Travels to Toronto & Meanderings in Montreal - BA First, Club World & Porter Airlines
Jun 10, 2012, 2:09 pm
#17
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: トロント
Programs: IHG Gold
Posts: 4,820
What a nerve that waiter had...I have a feeling that if that happened to me, I would automatically deduct a good percentage of the tip, and would "remind" the waiter that I had in fact done so on purpose.
Jun 10, 2012, 2:45 pm
#18
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,221
I was fortunate enough to live in an apartment about 5 minutes walk from the IC in Yorkville for 18 months. I loved my time in the city of TO.
It is a shame BA are still failing to provide consistent service in F. My recent flights have been OK but I find now I don't have any expectations of service on BA and accept what is dished out.
It is a shame BA are still failing to provide consistent service in F. My recent flights have been OK but I find now I don't have any expectations of service on BA and accept what is dished out.
Jun 10, 2012, 6:26 pm
#20
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,347
Thanks
Thanks for a wonderful report so far!
Porter Airlines is an excellent airline and Dash 8-Q400 is a nice aircraft. The noise level is a bit unusual, but for future reference, the noise level is actually lower towards the aft of the aircraft. It is noisier in front of the propellers.
It is also good to know that PD does not cut back on the service despite the entry of Air Canada Express. Unfortunately in the airline industry, they always start out with all these fancy amenities, but through the years, little by little things get cut here and there. Good to know that they are maintaining the service level.
Look forward to the rest!
Carfield
Porter Airlines is an excellent airline and Dash 8-Q400 is a nice aircraft. The noise level is a bit unusual, but for future reference, the noise level is actually lower towards the aft of the aircraft. It is noisier in front of the propellers.
It is also good to know that PD does not cut back on the service despite the entry of Air Canada Express. Unfortunately in the airline industry, they always start out with all these fancy amenities, but through the years, little by little things get cut here and there. Good to know that they are maintaining the service level.
Look forward to the rest!
Carfield
Jun 10, 2012, 9:04 pm
#21
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
Great report Genius1. Looking forward to the YUL-LHR report. Spent many an hour doing BA94/95. Was very sad to read your disappointment at the IC Montreal.... this is the place I met my wife many years ago!!!
Jun 11, 2012, 10:47 am
#22
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 952
Lovely photos! I took my first Porter trip a few weeks ago (IAD-YTZ) and was so happy to fly in and out of YTZ---even with a weather cancellation on the homeward trip. I'm surprised you found row 3 so noisy---I sat there on the return and found it much quieter than my outbound row 9.
Jun 11, 2012, 2:06 pm
#23
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Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,351
BA Club World, YUL-LHR
We left our hotel around 4 hours prior to scheduled departure at 22:00, and were at the airport by 18:30 thanks to a rather ‘brakes and accelerator’ taxi driver. Check-in didn’t open for another half hour, so to my horror we had to sit on the hard seats in the check-in hall. Imagine.
As it turned out, check-in opened a few minutes early, with a dedicated lane for Club World, Gold and Silver. As Montreal flights do not offer a First cabin, there is no separate First check-in desk. Everything looked very swish at check-in, with proper BA branding and the staff in full BA ground staff uniforms. It really didn’t look very ‘outstation’ at all, which I thought was excellent.
We were checked in promptly, with a CW tag applied to our bags. Directions were given to the shared lounge, the ‘TD First Class lounge’, which is not really a first class lounge, but a generic contract business class lounge used by several carriers.
There was a rather poorly signed fast track lane at security, but with hardly anybody in the queue (maybe nobody could find it?), we were promptly through to airside and on our way to the lounge.
The lounge is around halfway down the concourse to the left after security. We were welcomed in by a non-smiling and non-speaking dragon. What a contrast from the friendly check-in agents. The lounge features a lounge area behind the entrance desk opposite the washrooms, with an armchair style seating area beyond (with ample power points). To the right beyond the lounge area is the self-serve bar, buffet and café-style seating area. Wifi is free, provided by the airport authority, and was reasonably quick for browsing web pages, but pretty useless for video watching.
The drinks and catering selection was pretty standard for a contract lounge, and certainly not a patch on any oneworld business class lounge, let alone BA’s Galleries lounges. There was a small selection of sandwiches and salad, with nuts, cookies, pastries and crisps also available. Two types of beer were available on tap, along with a variety of spirits and wines. I don’t recall seeing any champagne.
