Passion or Addiction? (Another RTW, plus other bits and bobs)

[goback]

An enjoyable TR Moomba, thanks.

BTW it was Moomba day just this past Monday.

[Moomba]

The photos


After a shortened day at work I found myself doing the two tube and HEX run to get to LHR Terminal 1 for today’s continuing adventure in the pointy end. The HEX was running on time again which was beginning to become a habit of late. I looked out the window wondering what this Easter weekend would have in store for me. It was a decidedly grey and nasty looking day outside the window as West London shot by. The forecast was for snow on the following Sunday so I was glad to be getting out of Dodge.

On arrival at T1 I exited and headed up to the departures area. I made the long, long walk down to Zone R where BA premium check in is located. It was reasonably busy for the day before Good Friday. I went into the inner sanctum that is the F check-in and waited. The agent said she would only check me if I had no bags. A fire alert had meant they had to stop sending bags down the chute. I said I have no bags to check and she said well lets get you checked in then.

I noticed (as had been reported on the BA forum) that the exit from the F check-in area was blocked now. It was through here that one used to be able to jump the security queue if you were travelling in First. I asked the agent if they still were pushing F’s to the front and she said no.

I joined the end of the long line and 25 minutes later made it out the other end. BAA you FAILED your promise to get us through in 10 minutes. I want my airport fees back!

There seemed to be a lot of building activity going on in the T1 departures area. The Zone R security area was being extended, there were new Star Alliance transfer desks located in the forecourt outside the BA lounges complex and the duty free shop that used to be in the BA lounge was boarded up. This complex is being relinquished by BA when then move out on the 27th of March to T5. The lounges will be made into a *A lounge complex.

For now though this was to be my domain for an hour or so whilst waiting for my flight to Vancouver the world’s most beautiful city (IMHO).

On entry to the lounge I made my way straight to the champagne bar a grabbed a glass of Lanson Noble Cuvee Blanc de Blancs 1999. As I was sitting sipping and nibbling on a sandwich I noticed people mingling around the bar wondering if it was self serve or not. Yep the usual high standards of the F lounge staff were ever evident today.

I wandered over to the computer area to post to a thread about the security situation in Zone R on the BA board. All were being used so I sat nearby and waited. In doing so I realised that 3 of the 5 working PC’s were all occupied by one family. Tossers!!

A flight to somewhere in Europe was called and they all started to collect there things and depart, first stopping to grab a couple of 1.5 litre bottles of water from the fridge to put into their carryon bags. It never ceases to amaze me how much cheek some people have.

Posting done and I was ready to leave the very crowded and not all that pleasant lounge and get to the plane. It was 16:45 and a boarding announcement was made in the lounge for my flight. I wandered down to my gate where they had started boarding and even had a queue for elites.
I was walking on board the aircraft by 16:55

Flight BA0085 LHR - YVR Seat 1A
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 17:00

I was escorted to my seat by the CSD who apologised that she was staring as she thought she recognised me. Unfortunately it was not reciprocal and could not remember her from any of my previous flights.
My jacket was taken and I was offered a drink and the bubbles were delivered with some nuts.

The captain spoke up at 17:15 stating a delay of 10 minutes whilst they finish loading the bags. At 17:30 we pushed back taxied out and took off into the now very dark grey skies. Looking down I noticed that the M25 road that circles London was looking more like a car park in both directions and I pitied those poor folk stuck in the Easter rush on the roads.

I ordered a JW Blue as my post take off drink and it was delivered as soon as the seat belt sign was extinguished along with the usual canapés, which were exactly the same as my LHR-AUH flight.

The menus were given out and my order taken. The BA menus seem to have the same xx number of dishes that they just mix up a bit on different menus at different times. It has been a long time since I have seen something new on their menu. On this particular occasion I had already sampled several of the offerings.

The Menu:

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 nut 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 – Please ask your crew for details of today’s fresh fish selection 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:
Tornegus – This semi-hard unpasteurised cheese is made from cow’s milk and herbs

Montgomery Cheddar – An award-winning straw-coloured unpasteurised cheese that is rich in flavour with a hint of fruit; this variety is made from the legendary Jersey cow’s milk and is a British Airways exclusive

Cropwell Organic Stilton – Produced by the award-winning Cropwell Bishop Creamery, this is a well-balanced and creamy blue Stilton made from pasteurised milk

A basket of fresh fruit

Snacks:
Warm olive oil bread filled with mesquite chicken and tomato relish

Fresh 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

Wine List:

Champagne:
Lanson Nobel Cuvee Blanc de Blancs 1999

White:
Chablis 1er Cru Montnaubs 2005, William Fevre

Chateau de Fesles, Anjou Blanc Sec “La Chapelle” 2004

Beringer Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Red:
Chateau Nenin 1996, Pomerol

Gevrey-Chambertin 2001, Domaine Taupenot-Merme

Baileyana Syrah 2005, Grand Firepeak Cuvee, Edna Valley


Dessert:
Saussignac Cuvee Flavie, Chateau des Eyssards 2005

Warre’s 1988 Colheita Port

The canny of those out there will notice that with the exception of the tomato salad that was substituted with the meze plate this menu is exactly the same as my LHR-AUH flight. I also think Seat 2A might be familiar with this one.

I was offered a second glass of JW but declined. Hot towels were given out before the dinner table was laid at around 18:45.

There was a full complement of 14 in the F cabin and this dictated a rather leisurely pace was maintained for the meal service.

I was told the first red on the list was not on board and instead a St Julien had been loaded and decided to give that a whirl with my meal.

I had the Lobster salad followed by the Sea Bass. It seems my preference of late is to go with the fish of the day on the ex LHR flights. The salad was tasty and different and the fish was very nice and moist which was a bonus.

I skipped the dessert as the blancmange didn't tempt and the treacle tart I had already eaten on my AUH flight and was not overly impressed anyway.

So today I opted for cheese with some of the delicious Warre Port.

