ARN-LHR-JFK in First/Club/coach

[Petrus]

Part one:

Backdrop: I used to work and live in NYC and the city has a firm grip on my heart. I had not been for a year so this was a long overdue trip. Mrs Petrus and her sister went to LAX/LAS/SFO in July so it was only fair I treat myself to a long weekend trip. NYC is, as I am sure most of you know, a great city to shop, dine and experience culture and entertainment. I am also a great fan of the architecture.

As it turned out this time there would be shopping, eating, drinking and entertainment in abundance I booked my flights and hotels and would be travelling alone unless someone decided to tag along. Plenty of friends in NYC so would not be alone whilst there.

4 days prior a good friend decided to tag along. Poor guy had to splash out SEK7700/EUR650 for a coach ticket. This would be his maiden BA long-haul trip and visit to T5. Well lucky him; he was travelling with a Gold who also happened to be in F from LHR.

ARN - LHR 18.40 Thursday
BA781 767-300
Seat 12K
Euro Traveller

Not much to write about here. We meet at ARN T2 and cleared to the lounge in no time. Both were carry-on only. Gold gives me access to the Finnair Platinum Lounge:



Beer on tap, white and red wine, some nuts, bread rolls, cheese and ham to make a mouthbite. Nothing fancy however adequate. The plates are tiny. Coffe cup size.



The lounge has a good view over one of the RWY's, as seen here with our 767 arriving to stand.



Since my fellow traveller was a complete BA newbie and I actually booked his tickets I made sure he ended up in 12A next to me. I offered him 12K since the views can be great, and I've seen them hundreds of times.



The trip was uneventful until we reached London. My gamble on the K side paid off. I've found 7 out of 10 arrivals into LHR you approach from the east and often on this approach you make the S turn over north London giving the K side truly amazing views over central and west London. My dear friend did appreciate the guided tour of my former home town.

After arrival we had the pleasure of neither being bussed nor b-gated. Infact we parked before schedule at A13 ISTR and were having a fag at the bus stops within 12 minutes from arrival.
There was a slight kerfaffle (spelling?) with our lodging for the night. We were supposed to crash at my sisters pad in central London however this did not work out. This meant a hasty overnight stay at LHR was required. Since we had an 8.55am departure the following day it would only be a few hours sleep, and we would fresh up at LHR. So I went for the cheap option. Thistle LHR, very close to T5, rooms looked decent on photos, mixed reviews on various traveller sites. Lets just say the room looked like nothing on the photos and it was a dump.





This would not stifle our mood however. After arriving at Thistle in 5 minutes using the excellent Bus service we headed straight for the fantastically glamorous Thistle Bar! The tap beer tasted of moldy copper. We both agreed on this pub had not washed their pipes for decades. On a positive note around 10pm LHR switched departures to the northern RWY departing eastbound. For a flying geek, or should I say freak, this was great. Cue heavy-jet take-off fiesta. Even my not so flying-geeky friend was impressed. Thistle has a great outside terrace for taking in the LHR action. Beered and jumoboed up we headed for our sleeping bins. Window was perma-locked which meant kranky air-unit on.

Alarm went off around 5.45am Friday. Bus service back to T5 was smoother than a smoothie and T5 was a heaven of calm.


Looking north in T5 Departures hall.


Looking south in T5 Departures hall.


Further south about to enter the Premium Area Check-in. Club and then First.


Welcome Sir. The reception was good. Kind, polite and swift. Escorted to a free desk. There was only one other group checking in.

[Petrus]

LHR - JFK 8.55AM
BA117 747-400
Seat 1K
First

Visiting Check-in was more a matter of getting my BP printed, passport check for my friend, and getting the photos

South security was a breeze. I appreciate BAA/BA have now arranged a proper guarded Fast Track channel before bp-check. After security it was time for my maiden right turn at T5 to pass through the Concorde Room Door.
The CCR has been covered on here previously by much wittier and highly acclaimed TR contributors so I shall keep it short. Bolli Grand Anne was being served to my great joy. I hold this bubbly in very high regard and prefer it over Dom 2000 or PR 1999. Infact I've been a total sucker for Grand Anne since the simply world-class 1990 version.

