BA First SFO-LHR
 

BA284 SFO-LHR First Class Trip Report

Note: this is my first official trip report in this forum, so be kind. The trip was an award trip using miles earned from the Chase BA Visa card.

The day started, as most days do, with getting out of bed. But today we had a special sense of anticipation. This was to be our first first, our very first experience traveling in international first class. And we (my two boys and I) were going to be flying on BA, a carrier with a very solid reputation in the first class department.

SFO is one of the routes that sometimes gets old first and sometimes gets new first, and the boys knew that our particular flight had a 70% probability of new first. I used KVS to find the specific plane that was coming from London and then checked it against the list in the BA forum on planes with new-first. And hallelujah, new-first it was to be. This was particularly exciting for the boys because their number one priority is in-flight entertainment and new first has a great screen and AVOD. So they were happy.

The 90 minute drive to San Francisco was easy with very little traffic and we arrived at around 1415 for our 1655 departure. My dilemma was how to best handle the airport arrival since we had six heavy bags and a rental car to return and it was just me and my two sons (ages 12 & 8). The ideal would have been to leave the car at the curb while we checked-in but that is obviously not possible in a post 9/11 age. Also impractical, because of the amount of luggage, was to first drop off the rental car and then try to negotiate the airtrain (or whatever the shuttle is called) with all three of us and the suitcases. That left two possibilities--dropping the boys off at the curb to wait with the luggage while I parked the car (or returned it) or parking the car and then finding smart carts to bring the baggage to the check-in desk and then afterwards returning the car. The twelve year old is very independent, somewhat responsible, and a fairly seasoned traveller and he insisted that he could wait with the luggage if we dropped it off. So that was what we decided to do if we couldn't find a porter to take everything into check-in while we all parked the car. Unfortunately, there were no porters to be had and so we unloaded all the bags and then I asked again--"should I just park and then we can return the car after we check-in or should I return the car now?" Many of you will think I am an irresponsible parent for listening to my kids insist they were fine waiting at the curb with six suitcases for twenty minutes while I returned the car but I think you'll appreciate my twelve-year-old son's reasoning. Number one son said that he didn't want to waste time while I first parked the car and then we returned it together because that would cut into our time using the lounge! He is definitely a budding FlyerTalker. Anyway, Avis was fast and so was the airtrain and I was back in probably 20 minutes and the kids were still there, happily playing DS and watching the suitcases.

I promise I won't be this detailed in everything because much of it has been covered before. But I do want to make a few general comments and then a few weird/specific observations. And share a few impressions from the boys' perspective. And I know I need to include the menu.

First and foremost, I want to say that all of the BA staff we dealt with at every phase of the journey were extremely pleasant and professional. The flight attendants especially stood out but the staff at check-in and in the lounges and with You First were very nice, too. Our flight attendant worked really heard during meals (taking orders, delivering food and drink, urging me to try this or try that) and making up beds. And if the cabin was quiet when people were sleeping (i.e. the FA was not making rounds) I like it that way.

So, check-in was a breeze and fast track security worked nicely and we were soon in the lounge. The first class room at SFO is fairly small and the food seems exactly the same as the biz section. So is there any reason to be in that section, especially when first is full? What most impressed me were the drinks (though I didn't compare them to the biz section). Every bottle was full and most looked unopened. Does BA really set out a full bottle of everything everyday? Or do they just top off things so that it looks nice? Either way it must be a fair bit of work but this attention to detail was impressive. The boys had Sprite and I had juice plus some kind of Pims signature drink.

Boarding was soon called and we turned left at the entrance :-).

Some comments on new first.

