Philadelphia Freedom - BA0068, first time in CW.
Apr 10, 2016, 6:51 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Portsmouth, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 790
Philadelphia Freedom - BA0068, first time in CW.
LHR-PHL 29 Mar 2016 Club World BA0067 Boeing 777-200ER G-VIIL
About 6 months ago I booked a trip to Philadelphia through BA Holidays in the sale. It felt like it would never get here but at last it's finally here! And it's the first time I've ever flown in CW.
CW trip day has arrived, I could barely sleep last night I was so excited. My bag's all packed and the taxi's booked so it's time to head to the train station. I can't believe how many people are on the platform at 0450 waiting for the Waterloo train, it seems commuting starts a lot earlier than I thought.
The train arrives at Woking at 0600 but the bus to LHR doesn't leave for another 40 minutes so that's plenty of time to head to Starbucks for a caffeine pick me up and a bit of cross wording. The bus is surprisingly busy too, a lot seem to heading to work rather than off on their hols but we make good time and arrive nearly 15 minutes earlier than advertised. I don't travel through Heathrow very much, this is only my fourth time at T5 so it always takes me a minute to work out where I'm going. The CW/CE check-in is quite busy, there seem to be a lot of people heading off to the slopes and with only 4 desks manned it takes about 15 minutes to get through, therefore cancelling out the early bus arrival! The right hand Fast Track lane looks quite busy so I head to the left and it's not until I'm sat in the lounge overlooking security that I realise I just went through normal security... hey ho, I don't think it was actually any longer as sitting here I can see both are full of folk who're leaving everything to the last minute. Yes sir, when they say all laptops through the scanner that does indeed include yours, and no madam, you can't take that economy size bottle of shampoo in your hand luggage...
I found out last night that some friends are also leaving from T5 on a family skiing holiday, albeit a lot earlier than me, but we have time for a quick catch up and another Starbucks then it's off to the lounge.
Now for the whole point of getting here 5 hours before my flight... The Spa... As a Sliver on a CW ticket I can't book anything beforehand so I just have to take pot luck on the day. And my luck is in! Hurrah, I have a facial booked for 1020. So it's into the Galleries Lounge for a bacon butty, juice and coffee. Is it too early for champagne??
Silly question, it's never too early for champagne, I've been assured that once you're past security you're on ALT or Airport Lounge Time so it can never be too early for a drink.
Plenty of space.
People watching, one of my favourite past times.
I'm not entirely sure why there's a horse with a lampshade on its head...
1015 and time to head to the spa. It's actually very nice, it's quite small but I wasn't expecting it to look so, well, spa-like! The lady doing my facial comes out to meet me and shows me to a curtained off cubical, I didn't realise that the chair is a massage chair - never had that before, it feels a bit weird but it's very nice.
The treatments are done in curtained-off cubicles, not sure what these chairs are for?
20 minutes later I'm back in the lounge, chilled out and contemplating another glass of champagne...
The loos are quite smart too and there's a nice collection of vintage travel posters on the walls.
A great example of the humour of the BA staff is heard when an announcement is made for a missing passenger, he's asked to "make your way to Gate XX, your chariot awaits."
Our flight is called and I head down to Gate A10 and then we get on a bus and drive to Gatwick. Well, it felt like we drove long enough to get to Gatwick but it was really only stand 567. I've since found out that A10 is a bus gate so this should've given me a heads up.
I'm feeling a bit giddy and let slip to the CC that's my first time ever in CW, there are two ladies working my side of the cabin today, Victoria and Fiona, and they're absolutely lovely. Victoria makes sure I know how to work the seat controls and everything and tells me how things will run today. The arm rests are very wobbly, is this normal?? The seat is very comfy, deep and soft like a nice armchair and I'm very happy with it - I'll see how it feels after 7 hours in the air.
Lots of leg room.
Brought my slippers for extra in-flight comfiness.
