Moomba

The Photos


All too soon my time was over in the wonderful state of Alaska and I was dropped off at the airport at 17:30 for my 20:45 flight.

I went to the loo to change my clothes for the flight and then repacked my bag ready to check in. I proceeded to the check-in desk and asked to be checked all the way to London. The ANC-DFW-JFK sectors were on the RTW ticket and I had a separately ticketed JFK-LHR flight.
The chap seemed to have even more difficulty checking my bags all the way than the AUS lady did a week beforehand. After enlisting the help of another agent they finally were able to print a baggage label for all the flights.
He was not able to print a BP for the JFK-LHR flight which wasn’t that much of a bother as I could sort that out in DFW.

I was told that I needed to go to the far end of the terminal to go through security which wouldn’t open until 19:00. Brilliant.

On walking away I realised that yet again no priority tag was added to the baggage label.

I wandered down to the other end away from the bright shiny new terminal into the dreary excuse that existed at the other end.

I sat a read my book whilst waiting for the security queues to open up. There was naff all available to do with only a bar and a newsagent landside and even less airside as it turns out.

Once security did open up there was a long queue as all the folks waiting two UA flights and the AA flight needed to get airside. The security agents periodically reminded people that there was nowhere to get any food airside and if they wanted to eat they should do it before clearing security.

After the line shorted somewhat I joined the end which was still snaking back up past the UA check-in desks. The line did move quite fast though and I managed to make it through without too much delay or any grief from the TSA.

Once airside I sat and waited again and read my book. One newsagent was doing a roaring trade selling snacks and drinks as they had a monopoly airside.
It seems that construction work in the middle section of the terminal was causing this problem. I gather once all the work is complete it would be possible to walk the entire length of the terminal airside. But for now the airside portions are split with AA losing the lottery and having to use this dreadful section.

At one point the animated captain of our flight asked the crowd if anyone was going to DFW. Of course we all were but he was attempting to be funny. He said we may have noticed a lack of a plane and said it was en route and would arrive in 15 minutes.

Finally at 21:00 we were allowed to board the aircraft. First class and elites were invited to board first.

Flight AA279 ANC-DFW Seat 4A
Aircraft: 757
Departure time: 20:55

Yet more delays were announced once on board as the loos were defective.

The captain made several announcements about the ‘potties’ being defective. Obviously AA passengers are all under 5. The captain also made the announcements that the FAs usually make about stowage of bags. I think this guy had a great feeling of self importance in thinking that people would actually take notice of him more than the rest of the crew.

We finally pushed back at 21:56 and I was able to catch a glimpse of the mysterious Mt KcKinley standing out above the clouds as we climbed out of ANC.

Once we reached a safe altitude the crew got to work with the hot nuts and drinks round. A scotch and dry was the order of the day again for me.

Hot towels were then handed out before the refreshment service commenced. For some reason AA seems to think that a 6 hour flight over night leaving mid evening requires only a snack service rather than a full hot meal.

Turkey Croissant or Salmon Salad were the offerings on a plate with some crackers and brie.
I opted for the Turkey Croissant and wondered what scary things they have to do to make turkey look like ham.

A bottle of water was handed out and I took a last look at the darkening sky before shutting the shade and attempting to get some sleep.

At this point I realised it had been over a week since I had seen night and the stars.

As I had predicted on the inbound flight sleep was not to be had on these dire 757 seats on AA.

We landed at 07:00 and I made my way via the SkyTrAAin to the C terminal where I expected my JFK flight to leave from.

I walked up to the Admirals Club and asked if they could print the JFK-LHR BP for me which after some typing the agent was able to do. I asked if they had showers and she said I could use number 1 and gave me the key.

After a lovely hot shower I went to check my emails for a while and then attempted to find a quiet place to read. This proved to be a problem as usual with so many mobile phones stuck to people’s heads.

I headed out to the gate and waited for boarding.
First and elites were invited to board first and I walked on board.


Flight AA384 DFW-JFK Seat 4F
Aircraft: MD-80
Departure time: 11:50

Pre-departure drinks were offered and a post take off drink order and lunch preference were taken whilst still on he ground. BBQ Chicken Salad and Turkey Croissant sandwich were on the menu today.

I opted for some of the white wine with my nuts and continued with this choice for the main meal of the BBQ Chicken Salad. The salad was served with some crackers and brie and some tortilla strips that were supposed to be sprinkled on the salad.

After the lunch was cleared away the smell of baking cookies pervaded the cabin. The poor civilians back in economy must just love that part of the flight. You can smell em you but can’t taste em.

There were several offers of refills of the wine during the meal service. The FA asked me if I had seen the movie of the book I was reading. She said she watched it 3 times in one night. I said it was after watching the movie that I bought the book.

I finished the book ( The Kite Runner ) before the flight ended and I gave it to the FA who was most appreciative.

We landed at 16:25 and I headed on out thanking the FA who in return thanked me again for the book.

I went up to the flagship lounge and presented my BP and BAEC Gold card in order to gain access to the First Class lounge. Once inside, in a deja vu moment, I grabbed a snack and a Sam Adams.

The afternoon options were available including sandwiches, corn and green chilli soup and the usual cookies, veggie sticks etc.
At around 17:00 the dinner food came out which consisted of rice with black beans and a BBQ chicken dish and some vegetable spring rolls.

I went down to the gate area and noticed that there were not too many people lounging about. It seems the flight was not going to be filled to the gills.

At 18:05 boarding started for First and Business class passengers. I walked on board the new J seat configured aircraft.

Flight AA104 JFK-LHR Seat 9J
Aircraft: 777
Departure time: 18:35

On board I stowed my bag and hopped into the new J seat. On the seat were a duvet and pillow and an amenity kit containing temple spa products.

