LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Departed LHR on BA15 on 13th August - delay of 1 hour 50 minutes made up of two
reasons: firstly - plane had to come over from the hangar and was late on stand (for
reasons 'that are beyond me' according to the Captain) and secondly, because there was a baggage handlers shift change at 2300 hours, meaning a 30 minute wait before they could complete the loading of the aircraft!

Flight time of 12 hrs 35 mins. Seat 63K - not as convenient at 62/64 A or K but good as
you can climb out behind the seat to the emergency exit and so not bother the person in 64J. Food was unremarkable, except for the breakfast choices, two of which were eggs - and we know how well BA does those! BA is a bit lacking with the pre-plated main
courses - does not enhance food quality. However - the beds are the clear winner here.
With the side bins on the upperdeck you get a good 7 feet or so to stretch out.

Amenity kits were handed out to all pax on boarding - nice change not to have to ask for
them. Flight loading was full in Y and WT+ - 100% upper-deck and about 50% main deck in J (this aircraft had the two J class cabins). No idea about First (securely roped off
as usual!).

Was supposed to connect in SIN with BA17 (would have been a 50 minute connecting
time) however we did not make up enough time during the flight and I was informed that
we (apparently there were several of us - not using the Royal 'we' here!) would either be rebooked on QF10 or could stay the night in SIN and continue with BA17 the next night.
Given that there are no beds on QF - I was toying with the idea of the free night in SIN!

The CSD wanted to know why we had not taken BA17 right the way through - but he
supposed that 'there must have been a cheap fare for us to take the two different flights'. I explained that BA17 unavailable when I changed my booking and he seemed happy with this (in fact 'I' class had been zerod out).

So arrival in SIN at 1913 (instead of 1820) to see the BA17 taxi pass to the runway.
Disembarkation at 1925 and we were directed straight to the transfer counter. Got there a
couple of minutes later and were advised that indeed I had been rebooked on the QF10.
Queue commencement of the complaint that QF have no beds and that I would rather stay
in SIN when the guy from QF ground services comes racing over, places his hand on my
arm and says 'Mr L/M/E FF, we apologise that we have different seating than BA and
have rebooked you in First, will this be acceptable?' Queue restrained nodding of head.

Anyways - needless to say that QF10 was on final call and I was the last passenger they
were waiting for so I raced down to the gate to be met by a raft of people calling
my name. Straight on board, door closed and off we went (whatever happened to the
other connecting pax?).

So for the second time in a year and a half I find myself sitting on QF10 in First without actually having booked (previous time I was on Gulf Air who cancelled flights between SIN and Australia - however booked me all the way ex-LHR on QF).

Total flight time, including transit in SIN came to 19hrs 30 mins - perhaps a record
(albeit with a non legal connecting time) for sub-sonic flight on that route? An interesting champagne - Henriot 1995 - never heard of it before but it was quite delicious. Also - best steak I have had on a plane for many years.

Arrival in MEL early at 0440, however, no record flight time for my luggage - it travelled SQ an hour later - (delivered to my home by 1030). So exit airport from long-haul flight with only one piece of hand luggage... did I read somewhere some style guru saying that if you need luggage - you clearly don't have the means to support a second home at the destination you're going to!!

Menu details or seating advice on request for anyone who is interested.

Kind regards

WG

pallensf

I'd love to read the menu transcript...yumm...

Thanks for the report...

------------------
Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

777Brit

Nice report...the menu, the menu! We need the menu!!

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Ok - ok! Here goes...

[B]BA15 LHR/SIN - Club World

DINNER[B]

**Appetisers**

Prawn and Crab Cocktail
or;
Pink Grapefruit, Roquefort cheese, raddichio and walnut salad with mustard seed dressing (I had this - not bad)

Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette (might have been fresh, once, but maybe the delay of two hours took it just beyond its prime...)

