TEX277

Background

A few days before my wife’s return from a summer spent teaching in Hong Kong I realised that I had managed to accumulate a lot more BA miles than I had expected as well as holding what I thought would be a surplus BA Amex 2for1 voucher. I thought it would be nice to surprise her over Christmas with a trip to Boston to see her friend. Unfortunately, this did not work out. Instead we opted for a four night stay in New York. We had been looking forward to this trip since we booked it back in mid-September before I was made redundant late in November. However, as all the hotels had been prepaid and were non-refundable, cancellation of this trip just was not an option. As things turned out December actually turned out to be my best month ever for holidays after a trip to Vegas and Bali already. Our itinerary read:

Flight number: BA115
From: London - Heathrow Terminal 4
To: New York - John F Kennedy Terminal 7
Depart: 24Dec06 16:00
Arrive: 24Dec06 18:45
Class: First Class
Booking Status: OK

Flight number: BA182
From: New York - John F Kennedy Terminal 7
To: London - Heathrow Terminal 4
Depart: 28Dec06 22:30
Arrive: 29Dec06 10:15
Class: Club World
Operated by: Club World Sleeper Service.
Booking Status: OK


Check-in for BA115 LHR-JFK

After originally gaining seat allocations for 4E & F on this 747 flight at time of booking, I was surprised to see that with less than 72 hours until departure the block on seats 1A & K was removed. Of course, I jumped at the chance and snagged them but with the expectation that it was just a glitch and we would be booted out. However, this did not happen and as I checked-in online for this flight confirming seats 1A & K I was also grateful to see that no other seat in the First cabin yet been allocated. It had been like this since we made our booking and we kept our fingers crossed that we may have the cabin to ourselves. However, I learnt the hard way that this may not be the case as I had the same situation with a SQ F flight earlier in the month from SIN-BKK. I performed online check-in to see an empty cabin but upon departure there was not a single spare seat in F. Fingers crossed this time would be different!

The journey from Brighton to LHR T4

As my wife had never qualified for use of the Molton Brown Spa and with disquiet growing on the BA board that it was becoming increasingly difficult to get an appointment without turning up several hours before departure we decided that, as we had nothing else to do on the day of departure, we’d arrive a little earlier than usual. The total absence of traffic (despite me hearing predictions to the contrary through the news) ensured that we arrived at LHR very early. We parked up at Business Parking T4 (£79 for six days) and were only waiting about 1 minute before one of their shuttle buses turned up to transport us to T4. Thanks to a fabulous location the journey only couple a couple of minutes. We were dropped off outside the terminal and the first thing that we noted were all the temporary marquees that had been set up for passengers affected by the severe fog that had caused the cancellation of BA domestic and short-haul services a couple of days before.

Fast bag drop for BA 115 LHR-JFK 24th December

Due to an early departure from Brighton, coupled with a total lack of traffic and speedy commute from the car park, we set foot in the terminal at 10:40 for a 16:00 departure. We made our way through to the First Class check-in area. A man greeted us and inquired if we were travelling First or were a BA Gold cardholder. I responded ‘First’ and he led us to the desk. I immediately apologised to the agent for our obscenely early arrival for the flight and blamed it squarely upon the rest of the UK population for not flooding our route with their vehicles. We had a pleasant chat as she began to process our baggage. It was at this point that ‘numb-nuts’ here realised that he’d left his laptop inside a checked piece of luggage. The agent was courteous in returning the bag to me (it just had to be in the first bag that we had put on the belt and was now the furthest away!). As we walked away, I failed to recall the agent tagging the luggage with F priority tags.

