LHR Tim
May 14, 06, 4:00 am
LHR-OSL SK 802
Very early 4am wake up call for my 5am cab –ugh!
Get to LHR T3 and head for the SK SSCI machines to printout my boarding pass as I used SK’s OLCI the day before. Try my UA Premier Executive card – computer says no *cough*. Surely with these alliances they would have figured out how to read the other members cards by now. Anyway, dig around and get my booking reference. Machine spits out the BP’s for OSL and SVG. FastTrack isn’t open by the regular queue isn’t too bad. No shops are open at this hour so head to the London Lounge. Swiped in but had to wait for the scrummy chockie croissants. Have a look at FT and email on the free terminals and then head to the gate. Flight gate is near the lounge and walk on board. Sat in EconomyFlex and it isn’t too full at all. Only three rows (it was with about six people in it. Business doesn’t look too full either and Punishment class seems fairly busy. Served a could breakfast – yoghurt, cheese, ham, fruit. Not too bad for airplane food. Numerous passes of hot rolls and coffee by the crew. Very good flight and crew. Thumbs up on the EconomyFlex. Better that C in some ways as SK’s breakfast meals in C are dreadful, and as I had to go straight to the office, no fizz for me.
OSL-SVG SK 4019
Land at OSL and end up having to exit customs and go back up through departures. You would think they would have some sort of transfer point if you don’t have luggage. Thankfully flight from LHR landed a few minutes early and security wasn’t too bad --- even though it’s a ‘laptops out’ airport. No lounge here as SK’s lounge is on the international side and the domestic one was ‘enhanced’ ‘based on customer feedback’. Flight departs on time. Able to bag a seat in business class formation (collapsed B seat). Coffee and tea are offered free of charge and everything else is for purchase. Strange as if you are in P-class from LHR you’d have to pay. Go figure. Nice smooth flight and we land a few minutes early.
SVG-OSL SK 4018
Conference is on in town and with being Friday, all flights to OSL are chocka. Finished early and travel agent can’t manage to get me on an earlier flight. Check out SAS website and see some free seats on 12:45pm flight. Give the UK office a ring and am able to change to the flight. Pay a few quid extra and upgrade to C (hey, it’s Friday and I can claim it back!). SVG airport is not very big and there is no lounge. Get there early and have to get ticket revalidated. Poor dear the got me spends some time manually updating my ticket. For once, if they had charged me a fee it would have been worth it! Anyway, ticket done and head to SSCI machine. Computer says no! *cough* and it seems that they booking is still a bit out of sync and tells me to go to a desk. No problem as checked in straight away and given BP’s for both legs. Head through security and wait by gate for hour and a half with my book. Boarding is announced and it’s a bit of a scrum. No queuing system whatsoever. Get on board and flight is same as the OSL-SVG leg- uneventful.
OSL-LHR SK 809
Quick transfer (there is a shortcut if making an international connection) and head straight for the Scandinavian lounge. If you are *G you can use it, but if you didn’t know about it, you’d miss it (I did last time through OSL). An American family blags their way in (mum, day, three kids and gran). Little while later see them in the business lounge, as they were bragging a bit too loudly in front of staff me thinks. Rule one: If you blag your way in keep your mouth shut and head down! Lounge is very nice, and has slightly better seating and booze selection than the business side. as I’m checking out FT on the free computers meet up with aidenc! Have a quick chat as he’s off to PVG on the special *cough* *cough* SK fare glitch. Food section is same as business side – pasta salad and leaf salad. Too be honest could have done with something a bit better than that. Anyway a few red wines later and boarding is flashed up on screen (no announcements in the lounge).
Head off to the gate and it’s a bit of a walk, as it is a non-Schenegen gate and you need to go through passport control. Usual scrum of a boarding process but not too bad. This time, flight is full in C. EconomyFlex looks busy (only one or two middles assigned) and P-Class is chocka. We take off on time and service commences. Hot towels, drinks and a cold meal. Chicken wrapped in parma ham served on a mixed salad, cheese and biscuits, and lemon tart. Chocolates, coffee and liquors offered afterwards. Nice smooth flight and we land on time. No baggage so straight through immigration and into my cab home.
Overall, I would say SK’s EconomyFlex is not a bad product. Shame of it is, the service is how SK’s short haul economy was for the entire plane, and in some ways I find it better than the C product – at least food wise.
