The Photos
You will be please to know, my vicarious friends, that this one will be short and sweet. Well short and sweet by Moomba TR standards that is.
I last left you having got off the bus from my plane that took me from London to Muscat via Abu Dhabi.
I proceeded upstairs following the transit signs and walked towards the transit desks. There were 3 people there and I was asked which airline and on reply of BA two of the three pointed to the remaining gent.
He took my itinerary and passport and asked me where I was coming from. I said London and he said and you are going to London and I replied Yes. The woman at the other end started to laugh at me and I said some people are crazy. I like flying and I get miles for doing so.
The chap soon discovered that there was no ticket number attached to the sector and asked me to take a seat whilst he called the BA ticket desk. He chatted for a while in English which surprised me and I heard him say that someone had put the ticket number in the notes. I assume this was the ticketing agent at Heathrow that morning.
I eventually heard him say so I can go ahead and insert the number. Music to my ears. He then typed away for a bit and I heard the printer fire up to print my BP. Whoopee.
He then got and up and was searching drawers looking for something. He eventually came back to the desk and then called me up a little while later. He handed me my passport, BP, ticket receipt and a hand written lounge invite to the Oman Air lounge. It was the lounge invite he had been looking for.
He wished me a safe flight and sent me on my way.
Down through a corridor there were some security machines that appeared to be unmanned. I walked through and it beeped which arose the interest of the guy manning them who had been sitting off to the end. He motioned me to go back through and put my carry on through the x-ray. I did as directed and went through the scanner without a beep this time. He asked if there were many in the transit area and I said another 2 were there.
I did a quick tour of the duty free store and then headed downstairs to the Oman Air lounge. The agent took my invite and waived me inside.
The lounge has a few very, very, very slow computers and a decent amount of club chair type seating, hot and cold drinks, Arabic coffee, lots of nibbles, cakes, sandwiches, pastries etc.
There are a couple of TVs down the far end and plenty of staff wandering around keeping it all looking spic and span.
After an hour and a half and a couple of juices and some sparkling water an announcement was made for the BA flight to London at 23:15. I had remembered from the last trip here that I didn’t need to go upstairs to get to the gates and proceeded past the escalators and through a door into the departure area.
I went to the gate where another security scan took place. I had to take all metal off including my belt and my shoes for this scan.
I waited in the lounge for a few minutes before they opened the door and let us on to the bus. There was a very light load on this flight that included the two who had boarded at AUH. I gather it was some sort of visa run they were doing.
The bus pulled away and up to the aircraft a few minutes later. I climbed the stairs in the balmy evening air at Muscat.
Flight BA072 MCT-AUH-LHR Seat 3K
Aircraft: 777-200
Departure time: 00:01
I was directed to the other side to go to my seat which was the same one I occupied on the way out. I settled in and one of crew came along with a wash bag and a sleeper suit. He asked me what I would like to drink and of course the answer was champagne. I settled in sipping champagne and by the time doors closed there were 5 passengers in First. More bubbles were offered and accepted whilst still on the ground.
We pushed back just on midnight and taxied to the end of the runway and took off at 00:18. After take off I was offered a drink and some canapés that were the same as the AUH-MCT leg. No need to say what I asked to drink.
The flight was over quickly and we landed in AUH and pulled up to the same gate as earlier for a 70 minute stop over. Again the doors opened and a flurry of catering activity took place.
As the new boarders were coming in I was offered more champagne and then a re-fill a while later. The crew member, in a effort to top my glass up, ended up with champagne all over the floor as it bubbled up and over the rim of the glass. He said ‘Oh got a bit too excited there’. He went away and cleaned up the glass and came back to deliver it.
The cabin was cleared for take off and we pushed back at 02:03. This time my stay at AUH was not elongated due to weather as was the case last year. (Read my Passion or Addiction TR if you want to know why)
We took off at 02:19 for the 7 hour and 40 minute flight to London.
More canapés made their way to my seat along with more champagne after take off. The canapés this time consisted of prawn and scallop tartlet, corn fritter, dolmades and a prawn wonton/dumpling thing-a-ma-jig.
The menus were handed out and one of the crew dropped by to take my order.
