Forgotten BA services, products & routes
Dec 11, 2018, 10:46 am
#166
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: IHG Gold
Posts: 309
Dec 11, 2018, 10:50 am
#167
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: Mucci, BAEC Silver, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 1,038
I recall ATC in some countries (cannot remember whether this included LHR and LGW) saying there could be a safety issue as it was proving difficult to accurately identify a BA plane from a distance across a busy airfield.Whether this was valid or not I don't know - or was it a bit of mischief with other folks wading in with potential negatives in an attempt to get BA to abandon the world tail themes?
Dec 11, 2018, 7:04 pm
#169
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
These were rather nice ! I believe I still have a number of them (if I could find them amongst the stash of other kits, most likely buried in a corner of the garage .....).
Other items in the ‘long-forgotten’ category were the useful towels kept by the Purser and available to F pax on request, primarily as a takeaway ‘souvenir’. These were crisp white hand towels - though larger than average - and came with a discreet silver label carrying the BA crest, wrapped in a clear plastic bag. I know I definitely still have one of these, because I chanced upon it, pristine & unused, at the bottom of a bedroom drawer just the other week.
And another ..... also in F only, and also ‘on request’ : who remembers the sets of writing paper + envelopes, again with a discreet BA crest, in gold .... ? Doubt they’d be of any interest these days when nobody actually writes letters ! But back then, I would use them when I wanted to send a friend a personal thank-you note. It had a little touch of elegance about it (and saved me looking for / buying a card
)
Other items in the ‘long-forgotten’ category were the useful towels kept by the Purser and available to F pax on request, primarily as a takeaway ‘souvenir’. These were crisp white hand towels - though larger than average - and came with a discreet silver label carrying the BA crest, wrapped in a clear plastic bag. I know I definitely still have one of these, because I chanced upon it, pristine & unused, at the bottom of a bedroom drawer just the other week.
And another ..... also in F only, and also ‘on request’ : who remembers the sets of writing paper + envelopes, again with a discreet BA crest, in gold .... ? Doubt they’d be of any interest these days when nobody actually writes letters ! But back then, I would use them when I wanted to send a friend a personal thank-you note. It had a little touch of elegance about it (and saved me looking for / buying a card
)
Dec 11, 2018, 9:14 pm
#170
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: london
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 266
What we heard was the noise it made as it jumped to supersonic speed so it was over the sea and out of sight by then. It may have gone over at other times of the day but the evening one was the one we all noticed.
Dec 12, 2018, 1:35 am
#171
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
That phenomenon is one of the reasons why supersonic airliners were never successful; it seriously restricted the routes that could be flown at supersonic speeds. IIRC, the way that LHR-BAH had to be operated was a case in point.
Dec 12, 2018, 2:10 am
#172
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: london
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 266
If you're referring to the sonic boom, then (out of pedantry) I think that would actually have been present whenever the aircraft was flying at supersonic speed, not only when it accelerated through the speed of sound. It sounded like this:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbPh2llw0-M
That phenomenon is one of the reasons why supersonic airliners were never successful; it seriously restricted the routes that could be flown at supersonic speeds. IIRC, the way that LHR-BAH had to be operated was a case in point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbPh2llw0-M
That phenomenon is one of the reasons why supersonic airliners were never successful; it seriously restricted the routes that could be flown at supersonic speeds. IIRC, the way that LHR-BAH had to be operated was a case in point.
But yes my understanding was that it flew over us at sub supersonic speeds due to restrictions but when it cleared land, it was allowed to jump to supersonic speed. From the point of view of a person on the ground you wouldn't register general background airplane sound from the ground but when it did go supersonic you heard this. I guess it then moved out of heading range pretty quickly so you only heard it briefly.
Dec 12, 2018, 6:21 am
#174
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Bronze, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,130
Originally they were called British Airways Travel Shops. Then someone had the ''bright'' idea of converting them in to full travel agencies called Four Corners. BA set up a subsidiary company called British Airways Enterprises which allowed them to change the salary structure in the Four Corners shops. Staff had the option to a) sign a new contract, b) redeploy elsewhere in BA or c) take severance.
Once they were all set up and running they were all sold off to Thomas Cook!!!
Cheers
Steve
Once they were all set up and running they were all sold off to Thomas Cook!!!
Cheers
Steve
Dec 12, 2018, 7:06 am
#175
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: BAEC Gold, Delta Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, AMEX Platinum (US)
Posts: 18,487
I didn't realise you could get an L-1011 into JER...
The school itself was on quite high ground with unobstructed views east and from a few places you could see the shape of it form long before you could hear it.I used to live on the North Hampshire/West Berkshire border and the BA002/BA004 would fly over the house on their way back to LHR. The sound, timing and lights were very distinctive, although much higher and quieter than the outbound. That was the time when LHR would basically shut down for the night once the BA004 landed.
Dec 12, 2018, 7:53 am
#176
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Up North.
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 311
In the same vein BA know they don't need to operate JER-LHR as their regular pax are willing to endure the M25. It means its very unlikely for the route to return (unless R3 happens).
And here's the tristar landing with St Peter's church in the background: https://www.theislandwiki.org/index....istarLands.jpg Quite a few other pics of it knocking around... Bit of a tight squeeze!
Dec 12, 2018, 11:55 am
#177
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: Mucci, BAEC Silver, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 1,038
Bit more from the old advertising I remember;
Where is all that space now! - Got to love the William Shatner bit though!
&
Is this the really reason behind Virgin Galactic?
While I know we all complain about things in the current service. Watching back through all the old ads does show how far most things have come on.
&
While I know we all complain about things in the current service. Watching back through all the old ads does show how far most things have come on.
Dec 12, 2018, 10:41 pm
#178
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Toronto
Programs: BA Exec Club - Demoted to Bronze and re-promoted to Silver alongside AC Elite 50K (gold) in 2022
Posts: 393
the days in economy long haul of a separate T&Cs service after lunch / dinner with after dinner liquers - ie contreau, tia maria and all of the other drinks which slipped down nicely
to be fair, you can still have a brandy with coffee but thats about it
to be fair, you can still have a brandy with coffee but thats about it
Dec 13, 2018, 2:58 am
#179
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold
Posts: 274
Pre 9-11, asking CSD to ask the captain if I could sit in the cockpit for landing. 80% of the time the Captain said yes. I remember LAX, DEL and JNB, I forget the others. Asked on VS too, they were as accommodating.
Dec 13, 2018, 3:10 am
#180
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Cambridgeshire
Programs: BAEC Bronze; ALL Gold
Posts: 128
No brandy on the new CE menu drinks list - so a malt whisky instead. On QR however, even in the back they have a bottle of brandy on the coffee trolley when it comes round after the meal.