First time First Class

[craven morehead]

Hi all,

Have just flown NAR to LHR with BA in first class. Very indulgent! I would have to say however it is hard to justify the difference in cost between business and first. The BA 747's first class cabin on this particular flight would appear to be dated and requiring upgrade. Has any one else experienced this or would it be a one off? Never the less a great way to get around the world.

Regards CM

 

[simongr]

I flew F on BA on the 747 and 777 in August. Somewhat dated but no major difference to QF. I have yet to fly a "new" F seat (SQ/CX being the newest examples that spring to mind).

True - very indulgent and I look forward to when I can regularly afford it

 

[Flying Fox]

I agree. The few times I have flown F were awesome but the jump from J-F isn't as large as Y-J.

I would be happy in J for the rest of my life...... please Santa can I have that for Xmas this year?

 

[sunfan]

I have just flown BA and QF first class in Sept, there is not a lot of differnce like you said. Last year I flew HKG to NRT CX First and was lucky enough to be on the "new" first class product onboard their 747. It was very impressive, it is like a smaller version of the the SX first class suite without a door, still very spacious with your own individual cabin baggage space, no need for overhead cabin baggage storage. Huge seat and huge TV.

 

[medhead]

I have just flown BA and QF first class in Sept, there is not a lot of differnce like you said. Last year I flew HKG to NRT CX First and was lucky enough to be on the "new" first class product onboard their 747. It was very impressive, it is like a smaller version of the the SX first class suite without a door, still very spacious with your own individual cabin baggage space, no need for overhead cabin baggage storage. Huge seat and huge TV.

Well I've never flown F so I'm rather jealous.

However, this new F class product has had me pondering. Especially all this talk of suites, privacy and huge seats. Hypothetically, if I booked 2 F seats for the adults and 2 Y for the young children (<10 years). Would the F seats be comfortable with an adult and child sharing? Of course, with everyone occupying correct seating during takeoff and landing.

Maybe more the question, would the children be able to get past the F bouncer after take off? Provided the kids were quiet, the privacy suggests no one else would be disturbed.

Sorry if this is a stupid idea - just it's about my only option to fly F, besides lotto.

 

[NYCguy]

Maybe more the question, would the children be able to get past the F bouncer after take off? Provided the kids were quiet, the privacy suggests no one else would be disturbed.

Methinks they might object.

Leave the kids in Y with your Nanny and your Assistant.

 

[medhead]

Methinks they might object.

Leave the kids in Y with your Nanny and your Assistant.

Yes, I thought the Door (female dog) would be a problem.

I guess it'll be totally variable depending on the sneaky factor and probably more likely to work on those F cabin that have suites with doors. It also academically interesting to me to wonder how they'd handle telling a F customer "no your family can't visit you" (politely?)

Still I can ponder and dream in private.

 

[sunfan]

The flight I took from LHR to HKG is with BA First. On the same flight a family of five....two adults and three kids aged from 1 to 7 were in First Class. The father and mother each sleep with an infant and the 7 yo had a seat on his own. To their credit, the parents kept the kids under control and they behaved very well.

 

[NYCguy]

My nephews fly all over the world in First, and are seasoned and impeccably behaved travelers. Kids like this cause no problem. Indeed, even kids who are a little noisy, I can deal with. Parents traveling in F and bringing the kids up from Y, I would be unhappy with.

 

[Skyring]

I got an upgrade to F from J last April on AA71 FRA-DFW. Nice long sector on a B777 so it was a pleasure to accept the freebie. I thanked the chap at the AC desk who paged me with the good news, "You've got the best job in the world: making people happy!"

I also inadvertently flew F on a couple of AA domestic legs. No, not the 2-class F that's really J, but an F seat in a 3-class plane, through equipment changes. The AA F has a lot of space, turning into a small office, but seems a bit fiddly with the personal video players rather than a proper AVOD screen. It was very nice, but perhaps the best part were the dedicated F FAs, dear old ducks who knew their job backwards.

Agree that it's not as big a jump J-F as Y-J. J is the way flying should be. F is indulgence.

 

[simongr]

Maybe more the question, would the children be able to get past the F bouncer after take off? Provided the kids were quiet, the privacy suggests no one else would be disturbed.

A better option might be 4 J seats - probably the same price and more SCs for the kids

 

[medhead]

My nephews fly all over the world in First, and are seasoned and impeccably behaved travelers. Kids like this cause no problem. Indeed, even kids who are a little noisy, I can deal with. Parents traveling in F and bringing the kids up from Y, I would be unhappy with.

I guess my question is whether you would even know with these new F class cabins given the suggested (by airlines) level of privacy. However, I can assure you that my kids are seasoned and well behaved travellers. Otherwise, I would never have even considered such a hair brained scheme.

However, Simongr has hit the nail on the head. Especially, as I want to get them at least LTPS by the time they're 18, whether they like it or not.

A better option might be 4 J seats - probably the same price and more SCs for the kids

 

[anat0l]

I haven't flown F ever before. I've done J a bit more regularly recently, but it's mostly domestic (through point upgrades). The last international J I did was Trans-Tasman, which isn't the greatest but I did get to experience international Business dinner on QF (i.e. full courses).

