#914918 by Maximus
28 Dec 2015, 13:49
It was way back in January 2015, whilst I was perusing the marvellous BA Redemption Finder website [https://baredemptionfinder.com], that I spotted availability for two First Class tickets (return) to Las Vegas. Now I had been saving our Avios specifically to try BA First, something I had always wanted to do. I have flown BA Club many times and was curious to see what delights were on offer behind the curtain of a First cabin. I am one of those who would never pay for the revenue ticket, I can always find better use for the many thousands of pounds the First tickets cost, but for 150,000 Avios, £550 taxes and fees each and an Amex 241 voucher, the hallowed First cabin was now within my grasp. I immediately called BA and snapped up the tickets. It was only later in the day I realised I had never really shown a strong desire to visit Las Vegas. Oooops. The thrill of the First flights had overshadowed everything. However, the more I read about the place, the keener I became. I had 11 months to plan (and I love planning a trip) and soon realised that the place was not all casino-hotels and bright lights (OK it is mostly, but there are other things to see and do as well!). The Grand Canyon National Park, Death Valley, the Hoover Dam were all included in our itinerary. To top it all I got a great deal staying at the Mandarin Oriental (which turned out to be, by far, the best hotel I have ever stayed in, truly perfection).

Our trip was preceded by a few days in London (we live in Devon so rarely get up to town much these days). I drove to LHR and arrived late evening. We stayed at the Premier Inn on Bath Road to take advantage of the Purple Parking Stay, Park, Fly deal. It worked very well. We parked the car at the Premier Inn overnight (the car park is adjacent to the runway and you get fantastic views of the aircraft just before touchdown. A perfect spot for ‘plane spotting). The next morning we drove the car around to the T3 Short Stay car park where the Purple Parking Captain took care of everything. We ordered an Uber car for the first time to take us and our cases into town (I was making good use of the First baggage allowance so an Uber XL was required!). I found the Uber service excellent, both to and from LHR and will certainly use it again.

We had a great time in London, taking in a show, a tour of Parliament, a few restaurant visits and of course a bit of shopping. We stayed in Fitzrovia this visit and loved the hotel and location.

Departure day arrived. Again we ordered an Uber car to LHR. It arrived within 90 seconds of requesting it! The driver was so helpful and at £40 for 2 people and 5 cases in morning traffic I thought it was very reasonable.

Check-in at LHR T3 was a breeze. No queue and straight through to Fast Security, which was efficient and we were in the Departure area within minutes. A quick shop for gin (The Botanist- great stuff) and I treated myself to a Bose travel speaker which, thanks to a Heathrow Rewards offer attracted 3000 Avios (I am already collecting for the next flight obviously!).

We arrived at the BA lounges. Now you all know I am sure that BA mainly fly out of T5 but since October 2015 they have moved some long-haul flights to T3. They have always had a First lounge there but with the arrival of long-haul in addition to European flights, they have opened a Elemeis Spa. There is an adjacent Club lounge also.

The First lounge was surprisingly busy when we arrived (at 11.30 for a 15.50 flight). It soon quietened down when a few flights departed. Overall I had a great time there, but the Virgin Clubhouse is better overall (better facilities, friendlier and of course a great cocktail service). But there is no denying the First service was a true step up from BA Club lounges. The Champagne bar offered 3-4 different champagnes, self-service. I am no wine aficionado by any stretch if the imagination but I know what tastes good and what does not and this was quality champagne. I settled on the Tattinger in the end though I tried them all, including the pink :-)

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Champagne in the First Lounge
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There was a self-service bar with a good selection of quality wines. There was an extensive self-service buffet and also a menu with made-to-order items. I especially liked the Duck and White Bean cassoulet. And of course one has to sample the famous BA burger! There is a dining area or you can eat at your chair, as we did. Later on afternoon tea was served for those who had room. I certainly did! Champagne afternoon tea of course!

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The BA Burger
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There are showers, office areas, papers (but no show shine!). Overall the atmosphere was very calm and quiet. You cannot book spa treatments in advance but I did on arrival and had an Aviator facial whilst sat in the massage chair. Both were great and the chair was VERY vigorous.

Overall I did not feel I had been missing out by not being able to visit the Concorde Room in T5.

Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes. The gate was a good 10-15 minutes walk away but on arrival were able to board immediately.

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2A
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We were greeted by name and personally escorted to our seats, 2A and 2K. We could have requested 1A and 1K which opened up 3 days earlier but on the advice of reviewers settled for row 2 and are glad we did as Row 1 did seem a tad claustrophobic to me

The seats were great, very comfortable, private and the controls simple. I loved the blinds on the window. We were offered champagne, pyjamas, an amenities kit and an extensive menu with a wide selection of wines. The cabin was not full, there were 3 empty seats after boarding completed, one passenger was unable to fly due to “US immigration issues”. Their bags were offloaded.

The crew were New Fleet (as opposed to the BA Worldwide fleet) and service was exemplary, I was always addressed as Dr Maximus, they couldn’t do enough for you. There were three cabin crew looking after the nine of us in First. One did all the food prep whilst two attended to the cabin.

This was a day flight so I did not change in to my pyjamas, instead I ate, watched films and ate some more. Many fellow passengers did sleep, there seats converted into 6.5 foot beds with mattress, duvets and pillows when requested.

I chose to eat 2 hours in to the flight. I had pre-ordered my main course several days earlier.

My meal was as follows:

Amuse bouche

Spicy parsnip soup with curry oil and vegetable crisp

Fresh seasonal sald with noney mustard dressing (probably the tastiest salad I have had)

Corn-fed chicken ballotine with broccoli couscous, salsify batons, roasted shallots, glazed chicken oysters and thyme jus

Chocolate and orange parfait with mascapone cream and fruit crumble

Cheese platter (Oxford Blue, Old Amsterdam, Duckett's Caerphilly and Somerset Camembert

Chocolates by Lauden

Nespresso coffee

I drank the following from their extensive wine list:

Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle Champage
Kir Royale
Sancerre Le Grand Roc 2012, Domaine Gerard Fiou from the Loire Valley
Coteaux du Layon L'anclaie 2011, Chateau Pierre-Bise, Loire Valley

I shall upload more photos below as I have reached capacity for this post.

Needless to say by this point I was ready to explode :blush: We enetered a period of rather severe turbulance over Greenland so I decided to lay back and watch some films. The BA 747 IFE is not the best, the choice of films was limited but there was enough to keep me amused until we landed early evening in Las Vegas.

First passengers were de-planed first. I was the first passenger to enter Immigration. It was empty! Not quiet, entirely empty apart from the Immigration Officers. So we were through in 2 minutes. Our bags were first off and I was first through Customs too. Result!

Our driver was waiting for us and took us to his shiny black Merc and we were on our short 10 minute jaunt to The Strip.

Overall a great travel experience.
Last edited by Maximus on 29 Dec 2015, 00:06, edited 3 times in total.
#914919 by Maximus
28 Dec 2015, 13:59
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Amuse bouche
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Salad
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Table
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#914920 by hiljil
28 Dec 2015, 14:01
Thank you for your TR. I am so pleased by all the positive things you have been able to say and I look forward to seeing more photographs. It all sounded as though it lived up to expectations. It has certainly got me counting the days again ....

I hope your return flight was just as good.
#914923 by Maximus
28 Dec 2015, 14:04
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Chicken 2
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Chicken
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Attachments
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The Beef filet
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#914925 by Maximus
28 Dec 2015, 14:08
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Dessert
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Attachments
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Dessert
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#914926 by hiljil
28 Dec 2015, 14:19
That dessert looks gorgeous !

Maximus, in your opinion , is the table big enough for comfortable partner dining ?
Is the wardrobe more spacious than photos I've seen seem to show ?!
And, do you no longer get slippers ?

Thank you.
#914927 by Maximus
28 Dec 2015, 14:24
gumshoe wrote:Good TR, glad you enjoyed it.

Now try Emirates or Etihad and see what First Class is like when it's done properly!


I imagine they are wonderful but I doubt I shall ever experience them as I am not a collector of their miles programmes. The only reason i flew BA First was because of the Amex 241.