The Menu
Dinner
Starters
Mixed seafood plate served with flat leaf parsley and dill and olive oil vinaigrette
Parsnip soup with herbs
Fresh seasonal salad with your choice of classic vinaigrette or creamy fresh herb dressing
Main
Barbeque duck roll with steamed rice and vegetables
Balsamic roast beef with mashed potatoes and ratatouille
Spaghetti served with tomato sauce
Salad of sliced smoked breast of chicken, beef, cervelat, with mixed lettuce and tomato
Dessert
Triple chocolate mousse dome with mango, kiwi and strawberry
Cheese Plate
Brie – This soft cow’s-milk cheese is one of the world’s most popular cheeses
Emmenthal – A traditional, hard cheese made from cow’s-milk
Gouda – A cow’s-milk cheese named after a city in the Netherlands, Gouda
has a mild taste and creamy texture
A basket of fresh fruit
Snacks
Hot chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies
A selection of biscuits
A selection of cheese and fruit
Beverages
Twinings Teas – Traditional English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Earl Grey or Pure Green
Twinings Fruit and Herb Infusions – Pure Camomile, Pure Peppermint, Lemon and Ginger or Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla
Coffee – Freshly roasted and ground, decaffeinated, espresso or cappuccino
Chocolates
Drinks
Wines
Aperitif
A sparkling aperitif combining Crème de Cassis (a blackcurrant liqueur) with Champagne, creating a refreshing cocktail.
Champagne
Pol Roger Brut 1999, Vintage Champagne
Pol Roger, founded in Epernay in 1849, is one of the truly great names of Champagne and is one of the very few proudly independent family houses left. They reserve their Vintage declarations for those rare years in which all the climatic and winemaking conditions come together in complete harmony. This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir, which contributes intensity of flavour and body, and Chardonnay, which provides fragrance, delicacy and finesse. This is a real treat.
OR
Bollinger La Grande Annee 1999 (were serving 2000 though)
Founded in 1829 in the village of Ay, Bollinger is one of the great names of Champagne – synonymous with the finest quality. This wine is sheer class – rich, complex, intense and rounded. Powerful flavours of toasted nuts, wild fruits and crème brulee abound, balanced by a lively acidity. La Grande Annee is Bollinger’s prestige cuvee and is only made when an exceptional vintage occurs.
White
Meursault Clos De Meix Chavaux 2007, Burgundy, France
A rich dry white Burgundy with a complex nutty flavour and crisp apple finish. A third of this wine has been aged in new oak to give it a delicate creaminess to the palate. The Burgundy village of Meursault is the home of some of the most famous white wines in the world. The 2007 vintage was saved by a glorious autumn that created fresh wines of longevity and style.
Amayna Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Leyda Valley, Chile
Amanya is a family-owned property founded by the Garces family in the San Antonio-Leyda Valley. One of only two wineries in the valley, Amanya was launched from the 2003 harvest. It has a very modern, gravity-flow winery set in a sheltered valley between coastal mountain range and the Pacific Ocean, just fourteen kilometres from the sea. The cooling breezes from the sea make this a perfect site for Sauvignon Blanc. Crisp and dry, with tropical fruit and ripe citrus flavours, it is well-balanced and fuller than most Sauvignons, and has a fresh citrus finish.
OR
Lindberg Reserve Gruner Veltliner 2007, Kremstal
Austria’s signature white grape variety, Gruner Veltliner, is extremely fashionable with high-flying sommeliers the world over, and the 2007 is drinking very well now. Full-bodied, aromatic and dry, this wine has hints of herbs and white pepper
Orlando Saint Hilary Chardonnay 2006, Padthaway, Australia
Flagship Australian Chardonnays such as this one have slimmed down enormously over the past few years. From South Australia’s cooler region of Padthaway, this wine is surprisingly elegant with rewarding richness and just a hint of oak. It brings lift and life, and it is very appetising, with great balance and complexity. You could keep on returning to this wine.
Red
Chateau Trotte Vieille 2002, Saint-Emilion
A Grand Cru Classe, this wine is rich and velvety with a hint of ink and juicy fruit on the palate. A relatively easy wine, with very fine, chalky tannins on the finish and a texture that is user-friendly, but with potential. Full, sweet and lip-smacking.
Clos de I’Oratoire des Papes, Chateanueuf-du-Pape, 2006
A rich cocktail of a wine from a lovely, juicy vintage for the southern Rhone. A deep purplish-red in colour, the wine has a complex nose full of spicy, red-berry aromas and a hint of dried fruit.
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 4 Sawcut Pinot Noir 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand
This elegant Pinot Noir from one of New Zealand’s most celebrated winemakers shows a round, full palate with well-balanced acidity and abundant ripe tannins. Aging in new French barrels provides warm, savoury notes leading to a full, lingering finish.
