Yahtzee

I'd like to take a leisure trip from New York to London at the end of December in first when fares are relatively low.

Primary focus in on the on board and at the airport experience but always need to keep programs in mind.

I'm executive plat on AA (but probably no chance to move above platinum for 2015); 75K on Alaska (could potentially get to MVP Gold for 2016); Gold on Delta (0 miles in 2016); and have no *A program except maybe 600 miles total on SQ.

Here's what I'm seeing on fares:

BA X

Swiss/Lufthansa 1.2X in combination or individually

Air France: 1.6X (maybe new first but maybe A380)

What would you do?

I've never flown BA first but have done the others (except never the Frankfurt first class terminal).

Really don't think AF is worth an extra $2K but uncertain about the rest.

What would you do?

Adam1222

BA. it's direct, has a good F product, is allied with your primary program, and is cheapest. All others will involve a layover and a flight in European business class, Plus take you out of the way. On the NY end, BA has a pretty good lounge, better than AF and the F section of LH lounge is nothing special. You won't get to use the FCT on Lufthansa since you're not originating there. I'd give a slight bonus to the AF and LH First lounges in Europe, but you won't have a ton of time there unless you schedule a long layover.

NewbieRunner

If you fly NYC-FRA on LH in F and FRA-LHR in Business (no F on this route) you can go to the FCT in FRA provided the layover is long enough.

LondonElite

I'm curious why you would even consider spending 1.2x-1.6x for an inconvenient, indirect flight, over a direct service for a 6.5 hour flight??? BA F is not the world's best, but for JFK-LHR pretty much the business.

Gardyloo

I'd actually split it - JFK-LHR on AA for the new 773 suites, then LHR-JFK on BA so you could use the Concorde Room at T5.

Yahtzee

LE -- I won't be in a particular hurry to get there or back so focused on the best experience. If that means an hour in a second flight, that's ok. Plus, I'd bake in long layovers.

As I read Adam1222's post, maybe I'm just looking for assurance that BA first/lounge is not significantly inferior to AF and LH/LX (where I've had very good experiences).

LondonElite

I have not tried the new AF F product, but it appears to be highly regarded. Having sampled both LH and BA F products on many occasions, LH comes out significantly ahead of BA for hard and soft products, on the ground and in the air. The LH FCT at FRA is much much better than the Concorde Room at LHR. In my opinion there's no comparison at all between them. On LH, you never interact with any part of the main airport, or the throngs of people in it. You're driven to the aircraft when the doors are ready to be closed. On BA, you slum it with everyone else before and after the lounge in the same queues and tunnels and escalators. Boarding is often a disorganised scrum.

JDiver

This. Or BA-BA and CCR.

Yahtzee

On this strategy, I could use a SWU and reduce the price by 20%. Need to use the SWU so maybe that's the answer.

Thunderroad

Having also flown both BA F and LH F, I basically agree with this. My only slight caveat is that in transit getting to the LH First Class Terminal in FRA can be a bit of a hassle. Still, if time were not a big factor, I'd pick LH F over BA F for NYC-London.

As for the new AF F, here's a very good and glowing recent trip report by someone who flies a lot of international F, and an interesting ensuing discussion of various F options (though one poster gets unreasonably testy):

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...rst-class.html

LondonElite

Having done the walk, I know. But it's a place to be driven, not walked, to!

EWRMAN

NYC-LON is almost too short to enjoy first. Take LH to Frankfurt.

Or maybe TK to Istanbul

NewbieRunner

If you arrive from the US in Z, go through passport control at the bottom of the escalators and leave the main terminal, the FCT is only 3.5 minutes walk away.

As a transit passenger you can always give a taxi driver a generous tip to be driven there but you'll probably have to walk longer to find a taxi than to get to the FCT on foot.

TK has no F.

flyertalker00156

I would go LX F or AF F.

EWRMAN

Didn't know that. Thx