A long wait -The Concorde Room, the Molton Brown Spa, IRIS and some shopping

We accessed the departure lounge through the Fast-track security channel. Unfortunately it was not as quick as it should have been due to the security staff calling over other passengers in sizeable chunks. Nevertheless, the wait was only around five minutes and, let’s be honest, we had plenty of time to spare. We headed straight for the lounge complex at gate 10. Conveniently located on the entrance level is the Concorde Room, upstairs housed the Terraces lounge whilst the lower level accommodates both the First lounge and the Molton Brown Spa. We did not know any of this as we headed towards the complex. Outside the Concorde Room there is a BA staff member to help passengers determine the lounge in which they qualify for admission. The staff member was talking to a female passenger attempting to gain admission. We were both quiet entertained to witness her failing atrociously to convince the BA chap that despite her lack of status and onward travel in economy (“I travelled in on Business class though”). He informed here that that would qualify here for admission to the arrivals lounge but for none of the departure lounges. Both he and we grow tired of her and he referred her to the customer service desk. Upon presentation of our boarding passes he informed us that we were eligible to use the Concorde Room but I asked were the MB spa was as it was our priority to book a treatment. He directed us downstairs where we secured two reservations for back massages for 14:30.

Upon our return the chap saw our approach and graciously opened the door to the Concorde Room for our admission. We presented ourselves and our boarding passes to the lady on the desk (certainly not a ‘Lounge Dragon’). After a brief chat with her we took our first walk around the lounge. We were pleased to see a left-luggage area with an attendant, business centre with internet access, a generous seating area and a bar area with an assortment of pastries. The TV in there definitely needs replacing though!! We grabbed one of the menus that are placed on most tables and set about determining our breakfast. Despite my assertion that the Bacon Baguette is something of an institution on the BA Board, my wife ordered a salad (what’s that all about??) whilst I stuck with tradition and accompanied it with a glass of Champagne. I was quite impressed with the glass. Nothing flash but a generous size and a great shape. I even joked to Mrs TEX277 that we should ‘borrow’ a couple! Strangely enough, when our food arrived my wife seemed to take quite an unhealthy interest in my bacon baguette. I reluctantly allowed her a small taste (I did tell her that they were good before ordering). We agreed on a second snack and whilst I stuck with my original choice, she opted for the mushroom and tomato evidently not learning from her first mistake! Upon arrival of our second snack she suggested that we swap half of our snack with the other. Knowing which side my bread was buttered, I submitted and tried to enjoy half (more like a third?!) of a mushroom and tomato baguette. It was not bad, but just not as good as the bacon. Oddly, as we ate our baguettes, an announcement was made for me to come to the reception desk. I was asked if I’d like to bring our treatments forward to from 14:30 to 14:00. I stated my preference to remain at the originally scheduled time.

After spending a little time in the lounge, we headed to the IRIS sign-up office. I had taken the opportunity to enrol at LGW before my redundancy but Mrs TEX277 had not had that luxury. It seems that they have made improvements to the system and capturing a picture of her iris was a lot quicker than my previous experience. I think the whole thing (including waiting for the passengers in front to finish) only took around five minutes. It is time well spent when you think about how long you wait at LHR to see an immigration officer upon your arrival.

We then had a look around the shops and notice the ‘Best of the Best’ stand with a fantastic Ferrari (not been ‘up’ on cars for a while but it’s gorgeous to the extent that I think Mrs Tex277 began to get jealous!) as the prize. They sell a limited number of raffle tickets for £60 (over $100) a time. Well, it seems that this raffle finishes on 31st December 2006 and perhaps they had not sold enough tickets as they were now selling them for £20 each. Although, the average cost fell to around £13 if you purchased 6 tickets. I was giving it some serious consideration but ultimately decided against it. No Ferrari for me to start the New Year with! We took a reconnaissance visit to World Duty Free. Mrs TEX277 placed the three 400g Toblerones for £7.5 and the 400g buy one get one free After Eights for £3.75 at the top of her hit-list. Not bad – 2kgs of chocolate for only £1.25 after using the vouchers.


