As a Christmas treat, and because we saw rare availability on the BA website, we redeemed a chunk of Avios and an American Express 2-for-1 companion voucher for a British Airways 747 First Class trip from London Heathrow to San Francisco. We were very excited, as this would allow us to try both the First Wing and Concorde Room at Heathrow for the first time. Not only that, we’d reserved seats 2A and 2K, right in the nose of a jumbo jet. The journey managed to challenge our expectations of flying First, as it may also yours.
Flight Details
Flight No: BA0285
From/To: London (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO)
Departure time: 10:40
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Ticket Class: First
Seat: 2A
Flight time: 10 hours 50 mins
Oneworld Tier Points: 210
In this review:
- Check-in & Fast Track
- Lounge
- Boarding
- Aircraft Configuration
- Amenity Kit & Washrooms
- Seat
- In-flight Entertainment
- Drinks Service
- Food Service
- Arrival
- BG1 Verdict
Check-in & Fast Track
Arriving early in the morning for our flight, we found the Terminal 5 check-in areas to be expectedly busy, although coping well with the morning rush. Approaching the entrance to the first class check-in area, a member of British Airways staff greeted us and guided us straight to an available check-in desk.
After noticing the long lines at the First Wing security, we asked our check-in agent whether it was normally as busy as this. She told us that the run up to Christmas brings more families through the First Wing and sometimes causes hold-ups in security. She suggested we used the fast track at south security instead. This was a great suggestion, as we were through in no time. The BA Concorde Room can then be reached via a small door on the right, straight after security. We felt like VIPs being whisked in the side door of a music venue!
Lounge
Having been waived straight through any lounge check-in or boarding pass checks, we entered the Concorde Room’s lounge area.
Heading straight to the dining area for some much needed breakfast, we found most tables were either occupied, or waiting to be cleared of plates. A host found us a small table in a corner that gave us both a view across the restaurant to survey the action. It was busy and service looked as though it might be suffering a little. While there were a fair few service staff rushing around, we were quickly greeted by a server and soon had a couple of glasses of Laurent Perrier Grand Siécle in front of us.
Ordering from the á la carte menu, one of us had the full English, while the other went for pancakes and poached eggs. The dishes came to the table quickly and, while not the best looking, they tasted fine.
Given everything we’d heard about the Concorde Room, we left a little surprised. The table service and high-quality experience were somewhat let down by the place clearly being right in the weeds when we walked in. Too many passengers must’ve hit it at once and, unlike a conventional restaurant that would turned guests away or put them on a wait, they felt the pressure to sit us. Holding a first class ticket, we know we’d have felt more aggrieved if we’d been turned away. We concluded the dining experience was far better than the self-service and á la carte options available in BA’s other Heathrow lounges.
After the Concorde Room, we moved through into the main BA Galleries First lounge for a quick drink. We then headed to the gate to board.
Boarding
The aircraft was parked at Terminal 5B, which is a satellite terminal reach by train or underground walkway. We took the walkway, as we like to give our legs a good stretch before a long-haul flight. Take the train if you’re not much of a walker.
After spending far too much time enjoying the lounges, we reached the gate just as boarding was almost done. We only queued briefly on the air bridge before stepping onboard, where the crew greeted us warmly at the main door. One crew member checked our boarding passes and walked us through the small business class Club World cabin to the First cabin at the front. As BA Club members, they also welcomed us back.
Once we reached our seats, we settled in while one of the crew working in the first class cabin came over to say hello and offer a glass of champagne. After all the Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle in the terminal, we thought we’d give the rosé a go.
Aircraft Configuration
G-BYGF
Aircraft type: Boeing 747-400 (Super-high J)
Number of classes: 4
Number of seats in flying class: 14
Position: left hand side of the aircraft, 1 row from the front
The aircraft also carried:
86 Business Class (Club World) seats
30 Premium Economy seats – the smallest cabin
145 Economy seats at the rear of the aircraft
Amenity Kit & Washrooms
Washrooms
Two washrooms served the 14 first class passengers, giving a 1:7 ratio. We reckon only the newer, smaller BA First cabins, or some Middle Eastern first class products, beat that. As you’d expect, there was never a queue for the loo.
