speedbird182
Aug 4, 08, 6:06 am
My first trip report on FT.
Flight: BA113
Date: 03/06/08
Route: LHR T4-JFK T7
Seat: 39K
After arriving into Paddington from my connecting train (there were no flights which would get me from PLH to LHR/LGW in time for a flight) it was a mad dash over to get the HEX sitting on the next platform. After getting on just before the HEX departed, there was then a change at T1,2,3 to make the connection for the Heathrow Connect to T4.
Having done OLCI and printing my BP at T-24, it was a case of heading straight to the FBD section in T4. This did cause some issues for the girls at the desk, as the guy who had tagged my bag in the queue had added my tags to my travel companions (not a problem, apart from he was on the following flight) and also to a complete strangers. Even the girls at the FBD desks were confused as to how he did that. Never the less they were pretty quick at sorting the problem out and then it was off to collect my foreign exchange (and BAEC miles!) before braving BAA security.
Security was fairly quick, without having to go through the extra screening that the people in front and behind me had. After clearing security, unlike most other trip reports on here, there was no trip to the lounge. Instead it was a wander around the shopping area before heading to one of the ‘pubs’ for a drink and some food.
Feeling a bit more refreshed and awake after lunch, it was a case of wandering around and waiting for the gate to be announced and boarding to commence. After finding a seat in an area which looked out over the southern runway and T5, there was a chance to get a few pictures and some work done on the laptop before boarding.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2550197117_794b3d568a.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2407/2551019562_68315ed777.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2551020534_a9ddbb77d0.jpg
Once boarding was announced, I headed over to the gate area, which was conveniently not that far away, where I got a few snaps of the plane before boarding.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3191/2550199953_e559c9e055.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/2550200831_65667b61d7.jpg
On board, it was a simple case of walking to the back of the plane, and wishing that I could have afforded to travel in Y+ or J, but I don’t get paid enough. Taxing to 27L didn’t take that long and after a brief hold we were on the runway and off into the rain and low cloud over Windsor and Berkshire, before turning north.
When the IFE was turned on, the first thing up for me was the moving map (I’m just weird in that I like to look at where we are, although probably not alone it that) and enjoying the views as we headed out over Blackpool and the Lake District before turning out over the Atlantic. Although the screen didn’t stay upright and I had to use my knee to keep it in place.
The in-flight meal was served after about 45 min and was better than others I’ve had on flights with the choice of chicken casserole or fish pie. I went for the chicken (which turned out to be a bit on the dry side) and this was served with the usual salad with some salmon pâté and a lemon cheesecake. This was also served with a non-descript white wine, which didn’t make a lasting impression on me.
With this being a day flight, and so I could see where I was and other things around us outside, I left the blind open (would have closed it had I been asked to though). I got several photos of the clouds and landfall over Canada which can be seen below.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2550201431_7a328c7540.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/2550202309_bb40eb38f6.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2551024704_44835ba6db.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2551025532_211cee2226.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2550205293_0cb6ff9908.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2551027306_cccf468655.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2550206959_69c6c70706.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2550206959_69c6c70706.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2551028972_f857f3b1b3.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2550208705_36fd539f88.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2551030588_e69df84080.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2550210353_ecf9210541.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2550211367_2cc6bd40bd.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2551033300_49f9275717.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2550212957_95b66b5c37.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2550213613_00a540ba68.jpg
About an hour out of JFK we were given the ‘snack’ meal which was 2 cheese and tomato sandwiches and 2 mushroom pâté sandwiches, some grapes and a container of still lemonade. Then it was time to fill out the I-94 forms and customs declarations, and the Australian woman who was sat next to me was unable to fill out the form properly, and had problems with speaking English. So I kindly, or foolishly, offered to fill in the I-94 form for her.
The approach to JFK was mad over Manhattan and, being on the right side of the aircraft, I got some lovely views of mid and downtown Manhattan. We then flew over JFK before turning over the ocean for the approach to 13L.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2550214161_b1085db4e4.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/2551036028_ba39973bb3.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2550215461_4be15cd570.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2551037326_5ceee84256.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/2551038070_7d34641926.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2550217755_d9df07b323.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2551039600_b457ee44d0.jpg
After taxing to the gate with a police escort (never did find out what that was for) it was a case of join the masses at the queue for immigration. With several desks open, the line moved rather slowly (as per usual) and there quite a few people who were sent back to go and fill in the I-94 forms properly. After waiting for nearly an hour, I was directed to a desk to have my passport stamped and picture, and fingerprints taken. Then off to the baggage reclaim. Considering that I had been on the ground for nearly 90 min, I still had to wait another 20 min for my bags to come through (LHR has to learn from JFK how to make you wait for baggage). Then it was a case of waiting for my travel companion to arrive (since he managed to get himself booked on the flight after mine). Then it was a case of traveling to the hotel, which since I am used to driving a right hand drive, the airport transfer was fun as I was in the passenger seat. I dozed off and when I woke up the van was traveling in the outside lane on the freeway, and being British, I thought I was in the drivers seat and provided some entertainment to my fellow travelers by making a grab for a steering wheel which didn’t exist and also moving my feet to apply the brakes. Once at the hotel it was, check in and then off to grab a meal at a local restaurant.