We had been informed of a one hour delay to the flight at check-in due to late arrival of the inbound aircraft, and as such I had a snack of some sandwiches and cookies. Unlike many other East Coast destinations, as YUL does not have a BA lounge, no Pre-Flight Supper is offered for CW passengers. As such, the flight is not classed as a Sleeper Service, and a full meal service is offered onboard despite the late scheduled departure time (and even later actual departure time on this occasion). There is an express tray option onboard, which looked quite tempting, but I wanted to experience the full CW service as I haven’t travelled in CW since 2010 believe it or not!
As 22:30 approached, we commenced boarding, with priority boarding strictly enforced by the staff who had checked us in. We were welcomed onboard through Door 2L (only one airbridge at this gate), and were directed to our seats in the forward CW cabin on this 3 class 777.
Date: May 2012
Route: YUL [Montreal Trudeau] – LHR [London Heathrow] (T5)
Aircraft: B777-236ER, G-YMMS (2009)
Seats: 3A, 3B
Thankfully this flight was lightly loaded, and as such most of the aisle seats, and 4B in front of me (as I was sitting rearwards in 3A) were empty. This meant I didn’t have anybody’s feet to step over when egressing the seat, which is always a good thing.
On the seat were headphones, a blanket and the CW cushion (which doubles as a pillow).
The headphones and my First PJs went into the handy tray at the base of the seat. Shortly, we were offered an Elemis washbag and a pre-departure beverage, for which I selected an orange juice.
At this time, menus were also handed out, with a wine list (or, more accurately, wine card) inserted. Below is the dinner menu that I believe is exclusive to this flight number in Club World for May 2012.
—
Starter
Mesclun salad with red pepper hummus, aubergine, grilled courgette and Kalamata olives
Main
Grilled Alberta AAA beef tenderloin with balsamic rosemary jus, broccoli, heirloom carrots and roasted garlic Yukon Gold mashed potatoes
Artisan pasta filled with porcini mushroom and Ricotta accompanied by tomato basil sauce, sautéed baby spinach and vine tomatoes
Poached wild Alaskan halibut with saffron sauce, potatoes au gratin and fine green beans
Dessert
Lemon curd tart with raspberries
English Stilton and Canadian Oka l’Artisan with fig chutney
A selection of fruit
Hot chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies
Express Tray
Tandoori chicken with mango chutney on Persian naan bread served with a mesclun salad
—
The Club Kitchen was available on this flight, with a selection of Teoni’s handmade shortbread and Cadbury’s chocolates (according to the menu). The new Waitrose products (yogurts, fresh fruit and sandwiches) are only available on longer range flights, along with ice cream from The Ice Cream Union ex-London and Beckleberry’s pastries. I visited the Club Kitchen once during the flight, to find it not particularly well stocked, but I only required some water so wasn’t particularly fussed.
Below is the wine list, which was available in addition to a variety of apéritifs, cocktails, whiskies, cognac, beer, soft drinks, juices, coffee and Twinings tea.
—
Champagne
Kir Royale
Buck’s Fizz
Tattinger Brut Réserve NV Champagne
White Wines
Sancerre 2010, Château de Thauvenay, Loire Valley, France
Aquinas Chardonnay 2010, Napa Valley, California, USA
Red Wines
Château Malescasse 2007, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Hahn Pinot Noir 2010, Monterey, California, USA
—
We left our hotel around 4 hours prior to scheduled departure at 22:00, and were at the airport by 18:30 thanks to a rather ‘brakes and accelerator’ taxi driver. Check-in didn’t open for another half hour, so to my horror we had to sit on the hard seats in the check-in hall. Imagine.
As it turned out, check-in opened a few minutes early, with a dedicated lane for Club World, Gold and Silver. As Montreal flights do not offer a First cabin, there is no separate First check-in desk. Everything looked very swish at check-in, with proper BA branding and the staff in full BA ground staff uniforms. It really didn’t look very ‘outstation’ at all, which I thought was excellent.
We were checked in promptly, with a CW tag applied to our bags. Directions were given to the shared lounge, the ‘TD First Class lounge’, which is not really a first class lounge, but a generic contract business class lounge used by several carriers.
There was a rather poorly signed fast track lane at security, but with hardly anybody in the queue (maybe nobody could find it?), we were promptly through to airside and on our way to the lounge.
