[Tom Otley]

Yes, that pretty much sums up a lot of what’s on here. But don’t swear.

[Shearer]

Edited. 🙂

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Post of the month NIRscot 😉

[canucklad]

Have only flown on CP first so am not in a position to comment….

What I would say is this….. My expectation would be……

Service, meals, hard product that is at least 3 x better than business class…….having travelled AC Exec class I can’t see any point in them offering a first class service because IMO they couldn’t justify the cost differential against the uplift in service……

Maybe a Rolls Royce from house to plane, avoiding public security and the lounge, arriving with Roller waiting, pre-clearance through Customs and Immigration and then being dropped off at house.

On return trip, same as OB journey but with luggage collected early and laundered!!

[lloydah]

I only fly F about 3 times a year so also perhaps not in a position to make as in depth comments as many other posters but from my perspective the main improvements to F could be at the airport, especially LHR.

Having a dedicated security would be a start, having a concierge take care of you and the luggage from the moment you cross the threshold to the time you leave the arrival airport.

I know some airlines, mainly Far Eastern ones? (not experienced enough for sure here ) already do some of this but it would be nice to know it was going to happen every time on all major routes and on BA as it’s still my carrier of choice to the US.

It would put me in a better mood altogether and maybe, just maybe, alleviate some of the stress caused by things going wrong in the air. (domestically speaking:)

[Chardie]

Have on flown 1st class three times and each time with BA on the LHR-BKK-LHR route. Twice in NF once in OF. Not sure I am in a position to compare.

Everything was very nice, crew vere very friendly and attentive. The Pyjamas are also excellent for lounging around the house in UTH.

Only thing that wasn’t great was a passenger berating the crew in BKK because the magazines weren’t new and didn’t he make the whole cabin know. Second one was someone having a hissy fit because the Champagne hadn’t been cooled. Couldn’t he have just put an ice cube in his glass?

[IanFromHKG]

Ice in champagne, Chardie? Oh dear oh dear oh dear…

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not “precious” about putting ice in still wine, but it really doesn’t work well with the bubbly stuff. And in First Class I really do think the champers should be properly chilled. I am guessing this was pre-take-off? If so, they may not have had time to chill it properly, although one can work wonders with wrapping ice around the neck of the bottle and pouring slowly into a glass which has itself been dipped in ice water for a minute or two

I will be taking my first trip in F for some years (I am not counting domestic US First Class, which isn’t) later this month, in BA NF. I am looking forward to it, so I hope we won’t have too many more posters pouring rain on my parade!! Hahaha

[SimonRowberry]

Tom

Apologies.

Simon

[Tallinnman]

Is there such a thing as a bad First Class ?

Yes – the crew have the biggest ability to make things bad with their attitude.

On 3 flights last year, 2 BA, only 1 sector OF and QR the most disappointing aspect for me is the meal service.

If the staff do not know how to cook meals to order then produce food that cannot be ruined by their actions or provide enough staff and/or training to enable it to work BA.

With QR it seemed that a 40 minute delay at the holding point meant everything food wise was very poor onwards.

Have to say in all cases the staff were excellent in their dealings with me but pity they can’t deal with the onboard meal offerings in a similar vein.

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Hello Simon

I like a man (and a woman) who knows when to apologise 😉 As I am no angel, I spend half my time apologising.

And back on topic – I can’t sleep without eyemasks and for the past 2 nights I have gone to bed with my BA F blackouts. I haven’t slept so well in a long time.

Best regards 

[AllOverTheGaff]

AirBorne – 01/07/2013 14:04 GMT

Hello Airborne

The answer to your question is that I’ve not had a ‘nightmare’ in first, just sub-standard service, food, seating and odour issues.

Nevertheless, given the overt hostility from some of the people on this thread, who seem to have a soft spot for a particular underwhelming airline, I shall merely say that I very much enjoyed Malaysian Airlines A380.

Welcome to the forum……enjoy…….
;-/
Regards.
AOTG.

[AllOverTheGaff]

@pomerol – 01/07/2013 22:24 GMT
I have never travelled First, but have had the pleasure of the first class lounge, I strongly suspect the usual suspects aotg, bigdog, redadair, dos fdos guestposter, and not forgetting openfly, now officially the most unlucky passenger BA has ever had, in the five or so years that I have veiwed this forum, he without doubt has had more problems than anyone else, except of course anyone else that Bassa might put up.

You should relax. If you don’t enjoy some of the frequent first-class travellers opinions on the aforementioned airline, don’t read them.

Attacking contributors on a subject you are entirely ignorant on adds nothing to the thread or forum. It is this lack of civility which has seen the forum deteriorate, not opinions of posters on a particular airline.

AOTG.