Inside, we found The White Company hand soap and moisturiser, plus a small fresh white rose. Apart from a couple of stray paper towels, the crew kept the washrooms in good order throughout the flight.
Amenity Kit
The amenity kit on this British Airways 747 first class flight came in a rather lovely Liberty London design, made exclusively for BA. There were two versions: a men’s kit in a black pattern, and a women’s kit in a striking blue and white design.
Inside, BA packed in plenty to keep you comfortable and vaguely human throughout the flight. Included toiletries came from the Refinery men’s range by Aromatherapy Associates London, with lip balm, a deodorant stick, moisturiser and shaving gel. The kit also included flight socks, an eye mask, a razor, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a folding hairbrush and a BA First pen.
Overall, we thought it a very stylish amenity kit and found its contents were very practical.
Seat
The 747 first class seat is the design BA first rolled out across its fleet in 2000. Once regarded as the best business class seat in the sky, BA’s famous throne has been left behind a bit. Other first class cabins have moved on to enclosed suites and proper rooms. Meanwhile, business class has caught up and, in some cases, overtaken it – just look at Qatar Airways’ QSuite and BA’s own Club Suite. Still, it’s a very comfortable way to spend a long-haul flight. It works nicely reclined like a lazy armchair, as a lie-flat bed, or bolt upright for landing.
Access & Storage
Storage isn’t too bad around the seat in the BA 747 first class cabin. With the exception of 1A and K, all window seats have overhead luggage bins. Passengers in the 4 middle seats, and those on row 1, needed to find space in the bins above the window seats. Despite being a full flight, there appeared to be ample space for everyone’s carry-ons.
Most seats have access to a narrow cupboard with a hanger, which is suitable for most mid-length coats and jackets. Longer length coats can be handed to the crew for hanging in the larger wardrobe at the front of the cabin.
Window seats had a large window ledge, with middle seats having a narrower one.
Sleeping
In bed mode, the seat converted into a completely flat bed, which the crew made it up for us with a padded topper over the seat and a lovely cotton duvet on top.
The nose of the 747 is a very quiet place to sit, so we both managed a lovely, peaceful rest. We didn’t notice any engine noise or vibration. The cabin temperature did fluctuate quite a bit, getting stuffy at one point, then cooling to the point of feeling quite chilly for the final hour before landing. We’ve said before that newer aircraft have far better climate control and air quality, and this trip on the old 747 rather proved the point.
What is the best seat on British Airways 747 First Class?
Unless you’re keen to sit as close as possible to a travelling companion, avoid the middle 4 seats. They’re not as private, have less space, and experience plenty of traffic along the aisle.
If you can book it, 1A and K are very private and have the both a window and the space along the ledge. 2A and K are equally good, although they’re a little further apart. After that, we’d go for 3A and K.
In-flight Entertainment
Equipment
Each seat had a screen that folded out sideways from the seat in front. Mercifully, BA had refurbished the display on this aircraft, replacing the grainy old square 15-inch TV with a widescreen model and far better resolution. It used a touchscreen interface, though you could also navigate it with a handheld controller. We found that tucked away in a small cupboard above the seat controls, because apparently treasure hunts are part of the IFE setup. One small gripe: the screen has to be folded away for take-off and landing, so the entertainment isn’t gate-to-gate. BA has fixed this with the seat design on its 787 aircraft.
The noise cancelling headphones completely covered the ear with a soft leather muffler and had a comfortable padded headband. The noise cancellation was good, but the hum from the socket made quiet listening a little uncomfortable.
Content
There was a decent selection of on-demand films and TV shows for adults and children. Music and radio fans had plenty to work through too, from classical to comedy. Given most of us now watch films at home on widescreen HD TVs, watching recent blockbusters on this screen felt rather odd. The picture was so blurry we both wondered whether we’d developed astigmatisms somewhere between Heathrow and cruising altitude.