Pre-flight drinks of O.J., Bubbles, mimosa and water were offered and I opted for a mimosa.

The captain announced a flying time of 6 hours and 30 minutes and that we were almost ready to go.

Menu cards were handed out and the orders taken on the ground. Orders were taken in accordance with FEBO and started from the front.

The FA came around and offered me another mimosa stating she hates to be the bearer of bad news but we would be on the ground for a while yet.
The captain came on a while later explaining that weather delays were slowing up the works and ATC had asked us to hold off for a while.

Push back was at 18:55 and we were 30th in the queue for take off. As we moseyed along the taxi way there was a spectacular electrical storm that appeared to be right above the airport.
The captain came on again and said we and some other East bound flights had been parked for a while as the corridor out of NYC was blocked by the storm front.

He switched off the engines and we sat and waited. The crew were out and about offering drinks during this time. I was shattered beyond belief from lack of sleep and dozed in and out of consciousness.

Three and a half hours after boarding the aircraft the FAs came around with the warm nuts for us to munch on. No sooner had they done this when the captain came on and told us we were ready to roll and we were now third in the queue for take off.

The engines came to life and the pax hurried to eat their nuts.

Our take off roll eventually commenced at 21:25.

After take off the dinner service was rolled out.

On offer for dinner:

The Menu
To Start:
Warm mixed Nuts

Appetizer:
Mojito Shrimp served with Pineapple and spiced Coconut

Salad:
Fresh seasonal Greens and an assortment of fresh Vegetables offered with classic Caesar Dressing or a Castello Monte Vibiano Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Bread Basket:
Assorted Gourmet Breads

Entrees:
Beef Fillet
Seared Fillet of Beef featured with a Mango Chili Demi-Glace, Blue Cheese Potatoes and glazed Carrots

Seared Chicken
Savoury Chicken Breast with a Balsamic White Chocolate Sauce, accompanied by Pumpkin Cranberry Rissole

Pork Tenderloin
Dijon and Rosemary crusted Pork Tenderloin served with Sweet Potato Puree and blanched Asparagus Spears

Cheese Raviloi
Semolina Pasta filled with four Cheeses, accented by a Mushroom Tomato Cream Sauce, served with Shallots and sliced Mushrooms

Dessert:
Caciotta and Cheddar Cheese accompanied by seasonal Grapes and dried Apricots
OR
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream topped with a Turtle Brownie and Raspberry Sauce

To Finish:
Ghirardelli Chocolates

The Wines:
Champagne:
Pommery Brut Champagne

White Wines:
Marimar Torres “Don Miguel Vinyard” Sonoma County Chardonnay
St. Supery Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Red Wines:
Chateau Cantermele
Chapoutier Coteaux du Tricastin Rouge, Rhone

Sherry:
Emilio Lustau Sherry

Dessert Wine:
Graham’s 20 Years Old Tawny Port

The dinner trays were passed out and the starter and salad where on the tray as usual. The starter was the same exotic sounding but tasteless offering that I had a few weeks back when I left JFK the last time. The gourmet breads included sourdough, wheat or olive bread.

I had the chicken as it sounded interesting. It was fine but nothing to write in for the recipe for. The menu suggested the Chardonnay with this meal and I decided to give it a try. It was quite a nice drop and I stuck with this wine for the flight.

During the meal I watched a couple of episodes of Mad Men as the movie offerings were the usual drivel.
I then slept for a good few hours and was so pleased that I can finally sleep on an AA J flight. The old cradle seats and sleep were not a combination I was ever able to master.

I skipped breakfast in order to maximise my sleep time.

Continental Breakfast:
Fresh seasonal Fruit
Yogurt
Cereal

Breakfast Bread Basket:
An assortment of warm Breads

The captain announced our imminent arrival and said he would turn on the seat belt signs in a few minutes. It is at this time you start to wonder about the decision of AA to remove a lavatory from the 777 aircraft when they reconfigured them with the new J seats. The lavs were solidly occupied for at least the next 10 minutes.

Again despite the proclamation in the menu there was no sparkling water with citrus offered prior to our arrival.

We did a couple of loops around south west London before heading in for our final approach.

We landed at almost exactly 09:00 and I walked up to immigrations where IRIS was behaving herself and I was through standing at the carousel by 09:10.
At 09:15 bags from my flight started to pour out including mine in the first batch. I suspect that having a connecting flight helped out with this speedy delivery as there were no priority tags on the bag.

I made my way up to the arrivals lounge and had a shower and some breakfast before catching the HEX and two tubes home again.

Next up Orkney again for the Island DO.

The Photos

chris78cpr

As ever Moomba great reporting on a most interesting trip.

I hate to say it again but i'm gonna have to point out one error! I find it interesting you start a flight from DFW-AUS but end up sat at the JFK flagship lounge! You can't blaim that one on the Krug!

The planning for my current RTW is going to involve two days up in ANC with some seperate paid JFK-LHR-JFK tickets inbetween to split it up so it's good to read about your experiences. Is the F on the 757 really that bad for nearly 7 hours? I've only ever flown it for short DFW-MIA hops and such.

Chris

Moomba

Ah the old cut and paste pitfall. I am glad someone actually reads these things.

The biggest problem I have with the seat is being tall. There is no proper head rest as my head sits above the top of the seat back. I think I described it in another TR as putting my head back and feeling like the character in the Reach toothbrush ad, the one with the flip top head.
This was bad enough on the day flight to ANC but coming back overnight was a pain in the neck - excuse the pun.

chris78cpr

Yeah i had a two hour ride from Oxford to London so i loaded it up ready to read! Havn't had a chance to look at the photos yet at the bandwith on the bus was not great so it download photos. Sorry if i keep picking up on the little silly mistakes!

