HEL-BUD-CAI-LHR-HEL with MA/BA/AY (long)
Dec 9, 2003, 6:55 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: HEL, Finland
Programs: AY Plat, SK Silver, FB Gold
Posts: 604
HEL-BUD-CAI-LHR-HEL with MA/BA/AY (long)
This trip could remind you of a mileage run, but the purpose was of course to go buy a RTW ticket in Cairo. Everything was well arranged early enough so I didn’t encounter any problems. Here’s my long story of a journey taking me to Budapest, Cairo and London, without leaving the airport areas for actually visiting these wonderful places. I was planning to stay in Cairo for a night but due to not having enough time, I did it in 29 hours. The rest of the RTW trip will probably take place in March.
flight day: 04/12/2004
MA 743 HEL-BUD
dep 16:45, arr 18:10, flight duration 2:25
B737-300, seat 9D, Y-class
The airport was busy, however check-in (handled by Finnair) didn't take long and the security check line was only 5 minutes. I got the requested aisle seat, which turned out to be on the emergency exit and provided extra legroom, which is always welcome. I was also assigned a seat for the BUD-CAI leg. After a quick look at the duty-free shops, I moved to the passport control and the non-Schengen area. The flight boarded from gate 33 and left five minutes past schedule.
Malev's B737-300 has the better seats (business class type modular from 2+3 to 3+3) from row 1 to 9. Business class was only the two first rows. The flight was 80% full, however on my row (emergency exit), I only had 2+2 seats and nobody was seated on 9E. The cabin was clean, however the seats started to show their age. Passengers were mostly Hungarians and Finns. Onboard were also a few Asian (connecting probably from Beijing and Tokyo) and Islamic passengers. Probably many passengers were connecting in Budapest for flights to Damascus and Tel Aviv (4 different flights to Tel Aviv in one evening from Budapest!).
Service started soon after the fasten seat belt light had been switched off. The cabin crew were efficient and friendly. Service was as follows: cold cuts (3 different meat and a slice of cheese) and bread, beverages, coffee & tea and another beverage service. After having cleaned the trays, the crew didn't show up until it was time to prepare for landing. The catering came from Budapest and this probably saves Malev some money. There was a good selection of beverages (local red and white wines, local beer, juices, water, soft drinks; didn't notice any liquors).
It was dark when we left Helsinki and it was dark when we landed to Budapest Ferihegy Airport, terminal 2A. I cleared passport control and customs in order to take a look at the airports departure hall, but came back to the departure lounge as there wasn't anything interesting. I had know 4 hours ahead of me. I walked in terminal 2A and 2B departure lounges. Most of the shops are in terminal 2B (Malev uses only terminal 2A). The airport is very clean but also a very boring place after you have walked it from one end to the other. There were also a few restaurants/cafes but nothing very impressive. I kept myself busy with reading and starting to write this report. I went also to the service desk in order to secure an emergency exit aisle seat.
flight day: 04/12/2004
MA 220 BUD-CAI
dep 22:55, arr 03:20+1, flight duration 3:25
B737-700, seat 10C, Y-class
Boarding started at around 22:20 and the plane was again approximately 80% full. 6 rows were configured as business class but the divider was set after the two first rows, although there were no passengers travelling in business. The seats were different (leather). Again four cabin crew and two cockpit crew took care of this flight. Boarding was soon completed and we were on our way to Cairo. The aircraft was equipped with IFE screens every third row and showed security procedures, cartoons, Mr Bean, etc. Passengers must have been mostly Hungarians and Islamic, although I also heard some German. There was also a Finnish mother and her son. I had my emergency row seat (3+3 seats) with two other passengers on the same row.
I would have wished the service had started soon after take-off in order to try to sleep or at least close eyes for a while. The service was the same type as on the previous leg, only that now we were served a hot meal, which was some kind of chicken sauce with rice. No salads or cheese. A small note on the tray assured that no pork meat had been used for this meal.
After the meal service lights were dimmed for about an hour after which landing cards and small cups of water were distributed. According to the air show we had been flying south-east from Budapest and in the middle of Turkey the plane turned to South.
Landing took some time and I feel that we did some turning around the airport. The drop-down IFE screens were closed well before landing so can't tell for sure. In Cairo, Malev uses Terminal 1 (old terminal), which is located 3 kilometers from Terminal 2 (which is used by BA and most of the other international companies). The old terminal is mainly used for destinations in Africa. The aircraft was parked near the aircrafts of Yemenia, Libyan Arab Airlines and Egyptair. When we landed I saw however BA's 747-400 parked on the tarmac and was assured a trip back home in the morning. A bus took us from the tarmac to the terminal building (no jetways are used at Terminal 1).
