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Flying back from Oz to the UK soon and have a choice of Sydney to LHR with a refuel stop in Singapore but staying on the same 777 or change in Singapore and get on an A380.
Cost very similar, arrival time very similar, travel class is business (but might be able to swing first if I chuck enough avios at it).
I’m minded to change, stretch the legs and try out the A380. Any of our regular flyers have a view?
And well aware of it being a terribly first world problem, but not a route I’ve ever had the opportunity to travel business / first class on!
Singapore lounge for dinner and a shower if business then get back on. Its a long trip certainly from economy 3 hrs break is nice.
That way is 7 then 14 sometimes preferred the middle east one which gets the long one done first then shorter last hop.
I've done the 777 trip and it was a very quick stop. Barely time to get off, and have a pee before they were herding us back on. Can't see it makes much difference if you are in the front but I'd stick with the same plane, less to go wrong.
Oh and #inbeforeflashy
A380 is very nice a lot quieter than the 777 so I'd go with that. Wouldn't bother using my avios points to upgrade to first though, far better to save them for another flight or booking hotel rooms etc.
😂 @mike!
Business? Go with Cathay via HKG. Better seats, better food, and great lounges in HKG. Their lounge in T3 is great as well.
Did LHR-HKG-MEL-SYD-HKG-LHR with them last year and they were faultless.
OneWorld partnership, so all your status and miles still accrue.
BA are good, but Cathay are better, and usually cheaper for that route.
Either way, do a route with a change/delay. I deliberately chose a five hour stopover en route home from Sydney on my last trip so I could have a nice shower, meal and a stroll between flights. (The Pier First...a lounge I'd live in if they let me!)
The A380 is a far far superior aircraft from a passenger perspective so I'd prefer not only to fly the A380, but get off the plane for a while too if I had the time. The benefit of coming back from the East is that you effectively make up lost time on the flight, so you'll be leaving Singapore in the early hours of the morning and arriving at LHR about 06:30 in the morning the same day, so if you manage to sleep for most of the SIN to LHR leg then effectively don't have any jet lag. I never suffer jet lag coming back from Singapore.
So I'd stay awake on the SYD to SIN leg, hammer the IFE, nice wine and spirits (not so much that you do a Rooney) and the food, enjoy the BA lounge at SIN...maybe a shower if you have time, then settle down on the LHR leg for a good snooze on the A380. It's nice and quiet, 777's feel like rattly old crates in comparison, so you'll have a nice sleep on the A380 and land at LHR nice and refreshed.
When I was out last year to Singapore I was on the 777 out and 380 back, business class both ways. I'd be taking the 380 every time given the choice, far superior aircraft to the 777- A much quieter and more pleasant experience. The cabin itself is in theory identical but the 380 was clearly more recently fitted out- the 777 was showing a lot more wear and tear.
Also, if the timings work out see if you can get points to fly the Quatar codeshare via Doha. I'm flying Qatar for the first time next week and can't wait to try it, reviews online and from colleagues are excellent, and my previous experience of flying with the middle Eastern carriers is their business class is vastly superior to BA (Etihad twice to Singapore).
I'd take the A380 option.
Qatar business suite is better than BA.
ISTR that if you book the same journey as two flights instead of one you'll get double status and avios.
This is a question for flyertalk!
Q suites are ace. Normal Qatar seats are just like Cathay reverse herringbone, which are still good.
Transfers/connections in HKG are seamless, though.
Also, two legs for teh TPs! 😎
I went to Sydney for a day , just .... don’t ask, and did 380 back. Nicer quieter aircraft. 777 feels old, AirNz only exception.
Both planes feel dated now but the 777 is old and the BA planes show it. A380 the better plane of the two and you really want to get off on a journey of that length so hop off at Singapore, even do a stopover it’s worth a look around.
Actually, thinking about it, order of preference on that route, if available.
Cathay First 777
BA First A380
Qatar Q Suite 777
Cathay Business 777, window seat in the mini cabin, 11A/K(or 350 if arriving at Gatwick works. The seats aren't wearing well, but the plane is great)
Qatar herringbone seat
BA Club A380 (53A/K, please!)
BA Club 777
Connections?
HKG has the best selection of One World lounges anywhere, for business and first.
BA at SIN has the tastiest chicken satay! The Qantas lounges are a train wreck.
I did the trip to Melbourne back in November via Doha with Qatar. A380/A350 on way out and A380/Dreamliner on way back. Business all the way. I normally fly BA all the time and Qatar was better than BA first. Codeshare for BA too, not that I need the points!
If it has to be BA, go 380.
If not, what Capt Flashheart said.
As others say, avoid BA - truly the world's worst airline. Business class cabins are dated, the food is terrible and service lacklustre at best. Really don't like them.
truly the world’s worst airline
Someone's never flown Air France...!
Or BA Club recently, for that matter. The food on recent trips has been very good indeed, especially the bread, oddly enough. New White Company bedding is great, too. They're not without fault, certainly, but also certainly not the worst. Air France have angled seats in their A380s! Virgin's seats face the wrong way, Delta have the most confusing jumble of seats/planes.
An upper deck window seat on a BA A380 or 747 is a very pleasant place to fly. 777 not so much.
Someone’s never flown Air France…!
Or Delta
Actually, Delta are getting better fast, Mike! Despite the jumble of seats, if you get a good one (The new suite with the door), it's very, very good. Their 767 seats are apaling, though. Oh, and their wine list needs work. 😁
I've got to fly Virgin/Delta in a couple of weeks, sadly...