The flight was not terribly memorable except for Mr Belcher who was in 3K who let out several very loud burps during the flight.

Another thing of note was that no slippers, PJs or large pillows were anywhere to be seen on this flight. This is pretty piss poor on BA or the crew’s part as the flight arrives in YVR at around 03:00 LHR time and most people did sleep for some part of the flight.

I was trying to stay awake reading and doing sudoku but a heavy stomach and too much alcohol took their toll and I nodded for a few hours.

An hour and a half before landing afternoon tea was offered. Hmm yes afternoon tea at 19:00 local or 02:00 LHR time.
I declined and opted simply for a cup of peppermint tea.

English Afternoon Tea:
Snacks:
A selection of sandwiches featuring –
Smoked Salmon with black pepper
Chunky egg and baby spinach
Coronation chicken
Roast vegetables and cream cheese

Salmon, leek and mushroom quiche

Patisserie:
Plain or fruit scones served warm with clotted cream and strawberry jam
Farmhouse fruit cake, rhubarb custard tart with nutmeg and macaroon

After the remains of the tea were disposed of I got myself together for landing.

We landed at 20:20 and taxied to our gate.

A long walk to immigrations was greeted with the most pleasant site of several immigrations officers with nothing to do but wait for me to walk up to them. I was quickly dispensed with and I headed on out the other end of the baggage hall, only stopping to give my customs form to the agent.

Outside I hopped a cab to the Westin Bayshore and was checking in to my room by 21:15.

The Westin was ordinary to say the least. I had been upgraded to a deluxe room and would have hated to see what a standard room was like. Noisy AC and tired furniture were only offset by the magnificent views from my windows. However their definition of harbour view leaves a little to be desired as my view was mostly out over Stanley park.

I was able to stay awake until 23:00 ish and finally succumbed to a heavenly nights sleep in the heavenly bed. Well that is until the noisy AC woke me up at around 06:30.

I spent the day walking around Vancouver past Coal Harbour airport and did some window shopping and had breakfast at Bojangles. As is my wonderful luck Vancouver turned on the weather for me with patchy sun and cloud unlike the predicted rain, rain and more rain I had been reading about earlier in the week.

As is my usual modus operandi in a city with more than one SPG property I checked out of one and into another. This time I walked up to the Sheraton Wall Centre. Now these people know how to treat their platinum guests. Upgraded to a 2 room corner suite, full club privileges including evening cocktails, continental breakfast, computer usage and, to top it off for me, high floor rooms. Best of all the usual awful Sheraton amenities in the bathroom were replaced with Shine by Bliss products.

I had dinner with my friend and arranged to meet up the next afternoon to go out to Burnaby and have an Easter feast with her folks.

After some more retail therapy in the morning we went up to Burnaby mountain for a walk and catch some great views over the mountains and back over to Vancouver.

Next up to the Big Apple in style to start the crazy mileage run.

The photos

[chris78cpr]

Great addition Moomba!

It's a shame your F flight wasn't as good as the others have seemed.

My dad stayed at the Westin in Vancouver last year and echoes your comments on it being a little tired and not up to par with the others.

Looking forward to the nxt installment already!

Chris

[Kevincm]

Great work Moomba.. keep it up

[Seat 2A]

I do recognize that menu! Did you try the lobster salad? I'm happy to see that BA has added a hot dish (the quiche) to its afternoon tea offerings. I also expect I'll be in the new menu cycle for my LHR-MIA flight next week.

Off to the Big Apple in style... so far as I know, that can only mean CX First Class or a room on The Canadian to Toronto followed by a flight down to NYC. Happy travels regardless!

[Kiwi Flyer]

Excellent - another instalment.

Originally Posted by Moomba

The canny of those out there will notice that with the exception of the tomato salad that was substituted with the meze plate this menu is exactly the same as my LHR-AUH flight. I also think Seat 2A might be familiar with this one.

Looks the same menu as LHR-LAX I did last year.

Originally Posted by Moomba

Another thing of note was that no slippers, PJs or large pillows were anywhere to be seen on this flight. This is pretty piss poor on BA or the crew’s part as the flight arrives in YVR at around 03:00 LHR time and most people did sleep for some part of the flight.

None of those on my LHR-LAX flight either.

[Moomba]

Originally Posted by Seat 2A

I do recognize that menu! Did you try the lobster salad? I'm happy to see that BA has added a hot dish (the quiche) to its afternoon tea offerings. I also expect I'll be in the new menu cycle for my LHR-MIA flight next week.

Off to the Big Apple in style... so far as I know, that can only mean CX First Class or a room on The Canadian to Toronto followed by a flight down to NYC. Happy travels regardless!

Thanks for pointing out the omission in my report. I failed to state what I actually ate. This has been rectified. Yes I did have the Lobster salad and it is quite nice.

Your first guess is the correct one. Hopefully I will have that update posted tonight.

[Moomba]

The photos

After breakfast in the club lounge I decided to check on my flights progress from HKG to YVR. I logged onto the Cathay Pacific website and found out my flight was going to be leaving almost 2 hours late due to the late departure from Hong Kong. Instead of a 12:50 departure it was now showing 14:00.

When I got back to my room I had a voice message on the phone. It was a man from CX informing me of the delay apologising and letting me know the check-in desks would be open until 13:00.

I had another couple of hours to enjoy Vancouver.

Eventually at around 11:15 I decided it was time to check out and grab a cab to the airport.
The journey was quick as it was Easter Sunday after all and I was at the airport in a flash.

I turned right in order to use the Premium Check-in area but it was closed. I then headed over to the wall of check-in desks and located the First desk which was the furthest away from the entrance and the longest walk back to security.

The single F desk was busy as were the 2 J desks. Soon enough the one of the J agents finished with his customer and beckoned me over.

I had the FF number changed to my AA number and he printed my BP and lounge invite. The boarding pass had International Departure stamped on it so as to stop any unwary travellers from mistakenly using the USA departure gates. He also stuck the YVR fast track sticker on the BP and sent me on my way.