As I had learned here on Flyertalk, I bought my visa (two "post stamps" which you fix a page of your passport) at the currency exchange desk before immigrations. There were other flights which had just arrived, so I had to stay in line for a while. But after that I was out very soon asking from where I could get to Terminal 2 and if there was a transfer bus (I had read somewhere that there should be one). However, I was advised to take a taxi, which costs 3 dollars. Probably the bus only operates from the transit hall. The taxi ride through empty parking lots and deserted roads took about 10 minutes.
At 4:00am I was in front of the BA ticket office and just had to wait until the office would open at 6:00am. I guess this is the place where some other Flyertalkers have been also waiting before. Time went by writing, reading and watching around. I was showed how floors were cleaned with a huge amount of soap water spread on the floor and whipped away. I also saw a Muslim man praying in front of the Lufthansa ticket office (after he had started another man came behind him and changed his position by 90 degrees, obviously to better face Mecca). The ticket office hall (at least 10 different offices) was very lively even in the middle of the night. Guards were patrolling everywhere, so no need to be frightened.
A small line started to form around 5:45 in the front of the BA office. My ticket was handed to me very soon after the office manager came at 6:00 and I went on to the security check and check-in. The tickets were packed in an envelope and inside an old Club World ticket folder ( I suspect the folder must be quite old because it still gave information on smoking area seats on the airplane).
flight day: 05/12/2004
BA 154 CAI-LHR
dep 08:35, arr 12:05 , flight duration 5:30
B747-400, seat 62K, J-class
At check-in I wished to be seated on the upper deck (because I've never done that before). I also got a window seat (62K, which with 62A must be one of the best on the upper deck). I'm a Finnair Silver/OneWorld Ruby, but somehow the status on my BP showed Emerald (I also notice in Helsinki that my status was stated as Gold, when I made some duty free shopping in Finnair's store and I had been given a 10% discount).
After proceeding through immigration I noticed that it was starting to be daylight. I did a little tour of the departure lounge before I went to the first class lounge. The lounge was quit packed with KLM passengers who were due to leave to Amsterdam at 02:55 but the plane had arrived late around 6:30 and therefore left only after 07:30. Soon the KLM passengers were called to boarding and for a while the lounge was almost empty. Coffee/tea, water and soft drinks were offered along with some dry cakes, nothing impressive, but the lounge was still a much nicer place after having spent almost 3 hours waiting in front of the ticket office. Other departures after us were to New York (on Egyptair), Seoul (on Korean Air), Jeddah (on Saudi Arabian) and Dubai/Singapore (on Singapore Airlines). Many other flights departed from the domestic side of terminal 2 (Luxor, Hurgada, Sharm El Sheik).
I left the lounge before we would have been escorted to the gate. I went the toilets before boarding, which wasn't a very nice experience in term of hygiene. In order to access the gate area a secondary security check was conducted, before entering the gate lounge. Boarding had began, and I joined the line (no separate line for CW or FIRST). Officials took a last check at passports before entering the jetway.
I made my way upstairs and was the first passenger there. I was soon given the Molton Brown amenity bag by one of the two FAs assigned for the upper deck. Both of them were professional in their work, but no smiles and their attitude was a bit cold towards the passengers. After setting down (my small back-pack stored very nice the side lockers under the windows), I was handled OJ and the menu:
BRUNCH
Fresh orange juice
Fruit energising smoothie
Fresh seasonal fruit
Poached salmon with cucumber
Fruit yoghurt
Mixed grill featuring beef medallions, breast of chicken, grilled tomato, mushrooms, has brown and omelette
Grilled chicken brochette with saffron rice
Greek salad topped with grilled prawns
Selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries
Coffee torte
Coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea
Selection of herbal teas - peppermint, blackcurrant, apple or camomile and honey
I opted for the poached salmon and mixed grill as I was starting to feel hungry.
The upper deck was soon busy with passengers finding their place and FAs serving water and OJ. Every seat was occupied, but I still felt it was quit and relaxing around. Before my seat mate came, I had left the separator. All departure procedures went normally and we were ready to leave Cairo. After take-off I had a splendid view of Cairo (which I still haven't discovered).