I'm not so sure I like being sat so close to a complete stranger though, it feels more uncomfortable facing someone rather than sitting next to them. It'd be nice though if you're travelling with someone as you could chat easily. Once the safety brief is done I ask my seat companion if he'd like the screen up or down for take off (etiquette tip from FT!) Turns out he's a student returning home to the US. Studying finance must be good, or maybe American students are more sensible with their money, most students I know would be waaay down the back!
Fiona comes round with the drinks and I choose champagne, of course, then sit back and enjoy the find view of the engines... Not sure what theses are, GE ones, I'll have to ask. All my experience of gas turbines is on the Rolls Royce TM3B Olympus and there's not many of those around these days.
Victoria brings the menus round next and I say I've already pre-ordered my choice but the she tells me I get to choose a starter and dessert too. I shall just chalk 'CW Newbie' on the bulkhead next to me. And there's another glass of champagne too.
I've already pre-selected the fish; smoked haddock with basil mashed potatoes, prawns, fennel, sugar snap peas, roasted peppers and lobster sauce. At least I'm not going to be torn between dessert of cheese, it's key lime pie and I'm not a fan so that's easy.
Push back is at 1244 and then we're on our way...
Does sitting backwards feel strange? No. It's no different on the ground than sitting backwards on a train and without sitting up and leaning forwards I can't see the front of the engine cowling so I guess once we're in the air it won't feel any different.
Amenity kits are handed out, a novelty for me, it's a bit like getting a present!
There's an eye mask, a pair of sock, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, lip salve, hand lotion, moisturiser and a pen all in a handy draw string bag.
Here comes the drinks trolley and I opt for champagne again, I've got no idea which one it is but it's nice. The salmon starter arrives, with a roasted pepper salad, I'm offered the bread basket and choose a piece of warm focaccia, soft and tasty. I love smoked salmon and this is very nice.
Suddenly a hand appears round the the end of the screen bearing the champagne bottle and Fiona's smiling face appears asking if I'd like a top up, of course I would!
If I'm being picky the main course smoked haddock is a little over-cooked but it's not inedible and it can't be easy keeping food warm for service and having it cooked to everyone's liking. The basil mash is beautiful, very soft and buttery and not a lump in sight - as someone who can't mash potatoes to save my life I appreciate this. What I thought was a roasted pepper turned out to be a roasted chilli... good job I once came second in the chilli eating contest in a Royal Marines' mess or I might have been in trouble there...
An post-lunch coffee and whisky and I settle down to watch the new Star Wars film - apparently I was one of only three people in the country who hadn't seen it...
Afternoon tea is served next, with more champagne of course! I can never remember if it's cream then jam or vice versa, so I do one half of the scone ('scon' or 'scoan'
) jam and cream and the other cream and jam so I can appease both the Cornish and the Devonians!
Everything is cleared away and the Fiona asks me if I'd like more champagne - I think I must've had nearly a bottle of it by now...
We're about 40 minutes from landing so I round up my empty glass and bits of rubbish and head to the galley to dispose of them. The lovely CC ladies ask if I'd like another glass before landing which I wasn't expecting, but of course I said yes! As one went to get bottle out of the fridge other said 'get the one from First' so I got to taste what the posh folks up front were drinking, sadly I have no palate, and I enjoyed it but I've no idea what was different about it. Sorry, connoisseurs!
The crew come round handing out hot towels again and making sure everyone who needs one has a form for landing in America. It's a little bit bumpy as we make our approach and my seat gives me an excellent view down the wing - I never realised they flexed so much. We touch down a couple of minutes late and that's my first Club World experience over. I gather my belongings, thank Fiona and Victoria for such a lovely flight and head off to immigration.
I absolutely loved my first time in Club World, the hard product was very nice but it was the crew who made it so special, they were just so lovely, that mix of friendly and professional that BA does so well.
I had 5 nights in Philadelphia, met up with some friends who'd travelled in from New York and Cleveland and generally did all the touristy stuff it's possible to do - including eating a grilled cheese sandwich in a diner which was quite possibly the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten!