• There is a lot of privacy. I had 4E (middle) and the boys had 4A and 3A (windows). 4A and I could see each other but that was it. Unless someone was standing up, you were basically in your own little world. Very very nice for a solo traveler. And I'm sure there are good pairs for couples like row 1.
  http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...4545-4e-3a.jpg
  4E from 3A
  http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...42-seat-4a.jpg
  4A (screen)
  http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...44-seat-4e.jpg
  4E
• The seats feel huge when you are sitting but a bit small when made into a bed. I'm 5'11" and I felt fine on my back, a bit tight on my side and very cramped on my stomach.
• I liked the AVOD. The touch screen is easy to use and responds very well and the screen itself is really good sized.
• The widow blinds are cool and the controls for the seat, lights, etc. are very well designed.
  
  http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...4546-table.jpg
  4A
  http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...ght-detail.jpg
  I really liked the detail of the light
  
• There is no easily reachable storage for things like reading glasses if you are in the middle seats (because your cabinet is way in front of your seat). And there is precious little room for anything next to you. I could fit my bottle of water and my amenity kit and that was it. No place to store your blanket when they make up the bed except under the seat. And overall the cabin feels tight. Meaning that there isn't room in the aisle to wheel a small rollaboard (spinners fit fine). For those of you who have flown first on other airlines, how does BA new first compare? 14 seats seems like a lot; in fact, per SeatGuru for those companies that put first in the nose of a 747 the average seems to be 10-12 and no one does more than BA (though some do the same) and a few have only 8 or 9 like new LH and Cathay. On the other hand, since these were award seats, I think I should be grateful that BA has more seats to sell. I don't suppose it's easy to get three seats on most airlines in first, so having more seats may actually be a good thing.
• Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle champagne is very good.
• The food was really top quality. And presentation was top notch. Everything was delicious and as I mentioned earlier, the FA was more than willing to do a sort of tasting menu. So I had two starters, one main, dessert and cheese. Parenthetically, US Airlines seem to load only a few of each kind of meal and it's a big deal to be able to order first so that you get what you want. The European airlines seem to cater much more fully and you can have two or three appetizers or two mains and you don't have to "wait to see if something is left over." I really think this is a huge difference and it makes the journey much more pleasant. All in all, I think this was definitely one of the best meals I have had on an airline--food, service, wines, choice all excellent.

Here's the dinner menu (sorry I didn't take pictures):
STARTERS

• 12-month-aged Serrano ham with roasted tomato timbale and shallot dressing [excellent].
• Provençale vegetable crisp [excellent].
• Roasted pepper and tomato soup [excellent].
• Fresh salad with your choice of red beet vinaigrette or truffle cream dressing.

MAIN

• Slow-roasted veal loin with trio of vegetables, sauce Perigueux and puree potato [very good].
• Seared Arctic char with spinach, aubergine, forbidden rice and yellow tomato lemon grass sauce.
• Pork belly with creamed celeriac and wild mushroom ragout, napa cabbage and crackling.
• Goat Cheese fritters with mixed greens, chiaogga beets, tomato scampi and striped bass served with creamy tarragon vinaigrette [excellent].

DESSERT

• Buttermilk panna cotta with Sauterne mirror.
• Apple, peach and caramel crumble (good but not great).
• Ice cream sundae.

CHEESE PLATE

• Blue Stilton, Manchego and Rouge Affinee served with crackers and fresh fruit.

The breakfast menu was pretty standard. I had two portions of the fruit plate (watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, blueberries, raspberries and a strawberry--all very fresh and tasty) and the mango mint smoothie. Blackberry bread pudding with orange vanilla sauce, a cheddar omelet with spinach and rosti potatoes and the traditional English breakfast were also available. I misread the menu and thought that the blackberry bread pudding was a blood pudding or I would have tried it.

As mentioned earlier, the champagne was excellent, as were the port (Warre's 1992 Colheita Tawny Port) and the dessert wine. (Beaulieu La Soucherie 2009). I really don't remember which wine I had with dinner (sacrilege, I know) but it was also good.

Transit from T5 to T3 was smooth and we were soon in the lounge. The flight from London to Budapest was good (meal was tea with sandwiches, cake and scones) and the only hiccup of the trip was getting our suitcases last (the handling agent in Budapest regularly ignores priority bags on all airlines) and losing one bag. Again, being able to get help from You First was really nice, because without them I think we would have waited a month for our bag instead of just five days.