At security the queue guard saw my fast track sticker and moved me to the left queue. Another agent checked my BP details and I was directed to a security line with 1 person in front of me. I was through in a jiffy and headed straight over to the elevators to go up to the lounge.

Inside I was warmly welcomed by the agent who directed me to the F section of the lounge. The F lounge is quite small but only ever had a maximum of 10 people in it whilst I was in there.

On offer were spirits, small bottles of Nicolas Feuillatte champagne, mixers, red and white wine, beer, juice, water, a coffee machine, pot noodles, sandwiches, dim sum, some sweet treats and a great view of the apron.
There were 3 PCs for use in the First section and more were located out in the Business section of the lounge.

At 12:38 the plane landed from HKG and taxied to the gate. As I saw that unmistakable CX calligraphy swish on the tail I started to get excited. I had not flown CX for over a year and was looking forward to this short hop with great anticipation. The seat maps showed this flight has having the new CX first suite onboard.

I didn’t wait for the boarding announcement in the lounge and made my way back down to the departure area. I had a look around the various gates and eventually ended up at my gate.

There was one guy wandering around checking BPs against passports and marking the BP as checked. At around 13:55 I noticed people walking back down the bridge to the plane. These I presume were the ex HKG that were holed up somewhere during the transit.

At 14:00 they announced boarding of First and Business passengers. There was a family of 3 that had been standing right in front of the reader who hadn’t had their BPs checked so this clogged the beginning of the process somewhat. I was called past them by another agent who took my BP and sent me down to the plane.

Flight CX0888 YVR - JFK Seat 2K
Aircraft: 747-400
Departure time: 12:50

I was directed to the other side of the cabin and walked down past the new J seat in anticipation of getting my eyes on the new F suite.

I was in no way disappointed with what I found. There are only 9 seats now in the nose of the 747 and there is an overwhelming sense of space and privacy. In fact when sitting in my seat I was only able to see the feet of the passenger in 2A otherwise I might have been on the flight by myself.
There were 6 of us in F for this flight to JFK.

I took off my jacket and extracted my camera, note pad etc and went to hang it in my personal closet when an FA came up and did it for me. She also grabbed a pillow from the closet and took it out of its bag.

I was asked if I wanted a drink and I asked for champagne of course.
I was equally surprised and delighted to find that after my glass was placed down a bottle of KRUG was presented for my inspection.
I was also given a dish of mixed roasted nuts to nibble on whilst the flight completed boarding.

Newspapers were offered and the menu and wine cards were handed out.
My champagne was refilled and I was offered more nuts when I had finished the first lot. I declined as I knew a feast would be forthcoming on this flight.

At 14:35 we pushed back and taxied to the far end of the runway and took off into the West. We were informed that the flying time would be 4 hours and 40 minutes. Not long enough if you ask me.

The cabin manager came around to introduce herself after take off.
My lunch order was taken and I was given more champagne once the belts sign was switched off.
I wandered off to the loo and was very impressed with the new outfit. It was very large and quite sleek looking for an aircraft loo.


The Menu:

Lunch:

Starters:
Grilled prawns on crab meat salad with saffron and tomato drizzle

Seafood chowder

Mixed seasonal salad with poached pear, grilled peppers, Roma tomato and pinenuts served with a sesame dressing

Main Courses:
Grilled New York steak with jus roasted red skin potatoes and oven roasted vegetables

Porcini rotolo pasta with artichoke tomato sauce and grilled vegetables

Chinese Favourites:
Double boiled pork spare ribs with mushroom and wolfberries soup

Cold plate – marinated bean curd and garlic chive

Sauteed chicken with kung po sauce served with braised black mushroom in oyster sauce and Shanghai pak choy steamed rice

Cheese and Dessert:
Cambozola, Oka, Cheddar

Fresh seasonal berries

Triple chocolate cake served with raspberry sauce

Tea and Coffee

Pralines and Cookies

Snacks:
Braised beef brisket in noodle soup
Ice Cream

Wine List:
Champagne:
Champagne Amour De Deutz, Blanc de blanc 1999 ( but Krug was being served as noted above)

White Wines:
Cuvaison Estate Selection Chardonnay Napa Valley Carneros 2004

Bouchard Pere & Fils Meursault Les Clous 2005

Red Wines:
Corton Grand Cru Louis Max 1996

Sebastiani Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Chateau Lynch Bages 2001

On an insert in the wine list there was a write up of the feature wine:
Chateau Pech-Latt 2006 which was an organic GSM wine.

Port:
Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 10 Year Old Tawny Port

Well there is not a lot more to say except I stuffed myself silly on Prawn and Crab starter which was delicious, Seafood Chowder which had big chunks of clam in it, the NY steak, which was a little tough and the cheeses with crackers.

I kept to the Krug for most of the meal until the steak arrived when I switched to the Lynch Bages. I also asked for a glass of sparkling water with the meal. I somehow ended up with both a glass of sparkling and still on my table though.

After finishing my cheese I was asked if I wanted dessert and I ask to wait a while until I finished my glass of red.
When my wine was done I was asked if I wanted dessert again and I said there was something chocolate on there wasn’t there? She smiled and said she would bring it out for me.
It was very, very nice and went down well with the cappuccino I ordered.

The IFE had a very large selection although I didn’t watch anything. I just listened to music for most of the flight. The sound cut out on me twice, the first time I had the purser re-set the system for me which did the trick. The second time it cut out we were close to landing so I didn’t bother getting it fixed again.

We landed at 22:28 and taxied to our gate where the rest of the passengers were held back until the First class cabin was empty.

The crew had been the usual CX standard I have come to expect in their F cabins. Frequently walking past to see if anything needed attention, a glass refilled or a plate removed. The purser was quite, erm, personable but the other FA seemed to be quite new and not used to interacting with the passengers. I am sure that will come in time once she feels more comfortable.

This flight was not an addiction it was definitely a passion.