Luckily i'm only 5'11 so the seats shouldn't be too bad for me. I'm starting to really enjoy the new J seats on AA though! I saw the new add for them at Clapham Junction today! When is the next installment going to be made? And where are you going?

Chris

Moomba

No problem. It seems I see little typos all over the place when I read these again. Am glad these errors are pointed out and I can fix them.

which is this coming weekend.

Moomba

The Photos


As promised another Bits and Bobs is in the offing with a report on the Island Do III to Kirkwall and the Orkney Islands.

As with my previous visit to Orkney the flight times dictated an overnight in the lovely city of Edinburgh.

I made my way to LHR early afternoon on the Thursday and arrived at around 14:30 for my 17:30 flight. I headed to North security only to be stopped by a goon stating that North security was closed and to walk the mile to South to go through security.

I walked all the way up there and queued. Whilst in the queue several disgruntled people were sent back from the photo desk audibly swearing as they walked past me. I presume these were people who had not had their passports checked prior to making it to the security queue. Despite being the newest edition at LHR T5 is a shambles with regards to passing through. If you have pre-printed your BP you still need to visit a desk if you are travelling international or one of a certain number of European countries. A guy in front of me was also sent back because he didn’t have a BP with a barcode on it and the systems couldn’t deal with that. His BP was issued on Aer Lingus stock. They made him go to a BA desk and it re-printed and queue up again.

Once past the picture parade I joined the fast track, read slowest moving track, for security. It took over 25 minutes to clear security. BAA seemed to think that 3 security lines for the whole of T5 was acceptable at this time of the day. BAA you are still a useless bunch of tossers.

Once through security I went directly to the BA lounges after having to go and down and way out of your way thanks to BAA and their intentional design of people past shops flow. Well I can safely report to the BAA that I am not even aware of what shops are on offer at T5 as I don’t bother to look and will never purchase anything from them on principle.

Safely in the lounge I grabbed a glass of champagne and some food and went out to the terrace for a quiet bite. The terrace area was quite warm and humid so I moved back inside and found a place to sit and read and drink more champagne.

At a time approaching my boarding time I headed down to the gate at the opposite end of the terminal. I waited a couple of minutes and they started to board at 16:45.

Flight BA1454 LHR-EDI Seat 2A
Aircraft: A320
Departure time: 17:15

We were all onboard and doors closed by 17:10 but we couldn’t push back because of ATC delays.
We eventually pushed back at 17:28 and taxied for at least 16 minutes before we took off.

In the air we were served a smoked fish salad which was the most disgusting thing ever presented before me on an airline tray.

The flight time was 55 minutes and we touched down at EDI 15 minutes late where I quickly exited the aircraft.

My trusty man with the car, Prospero, picked me up and whisked me off to central EDI where we met some of the FT crew for a pre-do drinks evening.

After an evening of drinks we grabbed a pizza, ate and got some kip for the night.

Next morning it was back to EDI where the bag drop for island flights was a 15 minute wait.

Security was quick and efficient and most of the machines were operating. I had removed all metal except the zipper on my top and my glasses and I still beeped. Got the bear hug from the security guy and he sent me on my way.

The flight was showing flight closing by the time we got though security a full 40 minutes before the flight was due to depart. There were announcements asking for the four remaining passengers for our flight to make their way to the gate. We picked up the pace and caught up to four other of our crew walking toward gate. That means at least 8 us where not at the gate. Seems Logan Air ground staff have some trouble counting.

We got to the gate and then headed out to the aircraft to board.

Flight BA8891 EDI-KOI Seat 7A
Aircraft: SAAB 350
Departure time: 09:40

On board I took my seat in the exit row with plenty of leg room.
Even the eight of us were not the final passengers as more kept stepping on the plane after we had settled. We pushed back 5 minutes early and took to the air shortly after.

The flight was nowhere as spectacular as the last time I did it as there was a lot of cloud cover over the mainland and it only briefly cleared up before touching down in Kirkwall.
On board we were offered tea, coffee and soft drinks along with some biscuits.
We landed over an hour later at Kirkwall and proceeded into town to see if we could check into our hotel.

We went for a bit of a meander along the harbour front before heading to a lovely, but slow restaurant for a seafood lunch.

After lunch some people opted for some chill time others took a trip out to the Italian Chapel. As noted in my first Orkney report this chapel was built by Italian prisoners of war that were housed in a camp at this site during world war two.

We then headed on to one of the Churchill barrier where we were able to walk along the beach for a while inspecting the birdlife.
It was then back to Kirkwall for a rest prior to dinner which was in the hotel restaurant.

We had mixed success at dinner with some really nice meals being presented and some other not so edible meals. One thing that was consistent was the particularly bad serving staff. Slow, forgot things, slow, slow you get the picture.

We then took a stroll in the late dusk light at around 11pm with the intention of grabbing a we tipple at the hotel bar prior to going to bed. There was an altercation with some of the locals involving the police at the bar just as we were heading back to the hotel. We entered the bar and decided perhaps a tipple here was not really the best idea so it was off to bed.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel before rendezvousing for our charter flight experience. Half of us where to go on the Saturday and the other half Sunday. I was amongst the Saturday crowd who were all bemoaning the fact that the weather this morning was decidedly rubbish with low cloud and a mixture of rain and drizzle.

We confirmed with Logan air that the flights were still operating and our group headed out to the airport. We checked in, which consisted of us going up to the desk and saying ‘we are here’.
A while later and well before our scheduled departure they called us for the flight.
No security was necessary and we boarded the Islander BN2B aircraft through the two rear doors.

Pilot Colin gave a safety briefing and we were on our way.