Am thinking of using this years voucher for a 2017 First flight to Japan, we shall see.
#914929 by Maximus
28 Dec 2015, 14:39
dickydotcom wrote:Thanks for the TR,
I've never done Vegas but Mrs D would like to go so one day maybe.
Dick D

Dick, it was an interesting experience. I am not sure I would go again. There is too much of the rest of the World I wish to see to be truthful and three days spent in Vegas itself was enough for me. I enjoyed our trips out to Death Valley, the Grand Canyon National Park and Hoover Dam more than Vegas itself.

The nicer casino-hotels are amazing but for me artificial and I do not gamble (well I did gamble $20 and won $150 in a few minutes. so stopped at that point!!). December was a quiet time for Vegas (though still busy) and cool temperature wise. I would hate it in peak season when it is crowded and in the summer heat.

There is something for everyone in Vegas. I loved the shows. the Bellagio fountains, the whole experience for a few days. There are still things I would love to see and do there that I didn't have time for. I would not consider Vegas for a one-stop vacation again as some Brits do. Most Americans seem to visit for 3-4 days max, which seems sensible.

I only have so much leave a year (and money!) for trips, and there are certainly parts of the USA which hold more appeal for me by a huge margin: New England, NYC, the California coastline. But everybody should try and visit Death Valley and the Grand Canyon National park, they are more awesome than you could ever imgaine from a picture.

Saying all that, I would love to visit for a few days as part of a road trip and certainly want to see more of eastern California, Nevada, Arizona or maybe ride Route 66, so who knows?
Last edited by Maximus on 28 Dec 2015, 16:44, edited 1 time in total.
#914930 by Maximus
28 Dec 2015, 14:45
hiljil wrote:That dessert looks gorgeous !

Maximus, in your opinion , is the table big enough for comfortable partner dining ?
Is the wardrobe more spacious than photos I've seen seem to show ?!
And, do you no longer get slippers ?

Thank you.

Yes, it is, though we didn't! The stool may be more of an issue than the table, but unless rather rotund it will be fine for the meal service.

The wardrobe os not huge but can accommodate a small bag or two. there is room in the overhead lockers from rows 2-5 (they are for everyones use so if you are in Row 1, you can place uitems in there. I do not think the wardrobe impinges on the space of the occupants of 1A/K, and it is not in use much during the flight so you should not be disturbed.

Yes you do get slippers! I left mine behind as they are very much like hotel slippers but i used them for loo visits.
#914937 by mallin
28 Dec 2015, 15:24
Thanks Maximus for the trip report and pictures. We are in Vegas in March, club out and 1st return, then First both ways in June to Denver. We prefer to goto Vegas instead of the Canaries in March as there is more to do there. With the cost/availability of Avios getting very difficult it may be back to the Canaries in future years. As like you will be looking at different locations for our 2017 2-4-1 voucher. Linda
#914942 by gfonk
28 Dec 2015, 17:07
Thanks for the TR maximus.
Like you we are saving our amex miles for a possible trip in 2017 to Japan.
Loved the pics.
How did BA F compare to CW?
how were the seats in bed mode?
#914961 by hazban
28 Dec 2015, 20:45
Thank you for a great report. I was lucky, or daft enough, to fly BA First in November to SFO and certainly can recommend it! Product and service certainly lived up to my expectations, the Virgin Clunbhouse however was the only thing I missed. The Concorde and First Lounges (I hopped ) are excellent but lack a certain something.
Went out on 380 and back on a 747 and there was a big difference, apart from obviously being newer the former had a larger wardrobe space and much better in flight entertainment.
So much so I have just booked MIA in March both ways on 380 fingers crossed.
I note it will depart from T3 and found your report on the Lounge there interesting, will do my best to checkout the champagnes you refer to!
#914985 by marshy11
28 Dec 2015, 23:48
Maximus, thank you so much for the terrific TR with lovely photos. Like so many VFlyers who become addicted, we are saving Avios for the First 2-4-1, in order to sample the dark side. I like the CW product but can't wait to sample the First offering. Your TR has certainly whetted my appetite some more.
#915028 by Bretty
29 Dec 2015, 22:10
Excellent TR Maximus, it really shows how much you enjoyed the experience, and with great photos (which I always forget to take).

Likewise we are planning a return to Japan possibly in 2017 (or 18), using an Amex 2-4-1 for BA F. The avios collecting is going well for this!

Thanks for posting, I look forward to reading the return report.
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