Schwann

From Dublin to Denver via the Docklands, the Big Apple and SoCal

Intro



In early 2015, I was browsing the BA forums and Premium Fare Deals forum and came across one of the infamous so called “ex-DUB” sales. As my current FF statuses expire later this year, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to retain my OW elite status for another year or so. It would also be another opportunity to fly in business class, which is something for some reason I've become rather partial to after my trip to Japan in March!

When deciding on my destination, I decided it was time to try somewhere different. I also wanted to get onboard BA's CW LCY service, and American's A321T services which tend to receive rave reviews. I eventually set my sights on Denver as my final destination. Why Denver you say? Well, having briefly passed through Denver on Amtrak's California Zephyr in February and with it being a city I had not been to before I decided it'd make a different short break destination.

The final routing was decided upon and booked via the American Airlines website for a little under Ł1100. I also booked positioning flights either end using my Avios.



My final routing looked like this:

LHR-DUB/DUB-LCY-SNN-JFK-LAX-DEN/DEN-DFW-LHR-DUB




Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.




As seems to be the fad these days, I'll update my trip report as the journey progresses! It'll make it easier for me to manage.


You also can follow my video uploads on YouTube!




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PART 1

Tuesday

So my trip began with a fairly uneventful positioning flight onboard British Airways from Heathrow to Dublin, booked via Avios in economy, electing for a rather generous 4 hour gap between flights in DUB. I toyed with the idea of taking the bus into Dublin city centre for a quick walk around but decided whereas there was probably enough time I would stay at the airport.

So I arrived into DUB at around 12pm, with my flight to London City departing at 16:15. I spent most of the time in the DUB T2 DAA lounge, which leaves something to be desired in terms of size! It cleared out shortly before the Emirates flight departed.

DAA T2 lounge:


Route: Dublin (DUB) to London City (LCY)
Airline: British Airways operated by BA CityFlyer
Flight Number: BA4467
Aircraft: Embraer E170 (G-LCYF)
Club Europe


To the city:


G-LCYF was doing the deeds, delivered in 2009:


Down the ghetto airbridge:



Our neighbour off to LHR a few minutes late:


Boarding started early and seemed to be completed rather early too despite the full load. There were three rows of Club Europe in use, although three seats were assigned to some deadheading crew. Menus and hot towels were distributed.

Legroom was okay, but not fabulous:



Supper is served:


Typical summer weather:



We were up in the air before the STD, and service quickly commenced as we bumped our way through the clouds and away from a very moist DUB; the weather was pretty miserable and the ride reflected it. Food orders were then requested and the trays delivered from the trolley immediately. The choice was prawn/salmon salad or game terrine.

I chose the terrine. Whereas it was definitely nothing to write home about, it was a decent enough snack to pass the time. It was a fairly tasteless lump of mysterious meats.The brioche (?) roll was not very nice, just too stale. Accompanying the terrine was a small side salad and a pickle. Desert was a sponge based mousse with a fruity'ish top layer with orange sauce.



Drinks were served well after I'd eaten most of the main, but I started as I meant to go on and indulged in a splash of white stuff. White wine that is. “Sauvion blanc or chardonnay?” the flight attendant asked. I'm not going to pretend I know the difference between those or any other wines so settled with a random chardonnay.

A splash of coffee arrived (after I asked for it) and it helped to wash down the desert, which was sizeable and perfectly pleasant.

During the flight there was a gentleman sat behind me who was discussing his 'tier point run' with the dead heading pilot sat next to him. Not sure if he was at the beginning or ending of his TP run, but I think he said he went or was going to HNL. Hello if you're reading! Also had another guy sat forward of me who appeared to be reading FlyerTalk threads on his phone.

Soon enough the FO was on the blower announcing the start of the descent.

Unfortunately I didn't do my homework so sat on the wrong side for the view of the City:




Any FlyerTalkers in the picture?!


Having arrived safely at an equally damp London City it was onto my accommodation for the night.

So the summary for flight 1? I wouldn't pay for Club Europe as a standalone flight on this route. Service was decent enough but mainly business friendly which is understandable. The food was decent enough and suitable for the time of day I think; essentially a serving between meals.


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More as the trip progresses!

Thanks for reading so far!

enviroian

BA serves food for free in Y on such a short hop?

wow!

