My wife and I flew LHR - BOS yesterday in WT+ (trip for pleasure, not business).

T5 was pretty empty--very quick through security. BA had their own secondary screening set up over in B and were looking through everyone's bags who was flying to the US. I'd never seen that before--my main concern was around the screeners dipping their hands into every bag filled with filth and moving the germs and bedbugs and lice and whatever else along. I suppose that any industrial action, though picks up the security.

Flight was a little late (20min or so) getting out--some confusion, apparently around the actual names on the list. Given that everyone in the back was standing in, I thought the service was reasonably good. You could see that the economy of movement and the knowledge of what is where wasn't like an experienced crew, but the folks there did their best to help the pax.

The food was actually sourced from Gordon Ramsay's plane food--you know those orange carry on meals? That's what it was.

One of the fill ins was a safety consultant, another was actually a captain. He said it was good to see things from the other side of the door, and that they should probably do this sort of thing more often under good circumstances.

All in all, a reasonable trip--and most importantly, I got back into town on the day I was supposed to and spent the eve with the kids!

So: THANK YOU to the folks who volunteered--you're doing a wonderful thing for the pax and their families.