First Class stories?

castie

I changed my frequent flyer program to use mainly Qantas lately and had miles left on my SIA account.

So decided to cash them all in for a 12 hour A380 suites ticket.
Have never traveled about premium economy before so have no idea what to expect!

Anyone been on A380 suites? Or even better SIA A380 suites?

Simon Gruber Says

Have a search over at airliners.net There's lots of full trip reports posted up there describing the the experience in detail.

Example :- http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/218894/

FuzzyDunlop100

There's a blog, "One Mile at a Time" the author has travelled on most of the top airlines & usually goes First class. Well worth a read/subscribing to.

murphym7

When I booked First with BA last year I used YouTube to look at the many trip reports and videos passengers had put up. Really got me excited about the trip. Do plenty of research on the lounge access too, whether there is a special lounge for First class boarding card holders only etc.... landing lounge, fast track security and of course if there is any chance of any free limo transfers.

FuzzyDunlop100

murphym7 wrote: »

When I booked First with BA last year I used YouTube to look at the many trip reports and videos passengers had put up. Really got me excited about the trip. Do plenty of research on the lounge access too, whether there is a special lounge for First class boarding card holders only etc.... landing lounge, fast track security and of course if there is any chance of any free limo transfers.

Did you get a free limo transfer flying First with BA?

murphym7

FuzzyDunlop100 wrote: »

Did you get a free limo transfer flying First with BA?

Nope, BA are too stingy when it comes to this. A lot of other airlines do though, they even extend the service to Business class too.

Marcusm

BA don't provide a car service - logistically it'd be a nightmare in LOndon wit the volume of passengers and if you can't offer it both ends, it's not worthwhile. Generally I find airline car services more hassle than they're worth unless I'm travelling for fun. The amount of extra time built in for delays is unrealistic, business wise.

To get the best out of a Sing Suites experience, I'd consult FlyerTalk and see what the recommendations are, focusing on ground experience (transport if provided, lounges including spa and other treatments), in air experience - is it overnight or daytime, will have an impact on maximisation of drinks/food experiences etc. Don't dress up, dress comfortably. Be polite but firm, don't over burden people with requests but don't stint on the experience.

donvito99

Has anyone experienced the complimentary lift Etihad offer to DUB?

lomb

I think you are statistically safer at the back of the aircraft and you wont get there any quicker. Sounds like a good scam to charge 5 times more for an inferior product:D. Enjoy though, should be fun:)

murphym7

donvito99 wrote: »

Has anyone experienced the complimentary lift Etihad offer to DUB?

My buddy and his old fella did back in October. The car collected them off the train at Heuston and brought them to the airport. I can ask him a question if you have one.

castie

lomb wrote: »

I think you are statistically safer at the back of the aircraft and you wont get there any quicker. Sounds like a good scam to charge 5 times more for an inferior product:D. Enjoy though, should be fun:)

Read my OP.
I got it with miles not money!

Plowman

This post has been deleted.

lomb

castie wrote: »

Read my OP.
I got it with miles not money!

I read that and noted it, and the best and most valuable seat is undoubtedly the one next to the emergency exit at the rear of the aircraft. Id jump at the chance if free upgrade or free as I think the odds are very good anyway but I wouldnt pay a penny to sit up front. In fact I purposely book a seat at or next to an emergency exit at the rear when possible. In a bad landing or take off gone wrong I know the panic inside would be huge...remember the glossy image and the reality that people are sitting on 240000 liters of Kerosene.

lomb

Plowman wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Of course but I dont think it would be alot more. For example I think the seating capacity is compromised heavily by First and Business so they would get many more people in. Also it relies on First and Business being full like economy is in well run airlines. I dont know if thats true but doubt it.

donvito99

Plowman wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

... or the service just wouldn't be offered at all.

lomb wrote: »

Of course but I dont think it would be alot more. For example I think the seating capacity is compromised heavily by First and Business so they would get many more people in. Also it relies on First and Business being full like economy is in well run airlines. I dont know if thats true but doubt it.