Here in the US you'd probably be on a CR2 and the flight attendant would say "due to the short duration of the flight we will try to pass out water".

JALlover

I think the op is in CE, Club Europe from DUB to LCY. The op took economy from LHR to DUB

MarkCron

In Denver, if you are down near the baseball field, check out the Falling Rock tap House.
They usually have one of America's "best" beers on tap - Pliny the Elder (even though it is from California) - plus bunch of Colorado beers.
Enjoy your trip.

LANDJ999

Or Katie Mullins on the 16 th Street mall, if you start missing the old Sod.

AvidFlyer1990

AB Gold/OW Sapphire is a pretty good and useful status to have, and I wouldn't think twice of doing a couple of MR's to keep it! I think you made the right decision! And looking forward to what seems to be like a fantastic TR.

Dunno about any FT'ers but that gentle-lady in jeans and sweatshirt looks good!

ckx2

Is it possible to use larger pictures?

roadwarrier

Looking forward to following this one. ^

Schwann

Ah I was in Club Europe! Standard affair for CE on that route I believe..

Indeed!

Thanks for the tips!

Yes! I didn't want to make them too big but I see your point. They'll be igger for the next part.

Thanks buddy! More to follow shortly.

Thanks! Indeed.

I'm actually putting this trip on my BA account, which is currently Blue. The AB thing was a status match from my old AFKL card.


More to follow shortly..

churchy

Looking forward to seeing your travels, bon voyage...

Schwann

Good evening (or indeed, morning) from an AA lounge at LAX. Bit of a wait til the next flight, so a quick catch up.. now I am regretting this itinerary!
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Part 2


Wednesday

I woke at around 07:45 to a rather overcast day in the Docklands area.. at least it was dry! BA1 departs at 09:45, so it required a largely leisurely start to the day. I skipped on the (paid) breakfast at the Travelodge, partly because I knew some breakfast style items were served 'gratis' in the gate area at LCY and because I knew the day would be a total unadulterated binge of overeating and drinking.


The short walk from my hotel to LCY took approximately 10 minutes. As I walked to the airport, I checked the BA forum on FlyerTalk and read the thread about the hangar fire at DUB. It was at that point I was glad my trip started when it did! It looked like there were a few delayed flights as a result.

London City from the outside:


Route: London City (LCY) to New York Kennedy (JFK) via Shannon (SNN).
Airline: British Airways
Flight Number: BA001
Aircraft: Airbus A318 (G-EUNA)


I arrived at LCY 1 hour before departure. After a short wait at the check-in desk, I was checked in to JFK and my bags through to DEN. For some reason the agent couldn't check me in or generate my boarding passes for the AA flights but I'm not sure why.

Check-in desks:




Anyone for Guernsey?


Belfast City? No, me neither..


The wait at security was around 5 minutes and I was quickly on my way to gate 24. There were a few breakfast items, including pastries and muffins plus a variety of drinks. I personally think the gate area could do with a bit of a freshen up, but I guess it did the job for the short wait it catered for. I grabbed some bits and sat around for boarding to commence. I noticed a few familiar faces from the Club Europe DUB-LCY the previous evening. Hello again, if you're reading!



Breakfast nibbles:


The Babybus:


Boarding was soon announced and we made our way to the aircraft, which I knew ahead of time would be G-EUNA as NB is away in Madrid for maintenance. I was greeted enthusiastically by the purser at the door and this would set the tone for the rest of the flight. I made my way down to 08K and familiarised myself with the CWLCY seat. I've never used this service before, and my experience with premium cabins is somewhat limited so I was pleased! Menus were shortly handed out. The load seemed quite low, maybe 50-60% with a free seat next to me.

My seat:




The menus:








We were ready to go early, so made the taxi out to the runway. I haven't flown out of LCY on anything larger than a RJ100, so this was a treat. It's quite a sensation the way you're thrown back into your seat as the flight crew accelerate us down the runway.



The cabin:


As we climbed out of the London area, the purser Chris made his welcome announcement and wished us all a pleasant journey on “Speedbird 001”.... perfect! He explained what to expect on each sector of the flight and also the details of the SNN stopover.

