Elite status: none
Aircraft type: B777-300ER
Seat: 2A
Padding:
Very comfortable in the seat position. Did not feel any hard spots while seated.
In the flat sleeping position you do notice the seams in the seat. This is normal for first class seats of this type. You do get a pad which helps with this.
Recline: fully flat bed in a suite without doors. Feels very spacious and private with nice mood lighting.
Pitch:
Pitch is never an issue in international first class. My outstretched foot could not touch the edge in front of me!
In the flat position I had plenty of room to stretch out my 6’2” frame and not touch my head nor feet against the walls.
LAX-PEK
January 15, 2019
Distance: 6,250 miles
Schedule:
Depart: 12:40AM
Arrive: 5:30AM (Jan 16)
Scheduled: 12h 50m
Push back: 12:50AM (10 minutes late)
Touch down: 5:20AM (10 minutes early)
Arrived at gate 8m later
Actual duration: 12h 38m
Cost:
Paid with: miles
Prices at time of booking:
Miles: 80,000 Avianca Lifemiles +$14.52
Cash: $5,000
Payment method reasoning: I don’t fly first or business class unless I’m redeeming miles for long journeys.
Boarding:
The gate area was a mess of randomly placed lines. Priority boarding was a single mixed first and business class line. It also was not orderly or organized.
Once on board the service started to shine. I was greeted several times and my slippers were out out for me. I was also given a L’Occitane amenity kit and pajamas.
My meal orders were taken before takeoff also.
I was offered a warm towel, champagne, and nuts during boarding which is always nice!
Service:
All of the first class flight attendants were very friendly and attentive during meal service. The first class cabin was only half full so we got lots of extra care
I had 2 seats. One was the bed and the other was for sitting and eating. While I was awake I was offered drinks and snacks from the menu from time to time.
Bring an eye mask so lights won’t disturb you if they get switched on in flight.
IFE and power:
IFE in first class has a large touch screen and remote.
I had my own AC power outlet for charging my electronics. This is important for a 13 hour flight!
The entertainment included 25 newer movies and only 16 shows. Very limited and lacking for such a long flight.
Some audio and games were offered too.
Response times on the IFE were slow. It felt very laggy and much like using a very old computer.
The IFE headset had a very bad static making it unusable. It was high pitched and very annoying.
WiFi:
WiFi was not offered on this flight.
Food:
Quite a large and fancy menu in first class. I had the western beef main course after take off and the smaller Chinese chicken course before landing.
All dining is on demand and you can have what you want when you want. I love being able to choose when to eat.
Overall the food was good. The main meal was quite good. Best steak I’ve had in the air. The second meal was just ok but still adequate for a pre-landing meal.
Drinks:
All of the standard coke brand soft drinks, juices, and many Chinese teas offered. Coffees were illy and made to order.
The alcohol menu outside of wine was surprisingly limited and not specific. There were no whisky options shown at all!
In my flight I had water, champagne, and Coca Cola.
Drink servings were small so many refills were needed for water.
Best seats: all first class seats are the same and great! Very large suites and fully flat beds.
Would I fly again?
Yes! The crew was very friendly and happy to take care of any need. I was kept well informed of our arrival time. The seat was very comfortable and I got 2 4-hour naps on the 13 hour flight. I always value sleep the most on all longnhaul business and first class flights.
Pros:
Very friendly and professional crew. Always smiling and never seemed put off by any request.
Food was better than expected and I felt well taken care of. The lavatory was kept clean throughout the flight. Crew was always available for requests.
Cons:
English language was noticeably limited for some of the crew. They were all very polite and friendly. No air vents over the seats is an annoyance.
The champagne was served warmer than I like. A small detail but this is first class.
The moving map portion of my IFE was broken the entire flight which is an annoyance. I had to get new headphones as the original set was broken.