The smoothie was first handled after which trays with butter, yoghurt, marmalade and the rest were given. The salmon came on a separate plate. Coffee or tea was offered to drink. I guess I fall in the category of people who have never quite understood the meaning of brunch. Anyway I was hungry and ate everything I got. The salmon was tasteless but the mixed grill very generous. We got a second offering of coffee and bread but no second offering of bread for example (which weren't very good anyway). No water, more juice or f. ex. champagne were offered. I think a glass of champagne would go very well with brunch
After brunch, trays were taken away and the crew disappeared for more than an hour before distributing water bottles. Before that I asked for a glass of apple juice which I never got (maybe that's why I tend not to ask for extras, because I usually won't get them). When I went to the lavatory I could see that the FAs were busy talking to each other on the crew seats near the stairs. I got a water bottle from the other FA when I asked for one.
At some point duty free orders were taken and a round of drinks were offered. After the meal I had a look at the comedy channels and started to play with my seat. As a 1,91 meter, I really had difficulties adjusting myself in the fully flat position of the CW bed. Also I felt my shoulders wouldn't fit inside. I wasn't any better when laying on my side, so I choose a more comfortable seating position were I wouldn't have to push my feet too much against the footstool’s small wall. I must have been relatively comfortable (or very tired) because I managed whit some sleep. By reading the comments on Flyertalk about the CW seat, I knew I wouldn't be satisfied entirely with it.
Landing to LHR, which was earlier than scheduled, took place on the runway far from T4. Thus we had to cross the runway between T1&2 and T4 (and it took some time). After arriving in front of T4, we still had to wait for 10 minutes to get the gate free. When leaving the aircraft, I still didn’t get any smile from the FAs (usually at that point they do smile).
I went straight to the arrival lounge to get a shower and something to eat. The shower was nice after a sleepless night. In the lounge, there was some cold stuff left from the breakfast buffet. This was perfectly all right with me after the warm brunch I had had on the plane. From the lounge I made my way to the Heathrow Express station and T1
flight day: 05/12/2004
AY 840 LHR-HEL
dep 16:10, arr 21:05 , flight duration 2:55
A320, seat 4C, J-class
Departure hall in T1 was very busy. I had some difficulties finding my way to the new premium check-in area. Finally when I arrived there, I got very fast my boarding pass and was through security check in no time. After having had a look at the duty-free stores (and some Christmas gift shopping at Harrods), I made my way to the Terraces Lounges. I had never been there before and was amazed how huge it is. I briefly checked my e-mails and then went to sit down enjoying a cup of tea and some newspapers.
Finnair flight was boarding at gate 21 or 23 (don’t remember) and boarding went fast. I was welcomed by the purser and a male FA, who were in charge of J cabin tonight. I have to admit that pitch in AY’s A320 can be too small and I would really expect a little bit more when travelling in Business class. Coats where taken and soon the plane was ready for take-off.
After take-off, hot towels were handled and soon after drinks. I chose some champagne (Joseph Perrier Brut). The food tray didn’t have any white linen and was very small. However the food was very good. I guess it had been catered from Helsinki because the food was very Finnish. There was no menu handled, however here’s my guess on it:
Moose in roast beef style with wild mushroom salad and marinated rowan berries
Whitefish with white wine and tarragon sauce and vegetables julienne
Camembert cheese package
Cinnamon-apple cake
I just can’t remember which red and white wines were offered. But they were good. The attentiveness of the crew was exemplary. Glasses were never left empty. They asked several times if I wanted more bread, wines, champagne or water. Although this was just a short European flight, I really felt pampered by the crew. Cognac, liquors, etc were offered with coffee and tea.
AY’s IFE (drop down screens) showed short documents, “Just for Laughs” and the Simpsons (now with English subtitles). I almost fell asleep before we landed on time to Helsinki. No queues at the passport control and I was soon out in the cold heading for home and a good night of sleep.
flight day: 04/12/2004
MA 743 HEL-BUD
dep 16:45, arr 18:10, flight duration 2:25
B737-300, seat 9D, Y-class
The airport was busy, however check-in (handled by Finnair) didn't take long and the security check line was only 5 minutes. I got the requested aisle seat, which turned out to be on the emergency exit and provided extra legroom, which is always welcome. I was also assigned a seat for the BUD-CAI leg. After a quick look at the duty-free shops, I moved to the passport control and the non-Schengen area. The flight boarded from gate 33 and left five minutes past schedule.
