Bird guessing...
Aug 19, 2018, 9:53 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,531
Bird guessing...
You are on the terrace of the CCR (also works for people on GF), you don't know your gate number yet, but you know the plane type, more or less when the previous rotation will likely arrive, some of the gates it frequently uses, and as you see a plane making its way to the gate in a way that matches all of your known indicators, you think "heck, I'm ready to bet it's mine!".
Am I the only one playing those silly games?
PS: still no idea if my guess is right or not as my gate is still not officially out...
Am I the only one playing those silly games?
PS: still no idea if my guess is right or not as my gate is still not officially out...
Aug 19, 2018, 10:10 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: USA and UK
Programs: British Airways Executive Club Silver, Alitalia Freccia Alata
Posts: 1,351
Certainly. I do tend to find out the tail number of the aircraft if I've nothing to do on the way to the airport and see where my aircraft is coming from. Passes the time and makes for a funner time than The Times crossword (which I always give up on)! When travelling with someone, they are horrified by the accuracy of some of my predictions 
Aug 19, 2018, 10:17 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,531
Ps: my guessing talent got vindicated!
Aug 19, 2018, 10:55 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,531
Looks like BA were playing too. They rewarded me with an upgrade and row 1 at that. Not that I’m a fan of the chicken salad or panino but I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth...
Aug 19, 2018, 11:24 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 10,709
apparently the queen does as well, and some say she is very good at it.
Aug 19, 2018, 11:54 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver, ZSL Silver
Posts: 2,552
Aug 19, 2018, 2:05 pm
#11
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 5,380
I do this, too. I can see flights departing LHR going south east and then those landing coming in over London. Given that I sit on the balcony at about the same time in the evenings I’ve got pretty good at it. “Oh that must be the BA Delhi flight”, quick check on Flightradar24. My wife thinks I’m mad.
Aug 19, 2018, 2:10 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Living the Essex dream
Programs: BA bronze
Posts: 1,471
Luckily the parents were on BA001 to JFK, so it was very obvious when it flew over Wokingham!!
218
Aug 19, 2018, 4:33 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Programs: BA Gold, Accor Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 553
the east, the flight path takes you almost to Wokingham, making a sharp right turn over a very ugly office block belonging to an IT company in Bracknell. Immediately know where we are when I see the red logo!
Aug 19, 2018, 11:55 pm
#14
Join Date: Nov 2011
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,222
Following my kind invitation to GF for ten minutes last year by the lovely BAEC team I now sit outside GF gazing malevolently at those approaching the lounge in the hope they are turned away so I can fix them with a look of sheer triumph.
Yes its me.
Yes its me.
Aug 20, 2018, 12:58 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
You are on the terrace of the CCR (also works for people on GF), you don't know your gate number yet, but you know the plane type, more or less when the previous rotation will likely arrive, some of the gates it frequently uses, and as you see a plane making its way to the gate in a way that matches all of your known indicators, you think "heck, I'm ready to bet it's mine!".
Am I the only one playing those silly games?
Am I the only one playing those silly games?