We returned to the lounge, handed in the remaining hand baggage that we had been carrying and headed down to the MB Spa, catching a photo of Mrs TEX277 outside before entering. We introduced ourselves to the lady on the desk and took a seat. We were asked if one of us would like to start our treatment early. As Mrs TEX277 needed extra time to dry her hair after the shower at the end she took the offer. I seat there for a further 10 minutes and at the scheduled time my masseur introduced herself to me. I had only ever used an MB Spa at LHR once before (that was in T1) and I immediately realised that it was the same lady. She led me to a small room and told me to get comfy whilst she left the room. What followed was a ten minute massage that was not quite the torture that I recall from my first experience with her. I redressed and hit the shower rooms. Upon my exit, Mrs TEX277 was waiting for me and we returned to the Concorde lounge once more for a final drink. Since that first glass of Champagne I had developed quite a cruel headache and was seriously worried that it was going to ruin my onboard experience. We had purchased some pills from Boots and as I popped two I hoped that they would work their magic. We headed back to WDF and I stumbled across a bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon in a nice gift box along with two discreetly logo-ed (?) DP champagne glasses that were virtually identical to those in the Concorde Room. The bottle by itself was on sale for the same price of £70. I suggested to Mrs TEX277 that it would make a perfect celebratory present for when I return to employment. Luckily for me, she agreed and grabbed one. As we made our way to the cashiers I remembered a voucher posted on FT that gave £5 off a £50 spend, £10 off £75 and £15 off £100. I inquired with a WDF employee that those vouchers were combinable with the two BAA £5 vouchers for which I had redeemed some BAA Worldpoints. She confirmed that they were, so we left her with our shopping whilst we returned to the Concorde Room one final time. I immediately jumped onto one of the computers, accessed the BAA website and printed off the voucher and returned to the shop. We reclaimed our shopping and handed over the vouchers. Effectively, we purchased £88.75 worth of goods (before offers) for only £61.25.

BA115 LHR-JFK 24th December 2006

We arrived at Gate 12 20 minutes before the departure. The gate area was relatively empty and we took the opportunity to stop and take a photo of the 747-400 that would service the route (G-CIVR). We set about the long walk from the gate area, downstairs, along the jet bridge to the aircraft doors where we were welcomed by two members of the cabin crew. Upon seeing our BPs and the 1A&K seat assignments we were led to our seats and had our jackets hung up. I had noted that nobody else was seated in the F cabin but realised that things could yet change. I remarked to the crew member that it was a little quiet up here and was ecstatic to be informed that we were the only two F passengers on the flight! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We chatted for a few minutes and explained that this was fantastic as it was our first BA First flight and we were very much looking forward to the experience. Another member of crew had joined us and said that, as it was Christmas Eve and we had the cabin to ourselves, we should have a party. I agreed and said that if it was okay later I’d get my laptop out and play some music through itunes. They both seemed genuinely delighted to hear that and promised to provide lighting effects to set the tone! I think that were relieved to have two rather informal F passengers who were out for the experience and a good time rather than some demanding pompous.

As I was still suffering from a headache, I stuck with water for the pre-departure drink and gratefully accepted the PJs and new F BAg. We pushed back around 30 minutes late but, as I remarked to my wife, I don’t mind being delayed whilst onboard seated in F! We eventually got going and taxied along the length of the runway from T4 and with no other aircraft awaiting take-off immediately commenced our roll along 09R. Within a minute of take-off we were into the low clouds and out of sight of the ground. Not too long later and we were above the clouds and the sight that greeted us was beautiful. We were climbing quite steeply whilst banking hard to the right as we popped through the cloud with the sun, although disappeared beyond the horizon, was illuminating it with a beautiful golden glow. Fantastic!!

The seatbelt sign remained on for quite a while and when it was eventually turned off, we headed for the toilets to change into the SQ and LH PJs that we had brought with us. We loved airline PJs and really wanted to save our BA PJs for future use. We were offered another drink and this time I opted for the Champagne whilst tea-total Mrs TEX277 stuck with the water to accompany our canapes. The crew member stated that as she could not drink herself on the flight, she thoroughly enjoyed getting others tipsy. This was quite evident as she returned not long after to top up my glass. Unfortunately, the Champagne and my headache were not compatible and I had to instruct her (politely of course) to remove the glass and replace it with a glass of water. As the meal service was about to begin, we informed the crew that we would like to dine facing each other. Asking who was going to move, I replied that Mrs TEX277’s posterior had a better chance of fitting into the companion seat and she joined me as our table was set.