Flight: BA176
Date: 10/06/08
Route: JFK T7-LHR T5
Seat: 39K
Once again I did the OLCI for this flight and got IMHO the best seat in Y (window with some extra legroom). After meeting up with some friends in JFK we just sat around waiting for our flight to board. Once boarding started it I was just desperate to get some sleep as I had been up for 36 hours by this point. We pushed back, and I had a lovely view of an arriving BA flight on the ramp which had all its exits open with people stood next to them, like they were going to be used. After sitting there for about 10 min, we began the long taxi around the airport to the departing runway 13R. As the captain came on and told us we were number 2 for departure, one of my fellow passengers in the cabin in-front decided that now would be a good time to get up and wander around the cabin. She was then unceremoniously told by the FAs to sit down, and buckle up.
After departure, we were given the meal service, which was lasagna which seemed to be missing any sort of bolognaise sauce and meat and was hence just a mix of pasta sheets and béchamel sauce. With the IFE moving map out as well, I fell asleep and woke up with enough time to freshen up before the seatbelt sign came on. Approach to LHR was over central London which gave me some new views on places I had only ever seen from the ground before.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2571733706_1c9e104fb5.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2571735428_dcde32318d.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2571737048_8a79f1fa4f.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/2571738172_bc9f32fc7c.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/2570915549_fa3155a06e.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2572190795_f7e892d8d9.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2573016390_10d5f41706.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/2573017374_6540242eed.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2573018242_405371d61c.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2573019020_f34f6ed392.jpg
We then landed on 27R and had a quick taxi to T5B. After having heard so many horror stories about T5 I was expecting this to be a nightmare but the longest I had to wait was for the transit from T5B to T5A. Straight through immigration and customs with really small queues and then on to baggage reclaim where my bag was already waiting for me. From there it was a quick walk down to the HEX and off to Paddington before catching a train back to PLH.
Flight: BA113
Date: 03/06/08
Route: LHR T4-JFK T7
Seat: 39K
After arriving into Paddington from my connecting train (there were no flights which would get me from PLH to LHR/LGW in time for a flight) it was a mad dash over to get the HEX sitting on the next platform. After getting on just before the HEX departed, there was then a change at T1,2,3 to make the connection for the Heathrow Connect to T4.
Having done OLCI and printing my BP at T-24, it was a case of heading straight to the FBD section in T4. This did cause some issues for the girls at the desk, as the guy who had tagged my bag in the queue had added my tags to my travel companions (not a problem, apart from he was on the following flight) and also to a complete strangers. Even the girls at the FBD desks were confused as to how he did that. Never the less they were pretty quick at sorting the problem out and then it was off to collect my foreign exchange (and BAEC miles!) before braving BAA security.
Security was fairly quick, without having to go through the extra screening that the people in front and behind me had. After clearing security, unlike most other trip reports on here, there was no trip to the lounge. Instead it was a wander around the shopping area before heading to one of the ‘pubs’ for a drink and some food.
Feeling a bit more refreshed and awake after lunch, it was a case of wandering around and waiting for the gate to be announced and boarding to commence. After finding a seat in an area which looked out over the southern runway and T5, there was a chance to get a few pictures and some work done on the laptop before boarding.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2550197117_794b3d568a.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2407/2551019562_68315ed777.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2551020534_a9ddbb77d0.jpg
Once boarding was announced, I headed over to the gate area, which was conveniently not that far away, where I got a few snaps of the plane before boarding.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3191/2550199953_e559c9e055.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/2550200831_65667b61d7.jpg
On board, it was a simple case of walking to the back of the plane, and wishing that I could have afforded to travel in Y+ or J, but I don’t get paid enough. Taxing to 27L didn’t take that long and after a brief hold we were on the runway and off into the rain and low cloud over Windsor and Berkshire, before turning north.
When the IFE was turned on, the first thing up for me was the moving map (I’m just weird in that I like to look at where we are, although probably not alone it that) and enjoying the views as we headed out over Blackpool and the Lake District before turning out over the Atlantic. Although the screen didn’t stay upright and I had to use my knee to keep it in place.