We flew out to Westray at 550 feet and 135 knots with some spectacular views of Balfour and some of the other islands on the way as our pilot took a scenic route for us. We landed at Westray around 15 minutes later where we got out to stretch our legs and change seats to give everyone a chance at a good seat.

We piled back on and took of from Westray heading to Papa Westray. We landed 1 minute and 11 seconds later at Papa Westray. We again all got out for a photo stop and then back in the plane once more bound for Kirkwall. Unfortunately my pictures aren’t the best as the rain and mist on the window played havoc with the cameras auto focus.

We took a different route back to Kirkwall where we landed around 15 minutes later.

On the ground we were given certificates to state that we had flown the world’s shortest scheduled flight and a 50ml bottle of Highland Park single malt.

After the flight we made our way to Skara Brae for some lunch at the café whilst waiting for the rest of the gang. We then walked around the 5000 year old settlement and the manor house of Skaill House.

After this journey back in time we split up with some of the group going for a walk and others heading on to Stromness. The Stromness crowd walked the streets for a while before heading back to a café for some tea.

We had all arranged to meet at a cottage that Aeortec was staying at for some pre-dinner drinks on the deck overlooking the Scapa Flow. We did meet up but it was drizzling and there was no Flow view as a fog had set in. This of course did not deter us from have a wee pre-dinner tipple.

We then went in convoy to the Commodore hotel in St Mary’s where we had an excellent dinner with excellent wait staff and some excellent company.
After a wonderful evening it was back to the hotel for a nightcap in the conservatory of a bottle of champagne.

Next morning we breakfasted again and the next days charter flyers headed off to the airport with a hint of jealousy for the previous days participants. This morning was gloriously sunny and was perfect for flight to the islands of Westray and Papa Westray.

The rest of us headed out to Maeshowe a chambered cairn on the road back towards Stromness. Unfortunately they only have guided tours and the one that was to leave on the next hour would have been too late for our needing to get people back to the airport and the other cars desire to go to Highland Park for a midday tour. Instead we took a scenic drive back along the coast of the Scapa Flow.

After dropping off our early leaver at the airport some of us then headed out to Deerness for look at the Gloop, which is a sea cave of which the roof had collapsed leaving gaping hole in the ground.

We strolled along the cliff top for a while before heading back to the car. It was not soon enough as we got caught in a downpour on the way back and got drenched.

Back in Kirkwall we grabbed some lunch at the slowest café in town that served the worst food in town. If you go to Kirkwall don’t eat at the Peppermill.

It was all over too soon and we all convened at the airport again for our departing flights. Some of the crew were going to EDI others to London via ABZ.

Our ABZ flight was called and we queued up for security before going to the gate lounge. In the lounge they were still loading the EDI pax. Once they were safely on board we were called for our flight.

Flight BA8835 KOI-ABZ Seat 5A
Aircraft: SAAB 350
Departure time: 16:10

We pushed back 1 minute late and made the short taxi to the end of the runway. In the air we were offered a drink from the bar on this short 35 minute flight.

There were some nice views after leaving Kirkwall but the weather clouded over on approach to the mainland.

We landed a little early and all entered the Terraces lounge en masse.

Our flight to LHR was delayed by 30 minutes and BA asked us for our patience. It seems BA is forever asking for my patience.

After an expensive session at the computer terminals in the lounge and a couple of G&Ts we were called to the gate for departure.
A couple of minutes in the queue and we were on board our A321 to London.

Flight BA1315 ABZ-LHR Seat 8C
Aircraft: A321
Departure time: 18:00

On board I stashed my bag and sat down in my seat with FTers to my left and FTers to my right. The exit row was our with all the leg room you could need on a domestic hop.

We took off at 18:55 and were due to arrive at LHR in 1 hour and 10 minutes time.

The meal this evening was choice of chicken and ham sandwich or vegetarian sandwich with a chocolate covered biscuit and a round of drinks.
It was a pretty non eventful fight and we landed late at LHR and pulled up to a gate at T5 where there was actually someone there to operate the air bridge.

Some of us said goodbye here as they were collecting bags and others made our way to the HEX. A quick HEX, some more goodbyes and two tubes and I was home.

As this was an FT do with some of my favourite FTers in attendance this could only be described as a passion.

Next up. Put two FTers in lounge with computer access and a mileage run is born.


The Photos

Jenbel

Great report ^

(And I'd heard rumours that there had been a MR booked as soon as my back was turned )

Kevincm

Sounded like an excellent do (with Jenbel and Sheeps doing good planning)

A very entertaining report Moomba ^

HIDDY

Just been catching up on your travels again Moomba, super reading as usual. Glad you have put your Alaska adventure on a separate thread, a place I have always yearned to visit so I shall head off there now and see if I can get some tips. ^

Moomba

The Photos


Uuurrrrgghhh. What fool convinced me (without too much effort mind you) to do a mileage run from LCY starting at 06:40 on a Saturday morning?

My alarm went off at 05:00 as I had a car booked to take me to LCY at 05:20. I quickly did my ablutions and went down stairs where my car was already waiting at 05:15. I instructed the driver that we needed to do a pick up on the way of my fellow inhabitant of the lunatic asylum.

I couldn’t believe the number of people on the streets of London at this early hour. There were many people walking around and other still in queues outside nightclubs.

We arrived at LCY at around 06:00 for our 06:40 flight. There was quite a queue at the whY desk but only one person in front of us at the J desks. We were soon attended to by a dour agent who was able to give us our 4 BPs for the day. On the way up to security I noticed that to the left the area that used to be the VIP lounges which were landside were now an enlarged duty free shop that was airside.

I also remarked to my mileage nutter friend (MNF) that we did not get any vouchers for food. The last time I flew LX in J out of LCY they gave me a voucher to spend in the café. Perhaps the dour one forgot or they don’t do it anymore?

