To the Windy City! - In BA First

From Dream to Reality…

Well, that is a sentence I had never imagined saying in my lifetime. It's not like I could afford over £10K for a one-way ticket across the pond in first-class however whenever I see a good deal too good to miss. I refuse to miss out!

Back in June 2018, Iberia had a very surprising promotion which took many people by utter surprise. They were offering 9,000 bonus Avios for making any booking whether you flew the flights or not. With hardly any restrictions except only a maximum of 90,000 bonus per person, they were sure to regret their deal. So along with many thousands other people I took advantage the best I possibly could and booked 10 cheap one-way tickets all around Europe for as little as £20. I never need much of an excuse to visit Spain but 10 flights were the perfect excuse.

Within days it was obvious they were regretting their promotion as word on the street was every man and his dog had booked flights. Yes, people were seriously booking flights in their pets names. Thankfully us genuine people still got the promo honoured by confirming passport details and waiting a few months.

With an Iberia Plus account filled with 90k Avios, I only had one thing in mind. Book my once in a lifetime flight in first-class across the pond. With the craving for another deep dish pizza in mind It just had to be Chicago. So 68k Avios and a little over £450 in taxes later the dream had become a reality. I had just booked to fly first class on a British Airways A380. Even that took a few days to sink in.

Time to poke out my pinky…

After what felt like years of waiting the day had finally come yet it still felt very surreal.

Fuelled with excitement I got to the airport over 4 hours early, Well excitement and the thought of spending 4 hours in the lounge with unlimited food and drink. After a couple of minutes letting it all sink in that I was about to endure quite possibly my first and only experience of First Class in my life I proceeded to hunt down the check-in desks. Being a British Airways First Class passenger at Heathrow's Terminal 5 I got to use the swanky first wing. The best way I can describe it is checking in to a luxury hotel but with a very personal touch. It's like the Marks & Spencer experience of airport check-in!

I was greeted at the entrance then directed to one of around 10 empty check-in desks where nothing felt too much trouble. After a brief chat about my upcoming adventure and a joke that I was only travelling with 1 carry on and 1 checked bag when First passengers can check 3 bags at 32kg each it was time to head for security.

The real beauty of the first wing is the fact that not only do you get to use priority security but the first wing has its dedicated security lanes meaning there is no queue the majority of the time. And you can walk from the check-in desk straight to the checkpoint to undress/unload yourself into the trays. Once through security its a short walk down a small corridor directly into the first lounge avoiding the typical duty-free shops.

The first lounge is lovely in itself. I appreciate any airport lounge however yet another perk of BA First is the use of the Concorde Room. This exquisite lounge is solely accessible to passengers flying in the First Class cabin whereas the First Lounge is open to BAEC Gold Cardholders who can also guest another passenger. This also stands for the first wing for check-in too.

One of the best advantages of the Concorde room over any other lounge from British Airways is the fact there is a dining room like a restaurant instead of the usual buffet spread. Now a big meal before a long flight usually sounds a bad idea but when its included…why not? Did somebody say "Lamb Shank?" If you know me you know that I love a bit of Lamb, but this Lamb shank was by far the best lamb shank I have ever tasted. Even the mashed potato was perfect. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a chocolate dome dessert so just had to order it. Turns out it was a chocolate orange dome which would blow any other chocolate dessert you've ever tasted out the park. If you like Terry's chocolate orange think of that but on steroids in a mousse.

The list of perks you get being a BA First passenger seems endless. Yet another bonus to travelling in this elite cabin is what BA like to call "You First." It's a concierge service available solely to first passengers. They can help you out with all sorts from arranging hotels and taxis at your destination to booking your complimentary spa treatment in Heathrow before your flight. As if I didn't feel relaxed enough by the luxury treatment so far. I had a complimentary massage at the Elemis spa to use. This was pre-arranged using the You First service 30 days before departure and from what I've heard gets booked up very quickly in advance so best be quick!

With a delay due to ATC restrictions and the aircraft being unable to get towed to the relevant gate, I had some time to spare in the lounge. Next up I thought it was time to get in the holiday spirit by seeing what the bar had on offer. As it was all complimentary and me not exactly drinking a lot of alcohol it was straight for the Champagne for me. No expense was spared here when I was presented with a bottle of Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle which retails at over £120 per bottle. This washed down the mixed nuts a treat.

It goes to show how the British Airways staff in this lounge go that extra mile for everyone as whilst I enquired about an update on the delay I was told that the lovely lady would keep an eye out for any updates and let me know when boarding is about to start to maximise my time relaxing.

It's only just begun…

As with all long haul flights from Terminal 5 my flight would be leaving from one of the 2 satellite concourses and requires either a short underground transit train or a long walk This time it was the second stop at T5C where I found my A380 superjumbo awaits already boarding passengers. Its was at this point I realised how judgmental some people can be. I feel extremely lucky to be able to experience the world and travel as much as I have. However, in this sort of luxury, I can't put into words just how fortunate I feel to be able to experience this. Yes, I'm only 24 but there's no need to judge somebody and categorise them solely based on looking younger than the majority of other people in the queue for First Class boarding.

No matter how many times I see the enormous A380, it's mind-blowing every time. British Airways has configured their fleet of 12 with 469 passenger seats in a 4 class layout. With 14 seats in First, 97 in Club World, 55 in World Traveller Plus and 303 in World Traveller. For such a large aircraft it is very easy to forget how many other passengers are also onboard. Passengers in First get their own jet bridge to board from and a private yet very spacious suite resulting in me only seeing around 8 other people including the crew from the moment I sat in the seat until I got off the aircraft stateside.