There’s a growing gap between newer and older first class IFE products. The inconsistency across the fleet means some people will end up disappointed.
Drinks Service
There was a good wine list on this British Airways 747 First Class flight to San Francisco. Laurent Perrier Grand Siécle champagne (~€140/bottle) was served as we boarded, and continued to be offered around the cabin until the meal service began. Rose champagne was also available.
After the fizz, the wine list had three whites, three reds, a dessert wine and a port.
The whites features a vintage French chardonnay, a light Californian Chenin/Viognier blend, and a zesty New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Our first class reds were a big Bordeaux blend, a medium-bodied blend from Mendoza, Argentina, and a lighter Pinot Noir from the colder climes of Oregon.
The alcohol menu also included premium spirits and aperitifs.
Away from the booze, the menu offered a wide selection of non-alcoholic beverages that included mocktails and smoothies. Hot coffee and a range of teas (including camomile) finished off beverage selection on this flight.
Food Service
We had two meal services on the British Airways 747 first class flight to San Francisco. The crew said we could more or less eat whenever we fancied, but there were two set services, so we went for the main meal straight away and saved the second for just before landing.
Main Meal
As it was just a couple of days before Christmas, we were rather pleased to receive a second menu card for a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. It felt like one of those rare aviation oddities, so we decided we’d be fools not to try festive fare at 35,000 ft on a British Airways 747 first class flight.
Turkey, stuffing, all the vegetables and a thick gravy came to the tray table looking like classic British comfort food. Roast dinners are always difficult to get to the table piping hot and this one was no exception. What it lacked in temperature was made up in flavour. The Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir made a very good pairing with the turkey.
Continuing the traditional British theme, we felt it only right to order the apple and blackberry crumble. We paired it with the Royal Tokaji dessert wine, which softened the acidity of the fruit with a syrupy honey palate.
Already full-to-bursting, we were desperate to experience the cheese course. A massive, and we mean MASSIVE, cheese plate came to the tray table with the continued compliments of the crew. Perhaps they were testing whether we could be broken? The plate contained two slices each of Camembert, hard blue cheese, Gouda, cheddar and chutney. Three varieties of crackers and some salted butter was served on the side. The Chateau Lagrange Bordeaux washed all down all four varieties perfectly. Despite us both working on the same plate, we couldn’t finish it!
Second meal service
After a bit of quiet time in the cabin, the crew returned with the second meal service. One of us skipped food and chose a bit more kip. The other decided there was still room for more first class food.
The scallop salad came with five tender scallops, each still carrying that delicate flavour, even at altitude. Ciabatta arrived on the side, and the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier paired very nicely with it. A very good show for a second meal service.
Arrival
After a few minutes in a holding pattern, we began an incredibly picturesque approach into San Francisco International Airport (SFO), which took us over the Golden Gate Bridge and along the full length of the city. We touched down slightly ahead of our scheduled arrival time. Departing Heathrow, we’d boarded at the second door and walked through business class to our seats. At San Francisco, an air bridge was connected to the first aircraft door behind the first cabin, meaning we didn’t have to wait for the business passengers to disembark before us. Bidding the crew farewell at the door, we arrived into the International Terminal and headed for US immigration.
BGI Verdict
Overall, we really enjoyed our British Airways 747 first class Avios redemption flight to San Francisco. The seat and entertainment tech felt dated, but the attentive service, excellent wine list and surprisingly good food did a lot of heavy lifting. We’d happily spend our Avios and 2-for-1 vouchers on another BA first class flight. Given the quality of some other business and first class products, though, we’d think very carefully before paying cash for BA First.
BG1 Tip
If your flight is departing from the remote gates at Heathrow Terminal 5B or 5C, consider using the quieter Terminal 5B Lounge as you’ll have a much shorter journey to the aircraft.
Don’t forget to sign-up to our weekly newsletter to get our latest updates delivered straight to your inbox.
Leave a Reply