The menu onboard read:

Starters

Lobster, mango and pink grapefruit salad with honey and coriander dressing

Roast Tomato and vegetable frittata with rocket leaves, basil and tomato dressing

White bean and oregano soup with truffle oil and fresh herb croutons

Fresh salad leaves with your choice of Roquefort cheese and pine net dressing or spiced lemon and soy dressing


Main

Grilled fillet of beef with grilled marinated courgettes, foie gras crouton and Anna potatoes

Catch of the Day (Sea bass) – served with your choice of watercress sauce or red pepper citrus coulis, seasonal vegetables and parsley potatoes

Vineet Bhatia’s chicken in green masala, green pea and cumin rice with stir-fried asparagus and enoki mushrooms

Main course Greek salad with herb dressing


Dessert

Michel Roux’s blancmange with roast pineapple

Warm treacle tart with vanilla ice cream


Cheese Plate

Coastal Cheddar – A full flavour and buttery texture are hallmarks of this classic cheese

Cashel Blue – A soft, slightly sharp cheese made from cow’s milk with a thick and creamy texture

Tornegus – This semi-hard unpasteurised cheese is made from cow’s milk and herbs

A basket of fresh fruit


Snacks

Bacon Roll served with tomato ketchup

Penne pasta with your choice of char-grilled red pepper sauce or porcini mushroom and Parmesan cheese sauce served with garlic herb croute

Duchy of Cornwall biscuits

A selection of cheese and fruit


Beverages

Espresso, cappuccino, fresh roast and ground coffee or decaffeinated coffee

Tea or a selection of fruit and herb teas


Wine List

Champagne

Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 1995


White

Meursault Les Chevalieres 2004, Domaine Rene Monnier

Sancerre Clos du Roy 2004, Pascal-Jovivet

Charles Krug Chardonnay 2003, Napa Valley


Red

Chateau Neni 1995, Pomerol

Roessler Cellers Red Label Pinot Noir 2005, Sonoma Country

Franciscan Oakville Estate Merlot 2003, Napa Valley


Dessert

Clos Labere 1999, Sauternes

Warre’s 1988 Colheita Port


After finishing with, although not completing, our main course the crew member ensured that we enjoyed the meal. I said that it was great but we were not really that hungry. She offered us the option of delaying the dessert but I told her that that was not necessary as we had left room for dessert and wanting to get the meal out of the way quickly so that we could both get some much needed sleep. Upon our table being cleared, my wife retired back to 1A and we reclined the seat into its flatbed position and grabbed around three hours sleep.

Upon waking, I felt much better. My headache had cleared and with only 1 hr 48 mins until estimated arrival I got out of my PJs and had a chat with the crew in the galley whilst another went to get our US immigration and Customs forms. I had a great chat with them. We chatted about my travels this month and about their dilemma as to securing a restaurant in which all 15 members of crew could have a meal on Christmas Day. I completed the forms and awoke my wife as I set up my laptop on the shelf in front on seats 4E&F. She changed out of her PJs and we ordered our onboard Duty Free. We had seen a thread on FT about a £10 voucher (no minimum spend) for onboard sales simply for completing a easy question about BA’s Online Check-in service. We both did this and printed out two vouchers each with the intention of redeeming one each per leg resulting in a total of £40s worth of free stuff. I opted for the £9.95 Smirnoff Blue whilst she took some kiddies airport set for £10. The crew member joked that the vouchers looked like photocopies but I semi-jokingly replied that they were being saved for the return flight! Upon delivery of our Duty Free we began our own private party in the F cabin as my laptop blared out a few Christmas classics before moving onto some other songs. Highlights included the crew realising that our party was beginning and turning on the mood lighting whilst giving us the thumbs up, Mrs TEX277 jigging away to Sugababes’ Push the button, both of us walking up the aisles towards the galley simultaneously to the tune of Jean Knight’s ‘Mr Big Stuff’ Soccer AM style (priceless). At one point, one of the crew members brought me a final glass of Champagne whilst another asked if I had a camera and took a picture of us.

