Trip Report BRU-LHR-JFK-SFO-JFK-LCY

Old Apr 16, 2014, 9:56 am
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Trip Report BRU-LHR-JFK-SFO-JFK-LCY

** Mods please feel free to move - I wanted to give some visibility and thanks to the BA FT Board **

Trip Report – BRU-LHR-JFK-SFO-JFK-LCY

I wanted to write a trip report for my recent holiday out to the West Coast with Mrs Our_Kid not only for a memento but also to put something back into the FT Community, which without being a member of the site, I would have had no idea of ex-EU routings and I7SALE fares and other nuances of travel tricks.

I do travel quite a bit with work but mostly short haul and we have a policy of Y up to four hours. With some good longer Band 4 flights coupled with some POUGs I easily propelled myself into Silver territory and made a good 1000 Tier Points with some of the help of the people here.

So with a new found knowledge of ITA Matrix and TP runs I booked two I7SALE tickets last August for myself and Mrs Our_Kid – ex BRU out to SFO. I wanted to maximise the Tier Points and renew my Silver card (as the trip coincided with the start of my collection year) and also equip Mrs Our_Kid with a Silver card after the travels. It seems like a good investment – a holiday, Ł1500 each return to SFO in Club, 50k Avios between us and 800+ tier points.

The original booking routed LHR-MIA-SFO on the outbound (to get the coveted 210 TPs for the transcontinental run) however due to an AA schedule change I asked for a reroute out via JFK to mirror the return leg – I wanted Mrs Our_Kid to also experience the 747 UD hence not taking the LCY service both ways. AA were more than accommodating and reissued the tickets and to my luck the outbound JFK-SFO transcon would be on the new 3 class A321T service and even better in First – but more of that later as I am writing this on the 747 out to JFK and I hope it comes off…

Positioning

This was out on the BA404 from LHR (two ultra cheap single Y fares both with POUG offered and taken) on the evening of the 8th April, a rapid flight time and the service in CE was fantastic. I didn’t really make any notes apart from the service was impeccable and I had to wolf the food down as we were literally in descent as I finished the meal – well done BA!

After a quick hotel courtesy shuttle we checked into the Holiday Inn Brussels Airport – straight to sleep, the room was OK and the bed very comfortable.

The following morning we took the shuttle back to the airport and went for check in.


Outbound to SFO

I had checked in on the BA website and wanted to collect the BPs at the airport for a keepsake of our first long haul trip together. At the check-in counters Mrs Our_Kid had her BPs printed right through to SFO however there was “an issue” with my JFK-SFO leg which meant it couldn’t be printed – oh well, at least I can get to JFK and sort it out at the Admirals Club which is my plan!

We cleared security and had a light breakfast in the lounge, the pastries were delicious as well as the coffee – and a good view of the apron and runway.


09/09/14 BA391 BRU-LHR A319 (Club Europe)

Scheduled Departure: 0945 (CET)
Actual Departure: 1005 (CET)
Wheels Up: 1018 (CET)
Wheels Down: 1017 (BST)
On Stand: 1021 (BST)

This was a great flight – and again, kudos to James the Purser who was running the CE cabin - there were seven passengers in our cabin he was looking after.

We were late departing due to a passengers’ luggage needing to be offloaded, there was a little bit of anxiety with passengers with connections at LHR but it was dealt with really well by James and his team.

Heading out of BRU




A meal service was offered and I took the ‘Continental Breakfast’ whilst Mrs Our_Kid took the Ham and Cheese croissant. James also offered us fresh croissants, juice and coffee and was trying to get us to have some champagne for the morning – we politely declined! The service again was excellent, I know a lot of people think CE is an anachronism but I have to say both those Band 1 trips to Brussels were really really good. My breakfast was delicious too – exceeded my expectations.



We were held into LHR for a little while; it wasn’t a problem though as the views into the City that morning were perfect. We moved across to the other side of row 1 (as it was not occupied) and took photos.

Landmarks



On landing James wished us a good flight onto JFK and Mrs Our_Kid said well our final destination is SFO! James asked about why we hadn’t routed directly and I then explained a little about this being a TP run as part of the holiday. He loved the idea and said, “keep getting those points and flying BA”.


LHR Transfer

We took fast track through flight connections, which was incredibly busy, and then on to B Gates for the JFK flight.
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 9:59 am
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09/09/14 BA173 LHR-JFK B 747-400

Club World

Scheduled Departure: 1120 (BST)
Actual Departure: 1200 (CET)
Wheels Up: 1220 (CET)
Wheels Down: 1456 (EST)
On Stand: 1533 (EST)

The flight departed from Gate B32, we were straight to the front of the priority boarding and on the aircraft in minutes, very seamless.

Our Bird



The crew on the Upper Deck were very welcoming, all the seats taken, but you would not have known – I can see why many people see this as the way to do Long Haul, and when I have been up here before (for business) it is the place for me. It will be a shame when the 747s are retired as I regard this is a unique experience.