Or any other number of airlines we can mention. First class back from Dubai just before Xmas in a BA Dreamliner was “acceptable”
As CFH said, if you book on 1 flight number through, you get considerably less TPs, if that's a consideration. Assuming someone else is paying, any of the business classes are good on that route. I prefer the Asia connection on the way back to get a nice long leg for sleep before a full day back in the UK, for the jet lag. I also prefer time for a shower, but if you are travelling biz you get the arrivals lounge... don't get that in economy with a ff card.
I’ve got to fly Virgin/Delta in a couple of weeks, sadly…
Domestic with virgin is just good fun, staff are normally in a good mood. The lax route is generally done well as you get to go out of Tom Bradley not the usual delta terminal.
Cheers folks - didn't realise I'd get as many responses!
Cathay is about a grand more expensive than the BA option for my dates, so sadly can't justify the cost.
Seems like the consensus is A380 where possible. Not had a problem with BA Club when I flew to the states last year - all very pleasant but no other business class experiences to compare it to!
you do get arrivals lounge with ba gold status, alternately, plaza have a nice lounge (with showers) in T3 (I haven't tried their other arrivals lounges) if you've got an Amex Platinum card.
I would also say the 380, the 777 is fairly aging stock. BA is not a great airline compared to others in the eastern hemisphere (if you can fly with almost any of the middle east airlines, they'd be better) but transatlantic its all much of a muchness.
but transatlantic its all much of a muchness
The seats and layout on American in business is better that ba now. I was quite pleasantly surprised on a recent trip to Miami.
The seats and layout on American in business is better that ba now. I was quite pleasantly surprised on a recent trip to Miami.
Agreed. Unless you're in 62A/K on a BA747, American is the best option.
the ba 747s are bloody ancient - the IFE is really dated. I always get upstairs (but not always the exit row), but it still feels a bit clunky. I'd agree American is a little better, but not a massive difference, whereas if you compare it to something like the qatar q-suite, it's like night-and-day
IFE is really dated
In some, yes, but not all. I always have a full tablet of stuff to watch anyway!
Q-suites are excellent ,I agree. Very interested to see what BA finally announce as the new club seat this year...
IFE on Thai is pretty dire despite everything else being good.
Sad to say but at some point in the future the 747's will no longer be flying and generations to come will no longer get to walk up those stairs. It's the last thing left in flying that harks back to the day's when it all seemed glamourous. Sure there are better planes with better seats but there isn't anything that compares with going upstairs on a 747.
You get access to arrivals with BA silver too on Club World and First tickets 🙂
Had a good look on skyscanner earlier and BA times / cost is unfortunately the best option for this trip. It also means I guarantee silver status for next year (I do a lot of internal BA flights so silver makes the experience much more pleasant but is tricky to accrue on internal flights alone). So BA/OneWorld makes sense for 12 more months of fastrack and lounge access, even if it's perhaps not the best carrier out there.
I’m flying Qatar for the first time next week and can’t wait to try it
Got "stuck" on a Qatar Dreamliner at Doha once due to a sandstorm. Comfy seat, free food and booze, lots of movies. I was a bit disappointed when we actually took off.
Also, if the timings work out see if you can get points to fly the Quatar codeshare via Doha. I’m flying Qatar for the first time next week and can’t wait to try it, reviews online and from colleagues are excellent, and my previous experience of flying with the middle Eastern carriers is their business class is vastly superior to BA (Etihad twice to Singapore).
i flew Qatar to singapore via Doha business class in the summer. can’t say i noticed much difference between the 380 or the boeing. the lounge in Doha was something else though as was the food and wine list on the flight. best thing was being able to order when you wanted and to be woken with breakfast (or booze) whenever you wanted.
more points too.
don't forget the free pyjamas either, got 2 pairs for me and pair for the other half 🙂
Sure there are better planes with better seats but there isn’t anything that compares with going upstairs on a 747.
wandering down to the bar and ordering a martini on a Qatar A380?
You get access to arrivals with BA silver too on Club World and First tickets 🙂
everyone gets access to arrivals if they're in CW or first - its not a silver perk 🙂 The T3 aa lounge is much nicer than the t5 BA one..
From the stairs perspective - I once went to vancouver (I think maybe a thomas cook a330) on a plane where the toilets were below the main cabin - so you got to use the stairs there - however I don't think anything else about that journey could put you in the mind of glamourous travel 🙂
that bar looks nice though - certainly puts the virgin bar on the 747s to shame
Cathay is about a grand more expensive than the BA option for my dates, so sadly can’t justify the cost.
Seems like the consensus is A380 where possible.
Odd. Unusually find Cathay to be at least four figures lower than BA!
Anyway, yes to the A380 if you can. Ideally a window seat in the upper deck front cabin. Quieter up there, the bogs are simply massive (great for changing/having a Greek shower) and the window seats have storage lockers alongside. All makes a nice difference.
Also, as above, if you can make it work a stopover in Singapore is highly recommended. I have many tips for food/hotels etc if you like!
Ideally a window seat in the upper deck front cabin. Quieter up there, the bogs are simply massive
Don't use them if you are agoraphobic, they are disconcertingly large!
wandering down to the bar and ordering a martini on a Qatar A380?
Very impressive but it's the reminder that flying once used to be a glamorous and exciting you get with going upstairs on a 747. That bar though is a good way to blot out the fact that it isn't anymore
Went to Sydney on Emirates, 777 from Birmingham to Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney. On the way back it was A380 to Dubai and 777 to Birmingham.
Apart from the A380 being wider I really couldn't tell the difference, it was dark when we got on the A380 and barely saw the outside of it anyway, it could have been anything.
I was flying cattle class mind, but emergency seats on all legs apart from the last one where I had a row of three seats to myself.