAC, BEA & BCAL 1966-2005.

To cut a long story short, CO BF is excellent value for money, with good food, very decent service, and Y is so-so (but acceptable if you can snag an exit row - poor legroom, chargeable drinks, and indifferent food being the downside, but generally good IFE & pleasant service, sometimes exceptionally so).

Oh, and CO cabin crew do not so consistently threaten strike action IME.

GIGFY
Seems we're about on the same page. I wouldn't exactly pair BF with F because it really is more of an upgraded Business Class J hybrid. Unless I'm flying 10+ hours I don't need a suite like the A380, even on a 10+ hour flight on CO 772 to TLV in C I was fine.
The Concorde while quite an experience and a true time saver was a class to it's own. Seats that were more C than Y and def not J but the service was good. I should have clarified that I was inferring that BF was better than BA or Virgin Business class and not quite F.
I remember growing up as a kid watching James Bond fly BA and it seemed so luxurious and now it just seems the standard has slipped with them some.

Eh, so have the Bond films...

It's not a hybrid, other than the name. No need to buy into CO's marketing propaganda.

BF on its merits is an acceptable Business class product. There's nothing First about it, regardless of what they call it.

Very accurate, after so many years with SkyTeam I'd nearly forgotten what international F really was. AF and KE still has it, but with WorldPerks or Skymiles you couldn't book it. I'll look forward to LH F, IF and so far this has been a big IF seats are made available with OnePass Miles.