Best British Airways experience of 2010?

Old Dec 4, 2010, 10:18 am
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Best British Airways experience of 2010?

Getting close to the end of yet another year and I was wondering what your most memorable flight experience of this year was?

Personally....I only took one.
It might only have been a LHR-FRA flight in ET yet it turned out to be one of the nicest and most pleasant BA experiences I've ever had. From the moment we set foot in T5 till we arrived in FRA all the BA staff we came into contact with could not have been nicer.
I was also impressed with the lounge staff who were very attentive.......the food and drink weren't bad either.
Just goes to show, you don't have to be flying in a premium cabin to some far away destination to be left feeling well satisfied. ^
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 10:32 am
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For me...and yes slightly OT, was my first flight as VCC.

It was the first day of the second set of strikes.

Finished my 747 conversion course on the Friday evening at 8pm. Walked into CRC, 8 am the next morning to report for my flight. Was really worried about how a VCC would be welcomed by the CC, even though they crossed the picket line. Was made to feel really welcome in the briefing room, I explained that it was my first flight as VCC. Walked down to the gate, round of applause from the pax sitting at the gate. Got on board, the CC could not have been more supportive with me finding my feet on board. There was a real team spirit, lots of pax thanked us for working when the strike was on.

218
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 10:35 am
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Does it have to be BA related?! I know it's the BA board, but my BA flights this year (NYC & MRU in F, SYD in J, and a few ET's) were all pretty average to be honest. None stood out for great food, top wines etc. It has to be said, none were in New First.

However, my most enjoyable premium airline experience of the year was a return to BOM on Jet Airways in F. Simply outstanding on the way out. The whole F cabin to myself, so about 2 or 3 staff to serve me in my stunning suite with closing doors! Will I ever eclipse the feeling of having a 5 course curry washed down with 2 bottles of Dom P as the sun slowly sets?! I think only a private jet experience will beat that & although I am comfortably well off, I certainly can't see myself being able to afford that any time soon!

Sorry for going OT, but it was amazing.
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 10:40 am
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Without doubt out TATL [LHR-IAD-LHR] in May/June, where despite having to re-book both ways twice, BA actually delivered our flights in the middle of "Strike Three".

I can visualise the re-scheduling issues that were involved for both FD and Cabin Crew, let alone finding the right aircraft in the right place[s] to do the job the pax paid for.

I was stressed, but eventually BA delivered all the way, both ways. ^

"Best experience" ... possibly not, but it proved to us that flying BA makes a lot of sense.
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 10:43 am
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My most memorable experience was DOH-BAH-LHR on 16th May.

I was in 62K and we boarded slightly late due to an engine fault.

The aircraft departed and after we landed at BAH we were told that we would have to wait on the ground until Eyjafjallajokull ash had cleared. I put the seat back and slept for about 3 hours before the passengers originating in BAH had a chance to board. When we set off the flight was absolutely silent. Everybody apart from me was exhausted after the long wait and went straight to sleep. So I did too!
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 10:44 am
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My best experience of the year was my Birthday trip to San Francisco.

I have never felt so happy and content with some of the most amazing friends that someone could ask to have in their life.

The flight outbound was absolutely outstanding with the most wonderful crew, my first time on the upper deck, the house and time in San Francisco wee out of this world and I look back on that time with the fondest memories.

Last edited by BingBongBoy; Dec 4, 2010 at 10:49 am
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 10:57 am
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Originally Posted by MANCHESTER
Does it have to be BA related?! .
Not really....I had thought my first Lufthansa flight in First Class would be my highlight of the year...but it wasn't.
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 11:00 am
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Originally Posted by BingBongBoy
My best experience of the year was my Birthday trip to San Francisco.

I have never felt so happy and content with some of the most amazing friends that someone could ask to have in their life.
Good feeling BBB...sometimes everything just click into place and the whole trip becomes memorable. ^
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 11:02 am
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June 17, 7pm flight CPT-JNB

I was on my way to Uganda and this was the first leg of the trip. Only I and one more in Club. Our personal "butler" a distinguished man 50-60 years old made sure that the glass never was empty ^

Sitting in 1A it felt like it was my own private jet
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 11:11 am
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JFK to LHR in late Oct, got held up in Detroit so had to spend a night in the crappy Hilton at JFK, got the 8:55 out of JFK. After the crappy hotel I decided to upgrade to F on the return, spoke to BA in the five minute taxi ride to the airport and they sorted the upgrade out. Then spent 10 minutes chatting to the excellent CS lady at JFK whilst we waited for my ticket to be reissued, so tracked it through on the system and in total it took about 10 mins. Breakfast in a quiet CCR with good, attentive service and then lucky enough to get NF on the 747 coming back.

