cysyuen

Hello guys before I start asking for advices again I have to thank those who contribute on Flyertalk - you guys helped me to learn A LOT and now I can share my knowledge with my friends :-)

Now this is the question time...

1. I have never fly on CW (J) before. What is it like comparing to WT+?
2. I like to 'steal' the Highlife magazines when leaving so I can read them later... do PAX in First and Club get brand new copies of them or just... reused ones?
3. Do you think I should upgrade to CW from WT+ for 15,000 or should I bank in for one First, one Club and one WT journey from HKG-EDI and vice versa?
4. Is GC in T5 really that bad? I see posts on FT saying it is getting ver old and ancient?

5. This is a more 'unique' question: Those who has a Nokia Lumia would know that they have a free driving app which uses GPS to track your speed and position...... Do you think you are allowed to use it on BA flights?

6. OH! Also can you get free Starbucks goodies if you walk to there and show your silver/gold card at T5C?

Looking forward to your answers :-:

Globaliser

1. It's a different world from WT+, most of all because you can sleep on a flat bed rather than sitting up.
3. IMHO, if you can upgrade from WT+ to CW and you have enough Avios, you should do it. You will earn quite a few back anyway from the underlying WT+ fare, so the net cost will be less than 15,000.
4. No. Many FTers are, frankly, spoiled. It's still a decent lounge despite the faults that people find with it. You can see a lot worse around the world, even for international business class.

Can I help you

2. The Highlife magazine is your own personal copy and you are welcome to take it off with you, it should be in good condition but probably won't be new.

Fitch

5. Probably not, as there is a small but non-zero risk of RF interference from the unit.

Unless the GPS is well-designed (not all are) its local oscillator signal can in some cases radiate back out via the antenna and may (might, could possibly...) interfere with aspects of the on board avionics.

So, as with mobiles, it's highly likely to be a safety-first answer akin to the "all transmitting and receiving devices in flight safe mode" - which would of course make a GPS completely useless

000

1. It's a world apart. Probably the best and worst thing that's ever happened to me from a travel perspective (I've not yet been back... to WT+ or WT)!

4. No it's not that bad. There's a reasonable selection of drinks, snacks and a few hot food options (sometimes good, sometimes just average). It does get quite busy at times so finding a seat can be difficult.

5. I have used GPS on various commercial flights for the past nearly 20 years without an issue (to find the speed, altitude and location etc). Seeing as you are allowed to use your phone from gate to gate, no one would be any the wiser, but you may need to press the phone right against the window to get a GPS fix.

paul4040

And how does that keep working in airplane mode?

cysyuen

I see. I am using a Nokia Lumia which has built in GPS tracking system... on my trip from EDI to LHR I turned it on and I can still see the street which I am flying across on the map and still be able to have GPS location to be tagged when I took a picture!

(Anyways how do you quote from more than one person?)

paul4040

3. Entirely a matter of personal taste and value. Read some trip reports and work it out for yourself. Everyone values Avios differently, so it's sometimes unhelpful to try and listen to what other people like to do with theirs. However, WT+ to CW is a real sweet spot in most people's opinion and this is hard to dispute.

4. GC South is the main offender and I try to keep out of here. The lounges don't really look bad at all and the food is fine. However the crowding can be quite bad at certain times of the day. My personal choice is GC North (with the T5B satellite always first choice if my flight leaves from B or C). Galleries lounges at Heathrow are really just big waiting rooms; they're not luxury, just half-decent functional spaces in which to wait for an aeroplane away from the hubbub of the shopping lanes.

cysyuen

It uses satellite, GPS to track your position. It works even when it's on the cruise altitude as long as you are sitting next to a window (I can still recall I watched the plane landing at 250 mph at LHR on my phone :-)

kanderson1965

Flight-safe mode generally refers to a mode in which equipment which is capable of transmitting such a a GSM phone or WI-FI device has its transmit capabilities disabled. A GPS receiver as its name implies is receive only and would therefore not require to have a flight-safe mode.

paul4040

I really hope your aircraft wasn't landing at 250mph!

paul4040

Ah, I see thanks! I am an iSheep and GPS disables on my 5s in Airplane Mode. Must be an Apple thing.

hcuk94

Immediately to the right of the 'Quote' button there is another button for multi-quoting.
Click that button on every post you want to quote, then on the last one click the 'normal' quote button.

hcuk94

Are you sure? I can definitely use GPS on my iPhone 6 whilst in Airplane Mode.
You won't be able to get maps as they'll be online, but if you have an app that uses GPS to display your coordinates or speed they should work fine.
If not, are you on the latest iOS?

kanderson1965

Likewise, there is no good technical reason for this, I suspect it is just easier to power down all the RF chipsets at once.

Generally GPS receiver circuitry generate little RF emissions by themselves, as is is counterproductive to the operation of the receiver; the receive signal from the satellites being extremely low. Most emissions from a GPS unit emanate from the microprocessors and display drivers.