Flight Number BA 56
Departure from Johannesburg at 08:20 PM
Seat 2K
British Airways’ first class is nicknamed “the world’s best business class” by many frequent flyers, describing the product as more like business class than first, though this was not my experience. The A380 features BA’s best first class cabin with the most spacious seats, apparently considerably more spacious than the 787 and 747 first class suites. It’s always a treat to be flying on an A380 and I thoroughly enjoyed this 11 hour flight.
One important note about this route specifically is that almost every flight is completely sold out, so you’ll really want to choose seats quickly and don’t expect empty cabins or last minute upgrades.
Cabin and Seat
The British Airways first class cabin is located on the lower deck of the A380. While the lower deck is wider, allowing for more spacious suites, the first class cabin doesn’t feature the famous massive bathrooms only found on the upper deck of the A380. The first class cabin consists of four rows of seats. The first row only has two seats while the rest have four in a 1 – 2 – 1 configuration, with 14 suites total.
The A380 first class cabin is elegant and modern with some excellent color choices and design from BA.
My seat (2K) was on the right side of the plane and angled away from the aisle for some extra privacy. Though the suites don’t feature closing doors, there is plenty of privacy so you won’t be seen by another passenger when seated.
The British Airways first class seats were wide (though certainly not the widest when it comes to first class) and quite comfortable in all positions. The seat position can be controlled by a few buttons as well as a knob which moves the seat between upright and lie flat positions.
To the right of my seat was a storage compartment, large table for storage, small pocket for magazines, and my favorite touch, the reading lamp.
The large tray table for meals is stored inside the large table console next to the seat.
Straight ahead was the space for your feet which becomes part of the bed in lie flat mode. Underneath there is space for your shoes or a small bag.
There is a small closet next to each suite with enough space to hang your clothes and store your shoes and some other smaller items.
The middle seats are meant for couples traveling together, however a privacy partition can be raised in case those seated in the middle seats prefer some privacy.
Aside from having a closing door which would have been nice, the British Airways first class seats are without a doubt first class worthy with plenty of space, storage, and elegance.
Service
This was my first longhaul flight with British Airways and I had heard flight crews can be hit or miss. I was pleased to have some excellent flight attendants taking care of me on this flight which were on par with or better than other airlines I have flown in first class previously.
After being escorted to my seat, I was offered a glass of champagne and brought a set of pajamas, slippers, menu, and the amenity kit.
Three different crew members came over to introduce themselves before takeoff to give me some important information regarding the flight and make some small talk. Already before takeoff I had a great feeling about this flight.
The impeccable service continued in the air with dinner service, a tour of the entire aircraft, and finally turndown service. I must say, this was among the most comfortable airplane beds I’ve had and I managed to sleep very well.
The crew were so efficient, extremely friendly, and really made this a true first class experience, going above and beyond what their job requires them to do.
Food
Like the crew, I’ve heard mixed reviews about the food served in British Airways’ premium cabins. I was eager to see the menu and quickly flipped to the dinner options when the menus were distributed. I was pleased to find a nice selection of food, wines, and other drinks.
The dinner menu read as follows:
After a glass of red wine, I started with the kudu carpaccio which was divine.
Next I had the smoked salmon and squash soup which were both delicious and nicely presented as well.
For my main course I had the beef fillet which, like the appetizers, was beautifully presented and tasted great.
I wasn’t really hungry for dessert, though I was convinced to have some ice cream which was hard as a rock and not too great once edible. The other options looked okay, though nothing I feel I missed out on by not trying.
Overall this was a very good first class meal, though I must say I missed the caviar service that many other airlines offer in first class.
I requested to be woken up one hour before landing to eat a quick breakfast before touching down at London-Heathrow. I’m often unimpressed with what airlines serve for breakfast in business and first class, and the food on this flight was about what I expected.
The breakfast menu read as follows:
BA served an adequate express breakfast consisting of French toast, fruit, pastries, as well as a cappuccino and smoothie to drink.
The fruit was nice, though I didn’t really care for the rest of the meal. Luckily I was headed to the Cathay Pacific first class lounge when I arrived and could have breakfast there.
IFE (in flight entertainment)
The British Airways first class entertainment system was just okay. The hardware ranks among the lower end of screens I’ve had in first class as it must be stowed for takeoff and landing, it’s relatively small, and the quality wasn’t great either. As far as the actual content, I found BA’s system to be average as well in terms of quantity and quality of options offered. Overall I managed to find something to watch during the hours I was actually awake, though nothing too exciting.
Bottom Line
Although I wasn’t sure what to expect from British Airways, I was very impressed with their first class product on the A380. The food and service were excellent, seats were very good, though the IFE and other amenities were just okay. I would love to fly British Airways first class again as they occasionally offer some nice fares as well as plenty of availability using points on many routes.