It wasn't NF that made it my favourite flight (though it helped, it's a great upgrade) but two things - (a) great way BA managed to re-ticket me so quickly and the excellent way the JFK staff tracked it through; and (b) the fantastic staff in F on the way back. There was only four of us in the cabin which no doubt helped, they managed to do the 'very attentive but never intrusive' service that great BA crew are the only ones who can pull off successfully. Also provided great conversation for an hour mid-flight when I couldn't sleep and was bored, even giving me a nice, fizzy gift I'll stay stum about to drink with the wife at home. A great flight.
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 11:30 am
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For me, my best BA in-flight experience this year was delivered by other airlines.

While I continued to fly BA, the food and service remained better on most of the other carriers I flew: LX, LH, BD, QF (with the notable exception of RJ).
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 11:35 am
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My best flight this year full stop was on BA. It was a SIN-SYD sector (I'd flown out from FRA-SIN a few days before with *A). The 777 was very busy -I think there were 12 in F and from what I could tell, J was full too.

The service was probably the best I've had on BA (or on any other airline) for a long while. We had a very nice team of 3 looking after the cabin and the service just 'worked'. I had been in meetings all week, but it was now a Friday so I was looking forward to some down time in SYD. As such, I didn't want to sleep during the flight -my meal service was paced very well. Many other pax were lying down by the time my dessert was cleared away and I was left with the box of chocolates for the night

The evening meal was some sort of Chowder to start with followed by a really very good noodle-based dish -again, lovely. I suspect my good mood had something to do with it, but I was really very impressed.

My worst flight this year was actually with bmibaby, but we won't go there...

My worst BA flight has to be a LHR-YOW sector on the 767 in CW. I don't know what was wrong with the CSD -she wasn't rude -but she just seemed disinterested. The Club cabin had no more than 10 pax in and service was completed within 45 minutes of takeoff from Heathrow on this day flight(!) The meal tray was actually placed the wrong way up!! There was then no additional service at all until 1 hour to landing where the afternoon tea was plonked (literally) in front of us all. Drinks were done after the meal service and at the same time as tea/coffee. The CSD spent most of the flight in WT -at one point, I went to the forward galley to get some water and there was actually nobody there at all. Likewise, nobody in the galley area at door 2...so I pulled the bar drawer out, helped myself to a coke and a glass with (melted) ice and returned to my seat. No sign of the club kitchen..........I did request a feedback form from the CSD before landing in Ottawa. The response was "sure". I handed the form back to her upon disembarkation and actually did get a response from BA with a few miles to boot! I actually had the same crew coming back from Ottawa the following day -and they seemed much better, despite the cabin being much fuller. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't excellent, but I did see some water and juice runs being done.

All in all, I would say that despite popular belief, most crew seem to be trying harder this year than ever before. There have been a number of changes, such as the removal of the PSR from the shorthaul 767, MF, removal of PSR from LH aircraft, reduction in A319 crew levels etc, but I think most of the crew I've encountered have risen to the challenge admirably. ^
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 11:42 am
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Originally Posted by Lobengula
June 17, 7pm flight CPT-JNB

I was on my way to Uganda and this was the first leg of the trip. Only I and one more in Club. Our personal "butler" a distinguished man 50-60 years old made sure that the glass never was empty ^

Sitting in 1A it felt like it was my own private jet
My best experience in 2009 was a bit like this... except it was on a 747 in June from LHR to SEA, where the flight was packed to the rafters so to speak, and I was in 1A. LHR T5 had still not gotten flight connections together very well, so it had been an ordeal getting to the flight, but once on board the attentiveness and flawlessness of the crew and service wiped all that away.

When I was leaving at the end of the flight, I said quite genuinely to the crew member who had looked after me, that it was amazing to me on a flight that I knew was 100% full, they could still make me feel like I was the only passenger on the plane.

2010 has seemed to lack such moments for me, and both strikes and volcano played into that.

I suppose the closest in 2010 was after missing out on CWLCY for the second time in two months - both of them volcano affected, and after finding myself annoyed at the likelihood of a lower-deck middle in CW on a seriously delayed 747, the JFK lounge "dragon" agent who had been frantically working all evening re-booking passengers (and with whom I had gotten into a bit of a tired tiff earlier on when it didn't seem clear to me I was getting looked after at all), personally held the flight open for about one minute at the very end in order to work some magic, get me a seat in F, and then walk me to the plane so she could explain that she was looking after my situation all along, but she needed me to understand how busy things get, and that they really need to be left alone to get the job done in such circumstances. ^
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 11:48 am
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My LCY-JFK-LCY flights this year have been much better experiences than "mainline" experiences in J/F from LHR. Not saying that those have been bad, just that they were more average compared to the LCY flights where crew went out of the way to provide a very attentive service.

My worst experience in 2010 has to be an AA flight from JFK-LAS in so-called F!!
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Old Dec 4, 2010, 11:49 am
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The best BA experience this year was the return sector of a trip to LA in F at Easter. The crew were superb and in great contrast to the outbound, the food was considerably better than that served up outbound also.

This was closely followed by another trip to LA in the summer, where again crews in CW this time were great. Primarily a result of very proactive CSD on both flights. Downside of both sectors was the poor food.
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