Unless you pay extra to reserve a seat in advance, you need to check-in online bang on 24 hours before your 11 hour British Airways flight departs for San Francisco. Aim for one of the window seats in the two rows at the back of the airplane. These berths have more elbow rooms than the others, mainly because there is no middle seat. The screens embedded in the headrests are small, but the in-flight entertainment system has a big selection of films and TV programmes. In both directions, you get a passable three-course meal, plus a couple of drinks, early in the flight. The hot pasta dishes are not bad and probably a safer choice than the chicken curry. However, the white wine (Val de los Frailes, Verdjos 2011) is lacklustre and you might be better off with a beer. You also get a snack, such as a sandwich or a cake, as you approach your destination. The seats don't recline very far, so you may want to take a neck cushion for the over-night return leg. The best thing about this flight is the views out of the window. On the way out, you can admire the snowy wastes of the Arctic and, on the way back, you may get some spectacular vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco. 6/10