About 6 months ago I booked a trip to Philadelphia through BA Holidays in the sale. It felt like it would never get here but at last it's finally here! And it's the first time I've ever flown in CW.
CW trip day has arrived, I could barely sleep last night I was so excited. My bag's all packed and the taxi's booked so it's time to head to the train station. I can't believe how many people are on the platform at 0450 waiting for the Waterloo train, it seems commuting starts a lot earlier than I thought.
The train arrives at Woking at 0600 but the bus to LHR doesn't leave for another 40 minutes so that's plenty of time to head to Starbucks for a caffeine pick me up and a bit of cross wording. The bus is surprisingly busy too, a lot seem to heading to work rather than off on their hols but we make good time and arrive nearly 15 minutes earlier than advertised. I don't travel through Heathrow very much, this is only my fourth time at T5 so it always takes me a minute to work out where I'm going. The CW/CE check-in is quite busy, there seem to be a lot of people heading off to the slopes and with only 4 desks manned it takes about 15 minutes to get through, therefore cancelling out the early bus arrival! The right hand Fast Track lane looks quite busy so I head to the left and it's not until I'm sat in the lounge overlooking security that I realise I just went through normal security... hey ho, I don't think it was actually any longer as sitting here I can see both are full of folk who're leaving everything to the last minute. Yes sir, when they say all laptops through the scanner that does indeed include yours, and no madam, you can't take that economy size bottle of shampoo in your hand luggage...
I found out last night that some friends are also leaving from T5 on a family skiing holiday, albeit a lot earlier than me, but we have time for a quick catch up and another Starbucks then it's off to the lounge.
Now for the whole point of getting here 5 hours before my flight... The Spa... As a Sliver on a CW ticket I can't book anything beforehand so I just have to take pot luck on the day. And my luck is in! Hurrah, I have a facial booked for 1020. So it's into the Galleries Lounge for a bacon butty, juice and coffee. Is it too early for champagne??
Silly question, it's never too early for champagne, I've been assured that once you're past security you're on ALT or Airport Lounge Time so it can never be too early for a drink.
Plenty of space.
People watching, one of my favourite past times.
I'm not entirely sure why there's a horse with a lampshade on its head...
1015 and time to head to the spa. It's actually very nice, it's quite small but I wasn't expecting it to look so, well, spa-like! The lady doing my facial comes out to meet me and shows me to a curtained off cubical, I didn't realise that the chair is a massage chair - never had that before, it feels a bit weird but it's very nice.
The treatments are done in curtained-off cubicles, not sure what these chairs are for?
20 minutes later I'm back in the lounge, chilled out and contemplating another glass of champagne...
The loos are quite smart too and there's a nice collection of vintage travel posters on the walls.
A great example of the humour of the BA staff is heard when an announcement is made for a missing passenger, he's asked to "make your way to Gate XX, your chariot awaits."
Our flight is called and I head down to Gate A10 and then we get on a bus and drive to Gatwick. Well, it felt like we drove long enough to get to Gatwick but it was really only stand 567. I've since found out that A10 is a bus gate so this should've given me a heads up.
I'm feeling a bit giddy and let slip to the CC that's my first time ever in CW, there are two ladies working my side of the cabin today, Victoria and Fiona, and they're absolutely lovely. Victoria makes sure I know how to work the seat controls and everything and tells me how things will run today. The arm rests are very wobbly, is this normal?? The seat is very comfy, deep and soft like a nice armchair and I'm very happy with it - I'll see how it feels after 7 hours in the air.
Lots of leg room.
Brought my slippers for extra in-flight comfiness.
I'm not so sure I like being sat so close to a complete stranger though, it feels more uncomfortable facing someone rather than sitting next to them. It'd be nice though if you're travelling with someone as you could chat easily. Once the safety brief is done I ask my seat companion if he'd like the screen up or down for take off (etiquette tip from FT!) Turns out he's a student returning home to the US. Studying finance must be good, or maybe American students are more sensible with their money, most students I know would be waaay down the back!