I made my way to immigrations and yet again there were several people waiting for me to go chat to them. My man barely spoke to me apart from saying right index finger, now left. That was it. He stamped my passport and sent me on my way!

I cruised up to the customs guys who noticing the lack of baggage asked if I was in transit. I said sort of and that I was only going to be in the US for 2 days. He said OK and I went out into the arrivals area.

I knew I had to catch the sky train to get to Federal Circle in order to catch the free hotel shuttle. I went up to the platform and a train pulled in moments later.
At Fed Circle and called the hotel. The guy said a bus would be around in 14-20 minutes.
I waited and waited and several Courtyard by Marriot, Ramada and Holiday Inn vans came and went. Eventually the Double Tree arrived and a whole gaggle of people got on board.

At the Double Tree I checked in and grabbed my warm chocolate chip cookie and went to my room for a less than lengthy nights sleep. I think my head hit the pillow around midnight.


The photos

[Moomba]

The photos

A wake up call at 05:30 was the rude awakening to this totally asinine, idiotic, day of mileage running.

Left brain, right brain, err I’m tired let me sleep, NO, you must get out of bed now and have a shower or you will miss your flight. OK.

I was done by 05:50 and heading out the door as I wanted to catch the 06:00 shuttle to the airport. Why do those automated wake up calls always call you twice? Once at the appointed time and then a second time at a most inopportune time when you are mid shave or with a toothbrush in your mouth or sitting on the loo.

Anyway back to the bus. The hotel split the non AA flyers from the AA flyers and we all went to Terminal 8 in one bus. I was expecting to be dropped off at Federal Circle again. Had I have known that the bus drops you off right at the terminal doors I would have given myself the luxury of another half hours sleep.
Oh well you live and learn.

There was a separate area for First and Business class travellers and I queued up for a couple of minutes until an agent became free. She waived me over and I dropped my wad and passport on her desk.

She saw the first coupon and said only to SJU today? I said nope off to DFW after that. She looked up at me and I just said I am mad and smiled. I asked her to change by BA number to my AA number and she said just for the AA sectors I said nope the whole of the rest of the ticket. She types away for a while and said ‘how many sectors are there?’ I said there are 15 left. She saw I had no bag to check and said in a shocked voice you only flying with hand baggage? I explained that it was only these two sectors and I have a separate ticket back to the UK for the following day.
After our little exchange she wished me a pleasant trip and in her mind I am sure she was thinking ‘yes you are mad’.

There was a separate queue at security for First and Business class travellers and I joined it and waited probably 10 minutes before having my id checked and then doing the shoe, liquids shuffle on through bit.

My flight was departing from the satellite building so I headed straight over there and into the AC. Once inside I forgot that I couldn’t use it on a domestic flight and the agent said ‘You don’t seem to be in our system as an AC member. Do you have an Amex Platinum card?’ I said I do but let’s make BA pay and handed over my BAEC Gold card. She said that is fine and let me into the lounge.
There was a lot of seating, a bar, computer stations and coffee / tea facilities with light snacks of bagels and jelly or butter and some orange juice.
I spent an hour or so in the lounge reading and headed on down to my gate. As AA actually knows how to do the boarding process Business and Elites were invited to board first at around 07:35. I stepped forward to the gate had the BP swiped and headed on down the bridge. Did you hear that BA priority boarding for elites!

Flight AA1635 JFK-SJU Seat 5A
Aircraft: 767-300
Departure time: 08:05

I made my way to my seat and got my first look at AA’s new business class seat up close. It does seem a little crammed in on the 767 and I am not sure I would enjoy the experience on an overnighter on this aircraft. The seat itself is comfortable enough and seems to have an infinite amount of adjustment so that you can get it just right.

I was hanging on to my coat whilst a couple of blind AA FA’s waltzed on by collecting everyone’s coat except mine. I have long since given up every trying to get the attention of an AA FA as I am sure they are all deaf and I refuse to yell.

The purser came along with Orange Juice and Water as a pre-take off drink and immediately noticed my coat and said I will be back to collect your coat in a moment. He did as he promised and on his way back grabbed my coat from me.

We pushed back at 08:05, taxied out and started the take off roll at 08:30 with our drinks still in our hands. There was a distinct lack of any announcement from the flight deck on the ground and in the air on this flight.
After the seat belt sign went out we were offered a round of drinks and being the plonker I am ordered a Bloody Mary to get the ball rolling. The purser was working my side of the cabin and he gave me the whole can of mix and two miniatures of vodka.

After drinks the hot towels were handed out.
Next up the meal service began and FEBO was followed where on odd numbered flights the meals are delivered form the back of the cabin. On offer was a cheese omelette with sautéed potatoes or special K cereal. A biscuit (US definition) or raisin bagel were offered as well. On the tray there was a bowl of fruit to accompany the main. The purser was serving the orange juice out of a carafe which was a nice touch.
The meal was fine and quite filling although not overly tasty.

I had an interesting fellow next to me who must keep his favourite stationery supplier in business single handed. As he read, anything from the newspaper, magazine, work papers and even his bible, he would highlight passages with his highlighting pen. Everything he touched seemed to end up marked with a yellow stripe.

There were no personal players on board and the big screen was playing CBS Eye on American followed by the movie Dan in Real Life.

The remainder of the flight was fairly uneventful and we landed at 12:05 a little late as there had been strong headwinds.
On landing I located the Admirals Club and ventured inside with my BAEC card at the ready this time.

The lounge was split over two floors with the bar and the usual coffee machines and snack mix offerings downstairs and some more seating, coffee machine and computers upstairs. It was quite busy when I arrived and spent my time reading and people watching. It was interesting to note how many people would go past the big bowl of snack mix and poke there hand in to grab a couple of pretzels rather then using the scoop and cups provided.
After some time I headed upstairs where it was much quieter and was able to check emails and FT on the computer.
Eventually, but after a long boring 3.5 hours I headed out to the gate to catch my next flight to DFW. How nice it was to be away from the dreadful elevator music I had been listening to for the past 3.5 hours in the lounge.

