What 1st/Business Class would you choose?

[jharrowell]

Ok, so it's a "milestone" birthday for me next March and I promised myself I'd be at Disney World for it and that I'd splash out on a few things (even though I can't afford them).

The hotel is sorted as I'm a DVC member, but when it hits the 7 month window I'll try for an upgrade to AKL Savannah View (borrow those points, yehaa! *grin*).

The pre flight hotel night is going to be at the Hilton (assuming Gatwick departure) or similar.

The car has got to be a Mustang convertable (or a Sebring at a push, but the urge to go up I-Drive with "mustang Sally" playing on the stereo is large in me *grin*).

I'm gonna grab myself a fireworks cruise, preferably on Breathless but if I have to have a pontoon for only myself and a few close friends, so be it.

And the flights are 1st class all the way.

Usually I'd travel with VA, and going non-stop from gatwick is always a bonus; but usually that's in Economy and I've no experience of 1st/business apart from a glance at the seats during a visit to the cockpit once.

So, if you could (or in fact do) travel 1st/business class what airline would you pick?

 

[Claire L]

Oh I would go for VA as there are only 14 seats and they do look rather nice

We are tavelling UC in December to New York as got a good price and thought we ought to try it out for a treat

Claire

 

[Mad Mark]

I've only ever been in Business class recently with BA (luckily work pay for it) so I can only advise on them.

The BA sites have an unusal design where one seat faces forward and one seat faces backward. The execpetion to this are the central seats. Check out setaguru.com and you'll see what i mean. Carefull what seat you select as on most seats you have to climb over the person next to you if they have there seat reclined.

The seats them selves are very comfortable and go completely flat.

The Business class lounge at Heathrow T5 is exetremly nice as is T5

 

[Claire L]

Just to add the VA Clubhouse at Gatwick is being refurbished so should be nice for your March trip.

Claire

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I would suggest that you look at the Sofitel instead of the gatwick Hilton, for many of us the Sofitel is a better hotel.

The two airlines which fly direct to Orlando, BA and Virgin do not have First class cabins, for that you would need to go indirect with American, US airways etc, but quite frankly, for the price its not worth it, as the first class cabin for your internal flight is just a buisness cabinb anyway.

BA and Virgin are very much similar in terms of pricing.
the differences
Virgin
Smaller cabin, only 14 seats, in a "herringbone" configuaration
on board Bar that you can sit at
Gatwick Clubhouse, with waitress service, beauty salon, free wi fi, hot and cold menu, shoe shine man
Sleep suit for the journey
Boeing 747

BA
More seats in a back to front configuration, if you are by the window or in the centre, you have to climb over other people to get to the corridor
Better food than Virgin and great "raid the larder" cupboard
IFE is on demand
More ontime performace than virgin
Normal buisness lounge with minimal food choices, no beauty palour
No PJ's in buisness (only in first, not available on this route)
better ameinity kit
Boeing 777

 

[disneyholic family]

for true first, BA is best, but as Obi mentioned, it's not available to Orlando and frankly is way more than most people can afford (i mean SERIOUSLY expensive.....buying a plane couldn't cost much more)....

as for business, between BA and Virgin, i much prefer VA....much more private feeling to the cabin...

 

[islandmum]

BA's first Class is without doubt the ultimate way to fly apart from the suites config with Singapore Airlines on the double deck.

It is truly a wonderful way to fly but the pricing is more than double that of Business / UC and would set you back about £6500 per seat on the Miami return.

As for Virgin UC and BA Business, although we do fly Virgin (because of our miles account and card status) and used to say their product was better I know am of the opinion that the BA product has overtaken UC. This is mainly down to the state of the Gatwick fleet. Last time we flew transatlantic in May the cabin was badly in shape, broken system, seats really showing wear and tear, the bar looked knackered.

Personally if you're able to choose either airline I would go for BA now they've upgraded their business cabins.

VA better buck it up with their Gatwick fleet - its really starting to fall behind.

 

[juliebro]

US Airways no longer have a true first class on their transatlantic flights - it's all Envoy (business) now, I think. However, as far as I know, the front row still has the lie-flat seats that were previously only for first class passengers.

We were lucky enough to get an upgrade to them on our flight over to Philly last year.

 

[anthony2k7]

you can fly heathrow to miami with ba first class..... its about £6000 return per person though