Malev's B737-300 has the better seats (business class type modular from 2+3 to 3+3) from row 1 to 9. Business class was only the two first rows. The flight was 80% full, however on my row (emergency exit), I only had 2+2 seats and nobody was seated on 9E. The cabin was clean, however the seats started to show their age. Passengers were mostly Hungarians and Finns. Onboard were also a few Asian (connecting probably from Beijing and Tokyo) and Islamic passengers. Probably many passengers were connecting in Budapest for flights to Damascus and Tel Aviv (4 different flights to Tel Aviv in one evening from Budapest!).
Service started soon after the fasten seat belt light had been switched off. The cabin crew were efficient and friendly. Service was as follows: cold cuts (3 different meat and a slice of cheese) and bread, beverages, coffee & tea and another beverage service. After having cleaned the trays, the crew didn't show up until it was time to prepare for landing. The catering came from Budapest and this probably saves Malev some money. There was a good selection of beverages (local red and white wines, local beer, juices, water, soft drinks; didn't notice any liquors).
It was dark when we left Helsinki and it was dark when we landed to Budapest Ferihegy Airport, terminal 2A. I cleared passport control and customs in order to take a look at the airports departure hall, but came back to the departure lounge as there wasn't anything interesting. I had know 4 hours ahead of me. I walked in terminal 2A and 2B departure lounges. Most of the shops are in terminal 2B (Malev uses only terminal 2A). The airport is very clean but also a very boring place after you have walked it from one end to the other. There were also a few restaurants/cafes but nothing very impressive. I kept myself busy with reading and starting to write this report. I went also to the service desk in order to secure an emergency exit aisle seat.
flight day: 04/12/2004
MA 220 BUD-CAI
dep 22:55, arr 03:20+1, flight duration 3:25
B737-700, seat 10C, Y-class
Boarding started at around 22:20 and the plane was again approximately 80% full. 6 rows were configured as business class but the divider was set after the two first rows, although there were no passengers travelling in business. The seats were different (leather). Again four cabin crew and two cockpit crew took care of this flight. Boarding was soon completed and we were on our way to Cairo. The aircraft was equipped with IFE screens every third row and showed security procedures, cartoons, Mr Bean, etc. Passengers must have been mostly Hungarians and Islamic, although I also heard some German. There was also a Finnish mother and her son. I had my emergency row seat (3+3 seats) with two other passengers on the same row.
I would have wished the service had started soon after take-off in order to try to sleep or at least close eyes for a while. The service was the same type as on the previous leg, only that now we were served a hot meal, which was some kind of chicken sauce with rice. No salads or cheese. A small note on the tray assured that no pork meat had been used for this meal.
After the meal service lights were dimmed for about an hour after which landing cards and small cups of water were distributed. According to the air show we had been flying south-east from Budapest and in the middle of Turkey the plane turned to South.
Landing took some time and I feel that we did some turning around the airport. The drop-down IFE screens were closed well before landing so can't tell for sure. In Cairo, Malev uses Terminal 1 (old terminal), which is located 3 kilometers from Terminal 2 (which is used by BA and most of the other international companies). The old terminal is mainly used for destinations in Africa. The aircraft was parked near the aircrafts of Yemenia, Libyan Arab Airlines and Egyptair. When we landed I saw however BA's 747-400 parked on the tarmac and was assured a trip back home in the morning. A bus took us from the tarmac to the terminal building (no jetways are used at Terminal 1).
As I had learned here on Flyertalk, I bought my visa (two "post stamps" which you fix a page of your passport) at the currency exchange desk before immigrations. There were other flights which had just arrived, so I had to stay in line for a while. But after that I was out very soon asking from where I could get to Terminal 2 and if there was a transfer bus (I had read somewhere that there should be one). However, I was advised to take a taxi, which costs 3 dollars. Probably the bus only operates from the transit hall. The taxi ride through empty parking lots and deserted roads took about 10 minutes.
At 4:00am I was in front of the BA ticket office and just had to wait until the office would open at 6:00am. I guess this is the place where some other Flyertalkers have been also waiting before. Time went by writing, reading and watching around. I was showed how floors were cleaned with a huge amount of soap water spread on the floor and whipped away. I also saw a Muslim man praying in front of the Lufthansa ticket office (after he had started another man came behind him and changed his position by 90 degrees, obviously to better face Mecca). The ticket office hall (at least 10 different offices) was very lively even in the middle of the night. Guards were patrolling everywhere, so no need to be frightened.