The in-flight meal was served after about 45 min and was better than others I’ve had on flights with the choice of chicken casserole or fish pie. I went for the chicken (which turned out to be a bit on the dry side) and this was served with the usual salad with some salmon pâté and a lemon cheesecake. This was also served with a non-descript white wine, which didn’t make a lasting impression on me.
With this being a day flight, and so I could see where I was and other things around us outside, I left the blind open (would have closed it had I been asked to though). I got several photos of the clouds and landfall over Canada which can be seen below.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2550201431_7a328c7540.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/2550202309_bb40eb38f6.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2551024704_44835ba6db.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2551025532_211cee2226.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2550205293_0cb6ff9908.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2551027306_cccf468655.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2550206959_69c6c70706.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2550206959_69c6c70706.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2551028972_f857f3b1b3.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2550208705_36fd539f88.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2551030588_e69df84080.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2550210353_ecf9210541.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2550211367_2cc6bd40bd.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2551033300_49f9275717.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2550212957_95b66b5c37.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2550213613_00a540ba68.jpg
About an hour out of JFK we were given the ‘snack’ meal which was 2 cheese and tomato sandwiches and 2 mushroom pâté sandwiches, some grapes and a container of still lemonade. Then it was time to fill out the I-94 forms and customs declarations, and the Australian woman who was sat next to me was unable to fill out the form properly, and had problems with speaking English. So I kindly, or foolishly, offered to fill in the I-94 form for her.
The approach to JFK was mad over Manhattan and, being on the right side of the aircraft, I got some lovely views of mid and downtown Manhattan. We then flew over JFK before turning over the ocean for the approach to 13L.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2550214161_b1085db4e4.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/2551036028_ba39973bb3.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2550215461_4be15cd570.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2551037326_5ceee84256.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/2551038070_7d34641926.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2550217755_d9df07b323.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2551039600_b457ee44d0.jpg
After taxing to the gate with a police escort (never did find out what that was for) it was a case of join the masses at the queue for immigration. With several desks open, the line moved rather slowly (as per usual) and there quite a few people who were sent back to go and fill in the I-94 forms properly. After waiting for nearly an hour, I was directed to a desk to have my passport stamped and picture, and fingerprints taken. Then off to the baggage reclaim. Considering that I had been on the ground for nearly 90 min, I still had to wait another 20 min for my bags to come through (LHR has to learn from JFK how to make you wait for baggage). Then it was a case of waiting for my travel companion to arrive (since he managed to get himself booked on the flight after mine). Then it was a case of traveling to the hotel, which since I am used to driving a right hand drive, the airport transfer was fun as I was in the passenger seat. I dozed off and when I woke up the van was traveling in the outside lane on the freeway, and being British, I thought I was in the drivers seat and provided some entertainment to my fellow travelers by making a grab for a steering wheel which didn’t exist and also moving my feet to apply the brakes. Once at the hotel it was, check in and then off to grab a meal at a local restaurant.
Flight: BA176
Date: 10/06/08
Route: JFK T7-LHR T5
Seat: 39K
Once again I did the OLCI for this flight and got IMHO the best seat in Y (window with some extra legroom). After meeting up with some friends in JFK we just sat around waiting for our flight to board. Once boarding started it I was just desperate to get some sleep as I had been up for 36 hours by this point. We pushed back, and I had a lovely view of an arriving BA flight on the ramp which had all its exits open with people stood next to them, like they were going to be used. After sitting there for about 10 min, we began the long taxi around the airport to the departing runway 13R. As the captain came on and told us we were number 2 for departure, one of my fellow passengers in the cabin in-front decided that now would be a good time to get up and wander around the cabin. She was then unceremoniously told by the FAs to sit down, and buckle up.
After departure, we were given the meal service, which was lasagna which seemed to be missing any sort of bolognaise sauce and meat and was hence just a mix of pasta sheets and béchamel sauce. With the IFE moving map out as well, I fell asleep and woke up with enough time to freshen up before the seatbelt sign came on. Approach to LHR was over central London which gave me some new views on places I had only ever seen from the ground before.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2571733706_1c9e104fb5.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2571735428_dcde32318d.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2571737048_8a79f1fa4f.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/2571738172_bc9f32fc7c.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/2570915549_fa3155a06e.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2572190795_f7e892d8d9.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2573016390_10d5f41706.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/2573017374_6540242eed.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2573018242_405371d61c.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2573019020_f34f6ed392.jpg
We then landed on 27R and had a quick taxi to T5B. After having heard so many horror stories about T5 I was expecting this to be a nightmare but the longest I had to wait was for the transit from T5B to T5A. Straight through immigration and customs with really small queues and then on to baggage reclaim where my bag was already waiting for me. From there it was a quick walk down to the HEX and off to Paddington before catching a train back to PLH.