The noise and bustle of the terminal was a refreshing change.
Boarding was announced not long after I arrived at the gate and again Business Class and Elite passengers were invited to board first.

Flight AA1269 SJU-DFW Seat 4A
Aircraft: 757-200
Departure time: 16:20

I was straight on board and my coat was immediately taken from me as I settled in. There were no pre-departure drinks offered on this flight. The flight was completely full in both classes. There seemed to be an over abundance of people with small children on this flight also.

We pushed back at 16:20 exactly and were in the air 5 minutes later. The captain announced a 4 hour and 52 minute flying time. Errrghh.

The 757 was old, dirty and the seats are dreadful but there was plenty of leg room which made it a little easier to tolerate.

After the belt sign was switched off a round of drinks was offered and I went with a scotch and dry ginger ale. Warm nuts were delivered but I am sure the bowl has shrunk since I last flew with AA.

After the drinks how towels were handed out and I used this opportunity to do a little cleaning for AA including the very grotty window next to me.

The in-flight entertainment was the usual CBS Eye on American followed by an aborted attempt at Becoming Jane which was then replaced with Martian Child.

For lunch on this flight the choice was Beef Sparerib with Mashed Potato or Cheese Ravioli which were both accompanied by a salad and a piece of apple and cinnamon cheesecake for dessert.
The food was quite acceptable for airline food and the red wine I was drinking went down easily as well. A second round of wine was offered during the meal.

After the meal tray was removed I asked for another glass of the red wine but they pulled the old switcheroo on me and came back with a hideous drop more useful I expect for removing varnish from wooden floors.

Interesting observation on this flight was that for an airline that a seat belt trigger happy they still serve hot drinks when the sign is on. Most other airlines I have flown recently including BA, QF and CX they will not serve you a hot drink if the sign is on.

The sign was on a lot during this flight as the slightest bump had that light a going as seems to be the norm on AA. However there did not seem to be an over abundance of people taking any notice, including the crew. One guy sitting over the other side had 2 toddlers with him and both were crawling over the seats whilst the sign was on and he either ignored or was oblivious as he sat watching his computer. Oh well one day one of his kids might crack their skull open and he might learn to control them a little better and take note of the seat belt sign.

The flight was tediously long as I was not entertaining myself with the movie and was only listening to my ipod. Just at the point I was thinking yep another AA only get more service after the meal if you ask when low and behold the FA came out asking if anyone would like a drink. Well what do you know miracles do happen.

Eventually we landed at DFW around 20:30 and I made my way out to the arrivals area and called the Westin to come and pick me up. I was given instructions on where to wait and about 10 minutes later the bus came along.
At the Westin I was given the usual Platinum ‘You’ve been upgraded’ sticker on my key pack, asked for the points bonus and went to my room. On entering my room I realised I had not been upgraded but had been downgraded. This was a standard room and I had booked a corner suite. I was too tired to be bothered fighting with them that night and just crashed for the evening.

This day of mileage running definitely fell into the addiction category as no one would fly that much AA domestically as a passion.

The photos

[Kiwi Flyer]

Thanks Moomba. It is nice to compare with my own run last year in the reverse direction (only a short transit in SJU - but yes the same hands in the pretzel bowl then too).

[Moomba]

The Photos

Attention HIDDY these next two flights are not part of the RTW ticket and were purchased separately using my EVIP vouchers with AA. I won’t pick up the RTW again until I return to DFW in June.

At least this morning I was able to sleep in for a while as my flight was not due out until 12:10. I got my act together at around 10 and headed down to check out and also find out what happened to my corner suite.

It turns out that I had been pre-processed with an upgrade to a full suite and that it had been taken away again, no doubt by some snotty Plat .....in’ because they did not get an upgrade. In the process the agents had neglected to drop me back to the room I booked and instead dropped my right back to a standard room. I was offered breakfast as compensation which I declined as I had to get to the airport. I was then offered 500 points which was also a joke but I didn’t have time to hang around and argue.

I grabbed the shuttle back to the airport and got out at the first terminal as I did not know where I needed to be. At terminal A I approached the First check-in agent and asked if I could check-in there and she said no problem as I could get to C on the SkytrAAin. I was given my BP for DFW-JFK and another for the JFK-LHR flight.

Security was very quick and I was through and on my way to the SkytrAAin within 5 minutes. The first stop was mine and I walked down to the AC which was conveniently located just outside the gate where my JFK flight was going to depart from. On entry I was offered a drinks voucher and welcomed in without having to flash my BAEC card. On domestic sectors that connect with an international sector AA Platinum can use the AC lounges and get a free drink.

Inside the lounge is quite large and had plenty of seating, several computers and workstations, a business centre where rooms can be booked and at the other end a bar and some television viewing areas.

I used a computer for a while and yet again the connection was really slow. Ironically the slowest connection of the ones I tried was AA.com

Despite the size of the lounge it was impossible to find a seat away from someone yelling into their mobile phone.

My time in the DFW C terminal AC was done and I headed out to the gate just as pre-boarding was commencing. At 11:40 First class was asked to board first followed by Elites.

Flight AA384 DFW-JFK Seat 4F
Aircraft: MD-80
Departure time: 12:10

On board my jacket was taken before I even made it to my seat. I settled in and made myself comfortable for the 3 hour 7 minute flight to the Big Apple.
Pre-take off drinks were offered by individual request rather than from a tray of ready made ones. The usual AA cabin baggage nonsense ensued with Y pax dumping their bags in the First cabin and then later arriving F pax hunting for space.

At 12:10 we pushed back and taxied out to the runway where we took off at 12:20. The F cabin was completely full for this flight as was the rest of the aircraft.

After the seat belt sign went off the purser introduced herself to everyone in First and took a drinks order. A Bloody Mary was the order of the day again for me.