If this was the case then Peoplexpress and the like would still be flying transatlantic and AirTransat would be the biggest carrier in the world.

ardmacha

Has anyone experienced the complimentary lift Etihad offer to DUB?

#

Small Merc came on the way out. On the way back Eithad not only fecked up my connection but didn't seem able to tell the limo guy this.

castie

Okay so just completed this over the weekend.
What an experience!

Singapore Airlines have a book the cook option.
So leg 1 was lobster thermidor and leg 2 was an 8 oz rib eye steak.

They really wont say no to you either....

Some pictures from the trip.

brandon_flowers

I doubt you'll find many passengers who would complain about Singapore Airlines, be it economy, business or first. Their service is just fantastic.

Nice way to spend your miles too - I would do the same if my miles weren't spread out over Flying Blue, Miles & More, Etihad & BA. It generally makes no sense to use miles for economy class tickets as the ratio of cost v miles is way too high.

And on topic, haven't had the real First Class experience yet, plenty of business class but still waiting for that elusive upgrade.

paulmcgrath

Perhaps a silly question and one I could find doing a little bit of googling but how does one go about getting airmiles?

brandon_flowers

You register on the airlines website and they will assign you a profile and reg number. Then every time you fly you can add the reg number to your ticket/boarding pass and you will be credited with the miles. You can also retrospectively claim for any flights in the last 6 months with most airlines.

You can also claim miles for partner airlines and car rental etc. So if you have an Air France frequent flier card you can claim miles with KLM, Al Italia, Vietnam, Korean and a few more. Same for Star Alliance.

Aer Lingus have a gold circle but I know nothing about it as I don't have it. Strictly low fares airlines will have none.

paulmcgrath

brandon_flowers wrote: »

You register on the airlines website and they will assign you a profile and reg number. Then every time you fly you can add the reg number to your ticket/boarding pass and you will be credited with the miles. You can also retrospectively claim for any flights in the last 6 months with most airlines.

You can also claim miles for partner airlines and car rental etc. So if you have an Air France frequent flier card you can claim miles with KLM, Al Italia, Vietnam, Korean and a few more. Same for Star Alliance.

Aer Lingus have a gold circle but I know nothing about it as I don't have it. Strictly low fares airlines will have none.

Airmiles turned to Avios. Is this correct?

brandon_flowers

paulmcgrath wrote: »

Airmiles turned to Avios. Is this correct?

Yes it is Avios for British Airways and IAG group so you can claim Avios points on all Oneworld flights.

Who do you do most of your flying with?

paulmcgrath

brandon_flowers wrote: »

Yes it is Avios for British Airways and IAG group so you can claim Avios points on all Oneworld flights.

Who do you do most of your flying with?

EI, BA and LH.

Can I get one airmile provider to cover all these or will i need multiple?

brandon_flowers

Answer is no unfortunately.

For Lufthansa you have to use Miles & More or another Star Alliance partner programme. This is probably the hardest programme to achieve higher status as the threshold to move from Basic to Frequent Traveller is high and then the next step to Senator is even bigger.

For BA you will have to use Avios, but you may be able to claim for some EI flights on this also if they are codeshares. For just EI it is Gold Circle but I am not an expert on Avios or Gold Circle, there should be people on here who can give you more advise for these.

paulmcgrath

brandon_flowers wrote: »

Answer is no unfortunately.

For Lufthansa you have to use Miles & More or another Star Alliance partner programme. This is probably the hardest programme to achieve higher status as the threshold to move from Basic to Frequent Traveller is high and then the next step to Senator is even bigger.

For BA you will have to use Avios, but you may be able to claim for some EI flights on this also if they are codeshares. For just EI it is Gold Circle but I am not an expert on Avios or Gold Circle, there should be people on here who can give you more advise for these.

Thanks for the help Brandon, Its something I always wanted to look into but didn't get the motivation to do so. Will certainly look into it now.

Preset No.3

lomb wrote: »

I think you are statistically safer at the back of the aircraft and you wont get there any quicker. Sounds like a good scam to charge 5 times more for an inferior product:D. Enjoy though, should be fun:)

Totally pointless contribution to a thread.

