To set the scene, Mrs nibbs and I have flown Upper with VS a couple of times and would chose VS over BA every time - however, we had a stack of BA miles to use, and in conjunction with our BA Amex Companion Voucher, decided to give First a whirl.
With half an eye on the media coverage of T5 (which had been open for two weeks by the time we experienced it), Mrs nibbs (AKA head of suitcase packing) decided to max out our hand luggage leaving one bag of non-essentials going in the hold.
The plan of driving to LHR and then using meet and greet had served us well in the past, however, this particular Friday was the day that most of the motorways in the Thames Valley grid-locked. So after a detour via Newbury and Basingstoke, we arrived at T5 later than planned but still with 3 hours until flight time.
First impressions as we entered T5 was 'wow - it's huge' quickly followed by 'where is everybody?'. The place was like a ghost town! We would have struggled to count 20 other passengers as we walked down to the southern end for First check in (in fact Mrs nibbs commented it would have been quicker to use one of the many manned, but empty, fast drop desks than walk all the way to First! Still, you don't get to use First everyday!).
Around five First check-in staff were available to help us - the guy we choose was impressed that we had done online check-in, securing the side by side seats (3 E&F) that we reserved when we made the booking.
With that complete, we were straight into security. No fast track was evident for the boarding pass check, but there was a guy asking if we were business or first as we went through the detectors (didn't ask to see any proof though which I found a little strange).
Having been through Glasgow a few times lately, I knew what to expect with the automatic tray system - however, I still can't master the art of trying to put my shoes on, collect my mobile and pick out my loose change all as the tray is moving at the most unhelpful moments!
With that, and we were at the door for the Concorde Lounge (car to lounge in less than 5 minutes - beat that Virgin!).
Having never been in any BA lounge, I not sure what I was expecting. But I was very impressed. The smell hits you as you walk in of leather, combined with the wood panelling and you can't help but think you have walked into the lobby and lounge of an exclusive 5 star hotel.
We had a quick guided tour, before settling down by one of many (imitation) log fires. From there, we hit the bar - I had a champagne (because I could - can you see the theme developing?![}:)]) and Mrs nibbs had a red wine - please don't ask what either were because I can't remember, despite the fact we had several!
We dropped our heavily loaded hand baggage with the luggage guy, before nipping next door to have a look around the First / Gold Exec Gallery lounge. This was what I would consider as a typical airport lounge, but with an excellent bar, buffet area, PC's, kid zone and general views over the southern runway. It was pretty busy though, and this is before the next trance of flights are moved over from T4 - could get a bit busy in here.
Back in the Concorde Lounge, for an hour we were the only passengers in there - as a result it lacked an atmosphere - not that it bothered us too much. Mrs nibbs ordered a plate of cheese and biscuits which was quickly devoured. We then sat in the restaurant area in an intimate booth where I had the BA Burger (First style) and Mrs nibbs had the Chicken - both were excellent.
One point of note was the tea bags used. Now I wouldn't normally get excited by tea bags but they use Tea Forte (check out their web site). The bags are made of silk, and when Mrs nibbs tried the raspberry tea, I honestly thought they had brought out a bowl of raspberries by mistake - the smell was awesome, and the taste was just as good! Highly recommended.[^]
The other thing that caught my eye (apart from the horse lamp shades!) was above the main fireplace is a virtual coat of arms projected onto a stone wall - which is also animated. Very clever but also easy to miss.
So it was time to leave the lounge - my leaving impressions were excellent - however, it lacked a pool table! [:p] (not that it would really fit into the overall feeling of the place).
Our 747-400 was waiting for us on a T5B stand so we had to jump on a load of escalators and the transit train before reaching the boarding operation which looked like an scrum from a distance. That said, we quickly found the priority boarding line which was working well, despite the (un)organised chaos going on near by.
Following a quick glance at our boarding cards, we were escorted to our seats. As first into the First cabin we had plenty of time and space to sort ourselves out. Champagne was quickly distributed, along with PJs and a box of smellys.
From the second that we set foot on the plane, I was mightily impressed by the staff and the service. We were addressed by name the entire flight, and every request was quickly dealt with. The tone of the service was definitely more formal than in Upper Class, but in a way that didnt prevent some friendly banter developing throughout the flight.
We pushed back 45 minutes late (baggage delays apparently was this a sign that they had loaded them we wondered?!) and following a long taxi to the eastern end of the southern runway, we were off.
Another round of champagne preceded dinner. I forgot to keep the menu, so I cant remember what we had apart from the steak which was excellent. The choice of wine was broad and very good. No silk teabags on board though - boo!
Being a night flight, I had a quick look at the video on demand offering but nothing jumped out enough to stop me trying to get some sleep (by this stage Mrs nibbs was already snoring in the seat next to me).[|)]
If there was any part of the First experience that came close to missing my expectations, it was the seat / bed. I guess, having flown Upper Class, I was expecting something superior (particularly when comparing the respective price tags). Now, dont get me wrong I still got six hours sleep (unheard of for me on a plane), and the extra length allowed me to lie flat unlike with VS. But to me it felt quite narrow.
Having the two middle seats allowed us to enjoy each others company, but the seats narrowed into the nose of the plane (in parallel with the aisles if that makes sense?) which didnt help the sense of narrowness something that the window seats didnt suffer from as much.
Anyway, I was led flat, in a bed, under a cotton duvet, in my First PJs at 35,000 feet, which cost me next to nothing what have I got to complain about![:D]
We awoke 90 minutes before landing and after a quick freshen up before the last minute toilet dash, it was time for breakfast. My first fry-up on an aircraft tasted ten times better than it ever would on the ground. Fair play to the guy in the galley who must work in a really difficult environment.
A smooth landing and taxi found us at JNB airport. Thankfully we were one of the first off and managed to get in front of the masses pouring off of the Swiss Air jumbo that landed just in front of us. We queued for 20 minutes at immigration by the time we had cleared, the queue must have been well over an hour no fast track in sight.
And then.the moment we had been waiting for..had our bag arrived? Of course it did never in doubt!
In summary, a great experience. The service was top notch, which the crew played the majority part of. We asked ourselves, several times whilst we were travelling, if money was no object, would we choose BA F or VS J the answer was always BA. But, if the question involved miles, or worse still, cash the answer is different. We enjoy the atmosphere and attitude of VS (were in our early / mid 30s if that counts for anything), and we enjoy the on-board bar on VS to stretch our legs and chat to other passengers and crew, not to forget the IFBT.
That said, it was a great start to our holiday [y] and we wont have a bad word said about T5 (for now anyway..).
Part 1 complete.
Part 2 - (2 nights in Ulusaba Game Reserve) to follow.
Enjoy!
nibbs