Fiona comes round with the drinks and I choose champagne, of course, then sit back and enjoy the find view of the engines... Not sure what theses are, GE ones, I'll have to ask. All my experience of gas turbines is on the Rolls Royce TM3B Olympus and there's not many of those around these days.
Victoria brings the menus round next and I say I've already pre-ordered my choice but the she tells me I get to choose a starter and dessert too. I shall just chalk 'CW Newbie' on the bulkhead next to me. And there's another glass of champagne too.
I've already pre-selected the fish; smoked haddock with basil mashed potatoes, prawns, fennel, sugar snap peas, roasted peppers and lobster sauce. At least I'm not going to be torn between dessert of cheese, it's key lime pie and I'm not a fan so that's easy.
Push back is at 1244 and then we're on our way...
Does sitting backwards feel strange? No. It's no different on the ground than sitting backwards on a train and without sitting up and leaning forwards I can't see the front of the engine cowling so I guess once we're in the air it won't feel any different.
Amenity kits are handed out, a novelty for me, it's a bit like getting a present!
There's an eye mask, a pair of sock, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, lip salve, hand lotion, moisturiser and a pen all in a handy draw string bag.
Here comes the drinks trolley and I opt for champagne again, I've got no idea which one it is but it's nice. The salmon starter arrives, with a roasted pepper salad, I'm offered the bread basket and choose a piece of warm focaccia, soft and tasty. I love smoked salmon and this is very nice.
Suddenly a hand appears round the the end of the screen bearing the champagne bottle and Fiona's smiling face appears asking if I'd like a top up, of course I would!
If I'm being picky the main course smoked haddock is a little over-cooked but it's not inedible and it can't be easy keeping food warm for service and having it cooked to everyone's liking. The basil mash is beautiful, very soft and buttery and not a lump in sight - as someone who can't mash potatoes to save my life I appreciate this. What I thought was a roasted pepper turned out to be a roasted chilli... good job I once came second in the chilli eating contest in a Royal Marines' mess or I might have been in trouble there...
An post-lunch coffee and whisky and I settle down to watch the new Star Wars film - apparently I was one of only three people in the country who hadn't seen it...
Afternoon tea is served next, with more champagne of course! I can never remember if it's cream then jam or vice versa, so I do one half of the scone ('scon' or 'scoan'
) jam and cream and the other cream and jam so I can appease both the Cornish and the Devonians!
Everything is cleared away and the Fiona asks me if I'd like more champagne - I think I must've had nearly a bottle of it by now...
We're about 40 minutes from landing so I round up my empty glass and bits of rubbish and head to the galley to dispose of them. The lovely CC ladies ask if I'd like another glass before landing which I wasn't expecting, but of course I said yes! As one went to get bottle out of the fridge other said 'get the one from First' so I got to taste what the posh folks up front were drinking, sadly I have no palate, and I enjoyed it but I've no idea what was different about it. Sorry, connoisseurs!
The crew come round handing out hot towels again and making sure everyone who needs one has a form for landing in America. It's a little bit bumpy as we make our approach and my seat gives me an excellent view down the wing - I never realised they flexed so much. We touch down a couple of minutes late and that's my first Club World experience over. I gather my belongings, thank Fiona and Victoria for such a lovely flight and head off to immigration.
I absolutely loved my first time in Club World, the hard product was very nice but it was the crew who made it so special, they were just so lovely, that mix of friendly and professional that BA does so well.
I had 5 nights in Philadelphia, met up with some friends who'd travelled in from New York and Cleveland and generally did all the touristy stuff it's possible to do - including eating a grilled cheese sandwich in a diner which was quite possibly the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten!
