After a blissful week of home cooking and a soft bed, it was good-bye North East, hello Newcastle International Airport…

Travelling back on a bank holiday Monday, I had presumed (wrongly) that there wouldn’t be as many people travelling, and that the lounges, and planes themselves, would be less crowded than on the outbound journey…Wrong! Seems the world and his wife (and three kids) were joining me on the flight to LHR departing today at a leisurely 12:05pm. I say leisurely because I am more used to the 6:05am 1321 service.

Newcastle airport is undergoing a period of transition from small friendly airport with no-hassle security and pleasant waiting areas, to an Easy Jet paradise and a departures hall filled with more tax free shops than seats… The drop off point in particular is the work of a true moron.

Since BA downscaled their ops at NCL a few years ago (ditching all domestic routes except LHR and LGW) Swissport handles their check-in and baggage handling. There is usually one member of actual BA staff on the check-in just in case the YTS kids mess it up completely and try to send your bag to JFK when you are flying to Newark… Not joking, it has happened to me…Since my last visit, three more SSCI machines have been added, and this morning they were all actually working. Swiftly through fast bag drop and into the (usually) delightful terraces which was packed this morning. Something to do with a cancelled flight to LGW meant they were trying to cram as many as possible onto our (now delayed) LHR flight.

Sector 1:
BA1327
Departs: NCL at 12:05pm
Arrives: LHR T1 at 1:20pm

Flight was aboard another A320 unfortunately. I far prefer the 757 often used for the domestic shuttle. Crew seemed very rushed today even though we had a 1 hour ground stop due to ATC in London. In fact, they were one of the least professional crews I have ever seen on BA. Snappy, hurried service, missing out a whole row when handing out the All Day Deli boxes (which could be a bonus depending how you look at it) and then looking at us like it was our fault.
Soon we were on final approach, though no nice views of London today as the cloud level was quite low. Being near the front (3C) I was able to grab my hand luggage and begin the long trek to T4 for my onward journey to Chicago. The transfer process was a smooth one this time, especially as people transferring from UK domestic flights do not have to re-clear security.

A quick wander around the shops at T4 then off to the lounge pavilion. Not sure why I picked this lounge out of the two available to Club passengers, as I think it is smaller and less well equipped. Certainly today it was absolutely rammed with people, even though the long haul network was not subject to any delays (two or three European flights like GVA and CDG were delayed due to inbound aircrafts arriving late)
No sandwiches left by 2:30 when I entered the lounge, but the bar was fully stocked, and there were snacks available to munch on. I managed to grab a chair near the TV as someone left, and spent a happy hour reading a magazine and working my way down the bottle of bourbon at the bar.

Sector 2:

BA299
Departs: LHR T4 at 4:30pm
Arrives: ORD T5 at 6:30pm

Boarding was called, and I was in luck for the flight was departing from a nearby gate. Stepped aboard the 777 to see the new dark blue club seats once again, and settled into 10J (my second favourite seat on the T7 besides 10B). Was offered a glass of something sparkly, and accepted it gratefully. Cabin was full again today, and I recognised several people from the lounge on board. My seat mate was a surly looking fellow who threw the (new dark blue) fan across the gap between the seats as soon as he sat down, without even a hello…Charming…

Something I noticed was although the new safety video was mentioned in the Highlife magazine it was not yet being shown on board. Pity, as I was interested to see how it would differ from the old 1990’s one currently shown.
Pretty soon we were levelling off and the bar service began. I decided to pace myself with just a glass of red wine to accompany the packet (sigh…whatever happened to putting them in a little china bowl?) of macadamia nuts.
I scanned the lunch menu (although according to my body clock, this was really an early dinner) and wasn’t greatly inspired by what I saw:

Starters:

Prawns with herb and orange crème fraiche dressing

Or

Tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese salad

Fresh seasonal salad with vinaigrette

Main:

Grilled fillet of beef, roast shallot and balsamic butter

Pan-seared cod fillet with lobster and rocket sauce

Light chicken fricassee with spring vegetables

Classic Greek Salad

Dessert:

Apple , almond and cranberry muesli tart with crème anglaise

Blacksticks Blue and Quickes Cheddar cheese

Chocolates

I had the tomato and mozzarella salad to begin, and regretted it. After spending four months in Italy, I found it a little…lacking in flavour. I followed up with the fillet of beef, which was up to the usual BA standard, and finished with the apple tart which was delicious. Perhaps the most important feature of the meal was the metal cutlery, which has made a welcome return after some 3 years absence. I quite liked the design, although the knives were a little oddly shaped- nice BA logo on the stems.