KCAccidental

Preset No.3 wrote: »

Totally pointless contribution to a thread.

unlike yours...

and mine

pclancy

A great way to build miles without leaving the ground is get yourself a credit card that gives you points for every euro/pound/dollar you spend. I use my Qantas credit card for absolutely everything, from the weekly supermarket shop to big purchases like cars, holidays or TVs. You can amass a lot of points this way without ever leaving the ground and as long as its managed properly every month you won't get into any debt or pay any interest at all.

Its good to hop around between cards as well as often they will give you 10-20,000 miles for signing up.

I don't think I would bother with first class but I want to be able to upgrade to business now and then which will be lovely.

brandon_flowers

Yes I forgot to mention the credit card, I have the AF/KLM Gold AMEX which is €140 per year but because I rack up so many business expenses (and my own uncontrolled spending) it makes it well worth while. I would get about 40,000 miles a year from it.

The only thing is I am not sure what credit cards you will be entitled to in Ireland, the BA Amex is restricted to having a UK bank account.

FF miles can be addictive as well, once you start you will always want to achieve a higher level. The only thing to be realistic about is that there will ALWAYS be someone at a level you can't achieve (usually JAL passengers!!!).

rainbowdash

I have never travelled first but I have spent 10 hrs+ in business and economy. The only real benefit I can see is the lie flat bed, which is handy on night flights, but BA economy plus for example is fine for 10 hrs by day.

Airline lounges - see no real benefit in them, I've walked into lounges, couldn't get a seat so walked out again and sat in the general area. Also tend to be frequented by knobs talking sh1t into their phone, as if anybody wanted to hear it.

Priority boarding - no real benefit when you have an assigned seat anyway.

Fast track security - I've arrived in places and seen the queue in fast track longer than the regular queue so joined that instead. I've also seen people in economy, who are obviously late, apologetically skipping the queue to save time, and people are generally happy to let them do that.

Airline food is airline food, there is nothing they can do up there that can't be bettered in a proper restaurant, obviously its better in
business or first class, but nothing worth paying extra for.

Your bags come off almost first, saves a few minutes I suppose!

I'd pay extra for a bed and privacy on a long haul night flight but the rest of it I wouldn't be bothered about too much.

BuffyBot

Priority boarding - no real benefit when you have an assigned seat anyway.

Plenty of point when you board last and there isn't a inch of space in the overhead lockers. The amount of folks I've seen end up having their carry on gate checked these days is crazy, especially on domestic US flights/US < -- > international flights!

rainbowdash

BuffyBot wrote: »

Plenty of point when you board last and there isn't a inch of space in the overhead lockers. The amount of folks I've seen end up having their carry on gate checked these days is crazy, especially on domestic US flights/US < -- > international flights!

Yes that would be a bit of a pain but if you have a small bag it will go under your seat regardless of whether the lockers are full or not. Even if its checked its still a lot cheaper than paying business class, even if it ended up in the hold you still get it after the flight anyway.

Its one benefit of Ryanair too, because everybody keeps to smaller dimensions, things tend to fit a bit more easily.

castie

rainbowdash wrote: »

I have never travelled first but I have spent 10 hrs+ in business and economy. The only real benefit I can see is the lie flat bed, which is handy on night flights, but BA economy plus for example is fine for 10 hrs by day.

Airline lounges - see no real benefit in them, I've walked into lounges, couldn't get a seat so walked out again and sat in the general area. Also tend to be frequented by knobs talking sh1t into their phone, as if anybody wanted to hear it.

Priority boarding - no real benefit when you have an assigned seat anyway.

Fast track security - I've arrived in places and seen the queue in fast track longer than the regular queue so joined that instead. I've also seen people in economy, who are obviously late, apologetically skipping the queue to save time, and people are generally happy to let them do that.

Airline food is airline food, there is nothing they can do up there that can't be bettered in a proper restaurant, obviously its better in
business or first class, but nothing worth paying extra for.

Your bags come off almost first, saves a few minutes I suppose!

I'd pay extra for a bed and privacy on a long haul night flight but the rest of it I wouldn't be bothered about too much.