We were offered a pre take off drink and took the Taittinger Brut Reserve and a member of the cabin crew took our photo with my camera which was great. The Captain then came over the PA and informed us that there would be delay on departure as the aircraft required a new starboard side wheel.

The delay didn’t really matter as both myself and Mrs Our_Kid were settled into 64J/K and enjoying the experience.

Following take off meal orders were taken and unfortunately both my choices had been taken, I wasn’t too fussed about it though. In the end my main choice (Chicken Caesar Salad) was brought upstairs from the other cabin, so I just took another plain salad to start.

The plain salad was very drab.



Chicken Caesar (and anchovies) delicious!



I took a piece of fruit and coffee for dessert.

Well we are now South of Greenland and I am going to relax for a bit before the afternoon tea service. Very much enjoying the CW Upper Deck experience today!



Continuing the report from my hotel room in Monterey!

I read and used my laptop for most of the flight and I stayed awake for the whole run into JFK. The afternoon tea was excellent and I found it very refreshing and set me up for our approach to JFK, there were also some great views of Manhattan flying in.



Unfortunately, it was 35 minutes from touchdown to get on stand, this was due to a tug taking the aircraft to its stand and it could not position the 747 and it took about three attempts. Chaos ensued on the Upper Deck with passengers out of their seats whilst the aircraft was still moving. I was getting very anxious about our connection.
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 10:01 am
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JFK Immigration

Unfortunately the arrival of our flight coincided with an Iberia arrival and the queue for immigration was massive. I found a BA agent who referred me to a One World agent who kindly escorted us to the front of the line, it seemed to me that the New York attitude was if you don’t ask you don’t get so I am glad I went and asked.

The first border agent we went to found an anomaly with our customs declaration which was pedantry to the maximum, we sorted out a new form and went to another much kinder agent.

After rechecking our bags we took the AirTrain to T8 and I went straight to Flagship check in and got my boarding pass for the AA177 – First Class! The boarding pass said Booking Class A (as expected) and Priority AAccess.

Due to the palaver with immigration and a late arrival of the preceeding flight and another scrum with the security line (I can see why TSA Pre is such a great thing to have) we had about twenty minutes in the lounge. The lounge AAngel was great and sorted us out with showers and vouchers for a drink – great service there.


09/09/14 AA177 JFK-SFO A321T (First)

Scheduled Departure: 1755 (BST)
Actual Departure: 1753 (CET)
Wheels Up: 1836 (CET)
Wheels Down: 2134 (EST)
On Stand: 2140 (EST)

I was really looking forward to this flight and trying the new AA First Class seat and take a ride on the A321. We pre-boarded and I had a nice Coca-Cola and all the passengers boarded very promptly.

The 321T:



Obligatory foot shot:



Take off was delayed as there was congestion on the taxiways, I saw a lot of aircraft depart including an AB flight and thought of Raffles and the cheap redemptions on AB. Took a great photo of the Manhattan skyline.



Now as much as I’d like to tell you about the flight I had planned to stay up and watch a film and enjoy some dinner but the IFE was broken (and it took the crew four hours to fix it) I more or less fell asleep straight away. I woke as we were over Denver and some pretty severe turbulence and the captain had asked the crew to return to their seats. I’d have preferred to be in a wide-bodied aircraft during all the lumps and bumps.

The crew were funny, they’d saved me a steak and some salad which I pecked at, they were saying I was sleeping like a baby and generally having a good laugh and chat. After pecking at the food (the steak was delicious) I went back to sleep!

I woke up with about 70 miles to go and there were great views of the Bay Area, we landed and were relatively quick onto the stand. Crew were funny and wished each passenger in First a good onward journey and thanks for flying American Airlines. They called me Mr High Maintenance that sparked a few laughs again!

Overall Thoughts of the Outbound

It’s a long way to SFO coming from BRU in a day via JFK!! I bow and admire other FTers such as billinghamn who do their mammoth runs. I doubt if I could have managed another sector to HNL!

The service on both BA flights was excellent, Mrs Our_Kid said she preferred BA to AA as it was more attentive. Plus there were issues with the IFE on the AA177 that marred the experience. We both agreed that the AA seat was much better than the BA CW offering but being on separate sides of the cabin on AA on the bulkhead wasn’t very exciting as you couldn’t people watch.

I think I wasted the AA flight though being asleep! There were some gorgeous Californian wines on the wine list and I didn’t have a drop!

Last edited by our_kid; Apr 16, 2014 at 10:06 am Reason: Pictures!
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 10:05 am
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15/09/14 AA24 SFO-JFK 767-300 (First)

Scheduled Departure: 0700 (PST)
Actual Departure: 0654 (PST)
Wheels Up: 0710 (PST)
Wheels Down: 1605 (EST)
On Stand: 1612 (EST)

We had a fabulous time out on the west coast, down to Monterey and the Big Sur and then the weekend in San Francisco. It was however a very early start to the airport, we took the BART which was very seamless and there were hardly any queues at SFO check in.

The AAgent at the Premium Check in remarked that she’d never heard of London City airport and I told her a little bit about it, once the baggage was checked we had a little time in the Admirals Club which was very pleasant.