Last edited by Tiffywren; Apr 10, 2016 at 7:02 am
Apr 10, 2016, 7:00 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Portsmouth, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 790
PHL-LHR Sunday 3rd April BA0068 Boeing 777-200ER G-YMMO
By 3pm on the Sunday I was shopped, historied and touristed out and decided to head to the airport early. Check-in was painless, there were only two of us queuing for Club check-in so I was called over to the adjacent first desk. The lady on check-in advises me that there's a ten minute delay on the flight, that's another glass of champagne in the lounge as far as I'm concerned! Security was busy, it took half an hour of queuing to get to the desk, I didn't see a fast track lane, only a staff one. After a quick whizz round duty free, and the disappointing discovery that Clarins is exactly the same price as in Macy's, which makes it more expensive than at home, I headed to the BA Lounge for the obligatory glass of champagne. I'm on a sleeper service tonight so I'm dining in the lounge before boarding.
The lounge at PHL has separate GF and GC lounges, the GC isn't the biggest but it's nicely furnished and very clean, and there's a good selection of snacks available - wasabi peas, my favourite, I could eat my body weight in these things! There's also a reasonable range of self-pour spirits and wines, three red, three white and port, oh, and Tio Pepe Fino sherry. The lounge staff are lovely, there must be about 6 or 7 of them and they're constantly clearing things and asking if every thing's OK and do I need anything, one of them even sits down to chat for a couple of minutes - not everyone's thing but I like talking to people so I'm quite happy with that. I arrived just before BA0066 was due to depart (slightly delayed) so there were a few people in the lounge but it wasn't busy by any means. Their flight is called and I've pretty much got the lounge to myself for a while before my fellow BA0068 passengers start dribbling in. I think CW is nearly full tonight so I expect it'll get busier in a while.
Coffee machine and wine bar.
Buffet and main bar.
The Club World dining area.
Sleeper Service dining... OK, the food was nice, but that was it, it wasn't a patch on the food on the flight coming out. It was a self-service buffet style, but my personal pet hate is hot food on cold plates so that didn't help. Soup was plain old tomato, which I didn't have as I already had a bowl of the rather nice Italian Wedding soup in the lounge earlier. There was a selection of salads and three hot choices - I tried to photograph the menu but it didn't come out well. I opted for the salmon and chose broccoli and a baked sweet potato to go with it. The broccoli was very lightly cooked, almost raw in fact, which is perfect in my opinion, the sweet potato was garnished with cooked spinach, pine nuts and cheese - feta or ricotta maybe? There wasn't enough to tell but it was very tasty. Dessert was a selection of cheese; blue, Brie and pepper jack, chocolate cake with Kahlua creme or a rice and coconut pudding. The cheese board was also available in the main lounge and I don't like coconut so it was down to the chocolate cake. Sadly it was dry and tasteless so I left it. On the whole I was slightly disappointed with dinner, it was adequate but that's all.
A selection of salads.
Wraps
The main courses.
And the desserts.
Time for more alcohol then!
The lounge is quite busy and there are three of us sharing a sofa area, I end up chatting with the other two ladies, which passes the time until boarding quite pleasantly. One was going straight to a meeting after arriving and asked if I knew if there was anywhere so could 'freshen up' when we landed. Thanks to FlyerTalk and the BAEC Forum Dashboard I did!
We board the plane and get settled in, the flight is very full. When I booked this trip the plane was a 787 and I had seat 3A, but somewhere along the line it got changed to a 777 and I was swapped to 11A, the same as on the way out. At one point I had both seats showing in MMB and it utterly confused me! I put my stuff away and settled in for the safety brief, a glass of champagne and, of course, a little chat with the lady in 11B.
Once we're in the air most people settle down to sleep but I'm too excited (or possibly had too much coffee in the lounge) so I stay up for a bit. As soon as I can I get my pyjamas on and get comfy, I was a bit worried people would think me strange but I soon realise I'm far from the only one in sleepwear. The drinks trolley comes round and I ask for a glass of champagne, "pink or white?" I didn't realise pink was an option so I opt for that this time - purely as research you understand...
Getting comfy
Pink to match my pyjamas
I'm being looked after tonight by a very nice Irish lady called Siobhan and she comes round with the menus.