The lounge is around halfway down the concourse to the left after security. We were welcomed in by a non-smiling and non-speaking dragon. What a contrast from the friendly check-in agents. The lounge features a lounge area behind the entrance desk opposite the washrooms, with an armchair style seating area beyond (with ample power points). To the right beyond the lounge area is the self-serve bar, buffet and café-style seating area. Wifi is free, provided by the airport authority, and was reasonably quick for browsing web pages, but pretty useless for video watching.
The drinks and catering selection was pretty standard for a contract lounge, and certainly not a patch on any oneworld business class lounge, let alone BA’s Galleries lounges. There was a small selection of sandwiches and salad, with nuts, cookies, pastries and crisps also available. Two types of beer were available on tap, along with a variety of spirits and wines. I don’t recall seeing any champagne.
We had been informed of a one hour delay to the flight at check-in due to late arrival of the inbound aircraft, and as such I had a snack of some sandwiches and cookies. Unlike many other East Coast destinations, as YUL does not have a BA lounge, no Pre-Flight Supper is offered for CW passengers. As such, the flight is not classed as a Sleeper Service, and a full meal service is offered onboard despite the late scheduled departure time (and even later actual departure time on this occasion). There is an express tray option onboard, which looked quite tempting, but I wanted to experience the full CW service as I haven’t travelled in CW since 2010 believe it or not!
As 22:30 approached, we commenced boarding, with priority boarding strictly enforced by the staff who had checked us in. We were welcomed onboard through Door 2L (only one airbridge at this gate), and were directed to our seats in the forward CW cabin on this 3 class 777.
Date: May 2012
Route: YUL [Montreal Trudeau] – LHR [London Heathrow] (T5)
Aircraft: B777-236ER, G-YMMS (2009)
Seats: 3A, 3B
Thankfully this flight was lightly loaded, and as such most of the aisle seats, and 4B in front of me (as I was sitting rearwards in 3A) were empty. This meant I didn’t have anybody’s feet to step over when egressing the seat, which is always a good thing.
On the seat were headphones, a blanket and the CW cushion (which doubles as a pillow).
The headphones and my First PJs went into the handy tray at the base of the seat. Shortly, we were offered an Elemis washbag and a pre-departure beverage, for which I selected an orange juice.
At this time, menus were also handed out, with a wine list (or, more accurately, wine card) inserted. Below is the dinner menu that I believe is exclusive to this flight number in Club World for May 2012.
—
Starter
Mesclun salad with red pepper hummus, aubergine, grilled courgette and Kalamata olives
Main
Grilled Alberta AAA beef tenderloin with balsamic rosemary jus, broccoli, heirloom carrots and roasted garlic Yukon Gold mashed potatoes
Artisan pasta filled with porcini mushroom and Ricotta accompanied by tomato basil sauce, sautéed baby spinach and vine tomatoes
Poached wild Alaskan halibut with saffron sauce, potatoes au gratin and fine green beans
Dessert
Lemon curd tart with raspberries
English Stilton and Canadian Oka l’Artisan with fig chutney
A selection of fruit
Hot chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies
Express Tray
Tandoori chicken with mango chutney on Persian naan bread served with a mesclun salad
—
The Club Kitchen was available on this flight, with a selection of Teoni’s handmade shortbread and Cadbury’s chocolates (according to the menu). The new Waitrose products (yogurts, fresh fruit and sandwiches) are only available on longer range flights, along with ice cream from The Ice Cream Union ex-London and Beckleberry’s pastries. I visited the Club Kitchen once during the flight, to find it not particularly well stocked, but I only required some water so wasn’t particularly fussed.
Below is the wine list, which was available in addition to a variety of apéritifs, cocktails, whiskies, cognac, beer, soft drinks, juices, coffee and Twinings tea.
—
Champagne
Kir Royale
Buck’s Fizz
Tattinger Brut Réserve NV Champagne
White Wines
Sancerre 2010, Château de Thauvenay, Loire Valley, France
Aquinas Chardonnay 2010, Napa Valley, California, USA
Red Wines
Château Malescasse 2007, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Hahn Pinot Noir 2010, Monterey, California, USA
—
Last edited by Genius1; Jun 17, 2012 at 6:21 am
Jun 11, 2012, 2:07 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,351
The crew on this flight were very good indeed, with the CSD (who was serving in CW) welcoming me by name and saying how nice it was to see me back. It’s the little touches like this that make one feel valued as a customer.