[canucklad]

Thinking more about my expectations if I was to invest in a first fare ,then to me the service in “ First” has to be flawless………….

I recall a “Y” flight years ago with Wardair between PIK and YYZ ……

The service was impeccable…..

Drinks served before departure, then in glasses once airborne, then lunch

The lunch was served in courses, in between drinks service, and on crockery with proper cutlery…..finishing with an aperitif!

Very Canadian laid back style, we didn’t even realise by the end of the lunch service we where less than 3 hours out of YYZ…….

Brilliant flight, oh…the aircraft wasn’t fitted with IFE. ….No need!

So to summarise, First class needs to make me feel extra special, exclusive without being patronising….and the Cabin Crew able to adapt to my own individual personality….chat if I’m chatty….leave me alone if i’m a loner….oh and cook from fresh to my specs, not the airlines …..

[millionsofmiles]

Pomerol:
“I have never travelled First, but have had the pleasure of the first class lounge, I strongly suspect the usual suspects aotg, bigdog, redadair, dos fdos guestposter, and not forgetting openfly, now officially the most unlucky passenger BA has ever had, in the five or so years that I have veiwed this forum, he without doubt has had more problems than anyone else, except of course anyone else that Bassa might put up.”

Your statement has the same relevance as the pope writing about sexual activities.

The wording “usual suspects” reminds me of someone else (also a French drin k handle)…as well as the BASSA bashing (which has also no relevance in this thread).

And my few flights in BA F were excellent, but a long time ago….as is the introduction of this F in BA.

[AllOverTheGaff]

canucklad – 02/07/2013 12:40 GMT
So to summarise, First class needs to make me feel extra special, exclusive without being patronising….and the Cabin Crew able to adapt to my own individual personality….chat if I’m chatty….leave me alone if i’m a loner….oh and cook from fresh to my specs, not the airlines …..

Hi canucklad

I think you make a very good point, First Class now is about a lot more than simply a comfy seat, expectations are a lot higher, yet it appears from many of the comments on here that expectations are not being met even in their simplest form at point of service and product delivery. .

I flew Virgin’s Upper Class many times and BA CW, neither of them wow’d me as such, save perhaps my first Virgin flight in the nose of the jumbo – this was GLA – MCO so I didn’t get to try Virgin’s amazing Clubhouse, but the seating, the bar, the IFE and the free flow bubbles made this a flight to remember and I booked Virgin many times on the strength of this. My first true First was completely by accident when I took far too much stuff with me on a GLA – SIN with EK. I had booked business class but on check in was to be relieved of a large sum of my hard earned for packing too much stuff, I enquired about 1st which was only available on my DXB – SIN leg as the plane from GLA at the time only had business. It worked out a net of £200.00 more than paying for excess bags, so it was easy for me to justify and of course gave me the increased bag allowance.

Boarding at DXB I genuinely had no idea what to expect, I’d not seen EKs 1st suites at that point. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement, it was like no other flight I’d ever experienced. And at that point in my life I’d flown well over 100 business class / upper class flights. Put very simply, my expectations were surpassed. I then flew back 1st too, which cost a lot more than the £200 outbound, but I justified it no problemo, having been “wow’d” so considerably.

I’ve since done Qantas, BA, Malaysian in First and the only other one I’ve had ‘wow’ me was MAS earlier this year. For the extra, First should be very special indeed, after all, business class now comes as standard (mainly) with a comfy lie flat, priority boarding, lounge access, cutlery & crockery, IFE and with some, a chauffeur drive at both ends. So for me, and it is my money I am spending, First Class needs to offer me more than this merely to justify the costs.

I think it fair to say that there are airlines which have understood how to please me as a customer in their top cabins and there are airlines which have missed the point. First Class has evolved and moved on, and with many airlines, Business Class has too, interesting that some airlines offer loads of incentive to fly in those cabins, thereby reducing their overall margin per passenger, whilst others continue to make the same sort of margin without making the customer feel special, feel valued and feel justified in spending on the high price tag item that is 1st class.

It is this shift in seating, service, food and lounges which I’ve seen now with Emirates and Malayisan that make me question why I would fly 1st class with BA. I’ve just spent a long weekend with friends who flew for the 1st time with EK from Perth – London on the new Qantas code-share in 1st class. This proud Ozzie told me that whenever he can from now on, he’ll fly EK and that Qantas “has no idea”. He flies around 20 or 30 times a year in 1st class and EK have again nicked that business from a rival airline.

Whilst I might sound like an EK fanboy, this has been not only my experience, but that I’ve heard echoed from friends and clients who have used that particular airline in their first class suites, they have moved the game onwards and it is time some other airlines woke up, caught up or gave up.

Regards.
AOTG.

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