Security was a breeze as always at LCY with no wait. Once airside we decided we might get a coffee but noticed that our flight was already showing as boarding. We turned tail and walked the length of the building to the second last gate down the pier.

In the departure lounge we waited about 5 minutes before they then let us on the plane.

Flight LX0463 LCY-ZRH Seat 3A
Aircraft: RJ 100
Departure time: 06:40

The RJ100 is configured 2-3 on LX with the middle seat blocked on the 3 side. On board we were given a bottle of water and a refresher towel and then offered a newspaper.
When the doors closed the J cabin only had one other passenger.

We pushed forward, as one does at LCY and were making our takeoff roll at 06:42.

Once the seat belt sign was extinguished the crew came out with breakfast trays. On these was a plate of fruit and a bowl of natural yoghurt with a berry sauce. We were offered juice, coffee etc and given a roll.

After the service we were offered more coffee and just before landing in ZRH a little over an hour later we were given football (soccer) shaped chocolates.

We touched down in ZRH at 09:05 local time and taxied to an out stand, after all it was an RJ we were on. There was a bus waiting and as the plane was lightly loaded it did not take long before we were all on board and being driven to the terminal. We followed the path for transit passengers and were soon inside the departures area of the terminal building.

After wandering around a little MNF and I decided to try out the star alliance lounge which was way down one end of the terminal. Outside the board with all the Star members was displayed. Over the door though the branding was Lufthansa.
The agent let us in and we had a wander around. There were the usual offerings of juice, alcohol, tea, coffee and some light food and fruit available. Nothing substantial or hot was on offer that I could see.

We headed out again and made our way back to the LX lounges. Inside the agent sent us upstairs to the Business Lounge. We went up to the “worlds longest manned airport bar” but quickly retreated as it reeked of smoke.

We pottered around the lounge for a couple of hours dozing, reading and checking mail etc on the computers. I had some really nice potato curry soup but neglected to take a picture.
The lounge became quite busy around 11:30 and we decided not long after this to take a walk around again before our flight. It was showing a 10 minute delay at this stage.

We decided to go down to the transfer desk and see if we could be moved from the bulkhead seats we had been assigned. The agent informed us it was a no go as there was only one seat free in business.

We cleared security and made our way down to the gate. LX do not board J first but instead ask that J passengers wait until a subsequent call is made. However *G can board at anytime. This did seem rather odd.

As we had not hand luggage we just hung around until the queues dropped off and then proceeded onto our flight.

Flight LX1804 ZRH-IST Seat 1F
Aircraft: A321
Departure time: 12:40

On board we were offered champagne, OJ and water pre-takeoff. The captain announced a ATC delay of 30 minutes. Newspapers and magazines were offered by the crew. We pushed back at 13:05 and taxied over to the take off runway were we were 8th in the queue.
The J cabin had 1 empty seat and was three rows of 3 – 3 seating with the middle seats blocked.

We eventually made it into the air at 13:30 en route to IST where the flying time was expected to be a little over 2 hours.

Once the belt sign was extinguished the crew went about their business. First up we were given bottles of water which was followed up with a snack and drinks from the bar. I went with the Jacquard champagne.
After the drinks service the crew member working he front cabin got the trolley out and served the lunch starting at the back of the J cabin.
As she approached the front row of the 3 rows she asked us whether we would prefer the beef or vegetarian meal. There didn’t seem to be any problem with loading of the meals as everyone got the meal they requested. She disappeared into the galley again and came back with out meals with all courses on the tray.

There was a salad with balsamic vinaigrette, the main was veggies with two small mince beef patties, cheeses and chutney and a dessert which was a panna cotta type arrangement.
Bread rolls and wine were offered and I had some lovely South African red which went very well with the meal. More rolls and refills of the wine were offered during the flight.

The IFE consisted of a mixture of route map, SWISS advertising and Tom and Jerry cartoons and a Canadian Just for Laughs program. There was no audio only video.

The flight was shorter than I expected and was seemed over very quickly. Prior to landing the signature ‘Thank you for flying Swiss’ chocolates were handed out.

We landed into Istanbul after flying over the city and then double backing to
the airport. We touched down at 16:35 which was around 10 minutes late.

We did a face paced transit of the terminal and were able to go up to the departures level without the need to clear immigrations. We walked back up to the gate were we underwent a passport check and security screening.

When the passport agent asked where we had transited from I said Zurich and he looked at me and I said we are mad. He just smiled and said OK and let me by. He seemed to take a little more interest in MNF’s passport but eventually let him on by.

The airport departure screens had indicated our flight had a 10 minute delay.
We sat in the lounge for around 10 minutes before the doors were opened and the gate lice descended. An agent was searching the room and collected families with young children who were invited to board first. The rest of the throng were then let on with no boarding announcements made at all.

We waiting until the queue died down and joined the now short line.

Flight LX1805 IST-ZRH Seat 5D
Aircraft: A321
Departure time: 17:15

On board I was surprised to see a different crew. For this flight the moveable curtain between J and Y had been moved back 4 rows and there were now 7 rows of Business. However when the doors were closed there were only 6 passengers in J. 1 D, 2A, 4A, 5D, 5F and 7F.

Bottles of water and refresher towels were handed out along with an offer of a newspaper.
We pushed back at 17:35 and taxied out to the runway. It took forever for the flights in front of us to leave the ground. We eventually took off at 18:02.

We had an exceptionally friendly crew member working the J cabin who stopped and chatted a little each time she came by to serve us. She did not use the cart and served everyone from the galley throughout the flight.