All too soon the flight was over as we touched down at JFK on a cold (but not wet a la U2’s Angel of Harlem) December day. We both thanked our crew from the bottom of our hearts for their hospitality and encouragement to have a good time onboard. Formalities were taken care of quickly and we were pleased to see all four of our bags in the first ten to make it to baggage reclaim.

To the Waldorf=Astoria

We had taken the effort to pre-book a luxury sedan transfer with Carmel Limo from JFK to the Waldorf=Astoria online for $40 plus tolls and tip. I called the upon clearing customs and was asked to go to the middle aisle of the pick-up, gave a brief description of the coat that my wife was wearing and was told that our car would be there in 5 minutes. We waited for 25 minutes before ringing them back asking where they were. They told us, that despite us being the only two people waiting in the middle aisle pick-up area, that the driver could not find us. Another driver would be sent and he’d be there in 5-10 minutes. I checked my watch and promised my wife that if they did not show, we’d jump in a cab instead. Fortunately, this driver had no problems in spotting the only two people waiting as we were on our way to the hotel.

I had read on FT and other internet sources that the W=A can be a bit hit and miss. Some people love it whilst others complain of poor and snooty service. I am pleased say that we have not yet seen any negatives. Check-in was handled courteously, my mere HHonors Gold status was acknowledged and we were offered the choice of extra points, free breakfasts or cocktails. We opted for the breakfast. We were pointed in the direction of the lifts that took us to our room. The room itself is of moderate standards. From what I had read I was expecting a broom cupboard, but it was satisfactory to both of us.

We were both beginning to both get hungry by now. We decided to head down to Oscar’s within the hotel at arrived there around 21:20. We were seated quickly and both ordered the burger and an accompanying drink. Although we did not order a dessert, two were presented to us ‘as it’s Christmas’ gratis. The gesture was very welcomed and we both managed to find the space to tuck it away. The tip was boosted accordingly.

SanDiego1K

Delightful report. I can feel your anticipation and then your fun of experiencing BA F.

dhammer53

Welcome to a warm, and soon to be wet New York.

Last year, we enjoyed the buffet breakfast at Oscars. Even this picky New Yorker couldn't find anything to complain about.

I was wondering about the car service. Was this pre-paid, or just pre-booked?

Dan

francophile

Excellent photos. Thanks!!

RTW4

Just came back from LHR-LAX and JFK-LHR in CW. I must say that I was pleasantly suprised that the food and service was exemplary..... I usually travel BA first..but this really changes my mind concerning how great CW is.....

TEX277

We had only prebooked the service which did not even require us to give our credit card number as guarantee. With hindsight perhaps we should have walked over the the taxi rank rather than making that second call to ask where our car had got to.

TEX277

Christmas Day

After the complimentary breakfast at Oscar's we retired to our room and lounged around for a few hours. We had a dinner lunch reservation at Mark's Restaurant inside Mark's Hotel on E 77th Street and caught the Metro from 51st upto 77th. As we had arrived 20 minutes early we decided to walkover to Central Park and have a look at what was going on. The main thing that we noticed was the amount of squirrels scavanging around. One in particular caught our eyes as it climbed a tree inside the park. It kept going up until the branches began to sway and then jumped to a branch from another tree and worked its way on to the tree that we were standing next to. It began heading down the truck of the tree and gave me an evil look just as my wife said "It's coming for us!!!". I was not particularly interested in finding out if she was correct as we ran off like a pair of kids laughing our heads off!

At the restaurant we were immediately seated despite turning up 10 minutes early. Although far from an airhead, on occassion my wife has been known to drop some absolute clangers and she again made me chuckle at lunch. She had opted for the Lobster Bisque appertiser whilst I opted for the Crab cakes. After taking the order, one of the waiting staff removed one knife and fork from her place setting and replaced it with a spoon. She remarked "Why has he given me a spoon? I guess its for my dessert!?" I laughed and said "You do know that bisque is broth like don't you??!!" She blushed.

Just for the record, I still think that her best was when she informed the waiter at the restaurant inside the Ritz Hotel Paris, that she did not want the salad as it contained 'Lamb's lettuce' and that she does not like lamb.