Shortly later, the starters were served. I decided on the canapés, which was tasty enough and tided us over until the main meal service. The other option was a fruit brochette which didn't quite appeal. I washed it down with a champagne.

Drinks:


Starter... I even took one "for the team" and had a cheeky test bite before taking a photo: ;-)


Before long, we were descending for our technical and immigration stop at Shannon. As you are all aware, everyone is required to jump off for 50 minutes or so whilst the aircraft is refuelled and the passengers clear US CBP. After exiting the plane and proceeding towards flight connections, those with luggage are required to sit down for 10 minutes or so to give them time to unload and photograph luggage for identification with the US authorities.

The aircraft:




Delta B767:


After that, it was back on the aircraft for the hop to JFK. I was greeted at the door by the purser who welcomed me by name from memory. Well remembered..

The flightdeck crew change at SNN (not sure why, perhaps due to max flying hours and getting around having a 3rd crew member?), and they were quickly on the blower to introduce themselves and announced a flying time of approximately 6hrs50. We were ready to go relatively quickly, but had to wait around briefly for clearance to cross the Atlantic.

Back onboard:




It seems SNN is quite the place for aircraft maintenance, and on our journey to the active runway we passed quite a few aircraft... some in better flying condition than others shall we say!

Leaving the coast of Ireland:


After take-off, Chris the purser again introduced the service schedule for the flight ahead. The cabin crew then distributed the iPads. Not sure why they didn't choose to integrate the IFE into the back of the seats in front?
Anyway, service commenced with a drink and nut run. I grabbed a JD and coke.

iPads were given out:




Shortly afterwards, trays were presented with salad. Bread rolls were also passed around. Om.




Main courses were then presented based on the previous orders the purser made on the LCY-SNN leg. After some earlier deliberation, I chose the lamb as it's something I don't often eat. It was served with savoury pancakes with spinach and lentils. Quite frankly the lentils ruined the dish, but the lamb and the stuffed pancakes were great.


After the main courses were finished and removed, desert was served. Except, they ran out of the apple tart and all that was left was the fruit plate and cheese. Although possibly a blessing in disguise based on the current food binge, I was slightly disappointed not to get the tart. Obviously they “risk” cater based on the fact that not everyone will want it and this time it didn't pay off. Oh well.

Fruit and cheese plates:





Still, I had the cheese plate and fruit, which ended the meal nicely. Coffee and a further bar service was offered followed by the purser dispensing little boxes of Do&Co treats. Further drinks runs were made, and bottles of water dispensed. I was really impressed with the service from the cabin crew and a “Well Done” has been sent. They were proactively patrolling the cabin at regular intervals to make sure everyone had what they needed and to offer drinks as they passed.

Do&Co treats:


I watched a few TV programmes on the provided iPad and then decided to get my head down. After a decent hour or two of shut eye, I woke up and started working on this part of the trip report and watched a movie on my laptop.

Before long, it was just over an hour from touchdown at JFK and the crew began serving the afternoon tea service. Today it was a choice between the traditional afternoon tea selection of sandwiches or an antipasti plate, either choice followed by warm scones and DO&CO pastries.

The FA let me have a quick glimpse at the antipasti plate, but the sandwiches seemed slightly more appetising so that's what I plumped for. The sandwiches were nice but nothing to write home about.. they filled a gap in an already overeating body! The small pastries however were gorgeous. I also had some tea and coffee.



40 minutes before landing, the flightdeck came on the blower and announced the beginning of our descent.

Anyone know what airfield this is?




We were soon on the ground, and a short taxi later on the stand. I thanked the crew for their excellent service and went onwards towards the exit. JUST as I reached the “doors of no return” I realised my passport was missing. I had only gone and left it in the seat pocket. With my tail between my legs, I walked back to the aircraft and luckily it was retrieved for me.



How the "other half" get to JFK:


So, what did I think about this flight?! Brilliant! The crew made this one. The food was good too, just a shame I didn't have any room left to eat some more. The CW LCY service is a great idea and something I'd consider using again on my next J trip.

transportprof

That airport you photographed enroute to JFK is MacArthur Airport in Islip, Long Island.

Schwann

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Part 3

Wednesday


After my embarrassment with leaving my passport behind, it was time to head over to American Airlines at terminal 8 to continue towards LAX. After what seemed like a small eternity waiting for the JFK Airtrain, I arrived and headed over to the check-in desks to collect my onward boarding passes.