The menu for tonight's flight
I decide to try the risotto, I know I ate in the lounge but that was hours ago... The risotto doesn't look all that brilliant but it's actually really tasty and hot and hits the spot. The pudding is a chocolate mousse with a salted caramel centre, much, much nicer than the pud in the lounge, it's very rich though and I can't actually finish it. And a coffee finishes it all off nicely - is it any wonder I can't sleep!
Risotto - looks blah, tastes yum.
Pud (apologies for the poor photos)
I get my bed sorted out and settle down for a few hours shut eye.
I wake up with about two hours flying time still left, I haven't slept brilliantly but it's a combination I think of the bed feeling like it was sloping down a little (I thought I'd set it up properly but maybe I didn't?) and being somewhere new which always gives me a patchy night's sleep. But at least I'm awake in plenty of time to get dressed and sorted before breakfast arrives.
Breakfast is a smoothie with either a fruit plate or a yoghurt, and a choice of breakfast pastries, I choose a croissant and the yoghurt. A bacon roll is offered but I decline that as I'll grab something in the arrivals lounge after a shower.
The breakfast tray
And a proper cup of tea - 'gash-bag brown' as we say in the navy... The CC see me taking a picture of my tea and one jokes to her colleague that she makes such a good cuppa that people want to photograph it. I love the way you can have a laugh and joke with BA crews.
We land on time and once again I thank the crew for a lovely flight before leaving. We've come into T5C and there's a lot of people waiting for the train so I decide to take the tunnels - I only knew about them because I'd read it in the LHR guide on the BA Dashboard.
Despite it being 10am I'm the only person down here and it all feels a bit spooky like in the last one left alive in Heathrow... I keep a firm grip on my cabin bag just in case I have to thump any zombies who appear...
Fortunately no walking dead appear and when I finally emerge from the tunnels the rest of the world, including baggage reclaim and immigration, is still there. I seem to have a blind spot with LHR so it takes me two goes to find the arrivals lounge but I finally make it, drop my bag off and go for a shower.
They're compact but clean and have everything you need - except conditioner. You can get a tooth brush and toothpaste of the lady on reception. There's a wall mounted hairdryer too, so in a short while you're all cleaned up and ready to go.
The arrivals lounge is pleasant and looks rather like the GC lounge, except there's no bar. It was quite busy so I didn't take any pictures. I grabbed a quick scrambled eggs on toast and a juice, then made a coffee-to-go and headed off to the rail link bus. First CW trip over...
Would I do it again! Yes, definitely if I get a good price (in fact, thanks to Henkybaby and the F&J Deals thread I'm trying out AA's TATL business class at the end of April.)
I loved both flights, I don't think you can beat BA crews for great, friendly service.
By 3pm on the Sunday I was shopped, historied and touristed out and decided to head to the airport early. Check-in was painless, there were only two of us queuing for Club check-in so I was called over to the adjacent first desk. The lady on check-in advises me that there's a ten minute delay on the flight, that's another glass of champagne in the lounge as far as I'm concerned! Security was busy, it took half an hour of queuing to get to the desk, I didn't see a fast track lane, only a staff one. After a quick whizz round duty free, and the disappointing discovery that Clarins is exactly the same price as in Macy's, which makes it more expensive than at home, I headed to the BA Lounge for the obligatory glass of champagne. I'm on a sleeper service tonight so I'm dining in the lounge before boarding.
The lounge at PHL has separate GF and GC lounges, the GC isn't the biggest but it's nicely furnished and very clean, and there's a good selection of snacks available - wasabi peas, my favourite, I could eat my body weight in these things! There's also a reasonable range of self-pour spirits and wines, three red, three white and port, oh, and Tio Pepe Fino sherry. The lounge staff are lovely, there must be about 6 or 7 of them and they're constantly clearing things and asking if every thing's OK and do I need anything, one of them even sits down to chat for a couple of minutes - not everyone's thing but I like talking to people so I'm quite happy with that. I arrived just before BA0066 was due to depart (slightly delayed) so there were a few people in the lounge but it wasn't busy by any means. Their flight is called and I've pretty much got the lounge to myself for a while before my fellow BA0068 passengers start dribbling in. I think CW is nearly full tonight so I expect it'll get busier in a while.