A round of drinks with snacks was first up on this flight. The trays without the hot meal were next placed before us. On these was a salad with balsamic dressing again, a dessert of a berry cake and cheese and chutney. I went with the SA red again and MNF went with the Swiss red which was quite light and had very berry flavours. My red was much heavier and very plumy. Rolls were offered at this time also.
After we finished our salads she took the plates and asked if we wanted the beef or vegetarian main meal. She described both of the meals and we knew the beef was not the same as our previous flight so we went with that.
It was a piece of steak with some steamed vegetables and an exceptionally tasty demi glace sauce. The meat was a little over cooked but was none the less edible.
More offers of rolls and top ups of the wine were made during the meal.
After the trays were taken away we were given hot towels.
Coffee was offered after the meal and was accompanied by the Swiss chocolates.

The IFE was the same mix of route map, SWISS advertising, Tom and Jerry cartoons and a Canadian Just for Laughs program.

On coming in to land the IFE showed our arrival gate and connecting gate information which indicated that our LHR flight would only be 4 gates away.
Just prior to our landing our crew member came along and thanked us for flying Swiss and hoped we enjoyed our flight.

We transited quickly up to the departures level were we were again security checked with zero queues.
Our gate was a couple of minutes walk away and just beyond that was a duty free outlet where MNF decided as we were not in the EU would take advantage of that fact.

The flight was delayed a little and we did not commence boarding until around 20:15.
Again Business were asked to wait whilst the Y pax boarded.

Flight LX0340 ZRH-LHR Seat 3A
Aircraft: A320
Departure time: 20:25

We were all on board and ready to push back at 20:30. There was only the two of us in the 3 rows of Business. Refresher towels and water were given to us prior to doors closing. After the doors closed we moved up a row so as not to be in the back row.

We pushed back at 20:40 and taxied out to the runway. We took off at 20:55 and were soon looking out on some great views of Zurich and the rolling Swiss countryside.

The very young crew member working the front seemed quite green and nervous attending to us. MNF and I are both pretty easy going so we tried to make him feel ‘safe’ with us.

Not long after the belt sign went off a 10 year old (as good as I can guess) decided to self upgrade to the row behind us. He left his bag on the seat and then went down the back again. We told the Maitre de Cabin and he could not identify who it was until a few minutes later when he came back to us laughing. He was working the back with the trolley when two kids asked if they could push past to go up to those seats. He sent them both packing and grabbed the kid’s bag and gave it back to him to take down the back again.

The meal on this shorter flight was a very tasty salsa salad with cold chicken and beef on top. There was a plate with cheese and chutney and small peach mouse dessert.
We decided to go with a Voigner wine which itself was quite peachy in flavour. Hot rolls were offered at this time also.

The Maitre de Cabin came back and was chatting to us for a while whilst readily filling our glasses.

Before landing he came though and grabbed a great handful of the Swiss chocolates and dumped them on our tray. He said he hoped we enjoyed out flights with Swiss and hoped we would be back soon.

We landed just after 21:15 before making our way to the terminal. Once the door opened we said goodbye to the crew and made a beeline for immigrations. IRIS was happy again and we were both through in a couple of minutes. We then walked through customs who hardly looked at us.
Down to the HEX, unfortunately one pulled out just as we go there, and two tubes and I was home around 22:30 after a very long day mileage running and eating and drinking.

What FUN. Originally this would have been labelled an addiction post but after such great flights with really good crew on Swiss it could equally be called passion.


The Photos

Steady-EDI

Heavens, we almost bumped into each other! Your meal on LX340 is identical to the one I had on the earlier LX326, and very nice it was too.

I enjoyed my four Swiss flights, but was surprised that they didn't use parent Lufthansa's approach to seating, i.e. armrests move to widen the seat and a fold-down table physically blocks the adjacent seat. The Swiss seats were identical to Y, but with the guarantee of an empty seat next to you. (BD give you that in Y as a *G!) Great service, though.

My routing from London was LHR-ZRH-GVA and return and I had two nights and a full day at Evian-les-Bains. I'm not sure which is crazier : going to IST and seeing nothing, except from the air, or flying EDI-LHR-ZRH-GVA instead of EDI-ZRH and catching the train! Passion or addiction?

Moomba

The Photos


In the interests of making this report an accurate reflection of a year in the life of Moomba, or Moomba madness I will included a brief ( yeah right Moomba writing a brief report! ) report on my weekend trip to Edinburgh.

I think you all know the first part of this report by heart now, certainly Steady-EDI does. Yep two tubes and the HEX began my journey this weekend for my journey to LHR.
At Heathrow Central I left the train and walked up to Terminal 1.

I noticed a few changes since my last visit here, most noticeable being the closure of the separate security screen for domestic and Ireland passengers. Everyone now goes through the main security.
I had already printed my own BP so headed straight down to security. As a domestic passenger my photo was taken and then I spied which of the security lines were not taking off their shoes and chose the shortest of those.
I was through security in minutes without beeping or being subjected to random pat downs or smear tests.

I then proceeded to the low numbered gates which to my surprise are still in a separate secured section of the building. After wandering around a maze of corridors I then needed to present my BP at some desks so that they could match my photo with the one taken 2 minutes ago before security. Good grief can the people that design these thing be any stupider? “I know instead of a separate security for the UK dom pax lets have a whole group of employees sitting at desks to take photos of people and then another group of employees to check that they are still the same people 2 minutes later".

After this little merry go round I found myself in the domestic pier which is now sans a BA terraces lounge, leaving the BMI lounge as my only option. I went inside and was welcomed in to the dreary under-stocked excuse of a lounge that LHR T1 is.

I had a drink and a packet of pretzels from the meagre offerings available. I left the lounge early as I was bored and decided to watch a few aircraft hurtling down the runway instead.

I was sitting near the gate when the agent announced a 20 minute delay due to the late arrival of the aircraft. Eventually at 11:05 a boarding call was made for those needing help with small children etc. A further call was then made for BMI and Star elites and Business class to board at their leisure.