We were escorted to a table to have breakfast and ordered a glass of Bolli each plus the scrambled eggs with salmon. It all went down very well. I was most, and still am, impressed by the CCR.


My companion actually understanding all the fuss I've been making for the past 4 days


Can't wait to get back.


The picture does not make it justice. It is a very good scramble. No salt in the eggs however the salmon is rather salty so it all blends together nicely while chewed.

My friend was now suffering from heart-burn due to the rubbish fish&chips from the Thistle Bar so we headed out to Boots.


Looking towards South Lounges. Below to the left is the CCR door.


Looking north with the BAA crammer of shops and Boots on the left.


Looking down over the seating and dining area from the balcony that extends all the way along South security.


Same spot looking straight ahead towards B satellite and BA heavies.


Back in the CCR with the Concorde Bar. Yes, another glass of Bolli please.


Poor focus on this shot of the CCR dining area. No flash used, for obvious reasons.


CCR terrace and the compulsory photo of a horse with a lamp. Those crazy brits...


CCR terrace looking north. Hey there's a man standing in the door!


Friend catching up on Asia with the Bloom and Bolli.


The CCR work area also known as the Boardroom. Catchy. With authentic SST seats!


Yes, we would fresh up this morning too. What better way to do it in a Cabana?


Two males in their early thirties. It does not take long to create a mess. We had an 8am slot in the Cabana with a 8.55 B-gate departure so there was not much time except for a shower.


Train to B satellite. I counted once again and this time it lasted an age; 32 seconds.


Ah yes, one of my favourite sights in life. It felt even better knowing I would have the first three windows to myself.




Tbc...

[Petrus]

There have been many reports and tales of BA First so I'll summarise briefly. It was very very good. Greeted at the door, escorted to 1K, coat taken, seated, offered a drink and nuts (declined) and yes it was Bollinger Grand Anne 1999 again. The Pol was not loaded, but I did not care! Crew were stellar. There was two taking turns making me feel like a superstar. One male and one middle-aged Irish lady. She was very pretty and charming. Had I not been married I'd ask her to join me for a drink in Manhattan I was greeted by name the entire flight.

I forgot to mention earlier: The flight was 100% full. When I had checked in only 5 seats in F where taken and the lady at F check-in also told me F was light. Plenty of lucky souls getting upgraded today since F was full as we left LHR.




PJ+slippers in the buddy seat.


F wash bag. I like it and found the contents good and better than the CW offering.


Sister 747.


Taxing towards the east end of North RWY. I'm quite sure everyone in here can name the Carrier and Equipment.


Gang of Star heavies.

And it was time to take off. I managed to film the event. Action starts just ahead of the typical BA 747 "triple Bing-Bong" signal from Flight deck:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JlNUlhdGXo


Canapes for Hiddy, with Bolli. Absolutely delicious! Infact I had shivers of joy over my body from the sensation.


Life's good. CSD came by to introduce herself. 1A got a royal treatment (Prem, GGL or VIP) and I got a warm hello from the lovely Scottish CSD. She also popped by before approach and thanked me for the continued loyalty and custom.


Table set. Napkin placed in my lap by CC.

The Lunch Menu for this July 2009 sector:

Chilled fruit juice
*An energising fruit smoothie
*A selection of yoghurts
*Fresh seasonal fruit plate

*A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls

Starters
* Shaun Hill’s English asparagus with pea and basil dressing
and shaved Pecorino
*Cream of parsley soup with pink fir potato crisps
*Fresh summer salad with your choice of balsamic dressing
or Caesar dressing
FOR A LIMITED PERIOD WE ALSO HAVE ‘LIQUID GOLD’—OLIO EXTRA VERGINE
DI OLIVA FROM CASTELLO MONTE VIBIANO, A VERY SPECIAL OLIVE OIL
FROM HAND-PICKED OLIVES, PRESSED AT LOW TEMPERATURE AND BOTTLED
WITHIN SIX HOURS.