Very early 4am wake up call for my 5am cab –ugh!
Get to LHR T3 and head for the SK SSCI machines to printout my boarding pass as I used SK’s OLCI the day before. Try my UA Premier Executive card – computer says no *cough*. Surely with these alliances they would have figured out how to read the other members cards by now. Anyway, dig around and get my booking reference. Machine spits out the BP’s for OSL and SVG. FastTrack isn’t open by the regular queue isn’t too bad. No shops are open at this hour so head to the London Lounge. Swiped in but had to wait for the scrummy chockie croissants. Have a look at FT and email on the free terminals and then head to the gate. Flight gate is near the lounge and walk on board. Sat in EconomyFlex and it isn’t too full at all. Only three rows (it was with about six people in it. Business doesn’t look too full either and Punishment class seems fairly busy. Served a could breakfast – yoghurt, cheese, ham, fruit. Not too bad for airplane food. Numerous passes of hot rolls and coffee by the crew. Very good flight and crew. Thumbs up on the EconomyFlex. Better that C in some ways as SK’s breakfast meals in C are dreadful, and as I had to go straight to the office, no fizz for me.
OSL-SVG SK 4019
Land at OSL and end up having to exit customs and go back up through departures. You would think they would have some sort of transfer point if you don’t have luggage. Thankfully flight from LHR landed a few minutes early and security wasn’t too bad --- even though it’s a ‘laptops out’ airport. No lounge here as SK’s lounge is on the international side and the domestic one was ‘enhanced’ ‘based on customer feedback’. Flight departs on time. Able to bag a seat in business class formation (collapsed B seat). Coffee and tea are offered free of charge and everything else is for purchase. Strange as if you are in P-class from LHR you’d have to pay. Go figure. Nice smooth flight and we land a few minutes early.
SVG-OSL SK 4018
Conference is on in town and with being Friday, all flights to OSL are chocka. Finished early and travel agent can’t manage to get me on an earlier flight. Check out SAS website and see some free seats on 12:45pm flight. Give the UK office a ring and am able to change to the flight. Pay a few quid extra and upgrade to C (hey, it’s Friday and I can claim it back!). SVG airport is not very big and there is no lounge. Get there early and have to get ticket revalidated. Poor dear the got me spends some time manually updating my ticket. For once, if they had charged me a fee it would have been worth it! Anyway, ticket done and head to SSCI machine. Computer says no! *cough* and it seems that they booking is still a bit out of sync and tells me to go to a desk. No problem as checked in straight away and given BP’s for both legs. Head through security and wait by gate for hour and a half with my book. Boarding is announced and it’s a bit of a scrum. No queuing system whatsoever. Get on board and flight is same as the OSL-SVG leg- uneventful.
OSL-LHR SK 809
Quick transfer (there is a shortcut if making an international connection) and head straight for the Scandinavian lounge. If you are *G you can use it, but if you didn’t know about it, you’d miss it (I did last time through OSL). An American family blags their way in (mum, day, three kids and gran). Little while later see them in the business lounge, as they were bragging a bit too loudly in front of staff me thinks. Rule one: If you blag your way in keep your mouth shut and head down! Lounge is very nice, and has slightly better seating and booze selection than the business side. as I’m checking out FT on the free computers meet up with aidenc! Have a quick chat as he’s off to PVG on the special *cough* *cough* SK fare glitch. Food section is same as business side – pasta salad and leaf salad. Too be honest could have done with something a bit better than that. Anyway a few red wines later and boarding is flashed up on screen (no announcements in the lounge).
Head off to the gate and it’s a bit of a walk, as it is a non-Schenegen gate and you need to go through passport control. Usual scrum of a boarding process but not too bad. This time, flight is full in C. EconomyFlex looks busy (only one or two middles assigned) and P-Class is chocka. We take off on time and service commences. Hot towels, drinks and a cold meal. Chicken wrapped in parma ham served on a mixed salad, cheese and biscuits, and lemon tart. Chocolates, coffee and liquors offered afterwards. Nice smooth flight and we land on time. No baggage so straight through immigration and into my cab home.
Overall, I would say SK’s EconomyFlex is not a bad product. Shame of it is, the service is how SK’s short haul economy was for the entire plane, and in some ways I find it better than the C product – at least food wise.