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BA First class review
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How to get 2 First class BA flights for £110 & British Airways First Class B777 review

  • 14/01/2017
  • Michele

This review is of the return flight on British Airways First Class from Moscow to London Heathrow. Thanks to my roving reporter for this report.

BA first classHow to get 2 return First class flights for £110

This route is one of the cheapest ways to experience First Class, although obviously you don’t get as long to enjoy it as the flight is only 4 hours long. The flight was paid for using Avios and a British Airways Amex 2 for 1 voucher so the total cost was 68,000 Avios  and £110 tax for 2 people. To get a 2 for 1 voucher you will need to get a BA Amex card. They do 2 versions – a free one where you have to spend an eye watering £20,000 a year to get the voucher or a paid version for £195 where you have to spend £10,000 to get the voucher. Remember you can get a companion card on the same account for your partner or spouse to help meet the target.*

The First Experience at Heathrow

If you go First both ways you will of course get to enjoy the Concorde lounge at Heathrow as well. You will also get access to the Elemis Spa treatments and unlike Club passengers, can book a treatment 28 days in advance. They have a range of 15 minute treatments including facials and massages.

We had lovely treatment from staff in the Concorde Room. Whilst there I had an early light breakfast washed down by a glass of the Gran Siecle (delicious as always) and a tasting of BA’s new bespoke gin (which was not to my taste).

BA First wing
BA First wing

British Airways’ First and Gold Executive Club customers travelling from Heathrow will soon have access to a new ‘First Wing’, creating a dedicated walkway from check-in to the lounges in Terminal 5. The First Wing, is set to open in April 2017 next to the BA First check-in area. It will create a private check-in zone where customers will use two new dedicated security lanes and then enter into the First Class lounge. This should allow you to get into the lounge much quicker than at present.

The on board experience

The flight was on the 4 class BA B777-200 which has 14 first class seats on the 4 class version with a 78 inch pitch and 22 inch wide. The configuration is 1-2-1 with the seats in the middle offering a privacy screen if you are travelling solo. I chose a window seat. On the B777 the toilets are at the front so if you are not bothered about having row 1, rows 2 and 3 are probably the best bets being the quietest away from both the galley and the toilet.

The First suite offers a number of features:

  •  Seat turns into a 198cm (6ft 6in) fully flat bed with quilted mattress, white cotton duvet and pillowBA wqashbag
  • First branded cotton pyjamas
  • Aromatherapy Associates (women) & Refinery (men) amenity kits. Liberty designed bags coming Spring 2017.
  • Personal power supply for laptops and electronic devices
  • 15in IFE screen and noise-cancelling headphones
  • a USB port and RCA jack for using your laptop, iPod or digital camera on the bigger screen
  • A double window blind controlled with a button

The crew on this flight were excellent from start to finish. Friendly, professional and efficient and most importantly my glass was never empty! We had to wait on the ground for quite a while whilst we were de-iced and my Champagne was constantly topped up the entire time. It is unfortunate that this level of service is not consistent with BA First class as I have had a bad experience in First previously with rude and unprofessional crew.

I started with a glass of the excellent Laurent-Perrier Gran Siecle Champagne which retails at over £100 a bottle. This was accompanied with warm nuts and bottled water was also given out.

Dinner was served on this evening flight and there was a good choice on the menu:

Starters

BA first B777 review

 

 

 

 

I went for the smoked salmon and also the borscht soup. Both were excellent but we had one major problem with the borscht. My travelling companion is vegetarian and had started eating the soup before we discovered bits of meat in it. There was no mention of this on the menu but the crew were very apologetic. I accompanied the salmon with a glass of the Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent 2013 La Chablisienne.

The meaty borscht!

Main course:
BA First B777 review

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was nice to see Lamb on the menu as beef is all too often featured on BA and is rarely that great unless you like it well done.  The lamb was also delicious. I didn’t fancy the red wine so I switched to Bodega Garzon Albarino from Uruguay which was a bold choice for BA given that the wines of Uruguay are relatively unknown to most people.

Dessert:
BA First class

For dessert I had the pistachio sponge accompanied by a glass of KWV The Mentors Late Harvest 2015 from South Africa. This was made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes so was an excellent accompaniment to the sour cherries.BA first class review B777

In summary this was an excellent and enjoyable First experience if a little short and at a bargain price too!

 

Disclaimer: Turning left for less is a journalistic website. Nothing here should be construed as financial advice, and it is your own responsibility to ensure that any product is right for your circumstances. Reviews are based primarily on the ability to earn miles and points and do not consider interest rates, service levels or any impact on your credit history.

 

 

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6 comments
  1. Ian smith says:
    02/06/2017 at 8:56 pm

    Looks and sounds like a lovely trip, just a shame that the service you received is not too disimilar to what I can experience in Business Class on Qatar. Sadly BA has not re-invested heavly in its Business product, hence the continual demise of this once great flag ship airline. In today’s world gone are the days of just Business people travelling in Business. Today I am afraid that many more than enough people also have enough disposable savings to enjoy the luxuries of Business travel. Sadly BA philosophical ideological thinking that all people just want a flat bed is far removed from the market that now exists in 2017. I also fly BC a lot and the amount of actual Business travellers on long haul currently is a minimal amount to those flying for leisure.

    1. Michele says:
      02/06/2017 at 9:02 pm

      Totally agree Ian. There is a saying that BA First class is the best business class in the world. Unfortunately with Qatar’s Qsuite not even that will be true! That being said BA first class is a very pleasant experience and definitely better than Club which as you say is lagging behind most other carriers. BA do need to recognise that premium leisure travellers are a growth sector as many companies refuse to pay for premium cabins any more for business travelers. They are of course due to introduce new Club seats in 2019 but it will be too late by then. Love Qatar and think they have a great product with the seat, service and food.

  2. Ian Smith says:
    03/06/2017 at 9:37 pm

    We are certainly on the same wave length and probably between us can turn BA into many ships of many stars. The growth market is certainly the leisure class market rather than the Business Class Market. During the classic period from 1980-2000 a lot of people made a Lot of money and many individuals do have some spare spondoolies to spend unless their kids get their hands on the wonga first. The next 10 years BA with the right strategic Premium Leisure Traveller approach can win over the current Middle East Business Class junkies whose current drive is based on the hospitality offerered with a lie flat seat in the mix. P.S Cost minimal, just stick a few peanuts in a small three compartment hors d’oeuvres add anchovies olives and a small piece of chèvre and you have won over a hatful of customers already. Secondly add a Homer style plate that he turns on his Qatar videos we are all ready on our way to stealing the Crown Jewels from underneath the leading airlines noses. The model Leisue Executive Class in 2019 needs to allocate a balance between
    the not so cost effective model of Qatar and the unpopular current BA model.

    1. Michele says:
      03/06/2017 at 9:43 pm

      Ian, I have often said that there are a lot of small things that BA could do that don’t cost much as you have suggested. Consistency of service is another which BA still haven’t tackled. I have only ever had one bad crew member on Qatar and not heard of any others. BA I have had some shocking crews and some great ones. Hopefully someone at BA will see the light and stop relying solely on corporate contracts to fill their aircraft. Finnair is another example of a company focusing on premium leisure travel and doing it better than BA.

  3. Greg says:
    12/10/2018 at 2:40 pm

    Do BA still operate this first class service to Moscow and if so, on what days. I can’t seem to find a flight at all 1st Class ?

    1. Michele says:
      12/10/2018 at 8:27 pm

      They recently changed the aircraft type for the winter and I think it is not operating with First at the moment but it could return.

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