As a gold member with Singapore Airlines I usually do aircraft door to front door of sydney airport in 45 minutes. For anyone thats gone through Sydney in the mornings after a few big flights have landed thats bloody impressive. My first ever trip I had no status so queued and spent 2 hours before I got out and through customs.
After a 32 hour slog from Ireland that extra hour is painful.

Preset No.3

From reading threads here and in other forums, there will always be those who just dont get the need or desire for business class flying.

I have pointed out in other threads that I would prefer Aer Lingus economy over US Airways business class and got slated for it. Whenever I go TA, I try and fly United. I have a United premier platinum card and I love the benefits. Not to get into the pros and cons over the use of a 757, when you're up the front it makes no difference.

Fast track check-in
Fast track security
Lounge access
Bigger, lie flat seats
Great menu
First off
First out with bags

All those things seem like great value for money to me. Arrive at a location and not be totally wrecked. Im ready to enjoy my holiday or get stuck straight into work.

I will say that fast track security in the US can be a pain, as sometimes those lines are longer, but swings and roundabouts.

Sure everyone will take a free upgrade, but those who choose to pay for it will continue to pay for it. We enjoy it.

murphym7

rainbowdash wrote: »

I have never travelled first but I have spent 10 hrs+ in business and economy. The only real benefit I can see is the lie flat bed, which is handy on night flights, but BA economy plus for example is fine for 10 hrs by day.

Airline lounges - see no real benefit in them, I've walked into lounges, couldn't get a seat so walked out again and sat in the general area. Also tend to be frequented by knobs talking sh1t into their phone, as if anybody wanted to hear it.

Priority boarding - no real benefit when you have an assigned seat anyway.

Fast track security - I've arrived in places and seen the queue in fast track longer than the regular queue so joined that instead. I've also seen people in economy, who are obviously late, apologetically skipping the queue to save time, and people are generally happy to let them do that.

Airline food is airline food, there is nothing they can do up there that can't be bettered in a proper restaurant, obviously its better in
business or first class, but nothing worth paying extra for.

Your bags come off almost first, saves a few minutes I suppose!

I'd pay extra for a bed and privacy on a long haul night flight but the rest of it I wouldn't be bothered about too much.

I have flown First class twice with BA and have had loads of Business class flights with them. I do enjoy all the benefits Business and First travel provides. Yes you can sit in a seat for 10 hours during the middle of the day – a lie flat bed is so much better though, even just because of the extra personal space you get, I would find myself a lot more refreshed, even on a day flight, with a lie flat bed. 10 Hours siting in economy or PE is no joke no matter what time of the day it is.

Airline lounges: I love them, especially when you fly with a wife who is a panicky flyer. It is a nice little haven away from the madness that the public areas can be, you can relax with a drink or two before boarding. If you were in any of the BA first lounges or the Concorde room, you would change your mind. Flying business from San Francisco you board the plane directly from the lounge. Its the same flying first from Chicago, you board directly from the lounge. If I am not flying on a premium ticket, I will usually pay to get into a lounge. The KLM lounge in Schiphol is unreal too.

Priority boarding: What’s not nice about getting on the plane first, avoiding the scrum, putting your overhead luggage actually over your head. Relaxing with a glass of something bubbly, reading your menu of the food offerings in store.

Fast track security: Has worked a treat for me every single time. You should see the queue for security in ORD on an average day, not for the faint hearted I’ll tell you. Fast track security in Heathrow T5 is great usually too, and if you are in first class, you go directly into the Concorde room, nice.

Airline food is airline food: This is the point I most disagree with you on. If you are lucky enough to be sucking down a nice glass of Sancerre while munching into a plate full of juicy fat scallops I think you would disagree. Then having a little pallet cleanser before switching over to a nice glass of Chateau de Fieuzal while awaiting your cooked to order fillet steak with some truffles from the foot of the Pyrenees. Airline food is not the same – by a long stretch. Sitting in economy being asked “chicken” or “beef” always puts a shiver down my spine. Is there any further detail you can provide me, is is pasta, spuds……….. Nope just “chicken” or “beef”. That’s if you are lucky and near a galley, often the “chicken” or “beef” becomes just one or the other.