There was a woman with a perambulator and child faffing about in her handbag right at the podium blocking the way so I waked around her and gave my BP to the agent and walked down to the plane.

Flight BD0064 LHR-EDI Seat 4F
Aircraft: 319
Departure time: 11:05

On board I settled into my window seat in the first row behind the business class section.
On board the captain apologised for the delay and said the flying time would be 56 minutes. We pushed back at 11:25 and were in the air by 11:38.

Although the leg room was cramped I was able to sit sideways thanks to BD blocking the middle seat of the row for elites.

After take off the crew came around with the trolleys selling food and beverage. As a BMI elite I was able to obtain a free sandwich and drink rather than having to fork over cash. I simply presented my BMI gold card and the crew swiped it in their machine. I ordered a chicken sandwich and a coffee. On returning my card to me the crew member said ‘Thank you Mr Moomba’.

The flight was pretty uneventful and there was nothing to see out of the window but clouds for the whole journey. Gotta love the UK in the summer.
We landed at 12:28 and I was quickly off the plane and on the bus heading into town.

After spending the day with a friend I was dropped off at EDI at 17:15. I was unable to use the self service check-in machines as they do not allow you to print a BP if you have already checked in online. Sort of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?
I went to see an agent at the desk and moaned about this and she agreed it was a bit stupid. Anyway she was very nice and was able to change me from my pre-assigned C seat to a window in an exit row. She also informed me of a 45 minute delay due to late arrival of the aircraft.

Security at EDI was a breeze again and I was through without beeping or needing to take off my shoes.
I turned left and headed into the BMI lounge where I was swiped in and the magic door was opened for me to enter the inner sanctum where Gold card holders dwell.

I had a couple glasses of Scotch and Dry and some cheese and crackers whilst reading my book and awaiting the flight. The lounge was better stocked with goodies than the LHR lounge. I waited until quite a while after the screens showed go to gate and then decided to wander out of the lounge.

After lurking a while the agents started to load the aircraft at 19:20. Again a call was made for children or elderly that needed more time. This was followed up with a boarding call for elites and Business Class passengers. I sauntered up and was processed and then headed onto the aircraft.

Flight BD0063 EDI-LHR Seat 11A
Aircraft: A320
Departure time: 18:45

On boarding I noticed that this aircraft was one of the medium haul configured planes that has proper business class seating in a 2-2 configuration. Alas I had to walk past these and on to row 11. Once we were all on board I was pleased to see that BD had blocked the middle seat again. We pushed back at 19:35 and the captain informed us there would be a flying time of 1 hour. After the belt sign was extinguished the crew came around with the trolleys selling food. This time for my free meal I went with a Chicken Balti wrap and a Gin and Tonic.

I overheard the guy behind me saying he was Blue Plus with BMI but had forgotten his card. The crew member apologised but said she could give him the free meal without the card as they have to swipe it through the machine.

Another non-eventful flight and we were coming in over London city to land at LHR. We landed at 20:40 and I was quickly off the plane and heading down to the HEX station.

You guessed it HEX and two tubes and I was home by 21:50 after a lovely weekend in Edinburgh and hopefully an extra 3000 BD status miles as part of their current promotion.

Addiction? You betcha.

The Photos

FLYGVA

Fantastic Report so far and very nice report.

You routing and the differnet ticket must have been a lot of work and organising, esp. since it involves Award flights, which are not as good available as a cash ticket.

I am looking forward for the next flights and the reports. ^

Moomba

The Photos

Rightyo another weekend of madness and the last B&B before I pick up part of my RTW ticket again. This time a wee trek to Chicago and back to London after an overnight stay at ORD.

It all started with two tubes and the 07:55 HEX to get me to T3 at London’s Heathrow airport. After ascending to ground level on the very short escalator that begins under the forecourt of T3 I turned right and made a beeline to the end of the forecourt.
The AA Flagship Check-in building in located there. This is a quite a nice perk as it is usually empty, as it was this morning, or only has a couple of people in line. The other major benefit is that you can avoid the scrum of civilians that is usually occurring inside the main terminal building.

I was quickly checked in by the not terribly chatty or friendly agent and on my way into the main building and upstairs to security. Fast track was as it says on the label and there was no one in the queue at all. There were no passport checks this time and the shoe queue was quite long so I was waived on by.

I contemplated for a nanno-second the idea of going to the AA Flagship lounge but thought better of it. Instead I made my way to the haven that is the CX F lounge. The agent asked me if I was sure I wanted to use this lounge as I handed over my BP and BA Emerald card. I felt like saying ‘have you ever been in the AA lounges?’ but just confirmed my desire instead. She welcomed me into the F side of the lounge complex.

On entry I discovered that I had the whole lounge to myself this morning. My usual CX lounge ritual then followed consisting of Champagne and Dim Sum whilst checking emails etc.

The time flew by and another guest came in to invade my private haven. And worse still he immediately started to yell into his mobile phone.

There was not long to wait before I needed to leave and I started the exceedingly long walk to Gate 24 where my ORD bound aircraft was waiting for me.

On arrival at the gate lounge there was only a short queue and I was able to have my BP swiped quickly. Unfortunately my good luck failed me at this time and I was asked to go to the secondary screening. Here my bag, wallet and shoes were inspected and I got a pat down.
Obviously BAA is afraid that their initial security is insufficient or that their non pax security is lacking somehow. Of course it is only US bound flights that get this special treatment. I suppose it is just another item to add to the ‘should I bother flying to the US anymore’ good and bad check-list.

Premium cabin boarding commenced whilst I was still in the hands of the screener and once he had finished wasting my and his time I was able to walk straight on to the aircraft.