The total bill including food, drinks, tax and tip came to a little over $230 but we both thought that it was worth it - not only for the food but we also enjoyed the atmosphere within the restaurant.

We then enjoyed a slow walk back along Fifth Avenue, briefly visiting St Patrick's Cathedral, before relaxing in the W=A. Later on we attended Radio City for their Christmas Spectacular show which we both enjoyed and really gave the day that Christmas feeling.

Prospero

Fabulous report, TEX277. Of all the routes to travel on, I am amazed you managed to get exclusive use of the First cabin. Absolutely wonderful start to your winter vacation. ^

G-BOAC

Great stuff, TEX277 - what a great first FIRST experience ^ Enjoy the rest of your holiday - and the CW Sleeper too

TEX277

Boxing Day

We left the W=A after breakfast and began walking. Firstly, I was dragged around a few shops, then we headed for Central Park taking in the Wollman Skating Rink, the Dakota building and the 'Imagine' mosaic opposite.

We jumped on the Metro to the Rockefeller Centre to take a look at their skating rink and of course the Christmas Tree.

After checking out of the W=A we jumped into a cab to W Times Square and checked in. After waiting around 30 minutes for our bags to arrive I gave up and rang down. It arrived a couple of minutes later.

We then spent a couple of hours at the Living Room Bar within the W Times Square drinking before heading out to Applebee's for a bite to eat.

More Champagne Sir?

Great report TEX277!!

A private party in your own 747! Sounds like a great way to bring in Christmas to me! ^^^

lucky9876coins

Thank you for a wonderful report!^ The written report as well as the pictures were excellent! I really want to try BA F now.

airoli

Wonderful report TEX277, and good to see that the two of you have such a nice time in NY. I am of course very jealous about your private Xmas party on that BA 747...

TEX277

27th December

Out of bed late then headed straight for Macy's. More shopping - technically browsing. Enjoyable !Then jumped on the Metro for some touristy sightseeing. First on the list was the Fire Station that posed as the HQ for Ghostbusters, then we headed for J&Rs (electronic store picking up a 1GB mini-SD for $19.99 + tax ^ ) before walking from there over the Brooklyn Bridge. We found the High Street Metro station in Brooklyn and headed back up to Central Park. This time we walked to W 66th Street for a look at Ghostbuster's Spook Central and the Church next door that (I believe) was trampled on by the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man.

We walked back to our room from there and set about deciding where to eat our dinner that evening. We opted to visit La Bonne Soupe as it sounded good and we are unable to attend this mini-do as we'd be heading back to JFK by the time that the festivities began. Upon arrival there was a sizeable crowd outside waiting to be seated. Mrs TEX277 went in and placed our names on the waiting list. I nearly felt guilty as only a couple of minutes later the chap came out and called our name despite all these poor people still standing around. Of course, they were in larger sized groups. Although Mrs TEX277 decided not to have a dessert, we both had an appertiser, main course and shared my dessert. I had a glass of the house red and our bill excluding tip came to a little over $36.

The staff did put on a bit of a show for us as we were seated opposite the bar. One waitress alone dropped more items than I have ever seen dropped in any restaurant and there seemed to be some animosity between the staff. From what I understood from the conversation between the bartender and manager/supervisor, I think that the bartender took exception to some of the waiting staff and their propensity to play games out the back rather than wait the tables. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our meal and should we ever return to NYC I think we may pay this place a visit.

Back at the hotel, I used OLCI for the return flight. I was unsuccessful in gaining the row 62 exit seats but was able to grab 64A&B instead.

TEX277

28th December Departure day

Another late start to the day, followed by a trip down to Katz's Deli. This is where they filmed that scene in 'Where Harry Met Sally'. We had a hot open sandwich with fries and coleslaw accompanied by a can of 7up for just under $17 each. The food was good and filling.

We returned to Times Square to purchase a couple of DVDs (The Wedding Singer - $10 and her choice. U2 18 Videos - $16 and mine). On the walk back to the hotel across Times Square, Mrs TEX277 took pity on the Naked Cowboy and offered him a little warmth on a very chilly day. That's what she told me anyway!