jAAck
Feb 8, 00, 9:06 pm
I've enjoyed many other's trip reports so I thought I'd try submitting one myself. Sorry if it's too long for you, but I'm breaking it up into segments.
JFK-LHR (AA116)
Had to be in London for a meeting and dinner on Friday and in San Francisco the following Tuesday morning so decided to make a weekend trip out of it. I fly most weeks between JFK and SFO (5,172 miles), at a full Y fare of about $2100; this trip, booked 3 days in advance, set me back a mere $1400 (12,044 miles), including my EuroStar ticket from London to Paris - I'll never understand airline math! Add to that I used on of my AA VIP2 coupons for a business class upgrade and it's quite the deal.
I couldn't leave New York until late in the evening on Thursday, so I booked on AA116 departing at 11:45pm. As luck would have it, snow began falling in the city around 6:00 and didn't stop. I checked with AA a few times during the evening but there were no delays reported. As I left my apartment building at 10:00, the snow was still falling but my car made it to JFK in only 30 minutes. At this late hour the terminal was nearly deserted and I checked in at the Executive Platinum / First Class counter with no waiting. Stopped briefly in the Admiral's Club - no one there, either - and made my way to the gate. There were only a few people in the boarding area as well, which made me wonder whether the flight was really going. The gate agent assured me we were departing on time and said it was just a light load - about 40 people, with only 3 in Business. Because of that, I suppose, we didn't board the aircraft, an AirBus A300, until 11:30. I hadn't been on AA's international A300 in some time and had requested my usual bulkhead window seat. (I think I'm the only guy in the world who likes the bulkhead; usually a little more legroom and no one reclining into your space!) Not a great choice on this plane, though, as the front row of the business cabin is right by the lavatories and galley. I moved back a few rows and settled in. The A300 don't have the new seats in any cabins yet, so it was the old gray "leather and fur" variety. The seats aren't that bad, though they can be hot after several hours and that bar for the footrest isn't so comfy. Flight attendants were very attentive with drinks, coats, and amenity kits - you get great service when there are only a few of you in the cabin! Before we were set to push back, a non-rev moved up from coach and sat in the seat directly in front of me. Good grief, I thought, 27 empty seats in here and she wants the one right in front of me - whatever! So I moved back a few more rows; glad there was such a great selection to choose from....
Departure time came and went, and we were still at the gate. At around midnight, the captain told us we were awaiting the arrival of a new part from maintenance, and that after it was installed the mechanic would have to return to maintenance for the log book and bring it back to the airplane. I thought that was a little odd; why couldn't they bring both at the same time? So we sat at the gate for another hour, which wasn't so bad. I dosed off and on and declined more glasses of champagne than I can remember. We finally pushed back at 1:00am and were off the ground about 10 minutes later. Not a bad taxi time for JFK, but then again, not much traffic at that time of morning!
I perused the dinner menu and can report the following for those who are interested in this kind of thing:
WINES: Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Vintage Champagne; Laboure-Roi Grand Cru Chablis 'Valmur' 1997; Ferrari-Carano Sonoma County Fume Blanc 1998; Chateau Cantemerle 1994; Sokol Blosser Oregon Pinot Noir 1996.
APPETIZERS: Warm roasted nuts; bacon-cured salmon served with arugula lettuce and tomato on a crouton; salad with romaine and Boston lettuce with a carrot flower served with romano cheese dressing or orange balsamic vinaigrette dressing; sourdough and whole-grain rolls.
ENTREES: Lemon-marinated lamb medallions, served with a light oregano red wine jus, accompanied by oven-roasted carrot slices and lemon mashed potatoes. Grilled shrimp and scallops, served with a roasted tomato risotto and creamy goat cheese sauce. Pesto Agnolotti, a pasta filled and tossed with parsley walnut pesto topped with alfredo sauce. Beef filet enhanced by cheshire sauce, served with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed leeks and peppers with tomato. Vegetable plate with buttered asparagus, grilled yellow squash, and whipped potatoes.
DESSERT: Fresh fruit with cheese and crackers. Chocolate torte with fudge filling, accompanied by Haagen-Dazs raspberry sorbet and vanilla sauce. Godiva Chocolates.
Since it was so late and I was getting pretty tired, I chose the "Dine Upon Request" option and had dinner served all at once rather than in courses. The Fume Blanc was wonderful, the salmon pretty good, great salad, average beef filet. The torte is served on the tray without the sorbet, but it was pretty good all the same.
During dinner, I started watching the movie "Double Jeopardy." The A300 has individual video monitors in Business class; but you only get the main screen movie, along with a few options for games and the FlightTracker program. I was getting a little sleepy, though, so turned off the movie and settled in for a nap. Flight attendants woke me an hour outside of London for breakfast. Breakfast was light but good, and included fruit, yogurt, cereal, and breads.
We landed at Heathrow at 1:30pm local time, almost 2 hours behind schedule. All told, though, it was an easy flight and AA performed well. Customs and passport control were a breeze and I was on my way to the Heathrow Express. If you travel to London and haven't checked this train service out, it's fantastic. I use it every trip I make now and you can't beat the convenience. Fifteen minutes nonstop to Paddington Station in central London in very nice and comfortable coaches. Much faster than traveling by car or bus and much cheaper than taxis.
