It isn’t every day that you are able to fly First Class on British Airways. But when you do, you savor every minute. This is now my third time doing First Class on British Airways and the level of service and overall experience is different but rivals flying First Class on Cathay Pacific, and is only slightly short of Emirates First Class as does literally every airline in the world. It was a highly memorable journey back to Seattle.
Admittedly, I hadn’t planned on that unique travel experience at all. Upon arrival to Terminal 5 at London Heathrow I had thankfully been upgraded to Business Class, thanks to my good friend, Deano’s, generosity. Check in at Terminal 5 was going marvelously and when I asked for a paid upgrade, I was nearly floored when I found that a paid upgrade to First Class would be 550 pounds. This not only would give me one of the premier flying experiences but would also afford a long visit to one of the world’s great airport lounges, the Concorde Room. Entrance to the Concorde Room is only allowed with a long-haul paid ticket in First Class — unless you have the top tier status with British Airways which will grant you access regardless of ticket status. My generous friend has formerly had the top tier status at British and he had graciously gifted me into the Concorde Room several times. I was due to return the favor. We had plenty of time since we had arrived around 11:00 in the morning and my plane was set to depart at 14:45.
As we entered the First Class security screening, I was impressed how quickly we advanced to the other side. We marched past the First Class lounge and into the Concorde Room where we were greeted by reception and made our way to the beautifully appointed bar area. It had been a year since my last visit to the Concorde Room and an espresso martini was in mind to start my long voyage out. My friend ordered one of the premier champagnes of the world, the NV Laurent Perrier ‘Grand Siecle’ Champagne (WWB, 95) which is a non-vintage champagne that is now in its 24th edition and pulls from vintages more than a decade of age. After indulging in part of my martini I ordered a glasses ‘Grand Siecle’ to properly mark the occasion as we both toasted to the good life.
The bar area had several canapés which we indulged in. We chatted about our football weekend, visiting the Emirates Stadium and watching firsthand as my beloved Arsenal pulled off a glorious victory some two days before. The Concorde Room also pours one of the great sparkling wines in England, the 2015 Hattingley Valley ‘Blanc de Noirs’ Sparkling Wine (WWB, 93) which is dense and layered, showing great chalky terroir and comes from an electric vintage in Hampshire. Ironically I had visited this great winery only the day before.
We were both growing rather hungry and made our way to the First dining experience at the Concorde Room which is run as a great restaurant. Sitting down into our private booth we ordered a glass of Champagne and I tried their burger which was perfectly cooked, medium rare and had pieces of well-salted pancetta bacon and an unusually good special sauce.
I wanted to order a classic British dish as well and reveled in their ‘Chicken Supreme’ which was soft and buttery with a juicy texture. The sinfully good, Bordelaise style sauce had great richness and showed a heavy dusting of peppercorn spice.
It was now time to depart the Concorde Room as I said my goodbyes to my friend and made my way to the aircraft. Boarding was quick and expedient as you would expect with British Airways flights. Immediately I was greeted by the flight attendants and my individual stewardess, Sarah, who showed me to seat ‘1A’ which was located at the top right of the aircraft. I sat down and stretched my 6’5’’ legs all the way which was remarkably comfortable.
Immediately we were served a glass of champagne, their signature NV Laurent Perrier ‘Grand Siecle’ Champagne which I had enjoyed in the Concorde Room. My flight attended expertly opened a bottle and poured me a glass as I glanced at the other planes on the runway.
The controls for your seat are operated by a hand-held remote which was easy to use. I asked for some headphones which were noise-cancelling and extremely comfortable. Pajamas were given to me, a modern upgrade from the last set that I had on my flight last year. Their toilet kit was also recently upgraded, with a highly modern, suede bag. The one thing I would say is British First should really offer a pajama size XL as the L size doesn’t fit people as tall as me. I slipped on my pajamas and perused the menu and wine list.
