Seat is not lie-flat but quite comfortable...also CO always prices the product very competitively...unless you're paying full retail (which is rarely necessary) it's one of the best values going in international J...

I agree on all counts and think BF is a really good product, especially for how the lower fare classes are priced. And, from a financial standpoint, that strategy seems to be working for CO.

Nonetheless, I still think BF falls into the category of second-rate when compared with international carriers, and even some of CO's Skyteam partners. Of course, that does not mean that it is not a good product; it is just last-generation.

I find all the BF seats to be comfortable, but they are still last-generation. And, the fact that only four of their current widebody aircraft have AVOD is borderline unacceptable. DL (on almost all flights), NW, AF (on most flights), and KE (on almost all their ICN-US flights) have AVOD in J on their widebodies. In my opinion, CO really stands out with its BF food and service, along with the feeling of "familiarity" if you are a CO elite and flying on your main carrier. For example, I really enjoy the service from a tray as opposed to a cart, as well as the cheese selection and choice of four entrees. But, even the service can be spotty at times and the food catered at many outstations (especially in South America) is not as good as the food ex-USA. That would be true for other airlines, as well, so I suppose those facts should not weigh as heavily into the analysis.

Agreed on the glacial pace of adding AVOD...although the AVOD they have is truly spectacular...for someone who works in the film business like me I was very pleasantly surprised to see that they have included a very sophisticated compilation of some of the greatest classic films of all time.

As far as the product being behind, of course this is right, with the only caveat being that some of the latest generation products on other carriers may be new but, in my opinion, not actually as comfortable as BF, even if they feature lie-flat and some of the other latest gizmos..

Yes, I have to agree. One example is AF. Their new (have not experienced the "new new" seats that are closer to truly flat) business class product generally is outstanding. I find the seats to be more comfortable than any CO BF seat because they have a good "firmness-softness" balance, excellent lumbar support, 60" pitch with hard-shell seats and no one reclining into you, good width (21.5"), a massage feature, and most importantly, can be reclined into a hybrid cradle position that allows the seatback to go nearly flat, but with the legrest lifted much higher than in the sleep position, thereby eliminating the sliding effect. The CO 777 seat is not as versatile - you either have to sleep in the full cradle position or full sleep position - there is no happy medium. In addition, their AVOD system is very good (still no EK, of course).

Nonetheless, there are aspects to AF's business class product that are not as good as BF. First, the seating is 2-3-2, and which results in more passengers than in BF (the AF 773 has 68 J seats), less personalized attention by the FA's, and if the cabin is full, a feel that you are almost in some sort of premium economy cabin due to the number of passengers. Also, AF does meal service from a cart and the FA's totally disappear between the service runs - they expect you to serve yourself from the (admittedly nice) bars they set up in the J galleys. Recently, I found myself on an AF flight in a very comfortable seat, enjoying the AVOD, good food and great (by airline standards) wine, but really missing the service on CO.

I am not a CO elite (at least no longer).

As a native French speaker I have always liked flying AF, but I do not like 2-3-2 seating. Also, you will never find anything approaching an R fare on AF J.