I’ve not been on FlyerTalk for a wee while so I thought I’d update on our INV-LHR-HKG-LHR-INV trip. It also included HKG-CNS on CX (J) and BNE-HKG on QF (Y)

Our return journey from Hong Kong was in First. Our first First and probably our only First!! Thanks to advice from everyone here - we were booked on BA32 - the A380.

I was really looking forward to it. We arrived in Hong Kong 3 days before to do some sightseeing and finish of our trip Down Under by flying home in First.

I got out of hospital at 11am with our flight at 11pm and was nursing a broken wrist! I slipped on steps at the Lions Pavilion at the Peak. Bounced down all 5 steps and shattered my wrist in 2 places.

An operation and 2 days in the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital later....

The insurance company wanted us to delay our flight for 24 hours but we said we were flying home in First and paid with avios - insurance person suddenly went quiet!! We had to obtain a Fit to Fly note from the surgeon to present to check-in.

Hong Kong’s in-town check in has to be the best thing ever!! Due to my hospitalisation, I booked all the luggage (2 bags) under my husband’s name so he got the hotel shuttle bus to Central Station and got them checked in. Then came to collect me from hospital. We decided to check in my hand luggage and the check-in staff took a copy of the Fit to Fly letter.

We headed out to the airport around 2pm as I really couldn’t do anything. Lounge hopped from The Wing First to The Pier First to Qantas.... Couldn’t get a foot massage!

I think boarding was called at 2210 so it was nice to head in Group 1 boarding and onto the exclusive airbridge for First passengers. I have to say, I looked anything but glamorous for travelling in First! I was wearing the sexy compression stockings with shorts, a massive foam arm sling, hair a mess due to being unable to wash/dry/style properly!!



A PBD of champagne- was it LPGS I have no idea! We took off and my husband sat on the ottoman and we had dinner together. I really should have followed the FT advice and avoided the beef. But I didn’t fancy anything else (plus the Adventist Hospital is a vegetarian hospital so needed a bit of beef!!) I asked for it medium-rare and the CC said it was already cooked but would try his best. It was tough as old boots. My husband struggled to cut it up for me. It resembled pulled pork by the time he finished. Tough and absolutely devoid of flavour. The CC apologised for the beef and asked if I wanted another main course. I declined. We decided not to have the cheese but asked for the vanilla ice cream for dessert. This was to come with chocolate sauce, meringue and pistachios. What came was a bowl with 2 frozen lumps of ice-cream!! I would be bloody p*ssed off if I went to a Michelin star restaurant and got served food like what we got in First Class. We felt the food in Club World o the way our to HKG was a far superior product to what we received in First. Didn’t see the chocolates either!

Dinner over and I requested that my bed was made up. Being deaf - I do feel every bit of movement on a flight. I have to say the fully flat bed is great and I did sleep well. Maybe the Tramadol had something to do with it!

Breakfast time and there is no smoothie!

We got into London around 0450. BA has put back out INV flight from 1015 to 1620 so a long day in the Concorde Room beckoned. Managed to get a facial at the Elemis Spa. Couldn’t get a shower as my protective arm sleeve had got checked in with my hand luggage. Hubby tried to wash/dry my hair but he’s never going to have a career change as a hairdresser! Eventually we board and arrive in Inverness at 1800. Luggage took forever to come through whilst my friend was waiting in arrivals. We got back to friend’s house to have a quick bit of dinner and then drive the 2 hours home. We leapfrogged our way down the A9, stopping in lay-bys to have rest (I couldn’t drive). Got home at midnight!

I complained to BA concerning both legs of the journey to/from HKG. My IFE was broken and had to use a combination of swizzle sticks/toothbrush to try to hold the screen in position! The food in First was simply poor. Plus my husband had recommended I watch Stan and Ollie. It did not come with subtitles which I am reliant on due to profound deafness.

Back come the standard copy/paste email of how sorry they were that the food wasn’t their usual standard and a broken IFE is not their usual high standard (CC had said it was broken on a previous flight) and they do have headphones that work with hearing aids on T setting. Deafness is a complicated disability. I rely on subtitles and lipreading as well as wearing extremely powerful hearing aids. If I can’t see the subtitles, I have no idea what is being said in the film. BA has a complete disregard for deaf people. Not many films are subtitled. None of the TV programmes are subtitled. I wanted to watch my fellow countryman, Billy Connolly and let’s face it - most English people need subtitles to understand him!! Yep Friends episodes - no subtitles. The deaf are being dictated to by BA what they can and cannot watch. We should be able to watch 100% of content with subtitles. But no it does not happen.

BA gave me compensation of 16,500 avios and gave my husband 16,500 avios. He didn’t have a broken IFE, he didn’t have the inedible beef but he did have the undressed ice-cream and he isn’t deaf. So why does BA compensate him for the things that went wrong for me?? We do have the HHA and share everything but it doesn’t make sense!

All BA say is that they are sorry it is not their usual standard but what exactly do they do about it?? Forum reading on FT - very little by the sound of it.

After 6 weeks off work....heading back to work on Tuesday!