Club World LHR CAI LHR - with pictures

Old Jun 5, 2018, 11:27 pm
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by icegirl
Point 1. What were you expecting exactly? Q-suites perhaps? ..................................
Originally Posted by passy777


A clean cabin perhaps?

..............

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Old Jun 6, 2018, 12:13 am
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by binman
Galleries south was an appalling excuse for a lounge the day we flew out. It was packed to the gunnels and seats were hard to come by. 4 together was impossible. Every table was littered with plates, glassware and the other detritus passengers leave behind.

The food was very poor indeed and a sieve was need to scope out what was laughingly referred to a red Thai curry. Not that it mattered as there were no plates,no bowls and no cutlery. There was no hot chocolate in any machine, and the coffee machines all looked disgusting. The staff were short on the ground and frazzled!

Interest in the customer did not exist let alone a desire to listen. I asked to speak to the lounge manager and was offered the 3rd party agent but neither ever came near in the two hours we were in the lounge. I completed the text message questionnaire and scored it the lowest I could and left my details for them to contact me. To this day no one has. The lounge experience was very far from a quality one. It was cheap and nasty.

So far so BA
I agree that the BA lounge is underwhelming. Crowded, untidy, poor food etc. It's more like a canteen in the university than a business class lounge. The PP lounge downstairs is even better IMO. I understand the feeling why the OP chose to fly with AA CX QR as their lounges, and in-flight offerings of course, are just so much better.
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 2:49 am
  #18  
 
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Originally Posted by flygirl68
Us worldwide crew wear the hat when we are on the 787 and the A380. Sadly it’s not a choice.
What's the reasoning behind that, do you know?
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 3:03 am
  #19  
 
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binman - as others have said, a very fair and balanced report;

Having recently completed 13 years of working in Cairo I can probably lay claim to having flown more BA CAI LHR CAI CW trips than most here. It appears that after the February 2011 revolution BA treated their CAI service like dog poo on the sole of a shoe - changing LHR terminals from T5 to T1, changing aircraft from 747 to 777, then a mix of 321 and 767, and then more recently 787.

In October 2013, having become fed up with the quality of BA's CAI operations, I made a decision to start flying QR CAI DOH LHR J and vv - despite the incredulity of some here it was the best aviation-related decision I have ever made. Significantly less cost, better aircraft, far superior flight experience, more TPs (no TP runs required), better lounges, etc it was a 'no-brainer' - helped by QR joining OW.

On just three subsequent occasions (one BA CAI LHR CAI and one BA CAI LHR) I flew BA CW 787 - and was totally unimpressed. As other have stated above, the CW seat is so lacking in space I have described it in previous posts here as a coffin. Fortunately, as it turned out, my final departure from Cairo was only a few months after QR stopped flying to CAI.

Now I'm at the stage where my wife and I are currently holding two GUF2s, with little desire or incentive to use them on anything other than European routes - such is our current disdain for BA CW (with the possible exception of BA 747 UD).
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Last edited by Prospero; Jun 6, 2018 at 6:04 am Reason: Remove inflammatory comment
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 3:09 am
  #20  
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Please feed back especially regarding the lounge and f&b providion ex Cairo. I write to CR about it each month but would be helpful if others said the same
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 3:11 am
  #21  
 
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Glad to be flying QR this week and not BA.
Disgusting cabin.
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 3:12 am
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by newyorklondon
What's the reasoning behind that, do you know?
Originally the hat was just for promotional events, then when mixed fleet started they wanted them to wear it. Then the guy in charge of us decided he rather liked the hat and wanted us all to wear it, for consistency.... But it was decided we would wear it just on the ‘new’ aircraft. He’s now left us and left us with the hat. I’m still looking for the consistency, and that’s the closest I can get for ‘reasoning’ for you.
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 3:19 am
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by flygirl68


...............................I’m still looking for the consistency, and that’s the closest I can get for ‘reasoning’ for you.

When it comes to looking for consistency .......... many of the BA customers you come across would surely empathise with you
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 3:26 am
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by HIDDY

It is a very short flight after all.
Really? So is there a cut off flight duration where it eventually does become unacceptable to sit in and around previous occupants' beverage and assorted debris. Maybe something could be added to the dashboard.

A brilliant report. Whilst I have never had to sit in such surroundings (my flights are all 7+ hours...) it is always such a shock to see such sights. It probably was a one-off, could have happened on any airline, expectations too high, etc., etc.

