Bump.
Last trip was at the end of last week.
Flew from ABZ at a lunchtime so got to see what their 'new' selection in the lounge was. It wasn't too bad actually. Previous times when I have been, there have been about 4 quarters of sandwiches but today there were two large trays (egg and cress and tuna I think) along with trays of crackers/oatcakes with cheese, ham and other meats. There was also some tomato and red pepper soup which was yum!
We boarded the plane on time but had to sit for about 40 minutes before taxiing as there were high winds down London way. We were warned that it would probably be pretty bumpy going in to LHR (it was). Had a red wine on the way down - the Tempranillo is actually quite nice.
Went to Galleries North after I got off the plane. I've read some of the posts on here recently about the food offering during the day and I think I agree with what has been said. There wasn't much out at all. A few bits of cake and some nibbly crisp things. Not exactly inspired catering. I managed to survive on a few G&Ts though.
The flight over to GVA was fine. The CSD was a nice lady probably in her early 40s. Chatty enough. The salad of chorizo, goats cheese and yellow peppers was great. No pic as the iPhone decided to run out of battery just as I was pressing click.
I stayed an extra night in Geneva so that I could have some time to myself on Saturday. I stayed at the Crowne Plaza beside the hotel. It is undergoing renovations at the moment but most of the rooms have been done and are quite impressive. I checked in and got given a free bus ticket for the length of my stay - supposedly all hotels do this in Geneva. It came in handy the next morning when I took the bus into the city for a wander around. I stayed in the hotel bar on Friday night and drank some Swiss wine and ate tapas. It was lovely!
Got up early on Saturday which was a struggle as the bed was so comfy but I wanted to have a few hours of wandering around. Geneva is a lovely city - quite picturesque. I took a few pics with the phone which probably don't do the city justice, but you can get a taste of what it is like.
Oh, and I came across something one of the BA Mods may like......! His namesake!
I caught the bus back to the hotel, freshened up and checked out. The hotel put on a complimentary mini bus to take you to the airport so I took advantage of that and was there within 5 minutes. I was the only person at check in and was through fast track security in under 5 minutes. A quick stop off to take my secretary back some Swiss chocolate and I was at the Galleries lounge. It was very quiet - just me and two other guys in there. I snapped a few pics.
The sandwiches were ok. Nothing special but filled a hole. Quaffed a few glasses of white (can't for the life of me remember what it was) and boarding was soon called.
I was welcomed on board by the most charming member of crew I think I have ever encountered on BA. She was lovely. I recognised the lady who was with her at the front from my ABZ-LHR flight on the Thursday and gave her a smile. We took off on time and, shortly after take off, the lovely CSD came up to me and asked whether I was travelling on to ABZ that evening.
"Yes....."
"Oh wonderful, us too! One of my colleagues think she recognises you from somewhere but she is a bit embarrassed because she can't remember why."
"Oh, she took me from Aberdeen to London on Thursday".
"I'll just go and tell her"
And so this started a wonderful short lived relationship between us for the duration of that flight and the next. Afternoon tea was served. People moan about it but I think it's fine enough for a short flight. The scones were good. I had a wee champagne. And then another. And then the captain announced that we would be in the hold for 25 minutes so my new best friend appeared at my side with another wee champagne and proclaimed that I might as well just have it because "we will be rolling around up here for at least another 20 minutes". Well, I couldn't refuse.
Anyway, the CSD really was charming. She took a genuine interest in everyone in the CE cabin. She chatted to the guy next to me about him going to Vancouver, she chatted to the family in front of me and gave small talk to the kids and she yapped all the way to the back of the cabin (and back again). On the ABZ flight, she yapped to me for another 25 minutes. I told her that it was so refreshing to have someone who pays a genuine interest in the passengers. She told me it was just because she was nosey! I sent a wee well done thing on the BA website. She deserves a raise. Can you tell I was impressed?!