I. LHR-SCL

BA251
LHR-SCL
G-ZBKC – Boeing 787-9
22:00 – 07:35
Seat 2A – F

I should make it clear from the beginning: I'm a former BA employee, and therein lies the reason for our butts ending up in First instead of row 45 as they would inevitably have gone if we had to pay the real ticket to go there. But BA, as most airline does, offers a perk called 'Staff Travel' and, for those with enough seniority/grade in the company, one or two annual tickets in Club or First (based on availability). I had the latter and this trip was my last time using one.



And so, with that out of the way, it was that we were in T5B on a luminous spring evening. Call me a weirdo but, if there’s one thing I miss of flying, is that time of the day when T5B and C are at their quietest, bathed in the warm light of the late afternoon. I used to plonk myself in a quiet corner of T5 to type away; come think of it, most of my business cases have been written at T5C’s Starbucks. Yes, I miss it.




Anyway, I digress. Our tickets were for First but we didn’t hit the lounges. The main reason is that, as employees of the airlines (as I was) we weren’t allowed in there unless on duty; additionally, and I’ll whisper this sotto voce as I know it’s anathema on this forum, well, I don’t like lounges.

I must admit, my experience is a bit limited – mostly BA lounges, the CX & QF over in T3 and HKG, the LATAM one in SCL – but I find them utterly boring. Sure, there’s booze. Sure, there’s food. But, and perhaps it’s always my bad luck, I'm bound to be within earshot of somebody screaming “Hello?! Janice are you there?” into their wireless AirPods. Or the Kardashian’s poor cousins. So it was that we grabbed a bite at Wagamama and a couple of beers at the T5B’s bar before the 22.00 departure. Meanwhile, some views out of the windows.

A 787 going to Mumbai if memory doesn't deceive me and a 747 tail. Who would've thought that, after a year, we wouldn't have seen one anymore in BA colours.
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A 777 for God knows where.
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T5C. Somewhere on the left-hand side is my old Business Case-writing spot.



Boarding was at Gate B48, one of those gates with the impossibly long jetty. Now, B48 and I have history.




Basically, the chain reaction started by American subprime lenders defaulting caused HAL and BA to build T5B a little bit on the cheap. Namely, both satellite buildings have a departure area shorter than the original project. This meant, for those gates at the far ends of both concourses, very – and I mean very – long jetties, which some passengers don’t like… and if you’re an airline agent at the end of said jetties, as I often was when (many moons ago) I did that job, they will let you know. Some will jokingly said “Hey, I’ve almost made it to Southall!”. Some will grumble. Some, as an American gentleman did to me, will employ some interesting mental logic according to which the length they’ve had to walk is your responsibility – because you have designed the airport – and will therefore proceed to shower you with abuse. I often think it’s the airport job that has turned me in a misanthropist.

Anyway, here is a (particularly crappy) photo of First. For all its foibles, I personally like its colours and materials. Apologies for the poor quality of the photos onboard: as I was snapping them I remember telling myself that I ought to invest in a better phone. I still haven't.



Champagne and warm nuts.





And a quick look at the menu (minus the wines choices – but make a mental note for that, we’ll get them on the way back). The weird pattern on the photo is due to a kind of herringbone texture on the pages.




Again, in complete dissonance with the vast majority of Flyertalkers, neither OH nor I are big on plane food. She, as a cabin crew, gets more than her fair share of it and as for me… I just don’t feel like having ¾ of the stuff on offer and I’m glad to leave it to the real paying customers. Still, the crew (today’s load in F is quite low, with only half of the seats taken) insists I try the amouse-bouche which, unlike 2018, had made a re-appearance. Don’t shriek in horror, but that is indeed a cup of black coffee. I’m not a massive onboard drinker and I needed some work done.




Then, and again on insistence from the crew, I tried the cheese platter again whilst working.




Having done that, I reclined the seat, declined the bed service (BA’s duvet could be used for outdoor camping in Lapland) and simply went to sleep with the thinner blanket. Other Half, meanwhile, disappeared under her duvet…only to ask if I didn’t mind if she took mine too.

Woke up somewhere above here.




Which, in case you’re not big on Latin American geography, is sort of here, above the Amazon basin.



The cabin was still dark, wobbling about on the warm thermals of the Equator, and I was the only one awake; it wasn’t long before the crew appeared to ask if I wanted something and I decided to get some breakfast. First some fruit, then the usual Full English.



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A delightful sunrise welcomed us over Chile.





As usual when overlying the Andes all service was finished early and we came in to land in a Santiago that was still stretching out of bed after a good night’s sleep. Iberia had preceded us but, in a cruel twist, we overtook them and got out to our parking spot before them.



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To be continued! In the meantime, if you want to read more about my travels in Chile (and elsewhere) please click on this link here to my blog.