Main
*Beef fillet and lamb cutlet with scrambled eggs
sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomato and Irish potato cake
*Catch of the Day – Lemon sole served with
sweet pepper and ginger sauce, potatoes fondantes
and sautéed French beans with shallots
LOCH FYNE FISHERIES OFFERS A SELECTION OF WILD FISH FROM SUSTAINABLE
STOCKS. THEY SUPPLY US WITH THE FRESHEST PRIME FISH DAILY.
Chicken filled with sun-dried tomato and Mozzarella
served with pesto polenta chips and creamed baby spinach
*Greek-style roast vegetable salad with grilled Haloumi
cheese and yoghurt and mint dressing

*Cheese Plate Fleur du Maquis – Also known as Brindamour, this cheese
is encrusted with dried herbs.
Traditional Normandy Camembert – An unpasteurised
cow’s milk cheese, Camembert features a creamy texture
with a full flavour.
Gevrik – Made in Cornwall, England, Gevrik is
an award-winning goat’s milk cheese with a soft texture
and a mild flavour.
St-Nectaire – This unpasteurised cheese features a soft,
supple texture and earthy, fruity flavour.
UNPASTEURISED CHEESE MAY POSE A HEALTH RISK TO CERTAIN GROUPS
OF PEOPLE INCLUDING PREGNANT WOMEN, THE ELDERLY, THE VERY YOUNG
AND THOSE WHOSE SYSTEMS MAY BE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
*A basket of fresh fruit

Snacks
*Thai green vegetable curry with bok-choy and fragrant rice
*Smoked haddock kedgeree cakes with celeriac rémoulade
*A selection of biscuits
*A selection of cheese and fruit

Beverages
We offer you a selection of the following:
Twinings® Teas – Traditional English Breakfast,
Darjeeling, Earl Grey or Pure Green
Twinings® Fruit and Herb Infusions –
Pure Camomile, Pure Peppermint, Lemon and Ginger
or Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla
Coffee – Freshly roasted and ground, decaffeinated,
espresso or cappuccino
Chocolates

English Afternoon Tea

Sandwiches
*A selection of sandwiches featuring –
Tuna, chive and sweetcorn
Mature Cheddar with Bramley apple and fig chutney
Moroccan-style chicken
Mushroom pâté with baby spinach
*Pâtisserie Plain or fruit scones served warm with clotted cream
and strawberry preserve
*Orange and passion fruit tart, sachertorte,
pistachio fondant fancy and fruit cake

Beverages
We offer you a selection of the following:
Twinings® Teas – Traditional English Breakfast,
Darjeeling, Earl Grey or Pure Green
Twinings® Fruit and Herb Infusions –
Pure Camomile, Pure Peppermint, Lemon and Ginger
or Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla
Coffee – Freshly roasted and ground, decaffeinated,
espresso or cappuccino


I went for the soup as a starter. It was very good.


For main I went for the fish. There would be much better steak on offer in NYC.

I declined further food and made myself comfortable once table was cleared by the excellent crew.
Seat 1K was perfect for a rest and it felt private. I extended the seat and fired up a movie. The International stars Clive Owen and the aussie uber-gorgeous Naomi Watts. The plot is feasable; Banks rule the World with fishy trades and our mentioned heroes face a steep uphill battle to acquire the evidence and spread the word.

I nipped to the restroom to change the PJ top to my own shirt and ventured back to Coach to see how my friend was doing. He was in good spirit and looked forward to seeing NYC. He was also on the K side per my recommendation.


Bed made up. I believe at this stage I declined further Bolli. The glass was frequently topped up by the, did I mention, stellar crew.


An hour or so before arrival to Kennedy I went for the Afternoon Tea. Decent English sandwiches.