The purser made the drinks for the first two rows and then brought out our warm nuts. She then attended to the next two rows. It was a very efficient way to work although tough on her as she was backward and forward to the galley a lot.

It was absolutely freezing in the cabin and there was an announcement that the captain had been informed and we should start to thaw soon.
A second round of drinks and nuts was offered for each of us in First and then the hot towel run was made.

After this our FA made herself busy in the galley getting the lunch organised. The same procedure was followed with regard the lunch. FEBO again meant that she started at the front taking the orders of the first row then getting their meals. She then did the second followed by drinks for these two rows. The same was repeated down the rows until she had worked the whole cabin.

For lunch today there was a Roast Beef Panini or a Chicken Tostadas. The meal also included a salad and dressing and crackers and cheese. Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc wines were offered with the meal and then refilled during the meal service. I ordered the tostadas which were quite tasty although not particularly good for the waist line.

The tray was taken away with the promise of warm cookies to follow shortly. Once all the meal trays were dispensed with the promised cookies appeared. I ordered a coffee to accompany.

After this more drinks were offered and it seemed that our FA was not off her feet for the entire flight. She has to be one of the most hard working AA FA’s I have ever come across.

We landed around 16:30 and on leaving I thanked her and told her she was a credit to AA. She thanked me back and seemed to really appreciate the comment. (I also followed up with a written commendation to AA on her behalf. I hope they realise what a gem they have in this woman).

I left the plane and headed out into the satellite arm of T8. I headed straight for the main section of the terminal where the Flagship lounge was located. Inside the agent was about to let me through to the Admirals Club and I said I have BAEC Emerald card. She gave me an electronic key and pointed me in the direction of the Flagship Lounge.

Inside my key was taken and my BP swiped. The lounge is not huge but was not that busy and there was an abundance of seats free. Up one end are some computers, in the middle mostly seating and at the far end a self service bar and food area and some tables and chairs for eating at.

There were salads, noodles, hot and cold savoury dishes and some desserts in the food section along with some soup and bread. There was wine, spirits, mixers, juices etc and at least 10 different beers in the fridge.

I grabbed a Sam Adams and sat down to wait for my next flight which was due in around an hour and a half. My brief stay in the lounge was coming to an end so I wandered down to the gate to await boarding.

Boarding started a little later than the advertised 18:30 with First being invited first and then the Business class cabin was asked to board. At this point I moved forward and skirted the gate lice and made my way on board.

Flight AA100 JFK-LHR Seat 10J
Aircraft: 777
Departure time: 19:15

On board I stowed my bag and my jacket was taken care of by one of the FAs. On the seat were a duvet and pillow and an amenity kit containing temple spa products. The seating was the new AA business class seat which differed somewhat from the 767 product I had experience the day before. They seemed more spacious and had an inbuilt IFE system along with a few more places to stow bits and pieces.

Pre-flight drinks were offered and I opted from some champagne to get the ball rolling.

We were ready to push back at 19:15 but the IFE had crapped itself and needed to be rebooted. Techs from Rockwell Collins were on board and attempting to boot the thing into life. The captain said it should be only another 15 minutes and that we would wait rather than going out without any entertainment system. Around 30 minutes later the same promise was made. And on it went until Rockwell Collins were kicked to the curb and we left an hour and a half late still with no IFE.

We pushed back at 20:42 but didn’t actually get airborne until 21:25. The captain announced a flying time of 6 hours and 2 minutes and also gave the condescending toilet speech about congregating in the isles etc. I am sure he must have a toddler and his approach is the same with his pax as it is with his child.

After the seat belt sign was extinguished a round of drinks and warm nuts were delivered. The nuts weren’t warm but the champagne was cold and was refilled as the FA made her way back up the aisle. There were no more nuts on offer though.

Hot towels were then past out and subsequently collected prior to the dinner service.

The dinner orders were taken in accordance with FEBO and started from the front.

On offer this evening:

The Menu
To Start:
Warm mixed Nuts

Appetizer:
Mojito Shrimp served with Pineapple and spiced Coconut

Salad:
Fresh seasonal Greens and an assortment of fresh Vegetables offered with a Classic Caesar Dressing or a Castello Monte Vibiano Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Bread Basket:
Assorted Gourmet Breads

Entrees:
Beef Short Ribs
Marinated slow cooked Beef Short Ribs offered with yellow Grits and Root Vegetable Ragout

Red Thai Curry Chicken
Breast of Chicken simmered in a creamy Red Thai Curry and Coconut Milk Broth accompanied by Shiitake Mushrooms, Edamame and Jasmine Rice

Lamb Medallions
Lamb Medallions enhanced by an Ale Tomato Sauce, offered with Cilantro Mashed Potatoes, grilled Asparagus Tips and roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Cheese Tortellini With Romano Sauce
Homemade Tortellini stuffed with a Three Cheese blend, accented by a Tomato, Mushroom and Mozzarella Sauce, garnished with Parmesan Cheese and Parsley

The Dessert Cart:
Caciotta and Cheddar Cheese accompanied by seasonal Grapes and dried Appricots
Or
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream topped with a Turtle Brownie and Raspberry Sauce

To Finish:
Ghirardelli Chocolates

The dinner trays were passed out and the starter and salad where on the tray. As people finished their salad the bowls were taken away. A round of drinks was offered with the first part of the meal. A choice of white or wheat was the extent of the ‘assorted gourmet breads’.

Champagne:
Pommery Brut Champagne

White Wines:
William Hill Napa Valley Chardonnay
Legeder “riff” Pinot Grigio Della Venezie DOC

Red Wines:
Domaine Sauvestre Savigny-les-Beaune Les Lavieres Premier Cru
Chateau Mangot Grand Cru St. Emilion

I opted for the Lamb Medallions one of which was rather bland and tasteless and I wasn’t even convinced it was lamb at all. The other one did seem to have some flavour though. The cilantro mash was dire and I only at one mouthful. It seemed quite an odd combination and as far as I am concerned it didn’t work.

