This is part 2 of my first trip to the US in First Class, read part 1 here.
The return journey
Leg 3 – Vegas to Dallas
For this part of my journey, I had booked in economy on American Airlines to position myself to Dallas for my final BA flight home. There’s no AA lounge in Vegas and I can’t use the BA one on an AA flight, so I didn’t get to the airport very early for this flight. Thanks to my status I can of course still use the priority check-in area for a quick check-in, followed by heading to the TSA Pre-check security area for a quick way through. Once through I had to head to the D gates, which was a short transit ride away. In the gates area there are shops and restaurants, an AMEX Centurian lounge for those who want to pay or have a suitably high level of AMEX card. And of course it’s Vegas, so there’s slot machines everywhere. I headed to Cinnabon for a sugar hit in bun form and then sat at a slot machine next to my gate to lose the remainder of the cash I’d set aside to gambling.
Soon they called boarding and in group 2, thanks again to status, I headed on board. I’d selected 9A, my best choice seat for this kind of flight. My status allows me to pick any economy seat, including what they call economy plus, which is extra leg room seats near the front, at no extra cost. I always like to go for the row behind the front row of economy. The front row of economy often has an annoying curtain for the business/first section. And, as I discovered on this flight, the back of the last row of business seats does not have a phone/tablet holder like all the rest. So now I will always pick the next row back.
My seat had plenty of leg room and it featured a table and separate phone/tablet holder, very nice. In addition to this, the seat next to me was blocked out. This is something I’d seen before, when a flight is not fully booked out they will block the seat next to a top tier frequent flyer until they have to sell it. I looked on the seat map well before flying and the seat was not available for picking, when the door was closed and it was still empty I knew that it was definitely blocked.
The flight was straight forward, 2 hours and 15mins in the air, with a very simple soft drinks service, with a couple of biscuits (cookies as the Americans would call them). Alcohol was available for a charge.
We were late taking off, therefor late landing, but I’d allowed plenty of time for this before my next, “not connected” flight.
Dallas Fort Worth Airport
Dallas airport is a major hub for American airlines, and I mean major. It is entirely geared up for people transferring through, by that people who have connecting flights. I did not have a connecting flight. Just to be clear here for people new to flying, a connecting flight is when you book a route with 2 or more flights, all under the one booking. Usually with these flights your checked bags are checked all the way to your final destination, therefor you don’t have to leave the airside zone and do security again when you get to your connecting airport, just head straight to your next gate and carry on. This is what Dallas is designed for, but I was not on a connecting flight, so I had to collect my bag and then check in for the next flight. I was directed to a baggage claim area where there was a single belt, which covered quite a few flights. This was my first indicator that very few people exit here, compared to the numbers connecting. There was a lot of seating here, which was needed as it was a good 20min wait for the bags to arrive. Once I had my bag I had to move to terminal D, which I had already looked up was achieved by a courtesy shuttle bus outside. The airport does have full transit train system for going between terminals, but that is only airside, and I was now landside.
I stepped outside and there was a bus waiting, with only 1 other person on it. After a brief tour of terminal E, I was dropped at terminal D. This bus was pretty old and rickety, clearly not a service frequently used. Once inside I was pleased to see BA has a dedicated check-in desk for Frist, so I headed there and dropped my bag off. I then had to walk to the other side of the terminal to find the TSA pre-check security area, which was pretty busy. However, they worked that out just as I arrived, opened a second machine to let us through quicker and I was done in under 10mins.
I then headed to the lounge, like Chicago, the lounges here were American Airlines Admirals Club and Flagship lounges, no BA lounge here. The Flagship lounge was pretty busy, with lots of people bustling around a buffet, but it did have the nice touch of a champagne bar at the entrance. When I checked into the lounge, I was informed that as I was flying in first class I qualified for First Fine Dining. I was issued a special pass and directed to the restaurant. This was behind smoked glass, there I found a quiet restaurant of peace and tranquillity, compared to the main lounge. I was offered some still or sparkling water, along with the food and wine menus. I selected their signature cocktail, a salad starter and a bison strip loin as a main. I was then brought an amuse bouche, some kind of shot of chili broth. Followed by a course of focaccia bread. They offered wine pairing with all courses, I took the option of red with my bison. Everything was delicious!
Then the dessert menu arrived, again I went with the signature dish, the chef’s chocolate dessert, an amazing chocolate lava cake. All finished off with champagne.
The restaurant remained very quiet with never more than 4 people in it, including myself. When I’d finished eating, I asked how long I could stay, and I was told as long as I wanted to. If I wanted a change of scene there was also a bar around the corner I could go and sit at if I wanted to. In fact, I wrote this Dallas section of this report still at my table, waiting for my flight.
Eventually it came time to board, and I headed back down to the gates to find my A380 for my final flight home. As I had eaten very early in the lounge, because I’d planned for a long stopover in Dallas to give myself plenty of time for things to go wrong, I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry when I got on board. I opted for just the starter and the cheese course without taking the main. The soup was delicious. The cheeses were lovely as well. After that I put on pyjamas, let them make up my bed and got my head down for a good night’s sleep. I didn’t want to have breakfast because I of course again wanted to go to the Concorde room in the arrivals lounge.
I spent a lot of time asleep on the homeward flight, and I slept very well. So, there’s not a lot to report here, it was all very similar to the outbound trip. I visited the arrivals lounge and had breakfast in the Concorde Room. I’ve reported on that experience before on my first first trip from Dubai, read it here.
Bottom line
The big question is, was it worth it? The normal pricing for first class is ludicrous, and I don’t think I’d ever buy a first-class ticket without it being on some kind of special offer. On this occasion that was both a decent sale price and the double tier points offer. I did earn 800 tier points from this trip alone, which is more than half what I needed to retain goal for another year. However, since British Airways have not updated the first-class suites, along with the business class seat into the new club suite, the actual jump between a club suite and the first-class suite is tiny, the only real difference is the level of service and pyjamas. If you’re on a night flight, I don’t think that makes it worth it at all, especially if you’re going to sleep. There’s obviously a big difference between the old business class seats on the A380 and the first-class seats, but that’s going to be phased out in the next couple of years anyway. They are planning to fit club suites, which is much needed on the A380. British Airways is planning to introduce a whole new first-class seat design on the A380s in the next couple of years, which should make them stand out again against the club suite. However, they won’t be world class against things like the kind of room that you get on a Middle East airline. On this particular occasion, I think the trip was worth it, I enjoyed experiencing the Concorde room and the service of the day flight on the way out. The night flight on the return part of the journey was probably not worth it, despite the nice little perks of an extra lounge breakfast room to eat in when you get home.
At the time of writing, I’d already started preparing for my next December trip to Vegas in December 2024. For this trip I decided to book 1st class out to Seattle, with a short hop down to Vegas and then return trip direct on the A350 in business class. This would give me a club suite and a direct flight home. Since I was planning to sleep, I really didn’t feel the need to go into first to come home. Would I book a trip in first class again? Pretty unlikely, maybe as a very special treat sometime in the future, if I’m doing very well at work, but the club suite is more than adequate, and the food is good enough. Plus, I’ve got my BA pyjamas now, and yes I did use them on my next trip!
