FlyerTalk Forums - RTW One World First Review.

Hi Folks

Just got back from a quick RTW tour with One World in First Class—thought I’d give a quick flight review for those interested:

1. YVR-DUB (VIA LHR) BA First

Check-in was very smooth and quick for this flight, but not very helpful. I got my airport tax, and proceeded through security and on to the BA Lounge. My first time here, it was a major disappointment: very small, cramped and boring. There was one TV, a few newspapers, and that’s about it. Not much to do, and very cramped as every biz and first passenger on the 747 was in the small lounge.

Boarding was a mess, as there wasn’t a separate line for premium passengers. Once on board though, it’s a separate matter. BA offers an excellent First Class product, and it shows. I was immediately taken to my seat by the purser, helped with cabin luggage, given a glass of champagne, my amenity kit, sleeper suit and a comment card.

The seat was very narrow, not much space to move around. Even in the flat bed position, it was very hard to move around in. You basically get stuck in one position. The First seats on Cathay and United are much better when it comes to more personal space.

The service was of course excellent and discreet. My glass of merlot was constantly topped up without being asked, the meal service was perfect, (although the quality of the food was so-so).

I got a few hours sleep and arrived very refreshed. All in all, a good flight. There was a short layover, and it took almost an hour to get to the next terminal at Heathrow (a nightmare). But the BA flight was short (40 mins) to Dublin and uneventful.

2. DUB-AMS EI Business

Dublin airport is always a mess. Check-in is always a pain, and nothing ever makes sense here. Also, I had no idea Aer Lingus had become a budget airline. Sad, their transatlantic service used to be pretty good at one time.

Regardless, this was my first time flying biz class within Europe. My expectations were basically that these would be the same as short haul domestic flights in the US or Canada.

Far from it. The seats are almost exactly the same as economy, with barely any space to move around. They are almost always in a 2x3 configuration in biz. However, what is interesting in Europe is that regardless of how long or short the flight is, you pretty much always get a full meal on the flight. So, for this one hour flight, we got a 3 course lunch. FA’s worked quickly, efficiently and were very friendly. Of course, if you were in economy, you had to pay $1 for a can of coke.

Quick flight, good service, good meal, but horrible seats.

3. AMS-FRA (VIA LHR) BA Club Europe

Because I purchased the one world RTW fare, I had to use BA to AMS to LHR, and then LHR to FRA. Kind of stupid, but that’s how it works. BA’s Club Europe, is almost exactly like EI. Small, cramped seats in a 2x3 configuration, not much room to move around, not much recline.

But then again, these are short flights usually under an hour. Again, full meal service on both flights, which was impressive, and good wine selection.

The lounge in London was fantastic compared to some of the domestic US lounges I’ve used. The lounge was large, very spacious, equipped with multiple TVs, computers, library, 2 bars, a coffee station, a sandwich stall…very good. So when my connecting flight to FRA was delayed by 45 mins, I didn’t mind too much.

4. FRA-DEL (VIA LHR) BA First

This flight was actually in two portions. BA flies to Delhi at 9:50 in the morning, so if I flew the same day from FRA, I’d have to be at the airport at 6am. So I decided to fly to LHR a day earlier as my business was complete in FRA, and stayed at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel.

The next day, went to check out downstairs and found out the Heathrow Hotel Hoppa bus doesn’t go to Terminal 4. So I quickly called BA, and as I was traveling first class, they sent a limo within 5 minutes to pick me up. Nice touch.

Check in was very quick, in a separate area of the airport, but the clerks were cold-hearted at best. No smile, no humor, nothing. No directions to the lounge. I wasn’t very impressed.

After going through security, I made my way to the lounge. Entering the first class lounge, I was told that since I was flying First, I may want to use the Concorde room instead. I decided to do this, and was by no means disappointed.

The Concorde room itself isn’t very big, but then it doesn’t need to be as there aren’t very many F class fliers. Very well decorated with all the standard amenities, (TV, Computers, newspapers, magazines, etc.). There was also a sandwich bar, drinks bar, and a quite library. Excellent service within the lounge—you felt like you were sitting in a five star restaurant.

Flight was again delayed, but I finally made my way to the gate. Again, no separate check in for F or J class—just a very long line full of crying kids, and pushy old ladies.

Once on board, I was again led to my seat, and settled in with a glass of champagne. Only 3 people in the whole cabin, very quiet. Again, the seat isn’t the greatest, but it’s a hell of a lot better than economy.

After a quick loading we took off for the 8 hour flight. Pleasant meals, fantastic service. Extremely turbulent flight—I wonder why the Pilot never went above 33,000 feet. Maybe it was even more turbulent up there.

My only complaint is that BA didn’t carry any duvets or sleeper suits for the flight. The flight from YVR to LHR was only an hour longer, but it provided these things, only because it was a night flight. I think they should have been made available, so that those of us who wanted to rest could do so.