After takeoff and hot towels, drinks orders were taken and served with nuts in a bag. I appreciate there has to be a degree of soft product differentiation with First, but really I would like to see BA offering nuts in CW in a ramekin.
The mesclun salad starter arrived on the tray along with the lemon tart dessert. I don’t like eating my starter and main course with the dessert sitting in front of me. It wouldn’t cost BA a lot to load the desserts separately, surely?! They manage to do it on the longer-range CW flights (eg. BKK), so I expect they could easily implement this on shorter flights such as YUL. The tray was delivered with a greeting by my name from the CSD, however, which pleased me no end! As usual in CW, there was no bread plate (yes, that old chestnut).
The salad was really very good indeed, and the balsamic vinegar that accompanied it was superb. However, my main course of poached halibut was slightly less satisfactory. The fish was beautifully cooked, but the saffron sauce rather overpowered the taste. This, coupled with the poor presentation of the dish, reasserted my belief that BA just does not produce very good CW main courses. This was disappointing given I had been led to believe that some catering changes to CW had been implemented.
The lemon tart dessert was a little generic tasting – a little ‘processed’. However, it was tasty enough, something you might find in a Tesco rather than Waitrose. At least I could earn Clubcard points…
With the meal service over and my choice of documentary about new recruits at Sandhurst concluding, I changed into my First PJs and stole a blanket from an unoccupied seat to lay over the seat as a sort of mattress pad. This makes quite a bit of difference for me, in covering the uncomfortable gap in the seat that can be annoying without an under blanket.
I slept for around 3.5 hours, and woke to the sounds of breakfast an hour prior to landing from this short 6 hour sector. Below is the breakfast menu.
—
Starters
Chilled fruit juice
A morning boost drink of apple juice, strawberry and kiwi
Fruit yogurt
Bakery
Warm bacon roll served with tomato ketchup
A selection of assorted breakfast pastries
—
As usual with these East Coast flights, breakfast is a simple affair in the air, but most customers (me included) do not really want a full breakfast after only a maximum of 4.5 hours sleep. I opted for the yogurt and an orange juice to wake me up, as I planned to eat a full breakfast in the arrivals lounge.
We landed only slightly behind schedule having made up some time en route, and parked at a T5C gate. Despite this gate being equipped with three airbridges (ready for BA’s A380s), only one bridge was used to Door 2L. With only 3 classes, this is not really an issue I suppose, but it would’ve been nice to exit via 1L. Nevertheless, the excellent crew held back the rear CW cabin and WTP/WT pax to allow the forward CW cabin to disembark first. Upon exiting, the CSD thanked us by name again. Top marks!
There was hardly any queue for immigration, and after a rather long wait for the first bags to arrive (amongst which thankfully were our priority-tagged bags) we were through customs and up to Galleries Arrivals on the first mezzanine level.
We dropped our luggage with the friendly lady at the desk, before being welcomed into the lounge. I maintain that this lounge is an excellent facility for arriving longhaul passengers – and thankfully is never that busy in my experience, as a lot of people don’t seem to know of its existence. The lounge has a very ‘business’ feel, but I quite like that.
The breakfast selection (available 04:30-12:00) is very comprehensive, and far exceeds that available in the Galleries Club departure lounges (but is on a par with the Galleries First lounge).
I enjoyed some berries and yogurt followed by a full English breakfast, whilst my travelling companion drank her rather watery porridge…
Summary
This was an excellent flight. A little too short for my liking if anything, but I didn’t feel too groggy (particularly after breakfast in the lounge), which is testament to the comfort of the Next Generation Club World seat (available on all 747s and 777s for those new to BA). The crew were very good indeed, and it was refreshing to fly on a 777 (albeit half empty), with good quality air and a reduction in noise when compared to the 747 – as much as I love the Queen of the Skies and her private upper deck CW cabin.
Overall Trip Summary
We had a great time travelling through Toronto and meandering around Montreal. I loved being upgraded on the flight out, greatly enjoyed Toronto, marvelled at the novelty of the Porter flight, am glad to have experienced Montreal, and was well looked after on the flight home. The hotels were a tale of two halves – (almost) everything an IC should be in Toronto, and everything an IC should not be in Montreal. Travel is all about variety, and it would be rather dull if everything were the same.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this 5 part report. Please let me know your comments and questions if you have any. If you’d like any advice about BA, Porter, Toronto or Montreal, please feel free to ask here or PM me.