My tray was taken and a little while later the ice cream or cheese was offered. I opted for the ice cream for a change as I normally go cheese but for some reason desired something sweet. At this time chocolates were also handed out.

After the meal I went to the loo and lowered my seat into the bed mode, tucked my duvet over me and, for the first time ever on an AA plane in Business class, slept for a few hours.

All too soon the lights were up and breakfast was being offered around the cabin. I stayed low and kept my eyes closed.

Breakfast:
Continental Breakfast:
Fresh seasonal Fruit
Yogurt
Cereal

Breakfast Bread Basket:
An assortment of warm Breads
I only roused myself after the captain had made his pre-arrival speech. I went to the loo and the back to my seat and packed up my gear and put my shoes on ready for landing.

We landed and taxied towards terminal 3 but had to wait a few minutes until a plane had left the cul-de-sac we needed to enter. Soon enough we were exiting the plane and on the long walk to immigrations from the satellite section of T3.

I walked up to the IRIS machine hoping that my last experience wouldn’t be repeated. Thankfully it recognised me and I was down through the baggage hall through customs and heading up to the new AA arrivals lounge within 10 minutes of getting off the plane. I had a shower in the new lounge and then skipped out to catch the HEX to Paddington and from there on to work for a long day at the office.

Overall a good flight but I could have done without the 1.5 hour delay on takeoff. The crew were good and did their job but no more and nothing like the quality of my star performer on the DFW-JFK run.


Next up the first of the Bits and Bobs.

The Photos

[Jenbel]

Sheep is a little anxious about the the term 'Bits and Bobs'

[Steady-EDI]

Love the Bloody Mary pic!

Having recently done DFW-SJU (the cornflake special ) and return, separated by a few days, I don't know how you managed to survive JFK-SJU-DFW straight through

I sense that your current TR and my next one are due to overlap around 11-13 April

[Gatwick Alan]

We pushed back at 20:42 but didn’t actually get airborne until 21:25. The captain announced a flying time of 6 hours and 2 minutes and also gave the condescending toilet speech about congregating in the isles etc. I am sure he must have a toddler and his approach is the same with his pax as it is with his child.


Yup, drives you nuts doesnt it. I really dont choose to congregate around toilets with strange people.

[Moomba]

The Photos



Ok folks this is the first of my Bits and Bobs reports for this year.

Late last year I was asked by Jenbel if I would care to accompany her on a reconnaissance mission to prepare for the Island Do 3 – Long Days on Orkney. We managed to find a date that was free for both of us and this weekend was it. After securing flights online I thought to myself ‘you idiot this first flight is the day after T5 opens’. Oh well it was too late to change so I would just have to suck it up and hope for the best.

Read on to hear about my weekend on Orkney.

My flight had been showing a 40 minute delay by the time I left work at 16:35 and yep you guessed it, 2 tubes and the 17:10 HEX had me stepping out into the swanky new T5 at LHR.

I caught the lift up to the departures area which is a large expansive hall with a lot of unmanned desks and even more self service check-in machines.
I walked up to a machine and entered my CC into the slot and answered the various security baggage etc questions. It then spat out both my boarding pass for this evening and the one for the flight from EDI to KOI the next morning.

Recently BA started to issue their BP on blank card with all the details being printed by the machines, gone forever were the blue stripe BP of old. Imagine my dismay when this new SSCI machine spat out thermal paper BP instead of card! How low can you go?

Anyway once I got over that little seizure I attempted to locate security. From information I had read on the BA board the Fast Track security was located in the Southern end of the building. That is good if you know which direction you are facing. I eventually spotted the First check-in desks way down the other end and started walking that direction.

I got to security and had my photo taken as I was a domestic passenger. No finger prints at this time as there are a few issues with privacy rules associated with that plan. I then joined the back of a long queue to the Fast Track security area at 17:40.
They are using stupid arse new machines with bins that are automatically sent down the ramp preceding the scanner and after. You need to dance along getting your stuff out of them at the end. The twat manning the leading edge was not informing people to take off their shoes and several had to be sent back which just held up things further. I finally made it through at just after 18:00 which is too long for a supposed Fast Track. I left the area giving suitably evil glares to both BAA staff there and the BA staff that were standing at the end.

Now on to more pleasant activities. Where is that First class lounge? I looked up at the flight monitors on the way to the lounge and notice my flight now showed a 1.5 hour delay.

I eventually walked half way back in the direction of the HEX and then down a set of escalators, turned around and walked all the way back up to past where the security scanners were and up set of escalators to get to the lounges complex. Obviously BA and BAA like us to get out exercise before descending on the lounges.

I walked straight up the Galleries First section and had my BP swiped after a wait whilst the agents dealt with flight queries of several passengers.

Eventually inside I did a bit of a walk around and happened to notice a familiar FT face. A few more FTers ended up being in the lounge this evening so this made the wait a little less boring. I drank the equivalent to the cost of my tickets in champagne in the next 3 hours and also had some food.

There is a champagne bar down one cul-de-sac that had four different types of bubbly, and off to the side was a large room full of PCs. The bathrooms were down this side but the showers were outside the lounge in the spa area. There was a couple of wine bars in the lounge and a long wall of sprits, mixers etc including the famed JW Blue. The food was down another cul-de-sac and had various salad offerings along with some hot food including bangers and mash, mini meat pies, veggie pizza etc. There were also nibble foods such as vegetable crudités with dips and sandwiches.

Overall the lounge is quite large and never seemed to be that busy. The art work and décor were very nice and it was a quite lovely space to spend some time. Not 3.5 hours though.

The monitors in the lounge were not working and I checked a few times with the customer services desk in the lounge as to the flights status. My flight kept being delayed and delayed and eventually it was called in the lounge at 21:40 and I headed out to the gate.
Yep it was the other end of the terminal. I queued up, via a new BA initiative, a proper tension belt queue mechanism that avoided the scrum that usually is associated with a BA departure. My BP was scanned by one agent then I went to another to have my picture matched to the image taken at security. I then walked down to the aircraft and on board.