I also much prefer Cathay’s In-flight entertainment system to BA’s. More choices, and better choices on their CX Studio.

Another complaint was that BA ground staff in LHR forgot to load landing cards for Indian immigration for non-Indians. This was so problematic, that when we arrived in Delhi, Indian immigration made all foreigners wait an extra hour until all Indian nationals had been processed. Only then, were we allowed to go through. Despite repeated attempts by us passengers, BA made no effort to help the First or Business Class passengers get some priority treatment.

Luggage arrival was the best I’ve ever seen. When we got to the luggage belts, a BA rep came over to me, called me by name, and led me to my luggage which was waiting on the side. Everyone else’s luggage was coming off the belts. Very impressive.

Other than that, the flight itself was fine, but not as good as the yvr-lhr leg.

5. DEL-BKK Thai Business (Only non one-world portion)

My original flight plans called for me to go from DEL to HKG on Cathay. But a last minute meeting, caused me to change my plans, so that I had to buy a one way ticket to BKK on Thai.

This was my first time flying Business on Thai, as they don’t have a First class on short haul flights. Since the flight left at midnight, and was only three hours long, there wasn’t much to do other than sleep.

The seats were rather tight and uncomfortable (very narrow), and the food was horrible. The choice of wines was somewhat lacking with only one merlot for a red wine, and a chardonnay for a white. Both wineries I had never heard of.
I don’t think I would ever fly Thai in premium class again, really not worth it.

6. BKK-HKG Cathay Business

Check-in at Bkk was relatively smooth, and the agents were courteous. After going through security, I choose not to go in the Cathay lounge. Instead, I opted for a traditional Thai massage for 30 minutes at one of the kiosks. After 2 weeks of business travel, I needed this. Absolutely fantastic!

I proceeded to the gate, and they promptly boarded the premium class passengers first. This was a 777-200 with the old business class seats. The seats themselves are comfortable enough in the 2x3x2 configuration. They are very wide, good pitch and recline. The footrests are not bad. The only problem is that when the passenger in front of you has fully reclined, you have NO legroom at all. And it is almost impossible for you to get out of your seat if you need to do so. They only way to be comfortable then, is for you to recline your seat all the way back also.

Other than that, the service was excellent, very helpful, always smiling. There was a gorgeous East Indian FA, who was very delightful and always helpful. I kept wanting to ring the call button over and over just to get a glimpse of her. LOL

Seriously though, the service was fantastic, no doubts as to why Cathay is consistently ranked top in the international airline awards. After such a wonderful flight, I was seriously looking forward to my last leg on Cathay’s First class.

7. HKG-YVR Cathay First

I arrived at the airport 2.5 hours early. Check-in was very slow, very unexpected. Although Cathay has a separate check-in are for First class passengers, there was only one person on duty, and there were two people ahead of me. Even though the biz class check in agents were free, they weren’t taking the first class passengers…very annoying.

After going through security, I proceeded to the First Class Lounge. I have used this lounge in the business class section many times, and didn’t find the first class area that much different. Yes, there was a “mini-restaurant” with a small self-service buffet. They also had some private rooms, but nothing very impressive. I found the décor and service at BA’s Concorde room far superior.
The waiters in the restaurant were also rather aloof.

Cathay thankfully did have a more organized boarding procedure than BA, and checked in the premium passengers in a separate line. After being led to my seat, I was offered yet another glass of champagne.

The First Suites on Cathay are not angled like those on BA, United and others. The seats are straight forward, rather than angled towards the windows. I find this gives more room to move around both within the suite and in the aisles. However, it just feels awkward; not to mention that the view from the window isn’t as good.

However, there is no doubt the seat is very comfortable and well thought out. Much easier to get in and out of than BA or United, and much softer seats. The pillows suck—and that’s putting it mildly. But the duvets and blankets are very comfortable.

When it came to sleeper suits, they for some reason only had one large size, and the rest medium. So almost everyone in first class was wearing tight suits, but no big deal.

The service was excellent, very attentive, very warm, and seemed almost genuine. The food wasn’t bad, the wine selection excellent. Every request was complied with, with a large warm smile. Even the smallest detail was looked after. For example, after the FA gave me a hangar to put my clothes on when I was ready to change into my sleeper suit, she made sure to walk with me to the washroom, and open the door for me so I wouldn’t have a problem. Small detail, but very good.

The flight again was very bumpy, not Cathay’s fault, but very comfortable. I managed to sleep for a few hours and get in a couple of movies. I arrived very refreshed and relaxed.

Luggage at YVR was another issue. It took almost 45 mins for the bags to come out, but when they did, mine were first.

An excellent flight, great service…I will definitely fly Cathay’s First again, whenever I get a chance.

ALL in all a good trip, but just not enough time. I did the whole thing in less than two weeks, and my body knows it. I’ve done RTW trips before but only with Star Alliance and KLM alliance. This One world trip was by far the best, most amazing. I can’t wait until my next one.

Sorry this was so long.