Flight AA0087 LHR-ORD Seat 12A
Aircraft: 777
Departure time: 10:15

The usual AA welcome of ‘to the right’ was the response to my ‘hello’.
I had stowed my bag and settled into my seat by 09:40

Newspapers were handed out and an offer of Orange Juice, Water or Sparkling wine was made. The menus and customs forms were handed out and the lunch orders were taken a few minutes later following the FEBO rules.

We pushed back at 10:16 and were in the air after a long wait at 10:37 heading west already as we took off. The routing was to head up over Ireland and skirt south of Iceland and Greenland and then come in over NE Canada across Lake Superior and on into Chicago.

Around 20 minutes after take off the BOSE headsets were handed out and I started to surf around the IFE to see what was on offer. Well it is all fine and dandy to have a new fangled AVOD system it would be nice if you knew what it was you were selecting before actually having to click into the offering.
AA use little stills from the movies to represent the movie in the menu and if you don’t recognise the still you have no idea what the movie might be. The only was to find out is to click on through into the movie where the title is then displayed along with a synopsis. This is an exceedingly tortuous process which usually ends up with me thinking ‘I wonder what CDs they have to select from’. Of course this ridiculous process is then followed where the album cover is shown only and is so small that you can’t actually see who the artist is.
OK rant over lets get some lunch.

Lunch
To Start:
Warm Mixed Nuts

Appetizer:
Apple Soy-marinated Beef served with Horseradish Cream and thin Potatoes

Salad:
Fresh seasonal Greens and an assortment of fresh Vegetables offered with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing or premium Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Bread Basket:
Assorted Gourmet Breads

Main Course:
Fillet of Salmon – Seared Fillet of Salmon accented by Herb-Butter Sauce, offered with blanched Asparagus and Spring Onion Mashed Potatoes

Beef Fillet – Grilled Fillet of Beef accented by Cherry and Chocolate Balsamic Sauce, served with a Cheddar Polenta Cake and Asparagus and Celery Medley

Roasted Chicken – Roasted Chicken Breast enhanced by a Bordelaise Sauce, served with sautéed Swiss Chard, baby Carrots and Truffle Celeriac Puree

Pasta – Gnocchi stuffed with a rich Pecorino Cream filling

Dessert:
A selection of gourmet Cheeses offered with fresh seasonal fruit and assorted Crackers

A scoop of Ben&Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

To Finish:
Assorted Lindt Chocolates


Wine List:
Champagne:
Pommery Brut Champagne

White Wines:
Regatta Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California

Warburn South-eastern Australia Premium Reserve Pinot Grigio

Red Wines:
The Colonial Estate “Explorateur” Shiraz

Chapoutier Coteaux du Tricastin Rouge, Rhone


First out was the obligatory and much loved warm nuts. With these I decided to go for a glass of the Shiraz about which the menu raved about. It was very blackcurrant to the nose and tasted similar with barely a hint of tannin. Very smooth. ^

Why oh why do they have carrot cut up into those thin little juliennes? It is almost impossible to eat the damn stuff with a fork. The beef starter was quite refreshing with the little zing of horseradish and some red peppercorns.

For the main I decided to go with the salmon which was a quite substantial portion and was still moist and quite tender.

I stuck with the Shiraz for the meal as it was going down quite easily. I opted for the cheese selection with seasonal fruit. It seems a selection is two types of cheese and the only fruit in season at the moment is grapes.

I ordered a coffee to go along with the chocolate as a finale to my meal.

I snoozed and listened to music for much of the flight until the second meal service began.

Light Meal:
Uno’s Farmer’s Market Pizza – A Chicago style Deep-Dish Pizza topped with fresh Spinach, Eggplant, sun-dried and Plum Tomatoes, sweet Caramelized Onions and a three Cheese blend of Feta, Mozzarella and Romano flavoured with fragrant Basil Pesto accompanied by a fresh Green Salad tossed with English Cucumbers and Cherry Tomatoes

Asian-Style Chicken – Slices of Soy-seared Breast of Chicken served chilled on a bed of grilled Pineapple with Asian Slaw and a sweet and sour Sesame Dressing

Dessert:
Lemon Tart

Pre-Arrival Beverage:
Chilled Sparkling Water with a fresh fruit Citrus Garnish

On odd numbered flights and seating oneself towards the rear of the section you are pretty assured of getting your first choice of the main meal. However you are at the mercy of those further forward when it comes to the second meal. I was surprised to find that they still had both options on offer when they got back to row 12. I opted for the pizza and sweet and sour does not float my boat.

The pizza was quite tasty and the lemon tart was delicious.
After the meal there was not long to go before we started out descent into Chicago.

As usual the pre-arrival beverage didn’t materialise. I don’t know why they even bother printing it on the menu anymore. I also wonder if the powers in charge of planning these things know that very few of the crew actually supply this final touch to the flights.

We landed and pulled into a gate that was close to the centre of the building which meant a short walk to immigrations. I only needed to wait a few minutes before have all five prints of both hands taken (another item for my check list) and my mug shot taken. I was then quizzed by the man who seemed deliberately trying to mess with me by taking his time and faffing about whilst not stamping my passport. He eventually finished his little charade and decided he would grant me permission to enter the US. Gee thanks mate I feel soooo privileged.

I then walked out through customs depositing the form with the official on the way. I caught the little shuttle train over to T2 and walked into the Hilton where I would be staying the night.


The Photos

Kevincm

That sounds like the Chicago T5 I know and love Moomba with regards to their immigration . At least you won't have that joy on the return trip

I'd say this is trip sounding like an AAddiction rather than a passion. A shame... you would had thought AA would had put a tiny bit more effort into the product as oppose to tiny icons for everything....

Keep going Moomba