**Main Courses**

Grilled Fillet of beef with tarragon butter, wilted spinach, sauteed mushrooms and potatoes fondantes (steak was ok)or;

Chilli garlic king prawns, pad Thai noodles, or;

Four cheese ravioli and pesto cream sauce, wilted baby spinach and Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, or;

Main Course chef's salad of seared garlic breast of chicken, prosciutto, Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, mint leaf and fresh peach

**Dessert**

Summer pudding, or;

Fountains Gold, St. Nectaire and Stilton cheese, or;

Fresh fruit

Coffee, tea, selection of herbal teas etc etc, plus Raid the Larder for snacks.

[B] Breakfast [B]

Chilled orange juice

Our special wake-up energising smoothie of banana, raspberry and honey

Fresh seasonal fruit, or;
Greek yoghurt with cereal grains

Classic British breakfast of scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, pork sausage, sauteed mushrooms and grilled tomato, or;

Eggs Florentine (now these were a real treat!! Two round discs of egg that would have been well at home on a skeet shooting range... complete with microwaved spinach and cheese that was hard baked on the side of the dish, but guess the two hour delay meant they were beyond their prime!), or;

Brioche French toast with a compote of berries

Selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries

Coffee, tea etc etc

[B] Qantas QF 10 SIN/MEL - First

Light Dinner[B]

Canapes

**Entrees**

Cream of zucchini and leek soup with garlic croutons

Smoked salmon with green papaya salad

**Main Courses**

Chicken Tikka Masala with basmati rice and Kachumber (sic - no idea what this is?)

Beef fillet with new potatoes, mushroom sauce and asparagus (Australia beef - and absolutely fantastic - beautifully rare)

Snapper with carrot and chive puree and lemon pickle

Strozzapretti pasta with roast pumpkin, feta and pinenuts

Green leaf salad with red wine vinaigrette

Cheese - hand selected (someone pointed at it? - guess they haven't found internet shopping yet!) - served with accompaniments

**Dessert**

Pineapple and frangipane tart with cream (this was sooooo good I ate half the tart - as in the full sized tart!)

Fresh fruit

**Petits Fours**

Chocolates and Macadamia Brownies

Coffee (expresso, cappuccino, latte or individual Bodum), Tea (black leaf Assam or Darjeeling - individual Bodum), Herbal Teas (selection, served in Bodum), Hot chocolate, Hot Mocha

[B] Continental Breakfast [B]

Orange and / or apple juice

'Sunraysia Liquid Fruit' Pear or Mango juice

Berry Energiser drink (with honey, fresh fruit and yoghurt)

Citrus fruit salad

Bircher muesli

Toasted muesli

Cereal

Yoghurt and Honey

A choice of warm bakery items including cinnamon brioche, croissant, toast - with conserves.

777Brit

LHR/MEL/Europe FF, good work!

So, what were the main courses on the BA service like? Were they really that bad? I'm working on an award LHR-SIN, and trying to decide on whether to fly BA or QF.

Thanks for your input, it's greatly appreciated.

Latitudes

Kachumber is a fresh Tomato and Onion salad.

It is a very popular salad in an Indian meal served only as an accompaniment rather than a course in itself. It is eaten along with the main meal. It is normal to pick up any curry with a piece of Indian bread and also in the same bite pick up a little bit of the salad too.

------------------
Latitudes.

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)

edi-traveller

"Grilled Fillet of beef with tarragon butter, wilted spinach, sauteed mushrooms and potatoes fondantes"

This seems to appear with startling regularity on NCW menus.

777Brit

Now there's some creative menu writing.

It's mash!

[This message has been edited by 777Brit (edited 08-19-2003).]

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Latitudes - thanks for the explanation!

777Brit - in answer to your question - the BA beds are setting the benchmark for long-haul travel (well - at least until Virgin's new ones come out). Others have written that they find the service and food on BA 'extremely professional' and 'good' (respectively) - so I guess it's all just a matter of taste. But I think that QF Biz class does have the edge in terms of standard and presentation (you can check out a sample QF menu on their web-site under 'travel classes -> international business', (although I cannot make a personal comparison between QF and BA).

QF does have a daytime flight from LHR to SIN.

Regards

WG