Next chapter: EuroStar high-speed train service to Paris through the Chunnel.
JFK-LHR (AA116)
Had to be in London for a meeting and dinner on Friday and in San Francisco the following Tuesday morning so decided to make a weekend trip out of it. I fly most weeks between JFK and SFO (5,172 miles), at a full Y fare of about $2100; this trip, booked 3 days in advance, set me back a mere $1400 (12,044 miles), including my EuroStar ticket from London to Paris - I'll never understand airline math! Add to that I used on of my AA VIP2 coupons for a business class upgrade and it's quite the deal.
I couldn't leave New York until late in the evening on Thursday, so I booked on AA116 departing at 11:45pm. As luck would have it, snow began falling in the city around 6:00 and didn't stop. I checked with AA a few times during the evening but there were no delays reported. As I left my apartment building at 10:00, the snow was still falling but my car made it to JFK in only 30 minutes. At this late hour the terminal was nearly deserted and I checked in at the Executive Platinum / First Class counter with no waiting. Stopped briefly in the Admiral's Club - no one there, either - and made my way to the gate. There were only a few people in the boarding area as well, which made me wonder whether the flight was really going. The gate agent assured me we were departing on time and said it was just a light load - about 40 people, with only 3 in Business. Because of that, I suppose, we didn't board the aircraft, an AirBus A300, until 11:30. I hadn't been on AA's international A300 in some time and had requested my usual bulkhead window seat. (I think I'm the only guy in the world who likes the bulkhead; usually a little more legroom and no one reclining into your space!) Not a great choice on this plane, though, as the front row of the business cabin is right by the lavatories and galley. I moved back a few rows and settled in. The A300 don't have the new seats in any cabins yet, so it was the old gray "leather and fur" variety. The seats aren't that bad, though they can be hot after several hours and that bar for the footrest isn't so comfy. Flight attendants were very attentive with drinks, coats, and amenity kits - you get great service when there are only a few of you in the cabin! Before we were set to push back, a non-rev moved up from coach and sat in the seat directly in front of me. Good grief, I thought, 27 empty seats in here and she wants the one right in front of me - whatever! So I moved back a few more rows; glad there was such a great selection to choose from....
Departure time came and went, and we were still at the gate. At around midnight, the captain told us we were awaiting the arrival of a new part from maintenance, and that after it was installed the mechanic would have to return to maintenance for the log book and bring it back to the airplane. I thought that was a little odd; why couldn't they bring both at the same time? So we sat at the gate for another hour, which wasn't so bad. I dosed off and on and declined more glasses of champagne than I can remember. We finally pushed back at 1:00am and were off the ground about 10 minutes later. Not a bad taxi time for JFK, but then again, not much traffic at that time of morning!
I perused the dinner menu and can report the following for those who are interested in this kind of thing:
WINES: Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Vintage Champagne; Laboure-Roi Grand Cru Chablis 'Valmur' 1997; Ferrari-Carano Sonoma County Fume Blanc 1998; Chateau Cantemerle 1994; Sokol Blosser Oregon Pinot Noir 1996.
APPETIZERS: Warm roasted nuts; bacon-cured salmon served with arugula lettuce and tomato on a crouton; salad with romaine and Boston lettuce with a carrot flower served with romano cheese dressing or orange balsamic vinaigrette dressing; sourdough and whole-grain rolls.
ENTREES: Lemon-marinated lamb medallions, served with a light oregano red wine jus, accompanied by oven-roasted carrot slices and lemon mashed potatoes. Grilled shrimp and scallops, served with a roasted tomato risotto and creamy goat cheese sauce. Pesto Agnolotti, a pasta filled and tossed with parsley walnut pesto topped with alfredo sauce. Beef filet enhanced by cheshire sauce, served with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed leeks and peppers with tomato. Vegetable plate with buttered asparagus, grilled yellow squash, and whipped potatoes.
DESSERT: Fresh fruit with cheese and crackers. Chocolate torte with fudge filling, accompanied by Haagen-Dazs raspberry sorbet and vanilla sauce. Godiva Chocolates.
Since it was so late and I was getting pretty tired, I chose the "Dine Upon Request" option and had dinner served all at once rather than in courses. The Fume Blanc was wonderful, the salmon pretty good, great salad, average beef filet. The torte is served on the tray without the sorbet, but it was pretty good all the same.
During dinner, I started watching the movie "Double Jeopardy." The A300 has individual video monitors in Business class; but you only get the main screen movie, along with a few options for games and the FlightTracker program. I was getting a little sleepy, though, so turned off the movie and settled in for a nap. Flight attendants woke me an hour outside of London for breakfast. Breakfast was light but good, and included fruit, yogurt, cereal, and breads.
We landed at Heathrow at 1:30pm local time, almost 2 hours behind schedule. All told, though, it was an easy flight and AA performed well. Customs and passport control were a breeze and I was on my way to the Heathrow Express. If you travel to London and haven't checked this train service out, it's fantastic. I use it every trip I make now and you can't beat the convenience. Fifteen minutes nonstop to Paddington Station in central London in very nice and comfortable coaches. Much faster than traveling by car or bus and much cheaper than taxis.
Next chapter: EuroStar high-speed train service to Paris through the Chunnel.