BA286, SFO-LHR (B744 - G-CIVR)
My friend who lives in San Francisco dropped us off at SFO about 2.5 hours before the flight. When we were checking in, the lady asked if I had got the voicemail about the delay to the flight. I hadn’t as was too busy setting up a new phone. Turns out we were there 4 hours before we actually took off. No matter though as we headed to the Terraces lounge after a few last minute bits and bobs were bought from the shops.
It turned out that the previous SFO-LHR flight was also delayed and so the First Class part of the lounge was somewhat busy. However, those passengers soon departed on their way to LHR and my friend and I had the lounge to ourselves. Time passed, sparkles were drunk, nibbles were eaten and the inbound aircraft arrived about an hour and 15 minutes late.
We soon boarded and were again greeted with the new First Class. The cabin crew member serving me was again very experienced and she had a lovely demeanour. She showed me to my seat (1K again – nabbed at T-24) and offered me a pre-departure drink. Accepted. Refills given as boarding seemed to be taking ages. I changed into the PJs straightaway. I wanted to sleep earlier rather than later so that I could start to adjust to UK time. It’s always worse coming east rather than going west.
We took off into the dark night sky and the menus were distributed and Kir Royales were drunk.
Some of the pictures here are slightly blurry. I doubt there is much worse than some guy flashing his camera when the cabin lights are dimmed down. Aperitifs were served – scallops with a balsamic dressing of some sort. They were lovely – cooked just right.
For starter, I went for the Crab salad timbale with asparagus puree and tartare sauce served with asparagus spears and lemon vinaigrette along with a glass of Chablis.
I fancied trying the soup and was glad I did – it was Masala tomato lentil soup with diced tomato and cilantro.
For the main, I went for the Seared miso-marinated black cod with dashi and udon noodles, carrots, bok-choi and shimeji mushrooms. This wasn’t as good as the main on the outbound flight, but there was a nice thick bit of cod served which went down a treat.
By this point, I was shattered and decided to get a few hours sleep. The member of cabin crew who had been serving me promptly made up my bed and gave me a bottle of water. I think I had about 4 hours sleep before I decided to wake up to save becoming even more jet lagged when I got home.
As soon as the member of cabin crew saw that I was awake, she was immediately by my side enquiring as to whether she could get me anything. I opted for a double espresso and some water while I took a look at the breakfast menu. I think it was about 1.5 hours outside of Heathrow when I had breakfast. I went for the pineapple, mango and mint smoothie to start with along with some fresh fruit. The fruit was great – the melon was nice and ripe. Nothing worse than a hard melon!
I then went for the full English. Again, no problems with this whatsoever. It looked great and the sausage was thoroughly cooked (much to the delight of some members of the BA Forum I am sure!).
The meal was nicely rounded off with a few cups of peppermint tea and it was then time to change before landing in Heathrow. We made up some time crossing the pond and only landed about an hour late.
I was quickly off the plane and made my way to Flight Connections for my onward flight to ABZ later that evening. There was absolutely no queue at immigration and I used the fast track security which was slightly busier than last time I was there. Made my way to the CCR where I was welcomed by name. I had booked a cabana a few weeks previously and was shown to Room 3 at the end of the corridor by a very pleasant guy. I napped for a few hours and then took a shower to wake myself up. I then found a quiet corner and had a glass of sparkles while watching some programmes on the iplayer. Time was getting on so I had a quick bite to eat in the dining room and then made my way to the gate.
BA1318, LHR-ABZ (A321 - G-EUXG)
I had opted to sit right at the back of the bus in hope that there would be nobody else sitting next to me and in the knowledge that I could hop off using the back steps quickly on arrival at ABZ. Luckily nobody was sitting next to me so I could sprawl out once the seatbelt signs had gone off. The standard drinks service started and the male cabin crew guy handed me two G&Ts which was kind of him. Maybe just what I needed to encourage me to sleep when I got home. I think we ended up arriving about half an hour early into ABZ.
Conclusion
I was wholeheartedly impressed with BA’s First Class offering on this trip. I had been looking forward to it for months and it did not disappoint. Much of this was down to the friendliness of the crew members I encountered. I cannot praise them enough and I have sent off one of those Well Done thingies in hope that they get the recognition that they deserve.
I’ve read many gripes on the BA Forum about service in the CCR and quality of food etc. I had no problems whatsoever. The staff I encountered were pro active in taking refills without asking and were polite in going about their business. The food was top notch for an airline lounge, and after having eaten in Plane Food on occasions before and reading many raving reviews about it, I was more impressed with the CCR dining room to be honest.
Would I pay out of my own hard earned cash for First Class travel? Probably yes if I had that sort of money. But until that day comes, I shall have to rely on the wisdom of those on the BA Board who give tips of all sorts on how to maximise the amount of miles you can get.
Just beware though – once you’ve flown First, there is no going back to economy. Just how this bodes with my eagerness to travel internationally, I am none too sure....
I hope I have given this a good stab for a first shot and included enough information and not just meaningless rambling. If you’ve got this far then thank you for reading, and well done!