Well done binman. Really enjoyed it.
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 3:29 am
  #25  
 
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I think this is an excellent and interesting trip report . And I can recognise most of the issues as being present (not always all together) on my CW flights. I’ve had a few bad ones like this myself over the years, but the wine stains are some of the worst I have seen and I can not comprehend how the cleaning crew didn’t notice this on turnaround.

I know now it won’t happen, but I think it would be great if someone in BA could read this report, and better if they could try to take some real steps to address some of the issues. Other airlines aren’t perfect but they do seem to manage better at quality control in day to day operations.
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 3:39 am
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by flygirl68


Originally the hat was just for promotional events, then when mixed fleet started they wanted them to wear it. Then the guy in charge of us decided he rather liked the hat and wanted us all to wear it, for consistency.... But it was decided we would wear it just on the ‘new’ aircraft. He’s now left us and left us with the hat. I’m still looking for the consistency, and that’s the closest I can get for ‘reasoning’ for you.
Amazing, thank you!
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 4:46 am
  #27  
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Originally Posted by subject2load
Many thanks for responding MFCC. Your view from the inside, so to speak, is certainly helpful to the thread ^

i guess, based on what you say, we can only conclude that the CSM (on both sectors) had a somewhat different perspective to that of the OP, as regards what constitutes appropriate ‘break’ time versus a desirable level of customer-focussed service & attention throughout the entirety of a flight. From the OP’s report :

Again the crew were very pleasant and engaging during the meal service but once complete were invisible for the rest of flight. Like the outbound there were no cabin patrols, no offer to refill coffee. Serve, clear and clear out seems to be the new service standard”

and ............

The style of service is basic too and the crew do what is required and nothing more. No cabin patrols and hiding out in the closed off First Cabin on both flights.”
So just to show how inconsistent BA are if a WW crew operated this flight we would be entitled a rest break, for obvious reasons I will not say how long but it differs due to the different length of duty days, CAI would fall into the 6-10 hour duty.
I guess because as we have more experience we are able to cover the extra workload easier during the breaks as customers should not noticed the reduced number of crew on duty.
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 5:20 am
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Phil the Flyer
binman - as others have said, a very fair and balanced report;

Having recently completed 13 years of working in Cairo I can probably lay claim to having flown more BA CAI LHR CAI CW trips than most here. It appears that after the February 2011 revolution BA treated their CAI service like dog poo on the sole of a shoe - changing LHR terminals from T5 to T1, changing aircraft from 747 to 777, then a mix of 321 and 767, and then more recently 787.

In October 2013, having become fed up with the quality of BA's CAI operations, I made a decision to start flying QR CAI DOH LHR J and vv - despite the incredulity of some here it was the best aviation-related decision I have ever made. Significantly less cost, better aircraft, far superior flight experience, more TPs (no TP runs required), better lounges, etc it was a 'no-brainer' - helped by QR joining OW.

On just three subsequent occasions (one BA CAI LHR CAI and one BA CAI LHR) I flew BA CW 787 - and was totally unimpressed. As other have stated above, the CW seat is so lacking in space I have described it in previous posts here as a coffin. Fortunately, as it turned out, my final departure from Cairo was only a few months after QR stopped flying to CAI.

Now I'm at the stage where my wife and I are currently holding two GUF2s, with little desire or incentive to use them on anything other than European routes - such is our current disdain for BA CW (with the possible exception of BA 747 UD).
I have to go back in October and will be coming home on RJ and their 787. I would rather have 2 x 2 seating and extra flying time than club world again.

Last edited by Prospero; Jun 6, 2018 at 6:06 am Reason: Amend quoted content
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 5:23 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by onobond
A very descriptive and well-balanced report. Unfortunately consistent with many of my own flight experiences with BA during the last two-three years, although
i've personally never had that degree of red wine trashing of any seat. It's pretty annoying with the invisible CC doing ' no cabin patrols, no offer(s) to refill' coffee or other drinks.

A Premium Airline?
REd wine stains at least meant they got some. I hardly got any on my last CW flight. First glass served at the end of eating main (after 2 calls)
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Old Jun 6, 2018, 5:31 am
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by SLGO
I agree that the BA lounge is underwhelming. Crowded, untidy, poor food etc. It's more like a canteen in the university than a business class lounge. The PP lounge downstairs is even better IMO. I understand the feeling why the OP chose to fly with AA CX QR as their lounges, and in-flight offerings of course, are just so much better.

Not been to CAi, but have been to the AA lounge in PHL. Proper food was paid for only as were half the drinks available. Only free food was cheese and crackers and cookies.
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