In the dining section I read about the cutlery choice for the first class cabin which is made in England and added to the fine dining experience high above the clouds. The wine list was marked by the stunning aforementioned Champagne which is up there with the top wine/Champagne served in any First Class cabin. I loved seeing the 2015 Hattingley Valley ‘Blanc de Noirs’ served as well since I have long reviewed those wines and have visited the winery now on two occasions. I found their Rose Champagne, the NV Lanson ‘Rose’ Champagne (WWB, 90) to be good but rather pedestrian compared to the other two downright killer selections.
I was generally unimpressed with the rest of the wine list, including middle-tier Bordeaux from the unheralded 2012 vintage and a brand new 2018 Chablis which served its purpose but left me wanting more. Fortunately for me, I kept my old reliable top tier Champagne flowing. British Airways really should serve a top notch Bordeaux wine in their First Class cabin. Compared to other top First Class cabins (Emirates, Cathay Pacific etc.) the British Airways wine list really could improve with some expert help from a good wine reviewer or writer. Then again, on my last Emirates flight I savored 2007 Opus One, so that is indeed an exceedingly high standard of wine to be served high above the clouds.
We effortlessly took off and soon were served some starters, which were chosen to match my top notch Champagne. They were all excellent and were taken down within a few moments. Extra points goes to British for placing a few morsels of Osteria Caviar on their prawn appetizer. That one was particularly savored.
Sarah graciously prepared my table and I sampled some fresh breads with a smattering of olive oil. I wanted to order several menu items, so it was a challenge choosing them. The menu had so many delightful selections that it was exceedingly difficult to choose. I chose a few mainstays in my diet, the creamy burrata with pesto and beetroot, as well as the local Scottish smoked salmon which was served with fennel and mustard dressing.
Both portions were perfect and the salmon in particular was very fresh and satisfying, thickly cut and highly satisfying. The mustard sauce beautifully connected with the salty flavors. I was persuaded by Sarah, to try their Vichyssoise soup which she poured in front of me.
For my main dish I ordered the pan fried fillet of Halibut which was served in a rich and savory crab sauce. I was floored with the quality of this dish as this was perfectly soft in the middle and magically paired with the saline steak in the Champagne. Simply put, it was a match made in heaven. Food quality throughout was not only very high but the way that the food was served and the plating was second to none. Each dish looked simply marvelous.
I was not thrilled with either dessert wine, as British always could do better in this direction. If nothing else, they should choose a Sauternes that has some age, which is not difficult to do or find. Sauternes from the 2015 vintage are simply not ready to drink at the moment. Dessert, the chocolate chili fondant, was delightful on its own without a wine accompiament.
However disappointing the dessert wine selection might have been, the shining star of the First Class experience was the exemplary level of service that I experienced throughout my flight. Whether it was preparing my bed for some rest, chatting about the wine industry, or serving wine and food, Sarah was absolutely top notch throughout. This is the kind of service that truly rivals Emirates First Class and really puts any United States operated First Class cabin to shame (American, Alaska, United etc.).
It was time for some rest, but beforehand a nightcap was in order. I ordered one of my favorite Scotch whiskeys, the Johny Walker Blue Label which is a blended whiskey that in my opinion rivals anything in its price range ($250.00). I enjoyed my three plus hour slumber and then woke up comfortably. Special kudos to British Airways in designing a face mask that not only fits my large head but is sinfully plush and comfortable.
It was now time to indulge in afternoon tea. This was done in typical British high style, as the scones served were freshly baked and rich. I savored the jam and buttered filled scone as the experience harkened back to my childhood and the smell of scones baking in the oven. Since First Class were offering some other food items, I ordered some more smoked salmon and a quail egg which was light and perfectly suited for another glass of Champagne. We slowly made our decent across the Canadian rockies and into eastern Washington before our arrival. What an beautiful journey it was back to Seattle and I most certainly will be back enjoying a beautiful First Class experience with British Airways.