BA910 London Heathrow T5 to Frankfurt Main T2
British Airways, Airbus A380
Club World, Seat 11A. 9,000 Avios spent + Taxes
Eventually I took my seat and settled into the Club World seat in 11A. The captain greeted us aboard the new plane, and gave a flight time of an hour, and to listen to the safety briefing Doors were closed early, and pushback commenced.
As this was a short-haul service, no pre-flight departure beverages were offered.
As the plane's IFE system would be only showing a speedmarque or announcement in progress (no tailcamera for me
) the safety demonstration was completed manually.
With that bit of administration done, the plane taxied to the threshold of 07R, and commenced what I'd call an "undramatic takeoff". Whilst there was power, it didn't feel as much as a 777-300ER taking to the air - rather a gradual rise into the air.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZQ5Ncbbpns[/youtube]
As the flight was only an hour or so, I had a little time to explore my surroundings
Directly down the side
Speedmarque in the cabin.
Cabin View
More than adequate leg room
Table released
PTV and Table released
First up, the view from 11A is… mostly the wing unless you angle yourself appropriately.
Twickenham Stadium
Wing
Mood Lighting - note one of the mood lights has failed already…
A hot towel service was completed at a reasonable speed, refreshing me for the journey ahead.
Lets look at the seat - and as I pointed earlier in the cabin examination, this is a Club World seat - meaning it can do the fullly flat trick:
Takeoff
Relax
Deep Relax
Bed
As I stated, those with broader shoulders may find the room a bit limited in the window and may wish to head to the aisle seats. Couples will love the centre seats.
An afternoon tea service was carried out, with a plate of sandwiches and scones.
Plate
With a Scone (plain for me)
and a bottle of Mini-Pommery.
The sandwiches that were served were nothing special, but were plated up well, and tasted fresh. There was a Ham, Chicken Tika and a Cheese and Pickle Sandwich. This was supplied with a slice of lemon cake - and this being afternoon, a hot scone from the oven (with the crew offering 2nds of scones if needed).
Whilst there was limited time, the service didn’t feel rushed at all.
Looking at the IFE controller, this is a typical Thayles controller with a navigation function on the pad, and a keyboard on the back.
As this was a short-haul flight, the IFE was not functional sadly.
Service was cleared down quickly, as was duty free. The crew then rushed to the 10 minute to landing marker - indicating we were on final approach to Frankfurt am Main Airport
The crew seemed happy to be doing this flight, and were happy to show off bits of their brand new plane - of which they’re very happy to be aboard.
Soon enough, the approach to Frankfurt came into view, as the giant plane vectored in.
Quickly, enough the plane completed its short hop to Frankfurt, with a not overly bumpy landing in Frankfurt - even if the exit off the runway roll was a bit long….
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-PtA2nvWMo[/youtube]
After we landed, there was a short wait as the A380 had to cross an active takeoff runway. After a couple of planes passed, our A380 trundled along the Frankfurt taxiways until it lined up for Gate E2 - where the plane docked after the short journey.
I thanked the crew - to warn them I’ll be on the return leg - and headed off into the terminal.
Overall: Whilst the Club Europe Service may be lacking in the afternoon, the surroundings it was delivered in were excellent. The hard product seems solid, and well put together, with the seat being comfortable to relax in. The crew delivered a great service - even on such a short flight.