Dessert
Chateau Coutet 1998, Premier Cru Classe, Sauternes-Barsac
Chateau Coutet is one of the oldest estates in Sauternes and prides itself on its exalted history – its buildings date from the end of the thirteenth century. The winemaking follows the same painstaking traditions – grapes are not harvested in bunches but individual berries are picked, as they are ready. The harvesters have to go through the vineyards numerous times and a harvest can last several weeks. The result is a sumptuously sweet wine that combines superbly with the expensive French oak in which it matures.
Warre’s 1992 Colheita Tawny Port
Complex, sweet, nutty flavours offer an admirable after-dinner glass.
Spirits, Digestifs and Liqueurs
Gonzalez Byass Sherries
Smirnoff Black Label Vodka
Tanqueray No. Ten Gin
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch Whisky
The Glenlivet 18-year-old Single Malt Whisky
Woodford Reserve Kentucky Whiskey
Camus XO Cognac
Soft Drinks
A selection of traditional and modern drinks
Highland Spring still or sparkling water
I ordered the soup to start which was served with warm rolls. I decided to switch to the lovely Pinot Noir that I had been drinking on the way out. More rolls were offered but this time I declined.
The main course was brought out and the beef I had chosen was tender and delicious.
After I finished the main I was asked if I wanted cheese or dessert but I declined as I was rather full. Not sure why.
I read for a while and then decided it was time for bed. I asked one of the crew for a pillow. He had offered earlier but I had declined at that point. He grabbed the pillow and also made up my bed with the under blanket and duvet.
He wished me a pleasant sleep and gave me a bottle of water. I hopped in and went to sleep. I tossed a turned a little during the night which made the under blanket get all crumpled. This was annoying and they should think about some way of anchoring these so they don’t move.
I did get some serious sleep though on the flight and woke up around 80 minutes out of London. I lay for a while listening to the noises of the cabin as other passengers were getting their breakfast served. I eventually got and up and changed into my civvies again.
A crew member spotted me and asked me if I would like some breakfast.
Breakfast
Starters
Chilled Fruit Juice
An energising fruit smoothie
A selection of yoghurts
A selection of cereals
Fresh seasonal fruit plate
Bakery
A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls
Toasted chicken masala sandwich with apple and mint relish
Main
Breakfast grill of scrambled eggs, crispy veal bacon, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomato and spinach and potato cake
Mixed herb omelette
Waffles with caramelised banana
I opted only for a peppermint tea and an energiser drink both of which were delivered a few minutes later.
The crew on this flight consisted of 3 guys in F and the CSD spent most of his time up the front also. He did not introduce himself but did ask if everything was OK as he was walking past at one point.
He go down the other side of the cabin handing out immigrations cards to those that needed them. However I was the only person on the K side if the F cabin and he didn't bother coming to ask me. I eventually had to ask one of the other crew to get me one.
I stared out the window for the remainder of the flight watching light envelop the landscape below.
We did a wee circle over south London and then pulled into the landing path. We touched down at 06:25 and pulled up the very end gate of terminal B at the other end of the pier to where I had landed on arrival from Vancouver a few weeks earlier.
I headed down to the transit train and up to immigrations on the A side. Both IRIS machines were happy today and I was through in a jiffy.
The luxury of no checked bags had me out the customs door and on up to the arrivals lounge in no time. I was greeted at the arrivals lounge at 06:45 – not bad for LHR.
I had to ask for an invite to the Concorde breakfast room as it wasn’t offered. Once this was sorted I made my way down to the showers to freshen up before eating.
I have reported on these before so won’t bore you with the details again.
After a refreshing shower I went to the Concorde Breakfast room. I scanned the menu which was much the same as the one in the Concorde Room upstairs and decided to opt for the eggs B again with some juice, coffee and toast.
The juice and coffee arrived a little while later and finally the rest of the meal. The eggs were not the same as those I had eaten upstairs just 24 hours earlier. They didn’t seem the same although they still didn’t know what an English muffin is.
After the meal it was down to the HEX again and of course I had just missed one again.
OK that is it for the time being. I am so glad T5 and BA have finally been able to give me the experience I expect as a First class passenger. I just wish they were able to do it more consistently.
Although the crew coming home were nowhere near as friendly as the outbound they were not bad and I had no complaints. The food seems to have become more edible on BA of late too which was much needed.
A few more weeks and I will be able to regale you with tales of a whale jet or two. Be back soon.
The Photos