A small line started to form around 5:45 in the front of the BA office. My ticket was handed to me very soon after the office manager came at 6:00 and I went on to the security check and check-in. The tickets were packed in an envelope and inside an old Club World ticket folder ( I suspect the folder must be quite old because it still gave information on smoking area seats on the airplane).
flight day: 05/12/2004
BA 154 CAI-LHR
dep 08:35, arr 12:05 , flight duration 5:30
B747-400, seat 62K, J-class
At check-in I wished to be seated on the upper deck (because I've never done that before). I also got a window seat (62K, which with 62A must be one of the best on the upper deck). I'm a Finnair Silver/OneWorld Ruby, but somehow the status on my BP showed Emerald (I also notice in Helsinki that my status was stated as Gold, when I made some duty free shopping in Finnair's store and I had been given a 10% discount).
After proceeding through immigration I noticed that it was starting to be daylight. I did a little tour of the departure lounge before I went to the first class lounge. The lounge was quit packed with KLM passengers who were due to leave to Amsterdam at 02:55 but the plane had arrived late around 6:30 and therefore left only after 07:30. Soon the KLM passengers were called to boarding and for a while the lounge was almost empty. Coffee/tea, water and soft drinks were offered along with some dry cakes, nothing impressive, but the lounge was still a much nicer place after having spent almost 3 hours waiting in front of the ticket office. Other departures after us were to New York (on Egyptair), Seoul (on Korean Air), Jeddah (on Saudi Arabian) and Dubai/Singapore (on Singapore Airlines). Many other flights departed from the domestic side of terminal 2 (Luxor, Hurgada, Sharm El Sheik).
I left the lounge before we would have been escorted to the gate. I went the toilets before boarding, which wasn't a very nice experience in term of hygiene. In order to access the gate area a secondary security check was conducted, before entering the gate lounge. Boarding had began, and I joined the line (no separate line for CW or FIRST). Officials took a last check at passports before entering the jetway.
I made my way upstairs and was the first passenger there. I was soon given the Molton Brown amenity bag by one of the two FAs assigned for the upper deck. Both of them were professional in their work, but no smiles and their attitude was a bit cold towards the passengers. After setting down (my small back-pack stored very nice the side lockers under the windows), I was handled OJ and the menu:
BRUNCH
Fresh orange juice
Fruit energising smoothie
Fresh seasonal fruit
Poached salmon with cucumber
Fruit yoghurt
Mixed grill featuring beef medallions, breast of chicken, grilled tomato, mushrooms, has brown and omelette
Grilled chicken brochette with saffron rice
Greek salad topped with grilled prawns
Selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries
Coffee torte
Coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea
Selection of herbal teas - peppermint, blackcurrant, apple or camomile and honey
I opted for the poached salmon and mixed grill as I was starting to feel hungry.
The upper deck was soon busy with passengers finding their place and FAs serving water and OJ. Every seat was occupied, but I still felt it was quit and relaxing around. Before my seat mate came, I had left the separator. All departure procedures went normally and we were ready to leave Cairo. After take-off I had a splendid view of Cairo (which I still haven't discovered).
The smoothie was first handled after which trays with butter, yoghurt, marmalade and the rest were given. The salmon came on a separate plate. Coffee or tea was offered to drink. I guess I fall in the category of people who have never quite understood the meaning of brunch. Anyway I was hungry and ate everything I got. The salmon was tasteless but the mixed grill very generous. We got a second offering of coffee and bread but no second offering of bread for example (which weren't very good anyway). No water, more juice or f. ex. champagne were offered. I think a glass of champagne would go very well with brunch
After brunch, trays were taken away and the crew disappeared for more than an hour before distributing water bottles. Before that I asked for a glass of apple juice which I never got (maybe that's why I tend not to ask for extras, because I usually won't get them). When I went to the lavatory I could see that the FAs were busy talking to each other on the crew seats near the stairs. I got a water bottle from the other FA when I asked for one.
At some point duty free orders were taken and a round of drinks were offered. After the meal I had a look at the comedy channels and started to play with my seat. As a 1,91 meter, I really had difficulties adjusting myself in the fully flat position of the CW bed. Also I felt my shoulders wouldn't fit inside. I wasn't any better when laying on my side, so I choose a more comfortable seating position were I wouldn't have to push my feet too much against the footstool’s small wall. I must have been relatively comfortable (or very tired) because I managed whit some sleep. By reading the comments on Flyertalk about the CW seat, I knew I wouldn't be satisfied entirely with it.
Landing to LHR, which was earlier than scheduled, took place on the runway far from T4. Thus we had to cross the runway between T1&2 and T4 (and it took some time). After arriving in front of T4, we still had to wait for 10 minutes to get the gate free. When leaving the aircraft, I still didn’t get any smile from the FAs (usually at that point they do smile).
