So - back to the airport on Monday morning. Grabbed a cab from right outside the hotel and half an hour later we were at the check-in area. The economy queue was heaving but thankfully there was one person at the desk in the queue for Club Europe so I was seen within seconds. I wasn't checking in bags but needed a boarding pass as BA don't give out electronic boarding passes at TIA so I am told. There was priority security which seemed slightly quicker than normal and then passport control. I got rid of my last few bits of local currency and headed to the lounge upstairs. It was extremely quiet during the time I was here. It looked a bit like a forest inside.....!
There was a small square table in the middle which had some breakfast food on it and some olives and other nibbles along with some crusty looking sandwiches. No crisps or nuts to snack on. Juices, local beer, spirits and some white wine were available if you wanted to indulge. The food and drink selection wasn't amazing but wasn't horrendous either.
Headed down to the gate slightly before boarding and had to laugh at the fact we were bundled onto a bus for what would have been a 20 second walk from the door..... Hey, I suppose it gives someone a job!
BA2649, TIA - LGW, G-MIDS, A320
Met on board with some pleasant crew at the front and settled into 1F for the 3 hour flight back to Gatwick. One of the local Albanians who was sitting behind me was a real PITA. Whether he had't been on a plane before in his life or was just deciding to be a complete kn0b end, he was a disgrace. Plane pushed back from the gate, safety demonstration was completed and crew were in their seats when he decided to have a FaceTime conversation with whatever girl he was going to London to meet. This continued for a few minutes until one of the crew eventually realised where the sound was coming from and gave him short shrift to stop his conversation. "One minute" was the reply from him. "Unless you want me to get the captain to return to the gate and have you taken off this plane, you will hang up now". He took that advice. What is it with some people?!
Some nice views climbing out of Tirana and then of the coast as I sipped on a gin and tonic.
A main course of mushroom gnocchi was on offer today along with a few other options. This was really tasty. The crayfish cocktail was a nice starter. Dessert was delicious!
The rest of the flight was spent watching some programmes on iPlayer and enjoying the views - especially of the mountains - as we passed over Europe.
Crew on this flight were great. Constant drinks refills offered and packs of nuts offered with drinks after dinner. Nice to see a proactive crew (and I even got a mini bottle of red to take with me for the bus to Heathrow!). We landed into a horrible day in Gatwick - very bumpy on the way down!
Bus to Heathrow took a bit longer due to some heavy traffic but I had a long layover so wasn't worried about timing. Got to Terminal 5 and tried to get on an earlier flight which wasn't possible. I spent a few hours in the FLounge before catching the flight up the road to Aberdeen.
BA1318, LHR - ABZ, G-EUYA, A320
Unremarkable flight up to Aberdeen. Half decent beef and chicken salad as a snack with a massive pot of hummus as a starter. Dessert was the best thing about this tray.
Thanks for following my latest TR. Hopefully some of the pics appealed to some of you and you might consider Albania as a future travel destination!