Coffee machine and wine bar.
Buffet and main bar.
The Club World dining area.
Sleeper Service dining... OK, the food was nice, but that was it, it wasn't a patch on the food on the flight coming out. It was a self-service buffet style, but my personal pet hate is hot food on cold plates so that didn't help. Soup was plain old tomato, which I didn't have as I already had a bowl of the rather nice Italian Wedding soup in the lounge earlier. There was a selection of salads and three hot choices - I tried to photograph the menu but it didn't come out well. I opted for the salmon and chose broccoli and a baked sweet potato to go with it. The broccoli was very lightly cooked, almost raw in fact, which is perfect in my opinion, the sweet potato was garnished with cooked spinach, pine nuts and cheese - feta or ricotta maybe? There wasn't enough to tell but it was very tasty. Dessert was a selection of cheese; blue, Brie and pepper jack, chocolate cake with Kahlua creme or a rice and coconut pudding. The cheese board was also available in the main lounge and I don't like coconut so it was down to the chocolate cake. Sadly it was dry and tasteless so I left it. On the whole I was slightly disappointed with dinner, it was adequate but that's all.
A selection of salads.
Wraps
The main courses.
And the desserts.
Time for more alcohol then!
The lounge is quite busy and there are three of us sharing a sofa area, I end up chatting with the other two ladies, which passes the time until boarding quite pleasantly. One was going straight to a meeting after arriving and asked if I knew if there was anywhere so could 'freshen up' when we landed. Thanks to FlyerTalk and the BAEC Forum Dashboard I did!
We board the plane and get settled in, the flight is very full. When I booked this trip the plane was a 787 and I had seat 3A, but somewhere along the line it got changed to a 777 and I was swapped to 11A, the same as on the way out. At one point I had both seats showing in MMB and it utterly confused me! I put my stuff away and settled in for the safety brief, a glass of champagne and, of course, a little chat with the lady in 11B.
Once we're in the air most people settle down to sleep but I'm too excited (or possibly had too much coffee in the lounge) so I stay up for a bit. As soon as I can I get my pyjamas on and get comfy, I was a bit worried people would think me strange but I soon realise I'm far from the only one in sleepwear. The drinks trolley comes round and I ask for a glass of champagne, "pink or white?" I didn't realise pink was an option so I opt for that this time - purely as research you understand...
Getting comfy
Pink to match my pyjamas
I'm being looked after tonight by a very nice Irish lady called Siobhan and she comes round with the menus.
The menu for tonight's flight
I decide to try the risotto, I know I ate in the lounge but that was hours ago... The risotto doesn't look all that brilliant but it's actually really tasty and hot and hits the spot. The pudding is a chocolate mousse with a salted caramel centre, much, much nicer than the pud in the lounge, it's very rich though and I can't actually finish it. And a coffee finishes it all off nicely - is it any wonder I can't sleep!
Risotto - looks blah, tastes yum.
Pud (apologies for the poor photos)
I get my bed sorted out and settle down for a few hours shut eye.
I wake up with about two hours flying time still left, I haven't slept brilliantly but it's a combination I think of the bed feeling like it was sloping down a little (I thought I'd set it up properly but maybe I didn't?) and being somewhere new which always gives me a patchy night's sleep. But at least I'm awake in plenty of time to get dressed and sorted before breakfast arrives.
Breakfast is a smoothie with either a fruit plate or a yoghurt, and a choice of breakfast pastries, I choose a croissant and the yoghurt. A bacon roll is offered but I decline that as I'll grab something in the arrivals lounge after a shower.
The breakfast tray
And a proper cup of tea - 'gash-bag brown' as we say in the navy... The CC see me taking a picture of my tea and one jokes to her colleague that she makes such a good cuppa that people want to photograph it. I love the way you can have a laugh and joke with BA crews.
