2025’s big trip: India! Part 5B: LHR-SFO in BA First Class on the A380

Now it’s time for the main event.  British Airways First Class from London to San Francisco!  I got to the plane relatively late in the boarding process because of the amount of time that it took to get from the Concorde Room to the C gates (and wanted to take some additional pictures before heading over).  Upon entering the aircraft, I was directed to my seat (which is noteworthy because previously, I’ve been escorted to my seat in First). 

Let’s start with a tour of the seat! I was immediately struck by how much larger this seat is than the equivalent seat on the 787 that I’ve flown twice previously.  I had been worried that the design of the side table would make it feel incomplete, but the space is so large that if the side table had been bigger, it wouldn’t have had any additional useable space.

Upon sitting down, I was promptly greeted by both the First Class flight attendants for my aisle and the inflight manager (who wasn’t working in First).  I was provided a welcome glass of champagne and a sparkling water, along with mixed nuts and cheese biscuits.  It was immediately obvious that the flight crew was going to be great.

The entertainment screen was opened for the safety briefing but had to be closed for taxi/takeoff/landing.  I don’t know why there is the silver frame around the screen, but I guess it’s for structural stability, but it was rather bulky.  After takeoff, I ordered a cocktail and another water.  I also found it interesting that the windows had two shades: an outer shade to remove the glare form the sun but also an inner darkening (normal) shade, which was a nice touch.

They operated a full a-la-carte dining experience, where they told me I could just order whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, which is exactly what you want/expect in First Class. 

Since I had had a sizeable breakfast in the lounge, I opted to hold off until around 3 pm UK time for lunch.  I specifically selected the lobster starter, the fig and goat’s cheese filo tart, and the roasted chicken.  Promptly at the request time, they came by to confirm I was ready for lunch and set the table.  The meal started with a glass of champagne and the beetroot amuse bouche:

The beetroot was beautifully presented in a flower shape, and the whipped cheese went perfectly with it.  The dish was served cold (as it should’ve been), and really proved that you can have a great, refreshing premium cold dish on a plane.

Next came the lobster tail, which was served with mango salsa and coriander mayo.

When I ordered, they confirmed that I wanted two starters, and I think that was definitely the right choice because the tart was excellent.  Now, what the menu didn’t tell me was that under the figs and cheese was an entire layer of caramelized onions.  Aside from that though, the tart was truly excellent.  Then finally came the main course, which was equally excellent.  The terrine was well-made (and one of the few potato dishes that I’ve liked).  The chicken was similarly juicy and well-presented.  Overall, this meal was probably the best I’ve ever had on a transatlantic flight.

After I finished the main course, the flight attendant came around to check if I wanted any dessert.  I ended up being “convinced” to order the ice cream bowl, which was served with raspberries and white chocolate pearls.  I knew I needed to order something for the pictures for the blog, and I ended up choosing correctly because it was similarly excellent.  The crunch of the pearls went perfectly with the ice cream.  I also got a plate of fresh fruit to go with it because (a) why not and (b) I was interested to see how it compares to their Club World fruit offering.

After the meal service ended, I read for a bit and then put the bed into full-flat mode.  Since it was a day-time fight, I didn’t bother getting the turn-down service, but I did take a short 90-minute nap.  After my nap (and another couple hours of reading and working), they began to take orders for the pre-arrival meal service.  I was still completely full, but I needed to both (a) get some pictures for the blog and (b) eat something with my anti-malaria pills.  I decided to order a couple of light plates.  First came the seafood dish, which consisted of shrimp and a salad and then came the final course of the flight: a mushroom pie.  Both dishes were decent, but they weren’t nearly as good as the main meal service.  If I’d been hungrier, I think I would’ve been a bigger fan of these dishes, however.

After this final culinary experience, it was time to start packing up for our arrival into San Francisco.  The inflight manager stopped by a second time to chat, and we had a great conversation about my trip to India and just aviation in general, so overall the service, the huge seat, and the dining experience made this an overall excellent flight.

In summary, this First Class flight was a noticeable step above Club World on the same route.  The Concorde Room met my overall expectations, but didn’t blow me away (4/5).  The A380 First Class seat is a huge seat, but in the context of first class products, just being a seat means it doesn’t break into the top tier (4/5).  The food and the service were both well-polished, personalized, and overall, excellent (5/5 and 5/5).  The IFE interface was a bit dated and the options were a bit limited, but the free WiFi made up for it for me (4/5).  Overall this flight gets a 22/25, which largely reflects that BA just needs to up its hard product game (which they will do soon).  I can’t wait for BA to upgrade these seats to the new suites.  That’ll be awesome. 

I booked this flight using 85 000 Avios and $770 of taxes and fees.  I earned 5x Amex points/$ on the taxes and fees (and I often transfer them to BA), which netted me around 3 800 Amex points back.  For context, the flight in Club World would have cost 90 000 Avios and $400, so I paid a net upgrade price of around $400 equivalent spending, which I think would be pretty worth it if it means you can avoid a low quality Club World seat.  I flew this route again on the A380 in January 2026, so we’ll see if I still feel that way in a couple months.