Flight BA1462 LHR-EDI Seat 2A
Aircraft: A320
Departure time: 19:30

I was greeted and directed to my seat by the crew and got myself settled in. At 22:00 we were all ready to go when the captain announced there was no tug to push us back. BA you are bloody hopeless. What are you?

At 22:22 we finally pushed back and made our way out to the runway. We were in the air at 22:53 at which time I noticed how shiny new the aircraft looked, apart from the seats. I gather they put the old seats into the new aircraft?

A light ham salad meal was handed out followed by a drinks run. The crew worked hard to serve the full flight on this very short flight.

I believe we had a straight in approach as we were in the ground by 23:45.


The next morning Jenbel and I rocked up to the airport around 08:00 for our 09:40 flight to Kirkwall on the island of Orkney.
We cleared security quickly and were in the EDI Terraces lounge by 08:20 after checking in a bag.
The monitors showed the flight as boarding so we headed down to the gate. On the way we heard an announcement for the remaining 2 passengers to go to the gate. We walked a little faster and noticed that people were still queuing to get on the plane so we weren’t too late.
We had our BPs scanned and walked down and out to the aircraft on the tarmac.

Flight BA8891 EDI-KOI Seat 2A
Aircraft: SAAB 350
Departure time: 09:40

Once on board we stowed our things and then the crew member told us we would need to go back to row 7 C&D (which was an exit row) for reasons of trim.
This meant that we both did not have a window and we were sitting right over the wing restricting out view.

We pushed back at 09:30 and were in the air by our original departure time of 09:40.
On board the service consisted of a cup of tea / coffee or juice and some biscuits (English definition). The SAAB flies quite low which meant when the clouds cleared we were able to afford ourselves of some pretty spectacular views of Scotland.

We landed at 10:30 and quickly made our way into the terminal and waited for the bags to be delivered. There was a slight delay as the baggage handlers got the bags off our flight and the one that landed just after us before bringing them all up to the terminal.

On Orkney
We spent the weekend driving around the island and visiting a couple of the major attractions such as a 5000 year old settlement that is now world heritage listed at Skara Brae. We also saw a stone ring ala Stonehenge called the Ring of Brodgar, the Churchill Barriers built during war time that links a few of the islands together and kept the German U boats outs, and the Italian chapel built by the Italian prisoners of war.
Orkney is a fabulous windswept place with plenty of wonderful vistas and rugged coast line to catch the photographer's eye. There is bird life in abundance but given the weather not a lot in the way a trees. I think we saw one wood on the whole island.
I will let the pictures do most of the talking about this lovely place and am looking forward to seeing more when the I go again for the DO in June.

The following day our flight back was due to depart 15:40 and we were back at the airport by 15:00 and waited a minute in a queue before being checked in. I was checked all the way to LHR and was given proper card BPs that were still on the old blue printed stock.

We waited in the lounge until called to go through security. On the other side, after being chosen for a random pat down and random liquids test, we waiting in the inner lounge for a few minutes before boarding started. They actually boarded the flight from the back by row number.

Flight BA8898 KOI-EDI Seat 11D
Aircraft: SAAB 350
Departure time: 15:40

On board and settled in we pushed back (although it wasn’t really a push back but a move forward under our own power) at 15:41. The weather was fine again and we got some great views over Scotland on the way back until we got closer to EDI where it clouded over considerably and caused a bit of chop.
The service consisted of a round of drinks from the bar and some nibbles.

We landed at 16:42 and exited onto the tarmac and into the building. I noticed that the LHR flights were posting delays but mine still posted as on time.

I said my goodbyes to Jenbel and walked into the EDI Terraces lounge.
The agent, without prompting asked if I would like to be put on an earlier flight. I said yes please. She then printed out a new BP for the delayed 15:55 that was going to board in around 15 minutes. She said they could not promise that the flight would be catered for me and it was nasty B seat but hey, at least I would get back to LHR.
I asked about my original flight and she said it was delayed and had not left LHR yet.

I waited in the lounge a while and when I notice movement at the gate (which was just outside) I walked out and joined the queue. Boarding was by row and my row was in the first lot to be called.

Flight BA1453 EDI-LHR Seat 18B
Aircraft: A320
Departure time: 15:55
Originally booked on BA1459 EDI-LHR Seat 1A
Departure time: 18:15

On board I made my way back further than I can remember going in a long, long time. I eventually made it all the way back to row 18 and stowed my bag in the overhead.

I settled into my seat, but not too comfortably as the window seat was still vacant. Soon enough Seat 18A came long and the aisle guy and I moved out to let him in.

As boarding was continuing there was the usual fun and games trying to get everyone’s bags stowed on this completely full flight. The crew were great at helping people find spots and rearranging other people’s bags to accommodate.

We eventually pushed back at 17:45 after a lot of apologising from the Captain and the Purser on this flight. Take off was at17:58 and after which we swung around and headed south towards London.

The crew did a stellar job getting a choice of ham and tuna or egg and mushroom sandwiches served to the pax along with a round of drinks from the bar. I declined all but a cup of coffee after a having stuffed myself at breakfast and having a lovely melt in Stromness.

The flight was quite smooth going and I don’t think we needed to run in circles before swinging out over the city and on in to land at LHR at 18:55.

We ended up at the end of the runway closest to T5 and taxied off the runway and straight up to our gate. We stopped short and the captain said we needed to wait a few minutes for the guidance system to be switched on. We eventually pulled up to a stop and then had to wait at least another 5 minutes before someone bothered to come and bring the bridge out to the aircraft. T5 so calm you flow through it!

After getting off the aircraft I managed to find my way although the signage is particularly useless in T5 as it shows arrivals / exit signs pointing in both directions.

Finally out of the place I headed down to the HEX which was just about to leave at 19:20. Yep another HEX and 2 tube journey and I was home.

More Bits and Bobs in a couple of weeks.