Getting your bags oFf first is great, there is a massive difference between the last bag off and the first bag off. Getting your bag off first ensures that you are one of the first to get to passport control, this is massive when you are getting off a plane of up to 345 people.

If I have the cash or miles I will go for a premium ticket every time.

Peckham

murphym7 wrote: »

Its the same flying first from Chicago, you board directly from the lounge. If I am not flying on a premium ticket, I will usually pay to get into a lounge.

Hopefully this is not taking it off topic, but I'm flying EI from ORD shortly (in economy). Is it possible to pay into a lounge? Which one? It's not clear from the ORD website.

rainbowdash

murphym7 wrote: »

I have flown First class twice with BA and have had loads of Business class flights with them. I do enjoy all the benefits Business and First travel provides. Yes you can sit in a seat for 10 hours during the middle of the day – a lie flat bed is so much better though, even just because of the extra personal space you get, I would find myself a lot more refreshed, even on a day flight, with a lie flat bed. 10 Hours siting in economy or PE is no joke no matter what time of the day it is.

Airline lounges: I love them, especially when you fly with a wife who is a panicky flyer. It is a nice little haven away from the madness that the public areas can be, you can relax with a drink or two before boarding. If you were in any of the BA first lounges or the Concorde room, you would change your mind. Flying business from San Francisco you board the plane directly from the lounge. Its the same flying first from Chicago, you board directly from the lounge. If I am not flying on a premium ticket, I will usually pay to get into a lounge. The KLM lounge in Schiphol is unreal too.

Priority boarding: What’s not nice about getting on the plane first, avoiding the scrum, putting your overhead luggage actually over your head. Relaxing with a glass of something bubbly, reading your menu of the food offerings in store.

Fast track security: Has worked a treat for me every single time. You should see the queue for security in ORD on an average day, not for the faint hearted I’ll tell you. Fast track security in Heathrow T5 is great usually too, and if you are in first class, you go directly into the Concorde room, nice.

Airline food is airline food: This is the point I most disagree with you on. If you are lucky enough to be sucking down a nice glass of Sancerre while munching into a plate full of juicy fat scallops I think you would disagree. Then having a little pallet cleanser before switching over to a nice glass of Chateau de Fieuzal while awaiting your cooked to order fillet steak with some truffles from the foot of the Pyrenees. Airline food is not the same – by a long stretch. Sitting in economy being asked “chicken” or “beef” always puts a shiver down my spine. Is there any further detail you can provide me, is is pasta, spuds……….. Nope just “chicken” or “beef”. That’s if you are lucky and near a galley, often the “chicken” or “beef” becomes just one or the other.

Getting your bags oFf first is great, there is a massive difference between the last bag off and the first bag off. Getting your bag off first ensures that you are one of the first to get to passport control, this is massive when you are getting off a plane of up to 345 people.

If I have the cash or miles I will go for a premium ticket every time.

Of course all the things you mention are nice, but so is the price of a business or first class ticket, and apart from the bed and extra comfort I wouldn't be too bothered about the rest of it, but when somebody else is paying for it, sure it would be rude to say no!

murphym7

Peckham wrote: »

Hopefully this is not taking it off topic, but I'm flying EI from ORD shortly (in economy). Is it possible to pay into a lounge? Which one? It's not clear from the ORD website.

You are out of luck in Terminal 5 in ORD. It’s a brutal terminal in terms of facilities anyway and the US carriers do not have lounges over there. It’s the US carriers that have the day pass lounge access generally , Delta Skyclub I use myself. When I have been in Chicago I was lucky to be able to use British Airways First Lounge once, and across the corridor in the Terraces lounge on other occasions. So the only lounges you have are:
• Air France Lounge
• British Airways First Lounge
• British Airways Terraces Lounge
• SAS Lounge
• Swiss International / Austrian Lounge
• Swissport Lounge

None of which offer days passes as far as I know. EI uses the Air France lounge, but you can’t pay in like you can in the Gold circle lounges. I think you are out of luck. It’s a dreadful terminal to fly out of.