I confirmed with the agent that my bags had 'made it' into AA's system and made my way through airside. My first port of call was the AA Admirals Club. I had no desire to eat or drink but the shower was decent and very welcome.

Air Berlin A330 at the gate:


At around 15:50, I arrived at the gate and boarding was about to commence. My shiny year-and-a-bit old A321T N110AN was at the gate having arrived from Los Angeles earlier that afternoon.

My A321:


When boarding was announced, I made my way down to my seat for the next 6 hours or so. As I walked into the cabin, I was amazed at how tiny they made the A321T feel. Probably something to do with the massive premium cabins and very small economy cabin. Still, it felt like a very classy plane as I made myself comfortable. The lady next to me pleaded for the window seat, but unfortunately on this occasion I had to decline.

6F in all it's lie flat glory:


View from my seat:


First impressions of the seat were positive. Other than some minor differences, it appeared to be the same seat as on my KLM WBC flight from NRT in March. It was comfortable enough but as I'm quite tall the laying down in flat bed mode wasn't massively comfortable!

PDBs were offered and I took something described as champagne (probably sparkling wine?) in a plastic glass. Keep it classy AA! Menus were already at the seat, but I had already reserved my entree on AA.com a few weeks ago.

Keeping it classy:


Menu:


Flying time was announced as around 5hrs25 minutes, with an early arrival expected. We were out of the gate 5 minutes early too so impressive stuff for JFK. In vast contrast to the BA flight, the announcements made by the purser seemed hostile and impersonal. However the two FAs attending to my part of the cabin were friendly enough. There was another FA who came by to help in the business cabin a few times... let's just say her dress was a little on the skimpy side!

Up in the air:




As we took off, the right hand side of the plane got a brilliant view of NYC as the plane made a bank to the left as we prepared to cross mainland USA. The FA came around and took lunch requests for those that hadn't pre-ordered. Good job I did pre-order, as it appeared the people near to me didn't get their first choices.

Shortly afterwards, a drinks run was done and warm nuts were distributed. Shame BA doesn't do it like that too... It's a small touch, but adds to the experience over receiving nuts in a packet. As I washed the nuts down with a Cranapple juice, I decided to watch something crap on the IFE to pass the time and somehow settled for Mall Cop 2.

Something easy on the thought processes:


Nuts:


Before long, trays with the starters were distributed. I was actually quite pleased with this starter.. it was quite simple but plentiful.



Main courses were distributed individually as and when people had finished the starters. My selection, the beef, was actually quite good for plane meat. The sauce was a little peppery for my liking and the asparagus was a little overcooked.

"Beef Oscar with crab, asparagus, bearmase sauce and smashed potato.":


After the entrees were cleared away, deserts were offered. The choices were predictably either a custom sundae or a cheese plate. Has it ever occurred to any US airline that they can offer a sweet dessert other than ice cream? Anyway, despite those thoughts I had the sundae made with butterscotch and nuts which was rather nice. Coffees and other drinks were then offered.



Combined with a weeks worth of eating, and having been awake for quite a while fatigue was getting the better of me so I decided to get some sleep. It was obviously needed because I slept all the way through top the top of descent. I must've missed the arrivals service.. no great loss as I was a onboard oven warmed cookie away from diabetes at that point.

Waking up over California:


Nearly there:


It was a beautiful evening as we descended into LAX, which made the urban sprawl look quite pretty. I've only ever transited through LAX or stayed the night at a local airport hotel... I have never really felt any great appeal in going into Los Angeles.





We landed well ahead of schedule, and the taxi to the gate was very quick. I made my way to the Admirals Club to wait it out for my next flight.

At the gate:


So what did I think of this flight? Certainly impressed by the A321T product! The service was slightly on the “business friendly” side of the spectrum but the two ladies who served my part of the cabin were nice enough. I was pleased with the food, it again met my expectations.





Videos to follow! The next parts will be a separate report. There is no report for the last leg to to being asleep gate to gate..

BahrainLad

Hmmm....yes I remember you, 08K with the massive Apple laptop?

Schwann

Guilty as charged! Although it wasn't that big.

Were you Mr 07K per chance?