We land on time and once again I thank the crew for a lovely flight before leaving. We've come into T5C and there's a lot of people waiting for the train so I decide to take the tunnels - I only knew about them because I'd read it in the LHR guide on the BA Dashboard.
Despite it being 10am I'm the only person down here and it all feels a bit spooky like in the last one left alive in Heathrow... I keep a firm grip on my cabin bag just in case I have to thump any zombies who appear...
Fortunately no walking dead appear and when I finally emerge from the tunnels the rest of the world, including baggage reclaim and immigration, is still there. I seem to have a blind spot with LHR so it takes me two goes to find the arrivals lounge but I finally make it, drop my bag off and go for a shower.
They're compact but clean and have everything you need - except conditioner. You can get a tooth brush and toothpaste of the lady on reception. There's a wall mounted hairdryer too, so in a short while you're all cleaned up and ready to go.
The arrivals lounge is pleasant and looks rather like the GC lounge, except there's no bar. It was quite busy so I didn't take any pictures. I grabbed a quick scrambled eggs on toast and a juice, then made a coffee-to-go and headed off to the rail link bus. First CW trip over...
Would I do it again! Yes, definitely if I get a good price (in fact, thanks to Henkybaby and the F&J Deals thread I'm trying out AA's TATL business class at the end of April.)
I loved both flights, I don't think you can beat BA crews for great, friendly service.
Apr 10, 2016, 7:31 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Nice report! Looks like you had a good time in Club World - your enthusiasm was infectious!
Note for next time: conditioner is available on request! (you can also request to use the First infitinity baths! That's much more "suject to availabilty" though, and some staff will say it's for F (or Gold) pax only (which maybe it is))
Note for next time: conditioner is available on request! (you can also request to use the First infitinity baths! That's much more "suject to availabilty" though, and some staff will say it's for F (or Gold) pax only (which maybe it is))
Apr 10, 2016, 7:46 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Newcastle
Programs: Working towards being a Bronze member
Posts: 238
A really enjoyable report. I remember my rat CW flight. I was like a child with the seat controls! Great service too, I know our crew can sometimes get bad press, but when they deliver they really deliver!
I've had the haddock dish, and thought the same thing. The mash was great, I'd never had basil mash before the trip. I loved the prawns and just wish there had been more!
I've had the haddock dish, and thought the same thing. The mash was great, I'd never had basil mash before the trip. I loved the prawns and just wish there had been more!
Apr 10, 2016, 7:48 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: coastal Croatia
Programs: BAEC Gold, M&M Senator
Posts: 2,179
Glad you enjoyed your trip and thanks for sharing your observations. It's good to be reminded of the wonders and delights premium travel holds for someone who has been used to traveling in economy.
You have a nice, light writing style with dashes of humor in just the right places. As BerksFlyer said, here's to hearing from you when you've done your first first some time soon.
You have a nice, light writing style with dashes of humor in just the right places. As BerksFlyer said, here's to hearing from you when you've done your first first some time soon.
Apr 10, 2016, 12:55 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 497
Thanks for the trip report. Looks we we had very similar CW experiences this month. I thought it was a great experience and I'm now a huge BA fan.
On your sleeper service flight, how many other passengers ate on the plane? I went right to sleep but I was curious as to how many people actually eat.
On your sleeper service flight, how many other passengers ate on the plane? I went right to sleep but I was curious as to how many people actually eat.
Apr 11, 2016, 2:49 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,140
Hey, Tiffywren ... BZ on that report! That covers pretty much anything anyone would need to know about the journey.
BTW, the wobbly armrests are standard [regrattably]. It's a result of them retracting when you go into 'flat-bed' mode, and being designed with inadequate vertical supports.
Off to re-read your RAK one now
BTW, the wobbly armrests are standard [regrattably]. It's a result of them retracting when you go into 'flat-bed' mode, and being designed with inadequate vertical supports.
Off to re-read your RAK one now
Last edited by T8191; Apr 11, 2016 at 2:56 am