hughw said:

"Hey, give me a limosine on both ends, a massage in flight, full flat sleeper seats, an on-board lounge"

Actually, VS provides ALL THAT on it's Biz Class product accross the pond. So, it is "getting real" to ask for that.

I have found international BF on Co to be very consistent and have been very pleased with it over AA or NW. To HNL I think Co is so much better than any other.
Took VS Premium ecomony and found the upstairs seats which were only 2 per side and service were great. Almost as good as CO BF and much better than AA Business. The PE seats downstairs were more like coach with a little more leg room with 3 across.
What I would really like is a choice of a daytime flight to Europe on CO. Both VS and BA offer this and it is great.

CO once offered a daytime flight EWR to LGW, but the load factor was low. Plus it ties up a second aircraft, since you can't turn it around at midnight with arrival at 3am.

I know opinions are like noses...everyone has one, but I flew Virgin in April and there was only one plane (not mine) that had the flat beds, service was mediocre and food was awful. I was surprised to finding myself preferring CO's BF, but prefer it I did.

I just flew CO in BF award tickets from EWR-IAH-GIG, then GRU-EWR. Got the tickets through DL Skymiles (I guess I'm lucky?). Anyways, I thought the BF service was quite good both ways. The FAs were quite attentive, especially on the return flight when they came through the cabin a few times in the middle of the flight. They were very friendly, and the only thing that wasnt great were the seats, as people have complained about before. So, I wouldn't regret the decision to fly CO in BF, I think it is a pleasant experience.

As a sidenote, although the OP is flying to GIG, in GRU CO is using the Air France lounge. This lounge is really not very big at all, and with two CO flights (IAH/EWR), an AF flight to CDG, and a DL flight to ATL (which also uses the AF lounge, I believe), the place was overflowing with people since all of these flights leave 9:30/10 PM. I was fortunate to get a seat in there... and I'm not sure if she was trying to make some space, but the AF agent urged me to get to the gate as soon as my flight began bording.

Maybe a Brazilian thing. I had the very same thing happening at the GIG lounge which was at that time not full at all. The gate agent came to me for a boarding call. I am not that kind of a person that starts to panic at boarding call, so I waited for a while. The agent came back (after 5 minutes) to me and explained that I should not be reflecting on the others in the lounge since they would not on my flight. I explained that I new that, but just did not want to join the boarding area zoo already. He was puzzled to say the least.

CO probably has the best business class service for the US airlines. I have flown all of the others, and they just do not compare.

But the best business class in the industry is still Singapore Airlines. The hospitality, service and food make all the difference in the world. Not to mention the interiors are nicer.

Just my two cents.

The Good:
Food quality and quantity
Seats (2-2-2 in a 777, vs 2-3-2 for many others)
Inflight Enteratinment
767's are nice planes, quiet and smooth
Wifi in the PC's
Partial participation in Amex Platinum companion ticket program
BF pillows
New 777 seats

The Bad:
New seats not in all aircraft
Service from most old FA's (go ahead flame me, but it's true)
No personal airflow "eyeballs"
IAH
No inflight Wifi
Phones no longer take ATT cards
Only-partial participation in Amex Platinum companion ticket program

The Ugly:
EWR
EWR ground staff
EWR based FA's
The price...usually much higher than others, KLM, etc.
Award availability
BF/Elite priority boarding fiasco
Priority baggage handling joke
Greg Brenneman left for Delta

I agree with the baggage handling joke - priority for BF. Doesn't seem to make a difference in EWR.

Last flight from GRU to EWR then connecting, my priority tagged bag was one of the last few off. I even had a BF conceirge with me to rush me through to make my connection, due to a 20 minute late arrival. Took 25 minutes for me to get my bag (once they started). The result - I missed my connection - since the connection departed early - even though a BF conceirge called to the gate and ran with me to the gate.

Missing the connection resulted in a two hour delay, then that flight sat on the ground in EWR - fully loaded with passengers for 3.5 hours before taking off, then arriving in DCA, over 3 hours late.