One thing is that F is just heavily expensive. Example:

QF1 SYD-LHR, booking from AU, 31/12/2008, as at 01/09/2008 1206h BNE time. Expert Flyer occupancy (for reference):

R0 F8 A7 J9 C9 D9 I7 W9 T9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V0 S5 N0 Q0 O0 X0 E0

[FONT=Courier New]
[U]Class and Fare Type     AUD      Cost Index (relative to cheapest)[/U]
Economy (Sale)         $ 1350    1.000
Economy (Red e-Deal)   $ 1454    1.077
Economy (Flexi Saver)  $ 2125    1.574
PE (Saver)             $ 3299    2.444
PE (Flexible)          $ 4180    3.096
Business               $10685    7.915
First                  $12484    9.247[/FONT]

Not sure if anyone here has business travel policies that provision F travel, but I'd sooner be dead before that ever happens where I work. I could get a J cash ticket and try for a points upgrade, but considering the best I'll be doing is as OW Sapphire (very soon), again, on most of the good F routes, it's going to require divine intervention.

Yes, the easiest F is Trans-Tasman, but let's be honest - is that a great F deal?

Most say that the Y-J jump is more significant than the J-F jump. And I agree - from an analytical point of view (viz. above) you'd expect that to be so.

F is icing on the cake. Having said that, I still want to - one day - experience F, but I have yet to strategise how to bring that idea into fruition (save the idea of saving the money to buy a F/A ticket in cash. And before anyone mentions it - no domestic US P does not count in this analysis....)

Mind you - by the time you're purchasing that QF1 ticket in F or J, why not consider a *ONE4 or other kind of multi-continent ticket?

 

[simongr]

Based on that analysis the price differential between J and F is actually relatively small.

On one trip I was able to get F for travel around Asia as the price was comparable to J and there was no J availability.

My target in a few years is to be able to buy J syd-lhr-syd and I will seriously consider a *one* and within that I might consider upping to F using cash.

That said I might also consider some other options to get cheaper J/F travel.

There is this mental block/perception concern about F travel - personally I only care about cost. If someone can deliver to budget and spend the same or less than someone flying in J then why not let them fly in F? Other than the fact they could actually then fly cheaper in J

What I find really annoying is this mental block around F travel but it is "acceptable" to book late notice fully flex tickets that could cost more than F.

For example I know of someone paying $25K for a J return to SYD from JFK - I could get to JFK and HKG in F for $15K - but that is unacceptable...

 

[jamesatfish]

What I find really annoying is this mental block around F travel but it is "acceptable" to book late notice fully flex tickets that could cost more than F.

For example I know of someone paying $25K for a J return to SYD from JFK - I could get to JFK and HKG in F for $15K - but that is unacceptable...

My company (which is just that - my wife and I plus some employees) have a 'corporate travel policy' that says we fly F international.

I have an office in Australia and one in the US, so my travel needs are really AUS-USA return. A return J fare eg SYD-LAX-SYD costs roughly $14-16K per person. An AONE4 ticket costs around $16K. So we simply budget the same money, extend our trip by a few extra days to meet the *ONE* requirements and get a free side-trip to the UK and/or Asia as a bonus (and even some domestic J travel if the ticket is planned carefully).

I agree that the jump from Y-J is far greater than from J-F, but the extra work/sleep space plus the more private cabin are very compelling reasons to stick with F.

 

[freofan]

out of interest jamesatfish, what does your company do?

Need an employee?

 

[Evan]

I spend 3/4 of my flights in whY but i do spend up for J tickets myself and this year an AONE5 and i can tell you i really do prefer first i would never complain about J and i love sky beds but there is just something better about the food / wines and the service, the more relaxed people flying F (as people here have said they thing people in F have made it and hence not so demanding, where as some people in J only just got there and seem to demand a lot more of the FA's etc)

All i can say is enjoy it !

E

 

[NYCguy]

... Some people in J only just got there and seem to demand a lot more of the FA's...

Which is why the name "Pigs in Space" was adopted by FAs.

Anyhoo, it's all relative. For some people, spending $25K on an airfare is a drop in the ocean, especially when they are reimbursed for the tickets when the trips are for business.

 

[Tooner]

I would never have considered flying in F until an op-up from J from SIN - LHR

After that the thought of 25k points from HKG - SYD wasn't really an issue.

Should I undertake a RTW in J on the company in the near future, I will make damn sure I have enough points to upgrade all the QF sectors!

 

[jamesatfish]

out of interest jamesatfish, what does your company do?

Need an employee?

Our company specialises in the development of software for the Apple iPhone - a mix of public apps and contract custom development.

The majority of our employees are based in the US - where sadly (for them) they only fly short-haul Y on their (individually) preferred carrier. Which is the same policy for me in Australia - I'll only fly Qantas J if the flight is part of an AONE* itinerary, otherwise it's Red-E-Deal specials all the way.