Do-Day
Let the flying commence I thought! We set out to get up at 07:00am promptly and leave the door 50 minutes later with an aim to get to LHR T5 at 09:30 am to meet our fellow FlyerTalkers. This was the +1’s first FlyerTalk do and he was strangely excited and not sceptical (These FT people cannot be classified as normal
).
After a very long trip to LHR T5 via elephant and castle and Piccadilly Circus, we have finally arrived. The journey its self was cumbersome as we took a bus, changed twice on the tube but we managed to get seats which made it easier.
Time for the first confession, I have a bit of an OCD when it comes to one particular aspect of air travel. The Boarding Pass. I do OLCI and get a PDF print out of my boarding pass for keep sakes and then print two out for back up with my passport and one in my hand luggage, and then download my boarding pass on my iPhone before printing a boarding pass from one of the self-service machines at the airport.
Security this time around the morning was very quick, although I am not sure whether this is typical of a Friday morning. A total of 5 minutes maximum was spent from entering the secure area to being able to walk with my boots on. The security agent was very nice, being from London you would expect to get no smiles or conversation, so this was a welcome change. She commented on my choice of fragrance which was interesting!
British Airways’ Galleries First Lounge
We were very fortunate enough to be guested in by two fellow FlyerTalkers in to Galleries First (referred to as FLounge from this point on). This was exciting as it was my first time in FLounge only having been to the CCR (again thanks to another FlyerTalker). This was also my +1’s first time into any of the Terminal 5 lounge.
With numerous follow up e-mails from me to our fellow FlyerTalkers, we managed not to miss each other at the bottom of the escalators at 9:45am and we were on our way to my first visit to the FLounge!
The dragon was pleasant enough and knew her rules. We headed to the dining area for some breakfast and decided to bump two tables together to create a table of 4. An hour or so later the two fellow FlyerTalkers needed to catch their flight so we said our goodbyes and thanks.
Me and +1 decided to move to another part of the FLounge for some apron views and found ourselves near the computers towards the terrace. I had to do some quick testing for another fellow FlyerTalker regarding computer access but that did not go down well.
The view from our seat next to the computers facing the active departure runway.
The obligatory champagne-in-flute shot.
The view from the terrace facing satellite B.
Our little table in the terraces before lunch.
A maintenance / access cradle. Not sure if the designers of Terminal 5 could have designed it away.
It was midday and we simply had to continue our rampage through the FLounge so we decided on having lunch and I tried the chicken rendang and it was phenomenal but the portion was too small! They also had various salads, pork belly, and pasta on display but I was too drunk and too full by this point.
Watching our screens and the BA iPhone app, our flight seems to be delayed by +5 minutes, then + 20 minutes, then -15 minutes, then +10 minutes… I lost count how many times it changed but it was now showing as “Gate Open” so it was time to head to A2.