Plane touched down some 15 minutes ahead of schedule however we were at the wrong end of JFK. Quite a taxi and the usual JFK mess to reach our gate at T7. Nonetheless as I expected immigration was quiet at this time of day.
Immigration officer was friendly. After the usual questions and looking in my passport he exclaimed "wow sir, welcome back!". He seemed honestly pleased to welcome back a regular customer. No bags in hold ment a swift exit to the NYC taxi curb and we were in a cab very soon.

[Petrus]

Part 2, continued.

Some NY photos that may be interesting:


Roofbar at 5th and 27th. I recommend anyone visiting NY to go here atleast once. I've been before and still was impressed by the view in all directions.


Hearty breakfast, NY style


Fab5 happy shopping!


Surf and Turf.


One of the highlights! Coldplay played at the All Points West festival in Liberty State Park. Truly an amazing performance and lifetime memory.


Coldplay 25 feet away and Statue of Liberty on the right. Unforgettable. To the left of Coldplay, not seen in photo is the Manhattan + Jersey City skylines... simply breathtaking. Chris Martin himself mentioned he would not expect to see something like this for a few years. The concert was stellar with a tribute to Beastie Boys (cancelled due to serious illness) where Mr Martin soloed "You gotta fight for your right to Party" on the piano. A certain Mr Jackson was also honoured with Coldplay accoustic version of Billie Jean.


It was muddy! Loafers went in the bin however it was worth it.

JFK - LHR 22.30
BA182 747-400
Seat 62K
Club

Monday evening and it was time to fly back to Europe. Cab from midtown around 7.45pm was quick. JFk T7 was quiet with not one person at the CW desks. I had to check a bag into to the hold due to having done plenty of shopping.
In Flounge in no time for a glass of champagne. It was Monopole, also known as Monopoo in the BAEC forum, which is not really that tasty.



Sleeper-service meant no dinner on-board. I went to the dedicated pre-flight dining room. Not very hungry so I went for the lighter option of a soup:



Boarding was swift through gate 3 which I find very often being the gate used for my LHR bound flights. Headed up the stairs, which is also a very nice feeling. I love the UD of 747's. Switched to my personal airplane sleeping apparel and took my 62K seat. I struggled to stay awake however managed to catch the take-off which I fancy on 747. The RR engines make such a lovely roar when you're on the UD. Seat in bed position, woke up 20 minutes prior to Arrival. We arrived ahead of schedule to a B gate I recall. Very smooth. No waiting at all.
Bags took a little while before delivered and I then headed for the Arrivals Lounge.
Very nice facility. Enjoyed a plate of Full english before heading to the work area.




Fellow PAX in Arrivals Lounge, ahead of the Coffe Machines.

Being drowsy from Tylenol PM and in a grumpy mood I paid too much attention to my neighbour and became annoyed with him. The result is this thread as I'm sure some of you will have seen

A shower was required before heading into London for a 27h lay-over.

Burping shower cabin in T5 Arrivals. I noted here there is a shelf for your belongings, unlike the showers in Galleries.


It's a maze of shower cabins!

After cleaning up I headed to London for a one day lay-over. My friend would be arriving on the following day's BA182 from NY. It was his first visit so he opted to stay longer to catch some sights.



LHR - ARN 13.50
BA780 767-300
Seat 3D (was 5A)
Club (was Euro Traveller)

Friend would be arriving 10.25AM from NY according to Schedule so I arrived around that time too. He was less fortunate than me the day before and received the full BAA arrival treatment. No gate, no one to move the jetty etc... Eventually I got the call he was through North Security so I guided him to the South Galleries Lounges and the First Lounge entry point. Since he got quite delayed I had time to eat breakfast. We went to the showers and then enjoyed the very spacious and lovely Galleries First. Not as exclusive as The CCR for obvious reasons however still a very good lounge which I look forward to visit again.

