I will add a few pics in due course but are my scribbles from the trip in the meantime! A great day and lovely to meet everyone
Booking
Could this be anymore last minute? Having kept an eye on the thread for weeks but put off by uncertainty the niggling thoughts started to happen as the end of July got closer...and by the evening of the 1st August with all signs pointing to the first flight being BA 902 to FRA the next morning I took the plunge! Of course only a J fare was available by then but looking back it was totally worth it and I did get a cheapo RFS in ET on the return BA 907 (A319) so it kind of averages out
By the time I had booked and BPs printed it all it was 1am...and I had to be out of my flat in SW London at 4.15. So put my head down....must have slept 30mins at best with the excitement so in the end decided to just fill up the cafetiere and showered and got ready.
LHR
Felt a bit mad still parking up in T5 at 5am and GF lounge felt like a ghost town but after meeting BotB and other FT enthusiasts in the refectory area for breakfast I started to feel a bit more normal!
We popped up to GC South to meet the rest of our group and headed over to T5C, our flight left from C63 that morning. After a few minutes taking snaps we boarded. We must have looked like a group of 5 year olds going to the zoo, am sure the usual suited FRA travellers were somewhat bemused at our antics!
3 air bridges were set up for the plane, one for First only (rows 1-4), one for CW and ET (which was the only functional one) and one to the upper deck only.
We each received a letter informing us of the A380 and its first flight, was half expecting a little more fanfare perhaps a cap or t shirt but not the end of the world. The crew however did not hold back and were noticeably very enthusiastic and proud about their new plane, it's really nice as a customer to see employees so proud and passionate about their employer. The CSM in particular is a real asset to BA and gave FTers a special mention in his welcome announcement!
Cabin
CW cabin was impeccably clean as you'd expect and a noticeable improvement from say the 777-300. The seats were now in a CWLCY colour, better controls for the dividers, mood lighting, bigger windows, rather bling bulkheads (dare I say VS inspired!) , and just overall the width of the plane meant bigger aisles and a feeling of space. I wouldn't feel like this was a dorm and even the maligned middle pairs looked fine. They have also used a darker material for the seat backs to make it look less like an office and it works!
Take off was incredibly smooth, at this size of plane I was expecting the engines to shudder and struggle but the RRs delivered. The climb up to the skies was sharp but controlled, I've never had anything like it...the technology is incredible and I'm sure all my engineer geek friends would be loving it
Meal was typical CE fare, choice of hot breakfast or continental. I went for the latter and as you'd expect for an FT do at 7am in the morning we all clinked our glasses of Pommery to celebrate this momentous occasion
Breakfast
Soon after the meal service, we were delighted when the CSM informed us he'd had the all clear to take us up the upper deck! After a quick visit to the F cabin (which certainly looked spacious but was dark and unlit so was hard to appreciate how it would be fully operational) we went up the front staircase. To state the obvious this is a big plane but you only get it once you realise there is basically another plane sandwiched on top! As explained to us, the plane is effectively run as two separate 777s with separate galley kitchens etc. two CW cabins at the front were pleasant enough, I didn't think too much of the middle seat but was good to see the side bin storage still there, a feature that carries on right through to WT+ and WT. The CW loo at the front was huge!
WT+ looked very pleasant, quite a large cabin but great seats and legroom and we also hear the WT+ experience will get even better going forward. WT at the back of the UD was also very pleasant and I am sure people (non status) would willingly pay the premium to sit here.
After the unexpected treat of the tour we returned back to our seats to finish our champagne and it was 20mins to landing. Chatting away to my fellow FTer in the seat next to me I suddenly felt an almighty bump and rattling...there was the ground....we had landed!! I hadn't even noticed the descent at all, has to be the smoothest landing ever. We did hear however the return 903 was to be landed by a trainee I think so wonder how that was, but this was so unexpected.
FRA experience was straightforward, we headed straight to the Sakura lounge which was busy but soon emptied out. The First section was closed whilst we were there and only opens at 4pm for the JAL flights to NRT. My flight back was the 11.50 907 to LHR, row 9 in ET on an A319....not much to say apart from I slept through all of it bar some turbulence over Essex!
View from FRA tarmac
Overall a fantastic day, I am really really glad that I saved my first A380 experience for BA and despite my initial reservations about the layout, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes it's hard to not to miss the very special 2+2 UD layout of the 747 but ultimately aircraft need to move on driven by efficiency and flight demand and this is where it's going. Top top day, a once in a lifetime experience and pleased to meet some new FTers too! ^