Until next time
Genius1
After takeoff and hot towels, drinks orders were taken and served with nuts in a bag. I appreciate there has to be a degree of soft product differentiation with First, but really I would like to see BA offering nuts in CW in a ramekin.
The mesclun salad starter arrived on the tray along with the lemon tart dessert. I don’t like eating my starter and main course with the dessert sitting in front of me. It wouldn’t cost BA a lot to load the desserts separately, surely?! They manage to do it on the longer-range CW flights (eg. BKK), so I expect they could easily implement this on shorter flights such as YUL. The tray was delivered with a greeting by my name from the CSD, however, which pleased me no end! As usual in CW, there was no bread plate (yes, that old chestnut).
The salad was really very good indeed, and the balsamic vinegar that accompanied it was superb. However, my main course of poached halibut was slightly less satisfactory. The fish was beautifully cooked, but the saffron sauce rather overpowered the taste. This, coupled with the poor presentation of the dish, reasserted my belief that BA just does not produce very good CW main courses. This was disappointing given I had been led to believe that some catering changes to CW had been implemented.
The lemon tart dessert was a little generic tasting – a little ‘processed’. However, it was tasty enough, something you might find in a Tesco rather than Waitrose. At least I could earn Clubcard points…
With the meal service over and my choice of documentary about new recruits at Sandhurst concluding, I changed into my First PJs and stole a blanket from an unoccupied seat to lay over the seat as a sort of mattress pad. This makes quite a bit of difference for me, in covering the uncomfortable gap in the seat that can be annoying without an under blanket.
I slept for around 3.5 hours, and woke to the sounds of breakfast an hour prior to landing from this short 6 hour sector. Below is the breakfast menu.
—
Starters
Chilled fruit juice
A morning boost drink of apple juice, strawberry and kiwi
Fruit yogurt
Bakery
Warm bacon roll served with tomato ketchup
A selection of assorted breakfast pastries
—
As usual with these East Coast flights, breakfast is a simple affair in the air, but most customers (me included) do not really want a full breakfast after only a maximum of 4.5 hours sleep. I opted for the yogurt and an orange juice to wake me up, as I planned to eat a full breakfast in the arrivals lounge.
We landed only slightly behind schedule having made up some time en route, and parked at a T5C gate. Despite this gate being equipped with three airbridges (ready for BA’s A380s), only one bridge was used to Door 2L. With only 3 classes, this is not really an issue I suppose, but it would’ve been nice to exit via 1L. Nevertheless, the excellent crew held back the rear CW cabin and WTP/WT pax to allow the forward CW cabin to disembark first. Upon exiting, the CSD thanked us by name again. Top marks!
There was hardly any queue for immigration, and after a rather long wait for the first bags to arrive (amongst which thankfully were our priority-tagged bags) we were through customs and up to Galleries Arrivals on the first mezzanine level.
We dropped our luggage with the friendly lady at the desk, before being welcomed into the lounge. I maintain that this lounge is an excellent facility for arriving longhaul passengers – and thankfully is never that busy in my experience, as a lot of people don’t seem to know of its existence. The lounge has a very ‘business’ feel, but I quite like that.
The breakfast selection (available 04:30-12:00) is very comprehensive, and far exceeds that available in the Galleries Club departure lounges (but is on a par with the Galleries First lounge).
I enjoyed some berries and yogurt followed by a full English breakfast, whilst my travelling companion drank her rather watery porridge…
Summary
This was an excellent flight. A little too short for my liking if anything, but I didn’t feel too groggy (particularly after breakfast in the lounge), which is testament to the comfort of the Next Generation Club World seat (available on all 747s and 777s for those new to BA). The crew were very good indeed, and it was refreshing to fly on a 777 (albeit half empty), with good quality air and a reduction in noise when compared to the 747 – as much as I love the Queen of the Skies and her private upper deck CW cabin.
Overall Trip Summary
We had a great time travelling through Toronto and meandering around Montreal. I loved being upgraded on the flight out, greatly enjoyed Toronto, marvelled at the novelty of the Porter flight, am glad to have experienced Montreal, and was well looked after on the flight home. The hotels were a tale of two halves – (almost) everything an IC should be in Toronto, and everything an IC should not be in Montreal. Travel is all about variety, and it would be rather dull if everything were the same.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this 5 part report. Please let me know your comments and questions if you have any. If you’d like any advice about BA, Porter, Toronto or Montreal, please feel free to ask here or PM me.