And one or two comments on other things.

• The massage chairs in the Elemis spa are great. Especially combined with a facial. But how come the spa in T3 doesn't open until 1 p.m.? It was a rush to fit everything in and we had 3 1/2 hours for transit.
• How come airlines can't get good a/c in their shower rooms? Every lounge shower I've ever used quickly becomes a sauna, even if the shower temp is set very low. Argh!!

Older son's comments [he's 12 and uses the word cool way too much]:
The lounge was cool cuz there were Oreos, granola bars, chips & Sprite. Another cool thing about the lounge was boarding directly onto the plane from there. On board, the screen was big [=excellent] the headphones were good but not as good as the Bose on AA, the food was OK (too fancy and there were too little mashed potatoes and too much meat and veggies) although the soup was excellent. The fight attendant was really nice (asking if we wanted something to drink, making the bed). The little boxes [amenity kits] were cool--Colgate toothpaste, a good toothbrush and a great sleep mask.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...menity-kit.jpg
I didn't like that there wasn't enough counter space for my DS and games.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...7-ds-games.jpg
The universal plug was interesting (only working above 10,000 feet). It was quiet in the front (except for the landing gear going up and down)--much better than economy. The window shades were really cool and all the controls were easy to use; everything was sleek and shiny. In the [T3 Galleries] lounge the shower was nice but the towels smelled funny. The first class lounge was huge and the view of the planes from the restaurant was nice.

Younger son's comments [he's 8]: The tuna fish sandwich in the SFO lounge was delicious. I liked the breakfast but I didn't like anything for dinner except the pasta [from the bistro menu]. The woman serving dinner was very nice. The movie screen was great but the games were boring. The window blinds & seat controls [turning blue or green] were something from future science.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/membe...at-control.jpg

So it seems we all agree that the cabin service was great and the controls for the seat and window blinds are cool.

All in all, it was really a great experience and I'm ecstatic we had the miles thanks to Chase and the BA visa offer.

Lovely report! Thank you for posting and sharing... :)

I am glad you had a good experience onboard one of our aircraft and that the staff you come into contact with were good.

Lucky kids! :D

great report. Glad all had a nice time.

Thanks for your report, it was fun to hear the comments of your children. They should have taken some photos. Sounds like a nice trip.

Great report. It's interesting to hear the kids' perspective on flying in F. Glad you all had fun.

Great report. Loved your son's "cut into our time using the lounge" rationale for the car return. :D

Nice report! Very lucky kids!

I can't wait to fly BA F again!

Thanks for all the kinds words and encouragement. The boys enjoyed contributing to the trip report almost as much as they enjoyed the trip.

Great report. Looks like your sons enjoyed. By the way, I vacationed with my family in Croatia Summer of 2011. What a beautiful country!

Wow! What a fabulous TR!! I'm glad you had a great flight and more enjoyable.

Nice report, but wow... 5 DAYS for a delayed bag?!

The worst thing was not being able to get good information and the online tracking service kept saying "check back later" for a few days in a row. We were on vacation in an area with poor internet so I had to drive to get near the cell tower, sit in the car and then call using Skype. The first time the gal at You First put me on hold to check with the luggage people but I got cut off after ten minutes on hold and couldn't get a good signal again. The next day I got through and gave the person I talked to a list of the contents of the bag. That seemed to do the trick and the next day when I checked online, the bag was listed as found and on it's way.

I think the thing that bothered me most was that I had to do all the work. No one ever called to update me or ask for more info. It was only when I called that things seemed to move. Even after the bag was found, it was only updated online, despite You First having all my contact info; BA lost baggage at Budapest never called at all (they did forward the bag to Croatia where we were on vacation and where we live and that airport knew exactly who I was when I called and they called me as soon as the bag arrived).