Index to Genius1 Trip Reports

Introduction

Having visited Western Canada and the magnificent Rockies several years ago, Eastern Canada had been on the cards for some time. With the advent of a World Traveller Plus (premium economy) sale and some judicious use of Avios to upgrade to Club World (business class), a visit to Canada’s Atlantic coast came off the cards and into reality.

Whilst researching transport options between the two cities we wanted to visit, Toronto and Montreal, I came across a Porter Airlines trip report and started investigating this little-known carrier a bit more. I liked their concept of a premium service for an economy price, and coupled with a decent sale, booked a one way flight from the carrier’s home base of Toronto to Montreal.

For this trip, we would be staying three nights each at the InterContinental Toronto Yorkville and at the InterContinental Montreal, and planned to do our usual thing of walking more than anything else, to soak up the atmosphere of each city and try and avoid anything too touristy.

BA First, LHR-YYZ



We arrived at Heathrow around 4 hours before departure, parking in the Long Stay car park for T5. The free transit bus took under 10 minutes to whisk us to the terminal, and before long we were checking in in the calm of the First check-in area (thanks to my Gold status). There was no queue for any of the several manned desks, and we were promptly checked in with bags priority tagged. The agent asked me whether we needed an ESTA (US visa waiver), causing me a momentary panic before I re-connected Toronto with Canada…



Fast Track security was a prompt affair, and a few minutes later we were ensconced in the Galleries First lounge (again, thanks to my Gold status).





We headed initially for the Refectory area, opting to order from the menu rather than choose something from the tempting buffet. We both opted for the Meze Plate to start, followed by the gnocchi (although without the Parmesan, as I loathe the taste).

Retiring to the main lounge area, I chose the summer pudding (with clotted cream and raspberry coulis) for dessert, followed a short while later by one of the delicious chocolate mousses from the buffet. I couldn’t fault any of the lounge catering on quality, and as usual this visit reinforced my opinion that BA’s lounge catering is pretty solid. Below is the post-12:00 menu for Galleries First for May 2012.

—

Light Dishes
Courgette and Crème Fraiche Soup with Crusty Bread
Feta Cheese, Marinate Artichoke, Sweet Pepper and Aubergine Salad, Secretts Farm Leaves
Hoisin Duck, Shredded Vegetables, Sesame and Nigella Panini
Meze Plate – Humus, Baba Ganoush and Guacamole with Spiced Tortilla and Raw Vegetables

Main Course
Caesar Salad made with Baby Gem Lettuce, Herb Croutons, Anchovies and Ceasar Dressing with a choice of Hot Smoked Salmon or Smoked Chicken
BA Gourmet Beef Burger, Croxton Manor Cheddar, Potato Wedges, Garden Salad
Gnocchi with Peas, Pesto, Shaved Parmesan and Rocket

Dessert
Vanilla Cheesecake, Marinated Cherries
Seasonal Fruit Salad with Berries
Summer Pudding, Clotted Cream, Raspberry Coulis
Selection of Cheese from The British Isles – Keens Cheddar, Tunworth, Innes Log, St James, Served with Fig, Quince and Apple Chutney

—









Whilst BA’s Galleries lounges at T5 are decorated to my taste, they are starting to show their age a little, having not had any significant work done to them since opening 4 years ago. It’s disappointing to see things like the projectors in the First lounge still not working, parts of the chillers falling off, and various lights out of action. The dripping air conditioning near the Work & Entertainment Zone did nothing to improve the image.











Shortly after a glass of the very agreeable Bollinger Rosé from the Champagne Bar, our names were paged over the PA system and we were asked to go to the customer service desk within the lounge. My heart skipped a beat as I thought we may have been lucky enough to have been upgraded, and as it turned out we had! The charming lady behind the desk recognized that we had chosen good seats next to each other on the upper deck (62AB), and had wondered whether we would like to swap those for 4K and 5K in First. Well of course, that didn’t even need thinking about! My very first operational upgrade!











Thanking the lady profusely, we nipped across to the Concorde Room for nothing more exciting, alas, than to use the washroom. This brief visit was mandated by boarding time rapidly approaching, and as such we were soon on the transit to T5B. It would’ve been nice to have had slightly longer in the CCR, but having spent a good 7 hours there last spring, I didn’t feel too disappointed (especially not having just been upgraded to First!).

A quick stop at the Galleries Club lounge in T5B, and boarding was showing as commencing on the screens. It is worth noting at this point that the T5B lounge is significantly quieter than either of the Club lounges in T5A (and even quieter than Galleries First, which on this visit had been fairly busy, as had the CCR). I had a quick look at the buffet out of interest, and was disappointed to see it half empty and rather grubby, as if it hadn’t been attended to for at least an hour. A big contrast to the First lounge’s Refectory area that is nearly always, in my experience, kept well tended.





Boarding at Gate B38 was a bit of a shambles, as despite a pre-boarding announcement for First and Club World passengers and Golds/Silvers only, there was a bit of a rugby scrum and the usual panic from the masses that they would miss their flight. I do also think that BA should pre-board First passengers before all others, and only commence other boarding once all F pax at the gate have passed through ticket presentation and passport check.