Bottles of Bolli a plenty in the various bars around the lounge. How wonderful of BA.


Relaxing on the outside terrace of Galleries First.


Looking towards B satellite and a BA heavy-jet party.


Sing-sling whale-jet departure caused some commotion among the males.

Time to head for A15. Nice to have a gate close to the lounge. Since I was in ET and had planned to sleep the entire 2 hours to Stockholm my camera was well packed hence no pictures. At the BP scanner at gate I heard the dreaded "beep" an noted the text 'passenger not checked-in'.
I joked with the agent "i'm either un-lucky or very lucky". At first she did not understand however she then smiled and said "you're lucky sir. Here's a new BP". Considering this sector was a redemption I realised how fortunate I was.

I had planned to sleep however this was not to be as in row 4 behind, first ET row, was a toddler. Things got worse as, and I wish not to be judgemental, it did appear the parent was reluctant to calm the baby. Cue giggling (how cute!) crying (not so cute) and kicking feet (horror). I decided this should not ruin the end of a great trip so plopped in the Sennheisser ear-phones, fired up Dave Chappelle and enjoyed the excellent Club Europe service. Band 3 meant full CE lunch tray. I had the Salmon salad and rinsed the grub with the standard CE champagne Pommery. To make things truly sublime, at ARN door 1 was used on the 767. Perfect end.

Thanks BA for all the good sectors. First was outstanding and with the crew I had quite a bit above CW. I look forward to enjoying First again, hopefully with Mrs Petrus by my side.


Thanks for reading.

/Petrus

[SFflyer123]

I am enjoying your trip report! Please keep it coming!

[UCBeau]

Great TR so far, can't wait to read the rest

[sobore]

Nice report and pictures!

[HIDDY]

Originally Posted by Petrus

She was very pretty and charming. Had I not been married I'd ask her to join me for a drink in Manhattan

Wise move Petrus - She would have said no anyway.

Great report about BA First and New York. The canapés looked great - cheers.

[mattm199]

Thanks for the great TR and pics!
Where was your NYC Surf and Turf meal? (I'm heading over next week!)

[Petrus]

Thank you all. I do my best. The S&T was a Smith&Wollensky's over at 3rd and 50th. There are other more acclaimed steak houses in the city, like Peter luger, however S&W always deliver for me.

[Aerotec]

Great report! I am going just to get the S&T! Never seen such a beast of a meal!

Great that the flights were such a joy. Looking forward to some Bolli(y) when I am heading through the airport next month.

[Buster CT1K]

Lovely TR. Thank you!

[speedbird182]

Great TR Petrus. Love the sound of the "Triple bong" for takeoff, it kicks the excitement of flying up a gear.

[Guava]

Originally Posted by Petrus

Thank you all. I do my best. The S&T was a Smith&Wollensky's over at 3rd and 50th. There are other more acclaimed steak houses in the city, like Peter luger, however S&W always deliver for me.

Thank you for the very organized and informative photo TR on BA Transatlantic F. While the service may have been excellent, I still find the BA F soft and hard products lacking seeing they still haven't updated their entertainment system in over 10 years + the food served on board really is nothing special at all. I was just wondering how BA F is doing these days, your TR has convinced me I should not be paying those high surcharges for a BA F award, which is no better than the Business class of many other carriers these days with a an updated business class cabin and flat seat.

As a side note, it's refreshing to see you and your friend seemed to have a lot of fun in this trip. It adds a nice personal touch to the TR, very enjoyable. I noticed how comfortable you are travelling with another man while your wife doesn't seem to mind. I guess that's very European way of thinking and the way it should be really. Here in the States, and I am sure you know this since you have lived here before, you may see young college students in their early 20's on a backpacking trip together but for grown and married men in their 30's - no way, on business trip, yes, leisure trip, no. I think Europeans remind us how uncomfortable the macho U.S. culture has forced men to become unnaturally worried about being too close with another man for all the wrong reasons.

[geraldtancw]

-nevermind-