Boarding was prompt and efficient (note why can’t BA follow AA’s example) and we settled into the bulkhead row for our trip East. I have to say I found the 763 seats very comfortable indeed and the two class flight overall exceeded my expectations.





Breakfast was a very pleasant oatmeal and fruit, delicious and certainly hit the spot. The AA crew worked pretty hard preparing all the meals for a full first class cabin. I also enjoyed the milk and cookie and needed it after watching the (very emotional) film Delivery Man!





The Captain came on the PA about forty minutes out of JFK to announce that the weather was very poor on the North East seaboard and we’d be heading into a holding pattern. After holding for about 35 minutes he made another announcement saying we were low on fuel and needed to route to IAD! My brain went into overdrive at this point thinking of how we could possibly reroute home and the fact that it was likely that we would have missed BA002 out of JFK. There was no wifi on the flight which meant I couldn’t even have a look at the flightstats loadings out of IAD to LHR for the night!

However, we were very lucky and the Captain came back on the PA saying we were going for JFK after all – but what a landing, he did well to get the aeroplane down in pretty severe turbulence, we hit the tarmac hard.


15/09/14 BA002 JFK-LCY A318

Scheduled Departure: 1900 (EST)
Actual Departure: 1943 (EST)
Wheels Up: 2013 (PST)
Wheels Down: 0738 (BST)
On Stand: 0741 (BST)

After clearing a fairly calm immigration we made our way to the lounge and were waved into the Flounge. I noticed that an earlier IB departure to Madrid was late due the inbound aircraft being diverted, so lucky we made it in so kudos to the AA pilot on the 763.

Pre-flight dining was delicious, pasta, some salmon and some rib – just what I needed. Mrs Our_Kid found a lovely Single Estate Merlot in the Flounge and I had a glass before heading to the gate.

The experience on the A318 was excellent, the seats were fantastic – what a great hard product. The Captain announced the flight as Speedbird 2 which I thought was pretty cool. In the end he came out of the flight deck to say hello to all (12) passengers as the starboard engine was having some maintenance and our departure would be delayed. He was called Gavin and was very talkative to myself and Mrs Our_Kid – I remarked it was our first time on the Baby Bus and I was looking forward to it.

Foot shot!



Poor conditions at JFK:



It was a great flight, very personal service and I must have had at least six hours sleep. I woke up with about forty minutes to landing and had a small breakfast and juice and then freshened up. It was a good approach into LCY and I managed to take a couple of good photos.

Without question I can understand why this flight is so highly rated, it’s a unique experience and the crew work hard to make it special. I loved it and am looking forward to my next ride on the Baby Bus in August.

Hello London!




Overall Thoughts of the Inbound

The 763 was a really good flight, personally I think the wide bodied aeroplane worked better and managed the turbulence a lot better than the 321T. The 321T seating (at least in the bulkhead) to me seemed a little claustrophobic now and it seemed a long way from the window.

Blankets and pillows were better on AA than BA – that spindly CW blanket is poor compared to the fluffy duvets on AA! The amenity kits were on a par with each other.

CWLCY was fantastic – really really good – I am going to ensure that at least my Eastbound travel takes that service now.

I hope you enjoyed the report and thank you for reading and to everyone on the FT Board who have shared their knowledge! I also agree with corporate-wage-slave 747 UD and the 318 are the places to be on the TATL!

Our_Kid
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 10:18 am
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Nice TR. When are you back on the bus as we are there in August too
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 10:44 am
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Great TR and photos thanks we will get the baby bus one day....I hope
John
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 11:34 am
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Great TR report, enjoyed reading it. Thanks.
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 1:05 pm
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Originally Posted by ExpatSomchai
Nice TR. When are you back on the bus as we are there in August too
August 5th I think!! Thanks for the kind words on the TR
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 1:07 pm
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Originally Posted by our_kid
August 5th I think!! Thanks for the kind words on the TR
Same week but later for us. Enjoy ^
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 8:06 pm
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Another great TR - enjoyed your read and looking forward to my first experience of the A321T. Another reminder about how good the CWLCY service is as well - yearning to get back on BA1/3 and head back over to the US...

Should be long now - planning another biggie...
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 8:41 pm
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I can't edit my last post - the forum won't allow me to edit and then save my changes!

Obviously I meant "Shouldn't be long now..."
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Old Apr 16, 2014, 9:11 pm
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Very nice report.

Just back from a TP run and will be trying the 321 in F in May as well.
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Old Apr 17, 2014, 12:06 am
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Very interesting read, thank you for posting. In the ideal world, I think I'd fly A318 to the States and then return UD in the 747, though it can be tricky to arrange it that way. That return to London would normally be overnight, so it's a good way to get sleep and comfort, but since there is no daytime A318 on the NYC-LHR service, then UD 747 would also be good for the day time flight too. That leg would be the only one I'd be OK to have NF First, I actually prefer the CW product in the A318 and night time UD 747 - in particular - over First.
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