Who would've thought… A private jet feeling from the worlds largest commercial passenger jet?

At the seat was already an amenity kit full of all the usual toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, pen and moisturisers etc. Within seconds of me sitting down, I was greeted personally by James who offered me a selection of mixed warm nuts a pre-departure drink of my choice and a hot towel to freshen up before we even pushed back. Before I even knew it my OJ was sat on the side table next to me along with the menu for today's flight. One of the things BA is renowned for is their impeccable customer service. And this was no exception, even with the menu James made it his task to find out what kind of things I like to eat and made his recommendations based on them. Not only that, but I was also asked when I would like to eat my meals on board. I guess excitement took over so I just had to say do I have to wait until after takeoff?

Just shy of 2 hours after the planned departure we were roaring down Runway 27L turning right for a very northerly route across the pond passing Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland on our way out of UK airspace.

Still hungry…?

Very soon after takeoff, the canapés arrived. In the form of goats cheese with quince chutney, lobster pate with oscietra caviar, beef bresaola with smoked tomato and lovage pesto. And these were only to get my tastebuds going. As this was the year in which BA were celebrating BA100. The 100th year of when one of the predecessor airlines was formed they had teamed up with Brewdog to offer two specially crafted IPA's. To be uniquely distributed on British Airways flights. One of which was only available to customers flying First. Because of this, it'll be rude not to try it… Right?

Before I even had the chance to admire the sunset it was time for the starter. For this, I had chosen the Woodall's air-dried ham with whipped Pecorino, glazed fig and truffle honey. It truly amazes me how the chefs behind the food at BA have managed to create dishes which taste as good as they do even at 36000ft, where our tastebuds sensitivity reduces significantly. But then again if you had paid more than £10k for this flight you wouldn't be too impressed if you could barely taste the food.

No dining experience would be complete without the main course. But when I saw the seared fillet of Hereford beef on the menu I never even continued to read the other choices. To top it off it came with peppercorn sauce which is an absolute must for me and a smoked salt beef croquette. To make myself believe I had been somewhat healthy today don't worry I did chose to have some Hasselback potatoes and garlic butter green beans on the side to balance it out with some vegetables.

Time to relax…

After all this food I was full so decided to postpone the dessert. Now was the perfect time to start having a look around the suite and its many functions. There were tonnes of storage around. Even a wardrobe which was big enough for a small suitcase too. And the ottoman which could be used as a second seat if you wish to dine with a fellow passenger. I must have looked like a 5-year-old in a toy shop pressing all the buttons and reclining the seat back and forth just to try and get that sweet spot but who cares. To get a little more comfortable I decided to change into the provided Pyjamas and put my feet up. In the short walk to the bathroom, James asked if I would like the seat turned into a bed for my return. It would have been rude for me to turn that down surely so… Yeah sure!

On my return, I even came back to a pair of slippers and a bottle of water to get even comfier. The first-class seats or beds shall we say on the A380 are the biggest in the British Airways fleet. The space is enormous with the bed itself consisting of a mattress, a duvet and a couple of pillows. I can honestly say the bed in BA first is more comfortable than the bed in some Hilton hotels. But it felt a shame to waste this special once in a lifetime experience by sleeping through it So I relaxed by watching a film.

The IFE is the same selection in all 4 cabins across the aircraft however the screen up the front is much larger in addition to including noise-cancelling headphones to enjoy the films that little bit more. So after a quick browse I came across "Yesterday" it was ok but felt like one of those films where they have included all the best bits in the trailer and the film is quite dragged out. So I thought let's eat dessert! Chocolate chilli fondant sounds like it'll hit just the spot and WOW was I right…

It goes to show how personal the experience of flying first can be. Just while tucking into dessert James came round to my seat to let me know it's his break time now and that his colleague will be assisting me if I required anything.

It was at this moment I had to pinch myself as I thought how had I managed at 24 years old to be sitting in first class on my way to Chicago eating caviar, a 4-course meal whilst putting my feet up in my own private suite? I'm used to flying long haul having to knock elbows with the person next to me whilst eating dinner and missing my mouth because I head-butted the seat in front from an inconsiderate passenger refusing to put their seat up. Not having my own wardrobe and getting offered pyjamas and slippers whilst the cabin crew make my bed.

I thought I was just having a rest but maybe I fell asleep as the next time I saw the screen we were only 90 minutes from landing. And with British Airways that can only mean one thing… In first and business there's the option for afternoon tea. Yes ok, it was around midnight UK time and I think I was the only person not asleep but if someone asks me whether id like afternoon tea then ill never turn it down. Must have been very tired though as thinking back I never actually had any tea with my afternoon tea. Just some water. As with the other food throughout this trip, the afternoon tea was sublime. Still to this day haven't had a scone or macaron that tasted as good as they did on this flight. They chose the best of the best chefs and food for sure.

Cant' believe it's over…

Before I knew it the crew were preparing for arrival. As we started our descent into Chicago I realised, for a flight with over 400 passengers onboard. Since boarding I had probably only seen another 4 passengers, even those were once maybe twice since we departed. This is such a luxurious way to fly and one which I will jump at the chance of flying again.

With a flight time of 8hr3m, we touched down on runway 10C in Chicago O'Hare making up a little time from the delay. Honestly though, I wouldn't have minded a go-around or something to make the flight a little longer as if you pardon the pun... "It flew by too quickly."

With absolutely no doubt at all, I can say this has been 100% my best travel experience with such a great way to start a multi-stop tour of USA.

It's true what they say… " Once you turn left, there's no going back!"