I went straight to the arrival lounge to get a shower and something to eat. The shower was nice after a sleepless night. In the lounge, there was some cold stuff left from the breakfast buffet. This was perfectly all right with me after the warm brunch I had had on the plane. From the lounge I made my way to the Heathrow Express station and T1
flight day: 05/12/2004
AY 840 LHR-HEL
dep 16:10, arr 21:05 , flight duration 2:55
A320, seat 4C, J-class
Departure hall in T1 was very busy. I had some difficulties finding my way to the new premium check-in area. Finally when I arrived there, I got very fast my boarding pass and was through security check in no time. After having had a look at the duty-free stores (and some Christmas gift shopping at Harrods), I made my way to the Terraces Lounges. I had never been there before and was amazed how huge it is. I briefly checked my e-mails and then went to sit down enjoying a cup of tea and some newspapers.
Finnair flight was boarding at gate 21 or 23 (don’t remember) and boarding went fast. I was welcomed by the purser and a male FA, who were in charge of J cabin tonight. I have to admit that pitch in AY’s A320 can be too small and I would really expect a little bit more when travelling in Business class. Coats where taken and soon the plane was ready for take-off.
After take-off, hot towels were handled and soon after drinks. I chose some champagne (Joseph Perrier Brut). The food tray didn’t have any white linen and was very small. However the food was very good. I guess it had been catered from Helsinki because the food was very Finnish. There was no menu handled, however here’s my guess on it:
Moose in roast beef style with wild mushroom salad and marinated rowan berries
Whitefish with white wine and tarragon sauce and vegetables julienne
Camembert cheese package
Cinnamon-apple cake
I just can’t remember which red and white wines were offered. But they were good. The attentiveness of the crew was exemplary. Glasses were never left empty. They asked several times if I wanted more bread, wines, champagne or water. Although this was just a short European flight, I really felt pampered by the crew. Cognac, liquors, etc were offered with coffee and tea.
AY’s IFE (drop down screens) showed short documents, “Just for Laughs” and the Simpsons (now with English subtitles). I almost fell asleep before we landed on time to Helsinki. No queues at the passport control and I was soon out in the cold heading for home and a good night of sleep.
Dec 9, 2003, 12:31 pm
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2001
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">I also saw a Muslim man praying in front of the Lufthansa ticket office</font>
This is an excellent Trip Report. You have a good eye for detail but don't get bogged down describing every little detail. I really enjoyed reading it and eagerly await your next effort.
[This message has been edited by Seat 2A (edited Dec 09, 2003).]
Dec 9, 2003, 2:49 pm
#4
Ambassador: Finnair
Join Date: May 2003
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Lumo, BA Silver, HHonors Gold
Posts: 4,270
Great report! Too bad about your BA leg...I fully agree with you, AY has a really good J product, prefer it well over BA on shorter flights. As a 1m98cm I could also use a bit more legroom on A320 series, though 
BTW, did you find it easy to cope with BA's CAI office from a distance? I'm planning to do pretty much the same journey myself to pick a DONE ticket in few months time...just hope their ticket office is open on saturdays...?
BTW, did you find it easy to cope with BA's CAI office from a distance? I'm planning to do pretty much the same journey myself to pick a DONE ticket in few months time...just hope their ticket office is open on saturdays...?
Dec 9, 2003, 11:07 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: HEL, Finland
Programs: AY Plat, SK Silver, FB Gold
Posts: 604
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by NoWindowSeat:
Great report! Too bad about your BA leg...I fully agree with you, AY has a really good J product, prefer it well over BA on shorter flights. As a 1m98cm I could also use a bit more legroom on A320 series, though
BTW, did you find it easy to cope with BA's CAI office from a distance? I'm planning to do pretty much the same journey myself to pick a DONE ticket in few months time...just hope their ticket office is open on saturdays...?</font>
Great report! Too bad about your BA leg...I fully agree with you, AY has a really good J product, prefer it well over BA on shorter flights. As a 1m98cm I could also use a bit more legroom on A320 series, though
BTW, did you find it easy to cope with BA's CAI office from a distance? I'm planning to do pretty much the same journey myself to pick a DONE ticket in few months time...just hope their ticket office is open on saturdays...?</font>
Arranging tickets with BA Cairo airport office wasn't difficult. Communication is best done via fax (I had some problems sending fax there, but usually went through on the second time). The airport office is open every day. Have a look at the topics on the "oneworld" forum (do a search with CAI and DONE) or mail me. I had a DGLOB34 ticket.