Until next time
Genius1
Last edited by Genius1; Jun 11, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Jun 11, 2012, 2:15 pm
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,351
Thanks to all who've commented so far. 
That's interesting, you wouldn't expect that from Torontonians!
Indeed, the weather in Toronto and for much of Montreal (except one day) was glorious - 29C and full sun.
I'm not sure I'd want to live on the Islands, but they were great to visit!
Not a great deal to be honest (when compared to the higher end restaurants). I do like room service for the convenience after a long day exploring, but it's always nicer to go out to eat (just not always practical).
It's not the first time that's happened to me! Once in Berlin myself and the friends I was travelling with were reminded to tip 
I probably thought Row 3 was noisy because it was my first time on a prop 
I agree, although must admit I do have an expectation that First should be excellent. None of my four BA First sectors has come close to QF First service-wise.
I'm not sure I'd want to live on the Islands, but they were great to visit!
Not a great deal to be honest (when compared to the higher end restaurants). I do like room service for the convenience after a long day exploring, but it's always nicer to go out to eat (just not always practical).
I agree, although must admit I do have an expectation that First should be excellent. None of my four BA First sectors has come close to QF First service-wise.
Jun 11, 2012, 3:45 pm
#26
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 615
For some reason we did not receive the amuse bouche (not listed on the menu but offered to other passengers in the full cabin). I had wondered whether this was because we were upgraded, but First should be fully catered for 14 passengers. Furthermore, the table setting did not include the signature red water glass, nor were serviettes placed on passengers’ laps, as service standard dictates.
Jun 11, 2012, 3:57 pm
#27
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,351
I think I'm quite clear in my pleasure at being given an upgrade.
However, all First passengers should receive the red water glass and have the serviette laid on their laps regardless of how they came to be in the cabin. It is the BA service standard for First. I don't think the red water glasses were loaded, as I couldn't see any in the cabin, and nobody had their serviettes laid, which reflects poorly on the crew.
With regards to not having the amuse bouche when other passengers did, I have been informed by a crew friend that there should be 14 loaded for 14 seats, so everybody should have received one.
I hope you enjoyed the rest of the report.
However, all First passengers should receive the red water glass and have the serviette laid on their laps regardless of how they came to be in the cabin. It is the BA service standard for First. I don't think the red water glasses were loaded, as I couldn't see any in the cabin, and nobody had their serviettes laid, which reflects poorly on the crew.
With regards to not having the amuse bouche when other passengers did, I have been informed by a crew friend that there should be 14 loaded for 14 seats, so everybody should have received one.
I hope you enjoyed the rest of the report.
Jun 11, 2012, 4:53 pm
#28
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
Very nice read Genius1. ^
I've been to Canada several times but never to Toronto or Montreal. Of the two I've always wanted to visit the former and your report has showed it up in a good light.....must make the effort and go sometime.
That IC in Montreal does nothing for me judging by your pictures....looks a bit tacky actually.
Gnocchi without parmesan is just ridiculous!!
I've been to Canada several times but never to Toronto or Montreal. Of the two I've always wanted to visit the former and your report has showed it up in a good light.....must make the effort and go sometime.
That IC in Montreal does nothing for me judging by your pictures....looks a bit tacky actually.
Gnocchi without parmesan is just ridiculous!!
Jun 11, 2012, 5:51 pm
#29
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Edinburgh, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,020
If you were upgraded in the lounge it is very possible that last minute catering was bought into First to accomodate you both. This cannot be done from the off-site catering unit and is done from the "top up" van that sits airside. If they run out of items before they themselves get a chance to replenish, we simply take off short.
Not even sure catering carry spare Amouse Bouche, suspect it's just starters, main meals and dessert in the van. That might explain why the crew made sure the "full fare" passengers were offered first and I'm sure had there been any refusals you would've been offered next.
Have had a look through the Service Guidlines for First and don't see any mention of remaking a customer's bed whilst they are in the toilet. Might be a "nice to do", but to the best of my knowledge it's not part of the service guidelines or standards.
Jun 11, 2012, 7:20 pm
#30
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
I was surprised to see that Genius1 seemed to think the laying of the napkin on the passengers lap was a service standard....I don't recall that happening and to be honest would never have expected it either. Seems a bit OTT if you ask me.