I reclined the seat a little way and dozed for a couple of hours, before sitting up and trying to watch a movie. I found myself getting a little bored, as the selection on screen was not great during May. I looked around, and saw a good deal of people working away on their laptops, including my seat mate. They all looked as if they weren’t enjoying the journey half as much as I was. Someday that might be me…

About an hour later, the rattling of cups began in the galley and the afternoon tea service (although by this point it was past 8pm in the UK) was started. We were offered:

Sandwiches of Wensleydale cheese with carrot chutney and prawn with dill

Or

Sandwiches of tomato with red onion marmalade and mustard chicken with spinach and mature cheddar cheese

Followed by a chocolate choux bun and….what? NO SCONES!! What the devil? The one part of the afternoon tea service I look forward to is the warmed scones with clotted cream, and it looks like they may have been… “enhanced” Must make sure to check with the BA board to see if this is the case.

Not long after we began our descent into ORD, and crew began the process of handing back coats etc. Landing was as smooth as a mill pond, and we taxied quickly to T5. This is where the fun begins. Depending on the time of day Chicago immigration can be a pleasant dream, or a horrific nightmare to pass through. Today was the former, thankfully, and several of the passengers commented that this was a better flight to take than the earlier 297 for the ease of entry into the US.

My luggage wasn’t priority tagged unfortunately (“we’ve run out” said agent at NCL) but my bag was among the first off the belt. Swiftly through customs and re-checked my bag at the AA counter in T5 before getting the train over to T3 for my onward flight to CLE. The check in hall in T3 is quite drab, and not at all airy and pleasant like T5. American Airlines is clearly the dominant carrier in this terminal. I had already checked in at the transfer center (sic) in T5 so I went through security (some of the rudest and most inept agents I have ever had the displeasure t…well you get my point) in search of the Admirals Club.

Since I was on an Eagle flight out of the G concourse, I was directed to the smallest of ORD’s three Admirals Clubs. I have always found the agents at the Clubs I have visited to be extremely pleasant, and today was no exception. She even handed me my first ever free drink voucher. As a BA card holder I am supposed to be entitled to two, but I didn’t force the issue with her. And perhaps I had better think about cutting down on the alcohol levels to try and minimize the jet lag. My body was thinking it was well after midnight at this point, though it was bright and sunny outside at O’Hare.

The club is well appointed for its size, with a couple of PC’s, nice bathrooms (no showers) and a well stocked cash bar. The TV was on at one end, and perhaps most important, huge picture windows overlooking the ramp area. Although 99% of the traffic was ERJ’s and MD80’s, it still made for interesting watching. Another thing I liked (and something BA could implement quite easily) was the veggie tray by the bar. Ranch dipping sauce and a variety of cut fresh vegetables made a pleasant change from the high salt, high fat snacks usually offered.

I wandered over to the gate (G4 I think) to hear the inevitable call for volunteers due to a weight restricted aircraft (probably due to my suitcase that was ahem, a little overweight). I decided against it, as they were only offering $250 of AA vouchers, and a guaranteed seat on the later service.

Sector 3:

American Airlines AA4341
Departs: ORD 8:27pm CST
Arrives: CLE 10:38pm EST

This American Eagle sector was served by a CRJ 700, which seemed quite new, certainly it was very clean. The two flight attendants on board were very nice and chatty considering the time of day, and one of the few free seats on the plane was next to me. It certainly made for a more comfortable flight. I have to say though, I would not like to take one of the longer routes on this type of plane, like CLE – DFW which comes in at a shade over 1,000 miles.
Usual offering of peanuts/pretzels and a drink, and I dozed for the majority of the flight. By the time we reached CLE I was starting to feel exhausted and frankly gross. Arrived at baggage claim as my bag was coming off the belt (CLE is very good for this) and out to the car.

All in all, another nice, if not outstanding, flight with BA. AA seems to be getting better from my prior experiences with them (sloppy, gum chewing cabin crew and inept GA’s) and I would not hesistate to use them on the ORD route again, since they fly similar aircraft to CO, and I get BA miles with them.

Next report will be my mileage run (ok holiday, since I will be staying a week) to Hawaii in October on AA to guarantee my silver renewal for 2006.